Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3
TRAVEL INSURANCE
TRAVEL INSURANCE
TRAVEL INSURANCE IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Unexpected circumstances can arise before your trip preventing you from going, you may have travel cancellations or interruptions, or you may get sick or injured while traveling.
Travel insurance will help you if this happens.
There are many different types of travel insurance policies, and you need to understand what you are buying. It is up to the traveler to decide which is the right policy for you. Like auto or homeowner's insurance - you have it in case you need it, and the same policy is not right for everyone.
Here is how it works:
- Add up the costs you want to insure - tours, flights, tips, extra activities, parking, anything pre-paid, etc.
- Review different policies to see what they cover and what the limits are.
- Look at exclusions, pre-existing condition clauses, pre-trip cancellation provisions and how far before the trip those start, medical coverage, transportation home if you need it, lost or delayed luggage payouts, etc.
- Check your credit cards to see if they offer coverage and if it includes what you need/want.
- Learn how the policies work if you have a claim. Most policies require you to pay up front then they reimburse you for covered expenses. Claims require extensive documentation for reimbursement and may take time or be frustrating to process.
You will handle claims if necessary, so keep all your paperwork, receipts, flight details, etc. well organized & take timed/dated notes as you are working through covered issues (like flight delays - save texts/emails you get from airlines, ask for a written explanation of why the flight is delayed, etc.), illness or injury (save receipts, take notes, document symptoms & outcomes), etc.
- If you travel often, consider an annual policy that would cover this trip and all others, even near
home (>100 miles) or in US, and cost about the same as a single trip policy with trip value of $6000+. **
- If you think you might change your mind about going on the trip or that an event might occur to force cancellation that is not covered under basic policy provisions, consider a policy with Cancel for Any Reason coverage.
- Choose the coverage type and limits that you want - just like you would with auto or home.
- You can buy a single trip policy any time and it should cover the deposit you make/made for the trip (confirm with your policy issuer). Do not buy an annual policy until at least one year before the date you will get home from the trip to be sure you are covered through the trip duration (and maybe a couple of days longer in case you get delayed).
You can buy a policy from any company you want to (or not at all) but we recommend you have insurance.
We have had travelers make claims through Travelex and through Allianz. Some were easy and some were difficult, especially when the paperwork wasn't submitted completely.
The articles below may help you decide what to do about insurance.
** Please note that, as of this website update (3/16/24), Allianz Travel Insurance and many other companies are not covering travel in Israel as they have categorized conditions as war, not terrorism. Travelex, the policy offered by our tour company, IS covering travel to Israel. If you are traveling to multiple countries and prefer an annual policy, you will need to consider buying the Travelex policy as well if you wish coverage in Israel (or buy the Travelex policy to cover your whole trip).
For those concerned about paying in full for the trip then something happening in the world that forces the trip to be canceled, this should reassure you:
America Israel Tours will not keep our money if we cannot travel due to world events that do not allow us into a country before your travel has started. They will refund amounts paid less a fee (probably around $200). This does not apply to a traveler changing their mind after paying or to the Greece cruise deposits as there is no flexibility there.
- If you are going to multiple countries and one of the countries cannot be entered after travel has begun, the remainder of the tour itinerary will be adjusted to allow you to finish the countries you can go to.
- If travel has not started and Israel cannot be entered, the entire tour program will be rescheduled.
Our ministry does not profit from any of the policies you may buy. We cannot tell you what to buy and are hesitant to even recommend a policy because each traveler's needs and risk tolerance are different. We would suggest that, if your travel costs are $6000+, you consider buying an annual policy because it may also cover other trips you take during the year, domestically, internationally, and even close to home. Once you use benefits from an annual policy, the "bucket" of benefits reduces but consider how likely it is that you will have claims - you may or you may not. You cannot predict if you will get sick or injured, what airline issues may occur, or what happens outside of your control. Under current world conditions, you should consider if you need war or terrorism coverage (they are different terms for insurance companies) and choose accordingly. Note the Israel policy exclusions in yellow above.
Travel insurance is worth it for peace of mind.
We will send out a survey well before the trip to ask if you need insurance through the tour company and to be sure you have considered your options. There is no need to let us know before then what you have decided.
