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20: Finally.. Insurance

November 5th, 2005

So I checked the policy of that “amazing” Endsleigh insurance again and called up the company to clarify a few things.

Yes they do off a “All Risks” policy for specified valuables up to max £1500 however…
The problem is that they have a very poor Sports & Activities cover 🙁

Even basic things such as trekking, hiking, overland travel are not included let alone riding, diving etc.
I cannot add this cover added either so this is a real problem.

I decided that broader cover for accident and health care which includes many Sports and Activities is more important than my valuables such as my camera or mp3 player.

Thus after over a week of investigations I have now purchased the Trailfinders Single Trip Travel Insurance. (All that time I spent looking around and I come to the conclusion that TF are the best option and in the end I go for the Trailfinders one.. kinda frustrating 😉

Alternatives to Trailfinders (TF, £425 for 12 months cover) in the final stage were:

Flexicover Trekking Insurance (£269)
considerably cheaper (~£150), similar cover in most areas compared to TF including Sports & Act.,
Do not pay during treatment (must reclaim costs), NO cover for RTW ticket loss/theft/damage
This too limited..

Endsleigh Long Term Cover (£590 Comprehensive)
All Risks Valuables up to £1500, All over covers same or higher than Tf
Very Expensive, do not cover many Sports & Activities!
Lack of Sports & Activities cover made me decide against it

STA Travel Premier (£354)
Similar to TF in most respect inc Sports & Activities but £70 cheaper
Ticket cover is much less and no winter sports cover
A bit cheaper than TF but IMHO £70 extra to get proper RTW ticket cover is worth it.

Go Travel (£398)
Cost too similar to TF but TF has better cover
Similar to TF, Sport & Activites same as TF, higher medical & legal cover
Less belongings cover, no cover for ticket

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19: Is it possible?

November 3rd, 2005

Is it possible?

Unlimited Travel Health Cover, highest cover for other travel insurance items compared to most other insurances and more imporantly cover for

    valuables up to £1500 under an “all risks” policy

“All risk” meaning lost, stolen or damaged under any circumstance?

Sounds too good to be true!

I better call them up and check what exactly they mean by “all risks”…

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18: Travel Insurance Trouble

November 1st, 2005

Struggling to find a suitable travel insurance.

Problems:
1) I’m travelling for >2-3 months which limits the number of insurances on offer

-> Must find insurance that covers trips up to 12 months

2) I am too old! Many backpacking insurance plans offered are only valid for up to 30…

->must cover old aged me

3) Exlusions are too many such as limitations for activities covered, so many packages are simply unsuitable for a backpacker. What good is medial cover if it does not include simple things such as trekking, overland travel or some not too uncommon backpacking activities such as scuba diving, sailing, horse or elephant riding (hey, this is popular in Thailand ok?!;-). Also skiing, snowboarding or other winter sports are often not included and can not even be added as extra insurance.

-> Make sure ALL activities will be covered that you might want to do

4) Smallprint makes it pretty clear that virtually no cover exists other than medical and cancellation or cutting tip short.

Although they may claim to pay in the summary for loss, theft, damage to luggage, property, documents and money, pay for travel delay, missed departures etc

THEY DON’T REALLY cover you in many many cases because you must proove you did not act cautiously.

Example:
Theft and Accidental Loss is covered up to £1500 but not if
I failed to watch my stuff all the time (such as being on
bus or leave in storage in hostel)

They claim in the summary they pay out but read the smallprint and quickly it becomes clear that there is no chance you will ever be able to claim any money for lost, stolen or damaged items unless you lock them away in a private hotel room or safe AND! this place has been violently opened (proof of physical damage needed)

-> Probably not worth insuring Personal Belongings, Documents, Money, Travel Delay etc..

5) Personal Liability and Legal Cover

This is faily restricted too and often exludes most likely scenarios were this may be needed (e.g. no liability cover for “dangerous” activities where you’re more likely to hurt someone in an accident.

Bottom Line: Will I ever find a suitable insurance or is it really just a big waste of money?

I’m inclinde to say Travel Health Insurance is all I need!

What I would like:

Travel Health Insurance from Germany so in emergency I can get taken back to Germany not UK (Let say I trust German Hospitals more than British ones)

British Travel Insurance without medical cover that does! cover my luggage even if I don’t watch it all the time plus liability and legal cover.

Looks like I can’t find the non-medical uk travel insurance so I have three options:

a) Get the full travel insurance in the UK and accept that most things won’t be covered and that health cover if needed may not be as good (plus I would have to come back to UK hospital in an emergency)

b) Get only German Travel Health Insurance and no other travel insurance at all

c) Get both and pay double.

We will see…

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Protected: N8: To Do List

October 30th, 2005

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October 30th, 2005

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17: More Progress

October 30th, 2005

Almost forgot.. started packing up things in my flatn (the stuff that I will put in storage).

Luckily I kept all my boxes when I moved in last January and I also still have the packing list from back then so I now simply grab the empty, numbered boxes and fill with the same stuff that I had packed them with before, using the list as a guide.

Great way to pack.. I probably managed to pack about 30-40% of my stuff this morning (of course I started with the easy things;-)

I guess the fact that I had reduced my stuff considerably when I moved out of my Flat means I have an easier time this time around.

Still and despite the previous “culling” I already threw out a black bin bag full of stuff and filled another one with clothes for the charity shops.

Anyway if packing goes well then I will move most of my possessions into storage next weekend so I can concentrate on the trip planning.

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16: Some Progress

October 30th, 2005

6 Weeks to go…
Here is where I am with my planning.

Vaccinations:
Started my Vaccinations on Friday. From now on every week a few shots until end of November.

Visas:
Got my Australia Visa sorted (easy as I could apply for it online, no need to send Passport anywhere; ETA Visa).
Apart from that I only need (upfront) Thailand and Vietnam. I wanted to apply for them myself since it’s cheaper (my Travel Agency Trailfinders charge £22 per visa on top of the visa normal fees). Hoewver, the Vietnam Visa form states that their Visas are only valid for 3 months from issuing the visa (not from entry date) which means if I apply now I then the visa wont be valid anymore by the time I want to cross the Vietnam Border in March.

Apparently Trailfinders can arrange for Visas that are valid for 6 months from issue date so I decided to let them sort both visas (Thai/Vietnam) and pay the fees. Guess I busy enough with all the other planning anyway so using them helps..

Gear:
Continue to put together my travel gear. Waking Shoes (not Boots) and Sandals for footwear and clothes wise something that is very versatile and can be used in many conditions (i.e. multiple lighter clothes for layering). Thinking roughly about some good wicking base layer tops, a light microfleece, travel shirt, waterproof jacket though I might opt for a separate thin breathable windshell plus a light waterproof-breathable rain jacket for more flexibility

Backpack:
Kinda tricky that one. I think I want to stick to a smallish backpack around 50 liters.
I have a 55L Lowe Alpine Backpackk but not sure about it because it has a lot of access options which reduces security.
Might need to look for something else.
Trouble is most packs I’ve seen are either too big, too small or the carry system is too basic.
Also Backpacks come in the most vibrant and even hideous colours! I want a simple, functional, comfortable and neutral coloured pack, not an oversized pack that’s bigger than myself or one that you can see from 10km distance, thus advertising to everyone near and far where that silly backpacker with the fancy backpack is, a backpack so fancy that it’s worth stealing no matter what the content….

Well so far I have not found the sensible pack, sadly…

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Protected: N6: Oceania & Pacific

October 29th, 2005

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Protected: N5: Packing Tips

October 29th, 2005

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October 29th, 2005

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