TRAVEL INSURANCE - It's important!

- We highly recommend travel insurance for your flights and medical for your tours.

- No one can predict what delays could occur while traveling or what you might face medically (illness, injury, accident).

- Unexpected circumstances can arise before your trip preventing you from going

Travel insurance will help you if this happens. Like auto or homeowner's insurance - you have it in case you need it, and the same policy is not right for everyone.

Review the Resources at the bottom to help you understand and decide.

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There are several types of travel insurance. Typically, we consider these three:

POLICY BASED ON TRIP COST ANNUAL POLICY CANCEL FOR ANY REASON POLICY

POLICY BASED ON TRIP COST

Add up the costs you want to insure - tours, flights, tips, extra activities, parking, any tour or flight pre-paid or that you have receipts for, etc. Policy cost will be based on many the total cost you wish to insure + your age, destination(s), and other factors.

ANNUAL POLICY

If you travel several times a year, even in the US or trips more than 100 miles from home, this is a good option. The policy is like a bucket of money to use for trip incidents, delays, medical needs, etc. We like the annual policy you can get through Allianz (https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/ or 1-866-884-3556, use agent code F214024)

CANCEL FOR ANY REASON POLICY

If you think you might need to cancel (older family members that might need care, potential job loss, etc.), you could consider a policy that provides full cancelation.

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Note for Israel right now: Despite good conditions for travel in Israel, the only company we generally buy through that is covering Israel right now is Allianz. If you are going to multiple countries, you will need to consider getting a policy through Allianz for Israel and an extended policy through Allianz for the other countries or get a different policy for the other countries. If you just want medical coverage in Israel (no flight/travel coverage & no pre-existing conditions are covered), contact info@egertcohen.co.il to request a quote from this Israeli company.

FWIW: I buy the Allianz annual policy ($510, age 62, California, all countries) and I buy the airline insurance (usually cheap). I make sure that Allianz knows I'm visiting Israel to confirm they will cover me using agent code F214024.

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.

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 (though we have not had this happen):

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.

What you should do:

- Consider your needs & what you want to insure

- Check your credit cards to see if they offer coverage you want/need.

- Learn how the policies work if you have a claim.

-Choose the policy that best meets you needs.

Note on CLAIMS: The traveler will handle claims if necessary so keep ALL paperwork related to your trip - receipts, flight boarding passes, credit card charges, etc. Start a paper and/or electronic file to keep everything in. If your flight is delayed, get a written statement from the airline as to WHY. If you are sick or injured, be sure to see a doctor and get documents in English validating your condition.

link to Allianz

Resources to help you decide

Good article about what to consider (scroll down a bit)

2024 Travel Insurance discussion

Travel Insurance for ages 60+

If you want to just "press the Easy button", here are some options we are familiar with but you must know what you are buying and that it covers your needs.

Travelex Policy Single Trip policy offered by AIT (tour company) DOES NOT COVER ISRAEL Paid with final tour invoice. Use location code 05-0358

Allianz policies (annual & single trip) Contract directly with Allianz - DOES COVER ISRAEL using agent code F214024

Seven Corners policies with Cancel for Any Reason (annual & single trip) Contract directly with Seven Corners. DOES NOT COVER ISRAEL

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 100+ miles from 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.

Travel insurance is worth it for peace of mind.