Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

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--++sunstroke++--
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Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by --++sunstroke++-- » Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:18 pm

Hi All,

Will be travelling from Sydney to Hong Kong for 2 days, onto Turkey for 3 weeks, then Thailand for 2 days on the way back.

What travel insurance would you suggest? I have searched & found the following companies - does anyone have any recommedations ?


http://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au/what-we-cover

https://www.scti.com.au/quote

http://www.worldcare.com.au/popups/pland.aspx

http://quote.insureandgo.com.au/AMT/compare.aspx

https://www.travelinsuranz.com.au/travel.php?step=2

https://www.travelinsuranz.com.au/travel.php?step=3

http://travelinsurancequotes.com.au/search-result



Also with vaccinations, I have been told to get Hep A & B, Typhoid & anti-malaria tablets (for Thailand). If we are only staying Bangkok for the 2 days (in August), is there any need for the anti-malaria tabs?

Cheers Guys
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One's pretending to be an Indian & the others pretending she isn't!

Donweather
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Donweather » Sun Jun 24, 2012 12:18 pm

I have used Travel Insurance Direct numerous times before including 1 claim (cancellation of travel due to cyclone) and I've had no issues/problems with them whatsoever.

Balts
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Balts » Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:33 pm

I have used Cover More Travel Insurance and they were great.

Got 10 stitches in my head in Hawaii that was $1200 worth and they covered everything.

Very easy to deal with and I would definately recommend them

alakaboo
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by alakaboo » Sun Jun 24, 2012 9:36 pm

TID for me too.
They cover gear in use and you when you're doing dangerous stuff.
Can't help on malaria. If you do take them they make you sun sensitive. But I guess you're across that problem.

Natho
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Natho » Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:50 am

I'm no expert but I have never heard of anyone needing to take malaria tabs for Bangkok.

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steve shearer
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by steve shearer » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:16 pm

Malaria Tabs for Bangkok would make a great name for a Noise-rock band.
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Natho » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:40 pm

Man who walk in door sideways always going to Bangkok.

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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Donweather » Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:49 pm

Ok, I have a dilemma.

Here's the history in chronological order:

> Paid deposit on OS surfari October 2013
> Purchased Travel insurance for OS surfari November 2013
> Purchased flights for OS surfari November 2013
> Injured knee (torn meniscus) June 2014
> Balance for OS Surfari required this week (late June 2014)
> Likely surgery on knee early July 2014 (hopefully)
> Rehabiliation July 2014-Sept 2014
> OS Surfari departs 20th Sept 2014

So here's my question....if I pay the remaining balance on my OS surfari this week (which is what the surfari company is wanting to secure my place on their boat), then have the knee surgery, and rehab, only to find I'm unable to go on the surfari late Sept 2014 due to knee still inadequate, will the insurance company pay my full refund (including flights and boat costs $4000) or will they only pay my costs that I incurred prior to incurring my knee injury (which is $500 deposit plus $600 flights, so I'm still yet to pay $2900).

I think I know what the insurance company will say if I ring them and ask this question above, but I'd be interested in others definition of pre-existing medical condition? ie is a pre-existing medical injury one that you incur up to the date of travel, irrespective of when you paid deposits/balances etc, or if a medical condition occurs prior to pay all monies/balances and you then cancel the trip after paying all monies/balances, will they deem the medical condition was a pre-existing before I paid all monies/balances hence the travel insurance company will default on me recovering all my costs paid after I incurred the injury.

Does any of that make sense?

EDIT: Just re-read the terms and conditions and found these definitions:

"Existing medical condition(s) means:
a. any chronic or ongoing (whether chronic or otherwise) medical
or dental condition, illness or disease of which you were aware
or should reasonably have been aware, or which is medically
documented within the last 12 months or under investigation
in the 12 months prior to the issue of the Certificate of
Insurance; or
b. any physical, mental illness or medical condition (including
pregnancy), defect, illness or disease of which you were aware
or should reasonably have been aware, or for which treatment,
medication, preventative medication, advice, preventative
advice or investigation have been received or prescribed by a
medical or dental adviser in the 60 days prior to the issue of
the Certificate of Insurance and in the case of the Annual Multi
Trip Travel Plan also within 30 days prior to booking any trip."

So based on the above, they all refer to timing before the issue of Certificate of Insurance, which for me was last November 2013, so I'd think based on this, even if I pay my remaining balance for the trip now, because my injury was sustained AFTER the issuing of my Certificate of Insurance then I should be covered to recover any costs of all monies paid by me for my trip if I cancel my trip a any time due to an injury sustained AFTER the issuing of my Certificate of Insurance (Nov 2013). Agree?

alakaboo
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by alakaboo » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:46 pm

I would call them, but I read it the same way you do.
You had a reasonable expectation of being able to surf, so you paid the balance owing.

Donweather
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Donweather » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:19 pm

Cheers Boo. Will wait to see what the knee specialist says on Friday and then call the insurance company after that. But I'm quietly confident that based on their wording, my injury is not deemed a pre-existing medical condition and hence if I cancel the trip after paying the full amount now, I should be able to recover the full costs from the travel insurance company.

Donweather
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Donweather » Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:21 pm

I have asked the boat company this and the best they can do is postpone the remaining balance for a further 2 weeks. You can see it from their perspective, however, if I can't go, then they want to offer my spot to someone else to get full payment for the boat. They're not in the business of accomodating my injuries up until the 19th Sept and then me pulling the pin the day before the boat departs.

They literally only have 2 more beds available on their boat for the entire remainder of the year so you can imagine they also have a big waiting list of keen people to jump on board when others bail.

bobjs
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by bobjs » Wed Jun 25, 2014 5:34 pm

If you haven't already, make sure you get a good physio now. Your probably favouring the good leg so the muscles are wasting on your bad one, meaning your recovery post op can take longer.

ctd
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by ctd » Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:52 pm

You should be fine re the pre-existing condition issue

What you need to look out for is the requirement (which may be written in the policy, but if not is a general requirement anyway) to 'mitigate' any loss you have suffered and which may be recoverable under the insurance policy. So, for example, if you pay extra (non refundable) money when you reasonably believe there is little chance of actually travelling, the insurance company may refuse to repay

You should check what the policy actually says esp its exclusions clause. for example, I randomly pulled one from the web and it had an exclusion saying we will not pay if you do not do everything you can to reduce your loss as much as possible.

It also included these clauses

Your claim is in respect of travel booked or undertaken even though you know you are unfit to travel, travel against medical advice, travel to obtain medical treatment or you arrange to travel when you know of circumstances that could lead to the Journey being disrupted or cancelled.

Your claim arises from, or is in any way connected with, complications following elective surgery.


So have a good look at the exclusion clauses in your policy

If your doctor tells you that there is a real risk you can't travel, the insurance company may refuse to pay that extra money on the basis that you didnt mitigate your loss (this, of course, requires some assessment as to how reasonable it was, given your medical advice, to believe you would be able to travel). So first thing is to wait until you have a doctors advice.

Secondly, if its still unclear whether you can go or not - see whether the boat will do a deal by which you can pull out with, say, a month's notice and they will refund your money (maybe keeping an admin fee) they then fill your spot with someone else. A month might be enough for them to fill the spot if its as popular as you say and you might know a month before whether travelling is really a possibility or not. Even if the insurance company refuses to pay up, possibly it wont cost you too much (or the company wont bother rejecting a claim for not much money).

Daniel397
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Daniel397 » Thu Oct 09, 2014 6:16 pm

Sounds really good, i must say one that is suggested to you by the majority should be selected. I am kinda glad to know that you have planned such tour that used to plan in sometimes. Its surely an amazing feeling when its about living at a better way through planning things more decently.

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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Karlos » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:29 pm

Huh?

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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Skipper » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:34 pm

Daniel397 wrote:Sounds really good, i must say one that is suggested to you by the majority should be selected. I am kinda glad to know that you have planned such tour that used to plan in sometimes. Its surely an amazing feeling when its about living at a better way through planning things more decently.

straight to the pool room.

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Karlos
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Karlos » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:36 pm

I was thinking a desk calendar.

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Skipper
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Re: Travel Insurance & Vaccinations

Post by Skipper » Thu Oct 09, 2014 8:44 pm

you're right. turn the lights off lets just get out and hope no one else saw us here.

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