Bag Overboard!A man was on a three day trip aboard a small pleasure boat in Thailand. As they were on the return journey, everybodys luggage was up on deck ready to disembark. Unexpectedly, the seas became extremely rough and the boat was in danger of capsizing. Some quick thinking by the local Thai captain and crew averted a disaster, but not before the entire boatload of luggage had slid overboard with one final terrifying lean! The gentleman in question had thousands of pounds of video equipment in his bag, as well as an engagement ring he planned to present to his girlfriend on the last night of their holiday. But while his bag went to a watery grave, his story had a happy ending. His travel insurance paid for everything including a new ring, and they lived happily ever after, with a great tale to tell! (Some of his new friends from the trip however, who hadnt purchased holiday insurance, did not fare so well.)

Stop Police!A hapless tourist on the trip of a lifetime to Israel, was minding his own business crossing the road. Out of nowhere a police car moving at over 80 km/hr came careering over the crossing and struck him. Horrified onlookers watched as he was thrown ten feet into the air before landing on a traffic island. Miraculously his injuries were not life threatening, but he was in hospital for weeks. The local Israeli police were extremely quick in assisting with the police report (surprise surprise!), and his travel insurance paid for a private room, all his medical expenses and his travelling expenses back to the US. Two years later, when the man was fully recovered he returned to Jerusalem to continue his tour of the city – by bus!

Hands in the AirTwo young friends were backpacking through South America on a gap year holiday. Before they left, all their uni friends had clubbed together to buy them some cheap travel insurance. The boys had announced publicly that they had thought it was an unnecessary expense – but luckily their mates disagreed. Half way into their three month holiday, the boys were crossing the border from Belize. They got a taxi from the border at Guatemala to take them to their next town. As the taxi crawled along the heavily potholed road, two masked gunmen leapt from the roadside brandishing their weapons and firing shots in the air. They demanded the driver steer the taxi into a ditch, and made off with the boys bags. After a few hours of pushing, the boys and driver managed to extricate the car and drove straight to the police station. Due to the foresight of their friends the boys considerable expense to replace everything was covered by their travel insurance – and they lived to hear the immortal words – We told you so!

Once bitten, twice shy, three times….? This is a combination of several stories, but a classic example that animals really will bite the hand that feeds them! While in rural India, a girl was patting a gorgeous little puppy that suddenly turned on her and bit her finger and wrist. Although it wasnt a bad wound, when four days later it was revealed that the puppy had bitten several other people and then had died – she immediately took herself to the nearest big city hospital for a rabies shot. After several anxious days she was given the all clear, and her travel insurance paid for her travel and medical expenses including antibiotics.

In Thailand a man stopped to pet a local mans pet monkey on a leash. The man handed over the monkey for a cuddle, and as it nestled into the tourists arms it suddenly turned vicious and took a large chunk out of his face! Rabies shots, antibiotics and some minor surgery later, the man returned the UK to lodge a rather large claim on his travel insurance.

On a walk with the lions tour in Zimbabwe, an elderly woman could not help reaching out to stroke the head of a young lion cub – although she had been told not to. The cub reared its head and caught her arm with its teeth. Twelve stitches and an overnight stay in hospital later, the woman was so shaken she cut short her travel plans. Luckily her travel insurance paid for her hospital and flight expenses, and she returned home to continue her safari at the city zoo!

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pPatrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journeys Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore, offers a target=_new href=http://insuremore.co.uk/ rel=nofollowtravel insurance/a for families, couples and singles with a quick and easy online claims feature./pbr
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What!? I can’t voluntarily roll down a hill at break-neck speeds in an enormous ball and expect my cheap travel insurance to pay for my injuries? Absolute madness! While you may think Zorbing is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, it’s actually a rather bizarre idea when you think about it.

Zorbing is the latest craze in extreme sports, and is rapidly becoming a popular activity for tourists and holidaymakers in search of a bit of fun. It involves rolling and bouncing down a hill in an enormous inflatable ball, causing adrenaline rushes and excitement for the rider. While it is largely a safe activity, it may be worth checking the fine print on your holiday insurance, as some companies may have reservations about covering such activities. Perhaps one can’t really expect cheap travel insurance to cover voluntarily hurling oneself down a hill!

The Case of the Fractured Back

Perhaps the Australian journalist Rebekah Meltzer should have considered holiday insurance before she set off barreling down a hill. She was unfortunate enough to bounce off a hay-encased post on her downward journey. Her ride turned into something of a flight, as her Zorb became airborne, coming down with a thud after a short air trip.

Unluckily for Meltzer, her flight resulted in a fractured back. She was admitted into hospital later that evening, and remained there for a few days. It is highly unlikely that cheap travel insurance, or even more expensive travel insurance for that matter, would feel particularly inclined to cover any costs incurred as a result of this unwanted little flight.

An Unlikely but Deadly Scenario

It must be iterated that Zorbing is a fairly safe sport, and travel insurance companies are just being cautious by not covering it in standard holiday insurance policies. But the fact remains that you are essentially hurling yourself head-first down a hill in a plastic bubble, which makes most insurance brokers a little nervous to say the least.

And dreadful scenarios do happen. A Czech teacher and pupil made sad Zorbing history in a fateful accident. After receiving the necessary precautionary training, the pair set off on their bubble ride. A safety net was in place to catch them at the bottom of the hill, and all seemed to be going well with safety measures in place. But the net burst on impact, and the Zorb rolled on. Sadly, the teacher was killed and the pupil seriously injured.

Of course, taking out a travel insurance policy to cover this extreme sport would not have saved the teacher, but it would help alleviate some of the resultant costs for the teacher’s family and for the injured pupil.

Three Irishmen in a Hydro-Zorb

Hydro-Zorbing takes this sport to yet another level. It involves a couple of bucketfuls of water being emptied into the Zorb with you, where you slip and side in the water as the Zorb rolls around you. Three young Irishmen were after a bit of fun, and decided to try out the experience on their holiday. But unfortunately the unlikely did happen, and their cheap travel insurance policy probably wasn’t convinced that their actions fell within the realm of reasonable holiday activities.

One young man’s foot pierced through a weak point in the plastic, and he slipped into the outer part of the Zorb. He suffered cuts to his face, a black eye, and had to endure several collisions with his friends. While this was certainly an unlucky encounter, but if you’re planning to attempt Zorbing on your next trip away, you might want to consider upgrading your travel insurance policy to cover it.r

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey’s Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore, offers cheap travel insurance for families, couples and singles with a quick and easy online claims feature.

There are bunch companies just waiting to sell you all kinds of travel insurance cover,including insurance for terrorist events and accidental death. What you need to consider is exactly what could most likely go awry and plan best for that situation.

Experts suggest you research a travel insurance plan thoroughly and make certain you are completely aware of the details of cover before you part with your money.

Something you must consider before you jet-off,

Comprehensive cover deals will most likely cover a bit of every major aspect of your trip including basic trip cancellation, luggage loss, and a basic medical and/or dental plan,If you will be participating in winter sports, diving or extreme sports, for instance, you may need separate cover tailored to the risks and needs associated with them. Better to pay for it than to be uninsured if things should go wrong. But,again,please shop around and find out best insurance fit with you.

There are several situations that Your insurer may not pay out,

1.If you are bringing valuables along with you ,for instance Mobile phone or digital camera equipment,you should never leave them unattended in your hotel room,accommodation or left unattended in any public area. If you wont be carrying valuables with you, they should be kept in a locked safe.

2.Multiple Excesses,if someone snatches your handbag And your camera falls out in the struggle and is smashed, you might have to pay two excesses. One for the theft of your handbag and one for the damage to your camera. Look out for this in the small print of your policy which is very important.

3.Most policies specifically exclude injuries or accidents that happen while you are intoxicated or the course of extreme sports.

Collect proof to claim when you back home,

1.Having proof helps hugely if you claim for these high value items,You should take photo and keep receipts for expensive items as well.

2.If your possessions are lost or stolen, report it immediately to the local police,if you are at the airport, report it immediately and get a receipt from the airline or baggage handler.

3. Get the right documents ready for medical,Before you leave check your policy document or contact the insurer to confirm what precise steps your insurance company requires you to take in a medical emergency.

4.Before you submit all supporting documentation to your insurer, you should copy them and Keep copies for myself.

Travel insurance helps you relax and enjoy your trip without agonizing over things that may or may not go wrong.

Keep your travel safely and smartly.More information about travel insurance, holiday insurance and working abroading insurance check out http://007travelinsurance.com