Archive for: March 2010

We have to face up to the fact that sometimes our trips don’t turn out exactly as we expected. And when problems crop up away from home, you need to know that you’re protected. So, if you’re going to travel abroad you need to decide whether an insurance plan is necessary. If so, you could do worse than get yourself a Medevac plan.

If you aren’t familiar with the term, a Medevac plan is similar to a health insurance plus medical evacuation coverage. And there are many occasions when travelers have been glad they took on this extra level of protection over and above a standard health or travel insurance.

When Do You Need a Medevac Plan?

• If you’re traveling to a war-torn country or a country that’s experiencing violence or protesting against the government, you may want Medevac insurance.
• If you’re traveling to a country with poor health care, you may want a Medevac plan. This would help you if you came down with a medical emergency like appendicitis.
• If you’re participating in some dangerous activities in a foreign country, you may need one. An example might be scuba diving.

What Does Medevac Insurance Cover? What Does It Do?

If it becomes necessary, your Medevac insurance will cover the cost of an air ambulance, a doctor, and a nurse. And if you need to, they’ll arrange a flight home for you for emergency treatment.

Most overseas health care providers and facilities do not accept health care policies from other countries, including the U.S. A Medevac plan will cover you for emergencies in a foreign country and transportation to a U.S. medical facility. They also cover transporting your remains back to the U.S. if you should pass away.

Where Do You Find a Medevac Plan?

You can ask your travel agent about which provider they recommend; they may actually sell it themselves. You can also find reputable providers online or if you have a good relationship with an insurance agent, ask them who they recommend. Like any industry, it’s important to deal with a reputable provider – you are after all asking them to safeguard your life. Take care to read the documentation closely and to know what you’re paying for.

Before you purchase a plan, make sure you’re not already covered by your health and/or travel insurance. There is no sense paying for the same coverage twice. Medevac plans costs vary and depend on your age, where you’re traveling and how long you’ll be gone. Short-term plans start at around $200 a week and $600 a year.

It’s true that you don’t always need Medevac insurance. But, if you’re going to be taking a vacation with any of the risks we’ve mentioned above, you might want to take a hard, long look at the possibility of protecting yourself and your health while you’re away from home.

You’ve decided to take the plunge and tie the knot. That was perhaps the most momentous decision in your life, but it certainly won’t be the last. Now you’ll have to begin thinking about the wedding, and one of the first decisions to make is where exactly you’re going to get married. We’ve got five ideas for worldwide weddings for you.

#1 Mexico

Where could you find more diversity than Mexico – and the diversity applies just as much to wedding venues as it does to tourist spots. You can choose from a tropical destination such as Cancun or you can plan the ceremony in the countryside or in the mountains. What’s more, weddings in Mexico tend to be less expensive than in the USA. It’s not too far away, so people can get there easily enough, and once they are there, and the wedding’s over, they can find plenty more to do!

Whether you want an all-inclusive resort style wedding or a quiet, romantic wedding in a quaint adobe church, Mexico is a real option. Check out the following wedding destinations in Mexico:

* El Dorado Seaside Suites Wedding
* Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort Premier Wedding
* Sunscape Puerto Aventuras Wedding

#2 Jamaica

Another tropical-style wedding location, Jamaica is a destination for many couples because it enables them to combine the wedding and the honeymoon into one trip. And the myriad of all-inclusive resorts gives you many options. Here are three examples:

* Beaches Negril Resort & Spa Floral Elegance Wedding
* Couples Negril Wedding
* Sandals Grande Riviera Beach and Villa Resort Wedding

#3 Thailand

Looking for an exotic locale? Thailand may be your ideal location. In fact, Thailand is becoming a trendy destination for couples to wed. Whether you like the hustle and bustle of Bangkok or prefer the beautiful scenery of Phuket, a wedding in Thailand is certainly one you’ll never forget. Check out the wedding options at:

* Kata Thani Resort & Spa Wedding
* Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach and Spa Resort Deluxe Wedding
* Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket Wedding

#4 Europe

Prefer Europe for your romantic wedding destination? What about a wedding in Cyprus? Cyprus weddings are generally in a church or outdoors and with more than 330 days of sunshine and the crystal blue skies, who wouldn’t want to get married by the Mediterranean? And Cyprus is the ‘island of love’ and the birthplace of Aphrodite. Take a look at:

* Ayia Napa Wedding
* Limassol Wedding
* St Georges Church Deluxe Wedding

#5 Turkey

Finally, what about Turkey? Eastern Europe offers a bit of charm and a unique experience. It’s important to know that only civil ceremonies are recognized in Turkey, though you can have a religious ceremony if you want to. And Turkey is the only place where you can get married in a castle or on a beach. Explore:

* Belek Church Wedding Europe Turkey
* Cleopatra’s Beach Wedding
* Overlooking the Blue Lagoon Wedding

We’ve only scratched the surface with these suggestions – we could have come up with hundreds of different locations all over the world that would be ideal for a wedding. Just let your imagination travel, and choose a place that has a special appeal to both of you and falls within your budget. Another great advantage of getting married abroad is that your honeymoon can be in the same place as your wedding – especially if you’ve chosen a fantastic, exotic destination!

You really need to know about the system of rail passes if you’re thinking of making any kind of multi-leg trip by train, especially if you’re going to be traveling in more than one country. Rail passes usually give you better prices than if you buy a single ticket for each leg of your trip. Below you’ll see an introduction to the major rail pass systems and the countries where they can be used.

#1 Europe

You can travel all over Europe with the Eurail or Eurorail. It gets you travel in 25 different countries, although you can tailor your trip to fit in just the country or countries you most want to visit. The pass comes in four different flavors:

• One country pass – this pass enables you to choose which one of 17 countries you want to visit. You also get to choose how many days, within a 30 day period, you’re going to be using your pass. Prices start at $49.
• Global Pass – this offers you unlimited travel throughout the continent over a predetermined period of days – two months for example. It also offers some benefits like cheap ferry rates.
• There’s also the Select Pass and the Regional Pass which offer a number of variations on where you travel and for how long.

Of course choosing your pass is the tough part. Remember, if you end up traveling more than you anticipated, you can supplement with single tickets or you can purchase another pass.

#2 Canada

Canada Rail Passes offer even more options than the Eurorail. In fact, it can get downright confusing. The trick is to first determine where you’re visiting and then to take a look at the pass options. Destination passes include:

• CanRail Pass
• The Canadian
• The Ocean
• The Chaleur
• The Skeena
• The Hudson Bay
• The Abitibi & the Saguenay
• The Malahat
• The Lake Superior
• The Corridorpass
• The Corridor Trains

The CanRail Pass is the most popular because it gives you unlimited travel throughout Canada. Choose between 12 and 15 days of travel in a one month period, with rates starting at around $480 USD.

#3 USA

Amtrak is the US railway system. It offers the same basic rail pass system as Europe and Canada. You’re able to choose from:

• 8 segments of travel within 15 days
• 12 segments of travel within 30 days
• 18 segments of travel within 45 days

Prices start at around $358 USD.

#4 Australia

Rail Australia is actually made up from three different rail companies:

• Great Southern Rail
• Queensland Rail
• CountryLink

And combined they offer four different rail passes:

• Austrail Pass
• Rail Explorer Pass
• Backtracker Rail Pass
• East Coast Discovery Pass

So your first objective when traveling by rail in Australia is to determine where you’re going to be traveling and then for how long. The Rail Explorer Pass, for example, offers six months of unlimited travel on all three of the rail companies.

The East Coast Discovery Pass provides six months’ worth of unlimited travel between Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns.

No matter which continent you’re visiting or how long you’re planning on staying, with a rail pass you’re giving yourself more flexibility at a more affordable rate. So, before you book your travel to any of these four destinations, check out the available rail passes to see if they can take you where you want to go.