# Travel/Trip Insurance



## biaviian (May 23, 2011)

Has anybody ever used travel/trip insurance? I am looking for reviews/recommendations of personal experiences. I have read reviews online but every site I find seems to be somewhat biased. I am going to Iceland on my honeymoon, in August, so the recent volcano eruption has me contemplating travel insurance.


----------



## scarbelly (May 23, 2011)

Here is a pretty good article from Frommers with some good resources

http://www.frommers.com/articles/4900.html


----------



## nwdave (May 23, 2011)

Just a tad off topic but, Iceland?  Have you been there before?  I spent a year there, courtesy of USAF.  Very interesting assignment.


----------



## casmurf (May 23, 2011)

Hey Dave,

I was also assigned to the 57th FIS in Iceland back in the 80's I remember going to the ROCK on weekends and the Marine Barracks during the week.

Best was the fried fish the USO served on Friday nights. I did get tired of eating Mutton at least once a week. LOL. Brings back alot of memories.

Jerry S.


----------



## bobthesmoker (May 23, 2011)

We purchase travel insurance for all of our international trips; we travel to the Carribbean during hurricane season.  Go to the website www.insuremytrip.com; this site will let you compare a number of policies from various insurance companies.  You do not have to buy from them, you can go to the individual company and buy the insurance if you prefer; the prices will be the same.  What type of insurance you need will vary based on your age, the trip and what your current insurance does/does not cover.  If you bought your vacation through a travel agent they may also offer a travel insurance policy.  Good luck and Congratulations!


----------



## biaviian (May 23, 2011)

NWDave said:


> Just a tad off topic but, Iceland?  Have you been there before?  I spent a year there, courtesy of USAF.  Very interesting assignment.


No, I've never been there but I've wanted to go my entire life.  I have rented a house about 2 hours outside of the captial, in the country, and an apartment in the captial itself; both for the entire duration of the trip..  We will split our time between the two places.


----------



## nwdave (May 23, 2011)

Obviously, you'll be renting a car.  Rule #1:  DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT honk your horn.  It can only be used if it's a true life threatening emergency.  Otherwise, it's a ticket, guaranteed.  Be sure to bring warm clothes.  Iceland is a wind swept rock.  August will be warm, maybe.  Depends on what you consider warm.  They will be hanging their fish out on the racks to dry.  You'll know when you get downwind of one.  It's unforgettable.  At my Radar Site, we had a couple of these racks near us.  Some mornings, you weren't interested in eating breakfast.  Then there was the fish processing plants.........it's hard to escape the odor because fishing for cod is a major industry.

Iceland is big into geothermal.  There are some geothermal spas you can walk into.  Well worth the trip.

Sweater making is virtually a cottage industry in Iceland.  The sweaters are beautiful and very cheap (but not cheaply made). Rekyavik is well worth the walking tour BUT if the sun is out, and you're near the University, please don't oogle the topless students working on their tans.  It's not only rude, but it can be distracting when you stumble into traffic.

If you're acquainted with the 2-3 foot personal space we in the states and elsewhere tend to respect (what was your reaction when someone got in your face?), be advised that such personal space does not exist.  There can be two or three standing on the sidewalk, chatting away and they'll barge right through the group. 

They love their clear liquors.  Vodka and the such.  Watch out for a liquer called Brenavee (not the correct spelling but how its pronounced).  That stuff makes lighter fluid taste palatable.

All in all, I enjoyed my year in Iceland.  The Icelandics are very clanish, but once friendship is made, it's for a lifetime. 

Try the fish dishes when in the restaurants.  They know how to cook fish. 

Be sure to visit the Viking Museum.  They've done a lot of quality restoration and it's really worth the time.  Same with the Viking villiage.

I see you're in PA.  Traffic will be a real eye-opener.  There are not that many major cities in Iceland.  I so seldom drove while up there, that when I flew back to the States for leave and on to my next assignment, I had to readjust to the hectic driving style we have.  And you people back east are even worse than we are.

One final caution:  I know this doesn't apply to you and yours but I'll pass it along anyway.  The Icelandic Police are no b.s. mess around types.  Just because they don't carry arms, doesn't mean they're push overs.  This also extends to passing through customs and immigration.  All baggage is inspected in one form or another.  They are very serious about outsiders coming into their country and polluting their life standards.  You'll see when you get there.

Sounds like you plan on being there for a month or so?  Go for a pony ride.  I'm serious.  Ya gotta do it, if for nothing else than to say you did.  Just make sure your teeth are well anchored.  Take a road trip around the island.  Don't worry about getting lost, there's only one major highway (unless they've added more) that goes all the way around the island.

I kinda envy you for the trip.  Knowing what I now know about Iceland, it's really quite the opportunity you're taking advantage of.

Finally, I made several friends amongst the Icelandic local hires that worked at my site.  When they found out I was from Washington, they started asking me if I knew so and so, who lived in Blaine, WA, which is about 15 miles up the interstate from where I live.  Blaine has a large settlement of Icelandics and it turned out, I knew some of their relatives.  Small world.

One final thing:  Bring a good book for the flight up.  It is a l-o-n-g flight.  Probably won't be as bad for you, since you won't be flying cattletruck airlines. 

~Dave


Biaviian said:


> No, I've never been there but I've wanted to go my entire life.  I have rented a house about 2 hours outside of the captial, in the country, and an apartment in the captial itself; both for the entire duration of the trip..  We will split our time between the two places.


----------



## britsmoker (May 23, 2011)

Me & the family go to the UK every year - we use Travelex. http://www.travelexinsurance.com/

I hope for you, all the volcanic activity has calmed down again by August - a good reason to get insurance in case of flight delays cancellations etc. We're heading that way next month and I'm hoping it's not going to get any worse.


----------



## kcbq (May 24, 2011)

Try www.tripinsurance.com.  I have found them to be the cheapest source for travel insurance.  They are cheaper than any other comparison website or travel agent.  They let you buy direct from the leading insurers, and take out the middle men that drive up prices.  I got a great price on Cancel for Any Reason insurance and saved over 25% from any other quote.


----------



## kcbq (May 24, 2011)

Try www.tripinsurance.com.  I have found them to be the cheapest source for travel insurance.  They are cheaper than any other comparison website or travel agent.  They let you buy direct from the leading insurers, and take out the middle men that drive up prices.  I got a great price on Cancel for Any Reason insurance and saved over 25% from any other quote.


----------



## biaviian (May 24, 2011)

Thanks for all of the tips and especially you, NWDave.  That was more info than I could have hoped for.  I know a lot of people that have been over there but nobody gave me the info that you did!


----------



## gersus (Jan 25, 2012)

Trip insurance is definitely worth it on any trip that has to be planned in advance and costs a fair amount. We used it on our cruise last September. Didn't have to use it thankfully. I believe we used insuremytrip.com. I called and had someone explain the various policies and their recommendations etc. It was a good transaction.


----------



## custom99 (Jan 25, 2012)

I took trip insurance 2 years ago when we went to Disney world. I never would have taken it in the past until my parents had a medical cancellation when heading for a cruise and were told the trip loss would have been reimbursed if they had taken the trip insurance. We only paid $150.00 total insurance for four of us on a $5000.00 trip. We enjoyed our week, and the day before we were to fly home the east coast got hit with major snow storms. Our flight got cancelled and no way with no way of knowing when we could get home since Pittsburgh had 3 feet of snow and airports all over shut down. I called the insurance company to see if we were covered. They said yes and save all receipts to make a claim when we got home. The ended up paying for our one week extended stay at Disney including nights at the resort, park tickets, rental car, food, and even pitchers of beer and crown royal on our food receipts. I will never take a trip again without the insurance. We are going back to Disney in March and took the insurance again.


----------

