Storybook Vacations

When preparing for a international trip, one of the things that comes to mind is whether our insurance covers overseas health expenses and if we need to get travel health insurance. I remember years ago when I was leaving New York City for France the forms for travel health insurance could be found even in the JFK airport. One could quickly fill them, make the payment and fly with a travel health insurance.

Before you even consider a travel health insurance one needs to check with his or her health insurance provider. A good health insurance plan will cover your medical and health expenses overseas, but the provider will require that you first pay them there and bring them the receipts. It is always good to check first with your health insurance provider. Company policies will differ across the board.

Now, I said that the travel health insurance should not be your only worry, but some other things as well to ensure your sound health state in a foreign country.

Fist, schedule a visit with your doctor and tel him or her about the country you are about to visit. Various countries have different medical or disease risks, which in turn will require differnt type of vaccination.

Another good source is to check CDC’s Disease and Vacination centers, which will list all types of vaccinations necessary before traveling to a country.

You need to find out about these things because CDC divides vaccines for travel into three categories: routine, recommended, and required. While your doctor will tell you which ones you should have, it’s best to be aware of them ahead of time.

This is why I said that when traveling to a foreign country, travel health insurance will not be the only thing to ensure your health, but vaccinations and other similar things that you need to find out in consultation with your health provider and doctor.

By eMaxHealth  – Providing news about how to find Affordable Health Insurance and sharing medical research.

Brian eMax Health, health insurance, international travel, Travel insurance, traveling abroad

So you’re ready to travel outside the U.S. and just pretend that the exchange rate (at least in Europe) is not poisonous. Here are some tips:

1) Use a travel site such as Expedia or Travelocity to book your flight/hotel (there’s usually a discount for combined bookings).

2) Look up the exchange rate in advance. You’ll want to have a ballpark idea of what goods/services will cost in dollars.

3) Buy a calling card. Not the an AT&T or other phone company calling card, but the sort you will find at a gas station or convenience store. You won’t want to bring your cellphone as the per minute rate will likely be quite high. You may also want to look into renting a cellphone (I did this in Israel).

4) Obviously bring some cash, but the rest of your funds should come from ATM withdrawls (the exchange rate and fees are in your favor) and from credit card purchases (Visa/Mastercard preferred). Again, the exchange rate/fees will be lower if you use your card/ATM than if you head to a local currency exchange kiosk.

5) Make sure you bring a travel guide (pocket guide is best) if you aren’t familiar with attractions, customs, dining options, etc of the city. They often have helpful hints such as how to order food at a cafe, metro maps, and tips.

6) When selecting a hotel, your best value will probably be a hostel. Hostels are sort of like dorm room hotels in that they are stripped down and have communal dining, living, and bathing areas (not necessarily a row of stalls and showers, but possibly single-occupancy). They aren’t fancy, but they are generally clean and may include free internet (key as e-cafes can add up) and free breakfast.

7) Keep your passport and flight info in your hotel room in a safe place. Also, make sure family/friends know where you will be in case of an emergency.

Finally, and I can’t stress this enough, book in advance! At least 60 days if possible. This will guarantee the best price even if you plan to travel during the peak season.

In these harsh economic times, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico will probably have some bargains as they have good exchange rates, and/or are generally inexpensive. But if you want to head to Europe, the Euro is about 30% more than the dollar, so you may have to bite the bullet and try to budget.
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Brian international travel, international travel guide, travel abroad