Understanding Travel Insurance

Travel insurance policies vary, but they generally offer coverage in key areas:

• Trip Cancellation and Interruption: This coverage reimburses non-refundable expenses if you need to cancel or cut short your trip due to unforeseen events. Given the unpredictability of global events, this protection is invaluable.
• Baggage and Personal Belongings: Coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage and personal items. While airlines may offer some compensation, it often falls short of actual losses.
• Travel Delays: Provides reimbursement for expenses incurred due to significant travel delays, including accommodations, meals, and alternative transportation.

Travel Insurance vs. Travel Medical Insurance

It’s important to distinguish between travel insurance and travel medical insurance. While travel insurance focuses on trip-related protections such as cancellations, delays, and baggage loss, travel medical insurance covers medical-related expenses abroad, including emergency treatment and medical evacuation. If you require coverage for unexpected medical costs while traveling, travel medical insurance is essential.

For a detailed explanation, see What Is Travel Medical Insurance & Why You Need It.

Planning Ahead

As you prepare for your trip, securing the right travel documents is just as important as getting insurance. Many international destinations require travelers to have a valid passport with at least six months of validity remaining. If your passport is nearing expiration or you need a new one quickly, RushMyPassport offers expedited passport services to ensure you’re ready to travel without delays.

Additionally, some destinations require a travel visa before entry. Navigating visa requirements can be complicated, but RushMyPassport simplifies the process by helping travelers obtain necessary travel visas efficiently.

Rule #1: Three Places to NEVER Leave Your US Passport

Protecting your passport means keeping it somewhere defensible. NEVER  leave it in any of these places:

• Your back pocket: This is the easiest pocket to pickpocket. You don’t have eyes in the back of your head.
• A backpack: See above, except at least you’re a little more likely to feel someone getting frisky with your back pocket.
• Purse: It’s surprisingly easy for thieves and pickpockets to separate you from your purse or to get into your purse without you realizing.

Rule #2: Avoid These Common Travel Scams

Passport thieves are professionals. They don’t act randomly. They have a set of procedures they follow to maximize their chances of getting away with your passport.  The UK government released a video starring “honest pickpocket” James Freedman that demonstrates four of the most common tactics used by  thieves to steal your passport. Watch the video to see the following “passport hustles” in action:

• The Bottleneck: In a crowded area, the pickpocket bumps into the victim. The brief contact is all he needs to swipe the passport before becoming just another face in the crowd.
• The Hugger Mugger: Pretending to be hopelessly drunk, the pickpocket stumbles up to the hapless tourist and gives him a big hug…while snatching his passport out of his pocket.
• Lost Tourist: Holding a map, the thief pretends to be a tourist and approaches the victim to “ask for directions.” The map blocks the victim’s view of their purse or bag while the pickpocket helps himself to their passport.
• The Distraction: Working as a team, friendly pickpocket number one approaches the victim and asks a seemingly innocent question. Meanwhile, a second thief makes off with the victim’s bag or purse.

Also, the Daily Mail warns readers to be wary at airport security. One common trick:  After you send your personal items through the X-Ray machine, a thief cuts in front of you having conveniently “forgotten” to take his keys out of his pocket.  The result? You’re separated from your valuables just long enough for his accomplice to rob you blind.

Rule #3: Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe

Where should you keep your US passport when you travel? Of course you need to carry your passport while you’re in transit, but what about when you arrive at your destination? Some experts say it’s best to leave it locked in a hotel safe. Others say to keep it with you at all times. Consider the hotel’s reputation and your plans for the day before you decide.

When you’re out and about with it, the best place to keep your passport is the on a passport holder around your neck, under your clothes. Pretend it’s the one ring, and you’re Frodo Baggins.

How to Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport

Although only a small percentage of Americans report their passport lost or stolen each year, you don’t want to be one of the unlucky ones.  Still, these things happen even with the best of precautions. Here’s what to do if it happens to you.

If you’ve lost your passport in another country, go directly to the closest US Embassy for help.

If you’ve lost your passport in the US, apply for a replacement in person at a passport office. Find out what you’ll need here.

In the US, replacing a lost or stolen passport can take six weeks for normal service. If you expedite at a post office, it will take two to three weeks. For faster service, make an appointment at the nearest passport agency office. Many people have trouble making it to a passport agency due to distance and time constraints. So, a more convenient option is to use a passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.

Need a new passport fast? Let us help!

Photo credits: ID 24935734 © Capricorn78 | Dreamstime.com, Some rights reserved by John Paul Dantanus

Passport Requirements for Closed Loop Cruises

A “closed loop voyage” means the cruise ship begins and ends at the same U.S. Port, even if it makes stops outside the country. Cruises are meant to be relaxing and fun. They are a great way to get away and spend time with loved ones. That didn’t work out so well recently for passengers of the Carnival Triumph. An engine fire turned their relaxing getaway into a living condition disaster with spoiled food and unworkable plumbing. What made the cruise even worse was that since it was a “closed loop voyage,” it wasn’t required for cruise passengers to bring their passports.

Carnival officials had initially planned to tow the ship to a Mexican port and let passengers fly home. Unfortunately though, 900 of them didn’t have passports which is required when flying into the U.S. If all the passengers had passports, an emergency like this may have been fixed a lot quicker. So if you decide to go on a cruise in the future, it is definitely recommended you make sure to bring your passport, just in case.

Emergency situations may arise and you don’t want to be stranded. A valid passport book is always the best thing you can take on any trip that takes you outside the country.

How fast can I get my passport?

Is your U.S. passport expired? Did you lose your passport? Standard passport processing is 6-8 weeks. Need your passport faster? Don’t worry; there are expedited U.S. passport services available like Rush My Passport that can help get your U.S. passport FAST. If you have a limited amount of time before your vacation trip, visit RushMyPassport.com.  We can help you get your U.S. passport fast and in time for your upcoming cruise.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by USACE Europe District

According to a survey by MoneyGram, about one-third of consumers aged 18-49 post details about their vacations on social media before or during their trip.  Sharing summer travel plans can be an invitation for criminals to target family members with the “relative in need scam,” warns MoneyGram.  This scam typically targets family   friends of individuals who are traveling on vacation, asking for their help solve a crisis or catastrophe the traveler is going through.  The scammer asks for money to be sent immediately, through a money transfer.

Share Your Vacation Experience…With Limited Details

With cyber thieves trolling social network sites as a way to extract sensitive information about their victims, it’s more important than ever to be aware of your account settings in the social media channels that you are active in.  Think first before you tweet it, pin it, or post it.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind when talking about your vacation in social channels:

• Don’t include details about the dates you will be gone
• Don’t post your flight information
• Don’t “check-in” to location-based services (i.e. Foursquare, Facebook Places)
• Only share photos with people you trust

Know Your Facebook Account Settings

Much of the content that populates your social media profiles is public for the world to see, unless you take the time to adjust your account settings.  Some of the Facebook settings that that you should check out before posting photos or other details about your vacation include:

1.       Who can see my stuff?

By default, your posts are public for all to see.  This option can be changed from the “Privacy Settings and Tools” account setting.  Alternately, you can change the privacy level of your posts using a fairly new feature called the “Audience Selector”.

2.       Who can look me up? 

By default this value is “Everyone”.  Change the setting to Friends or Friends of Friends to limit the number of users who can see the email address and phone number associated with your account.

3.       Custom Lists

Another option is to create custom lists of specific people who are allowed to see your content.  Each time you post, you have the option to select the audience who sees your content.

Protect yourself by being smart about how you are using social media leading up to your summer vacation and while you are on vacation.  While there are precautions that you can take within your social media account settings to ensure that certain elements of your profile remains private, your best bet is to share your vacation photos after you have returned home.

Japan’s travel industry tends to rely on well-heeled travelers, but according to the New York Times, tourist visits are down 50 percent. Meanwhile, Daniel Simon, the general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, told the newspaper that “we don’t really think the high-end leisure traveler will come back until Chinese New Year 2012 because there’s still too much negative news in the media about Japan.”

So, high-end travelers are staying away. More intrepid travelers might very well say, “Let them.” Though the country will likely experience aftershocks for some time, the actual risks of traveling to Japan are low. For example, according to the US Department of State,

The “health and safety risks to land areas which are outside a 50-mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are low and do not pose significant risks to U.S. citizens. Out of an abundance of caution, we continue to recommend that U.S. citizens avoid travel to destinations within the 50-mile evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant.”

And that’s it…just avoid a circle of the country that’s a 100 miles in diameter, out of a total area of 145,925 square miles. That means that almost 95% of the country is still safe to visit. Even within that 50 mile radius, the Department of State says it’s perfectly fine to travel as long as you’re just passing through via train or through Sendaki airport.

Everyone has their own tolerance for risk, of course. If you feel the risks of traveling to Japan are acceptable, there are certain advantages to going now instead of waiting: you’ll pay less for everything from tickets to lodging, and you’ll spend less time waiting in line.

Masaki Hirata, the executive director of marketing and promotion at the Japan National Tourism Organization, told the New York Times that since the disaster, “It’s less crowded now, and package tour prices are down 20 to 50 percent.”

If you do decide to go, you’ll need a US passport if you don’t have one already. Be careful about booking last-minute plane tickets without a passport, because it can take at least six weeks for your documents to arrive in the mail after you apply. Even with expedited processing through the Department of State (1 $60 fee), you can expect to wait three weeks.

What’s a spur-of-the-moment traveler to do? For faster service, you can make an appointment at one of twenty-four regional passport agencies, or take the easy way out by using a private passport service like RushMyPassport. We deliver your passport application directly to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Let us help you get your US passport today!

With horror stories coming in from across the border on a semi-regular basis, many US citizens have decided that it might be more prudent to take a summer vacation elsewhere. It should be noted that only certain parts of Mexico are affected by the violence- even the cautious bureaucrats over at the Department of State note that “the majority of visitors to Mexico thoroughly enjoy their stay.” The travel warning suggests that you stay away from the following areas: Northern Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon (especially the city of Monterrey), Tamaulipas Durango, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Sinaloa, Southern Sonora, Nayarit, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Michoacán, Guerrero and Morelos.

That still leaves a lot of places in Mexico that are fairly calm. However, if you’d prefer to stay out of the country altogether, Gadling has a couple of alternative suggestions: Costa Rica and Panama. According to the Department of State, the main threat to tourists in Costa Rica is theft. While Costa Rica has long been popular with American tourists, Panama is more of an up-and-coming destination, as evidenced by the construction of country’s first Westin Hotel and resort.

If you want to check out either of these countries, though, you’ll need to get a passport. To enter Costa Rica, you’ll need a US passport valid for at least 30 days after your arrival. If you’re going to Panama, it must be valid for at least three months.

To ensure you get your passport in time, plan ahead. It takes about six weeks to get a passport if you apply for regular service, and about three weeks if you request expedited service for an additional $60.

To get a passport more quickly, you can either make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency office, or save time and gas money by using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.

Let us help you get a passport quickly today!

With that in mind, here’s  a summary of the areas in Mexico that the US Department of State has warned US passport holders to avoid:

• The state of Durango- The Mexican state of Durango has become one of the epicenters of drug cartel-related violence, and the Department of State notes that 4 visiting US passport holders were murdered there late last year or early in 2010. Now is not a good time to visit the birthplace of Pancho Villa.
• Ciudad Juarez-  In this city, located in the state of Chihuahua along the US/Mexican border,  drug cartels and Mexican government officials have engaged in all-out war, with shootouts occurring during daylight hours and in populated areas like shopping centers.  Over 2,600 people died there last year.
• The northern border area: Cuidad Juarez is the most notorious northern border city, but really, it’s safest to avoid most of the major cities near the US/Mexico border. Violence also occurs fairly frequently in the cities of Tijuana, Nogales,  Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros, to the point that the US Department of State has advised dependents of US personnel in the region to leave until April 12th.

The good news is that the major Mexican resorts and tourist areas are still pretty safe. For more information on how to enjoy your Mexican vacation safely, see the Department of State website.

Also, don’t forget that passport regulations governing travel to Mexico have changed. You will most likely need a US passport-see Do I need a passport to go to Mexico? for the details.

If you need a US passport in a hurry, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. We hand-deliver your application to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours, with no need for you to make an appointment or travel out of your way to a Regional Passport Agency office.

Apply for your US passport today!

However, other parts of Mexico are still safe to visit. And, as this article from the San Francisco Chronicle notes, there are plenty of great deals to be found far away from all of the violence.  Hotels are offering free nights, free upgrades, free meals and more. Swine flu is actually less of a concern in Mexico than it is stateside right now, and some hotels are offering ” “flu-free guarantees,” which give you 3 years worth of free vacations if you contract swine flu on your trip. That’s almost worth kissing a pig for!

However, if you want to travel to Mexico to take advantage of these deals, you will need a US passport. US passports normally take at least 6 weeks to process if you use normal processing. If you request expedited processing from the government,  US passports usually take at least 3 weeks to arrive.

To get your US passports more quickly, consider using a private passport expediting company. An expediting company speeds up the application process by assisting you with your paperwork and delivering your application to the State Department by hand.

With an expediting company, your passport application could be processed in as little as 24 hours. Don’t let these great deals pass you by-apply for a passport with RushMyPassport.com today!

For example, this article in the New York Times tells the story of a mother whose daughter went to China for a language camp. It turns out that one of her classmates was ill with the H1N1 strain of flu. When her daughter starting running a fever, the Chinese government made her go into quarantine in a hospital.

From the story, the girl seems to have been well-taken-care of, but being forced into hospitalization in a foreign country is kind of unnerving experience for anyone. US passport holders should be aware not only of the risk of contracting swine flu during travel, but also of the risk of being detained until you are deemed no longer contagious-a much greater inconvenience than the illness itself, in many cases.

Of course, before you travel to another country, you need to be aware of all travel warnings and requirements. You also need to apply for your US passport well in advance, to ensure that you have all of your documents in time for travel. A passport expediting company can help smooth out the application process and speed up processing times.

Get your US passport today!