Hey, I just thought I'd let folks know I've been doing some research, and it looks like the Travel Insurance offered by
ABD (from Access America) could be a really good value for this particular trip. Of course, everyone should look at it considering their own family, etc. I normally use insuremytrip.com to compare insurance & usually buy it through them. But ABD has improved their coverage, and I'm likely buying it from them through DU.
It's a fixed price (I'm assuming per person) of $199. I looked at several "comparable" plans as far as coverage goes, and found that *just for the ABD*, other companies were charging $300 to $440 per traveler. I didn't play around with the figures for multiple people, because I'm traveling as a solo, so you'll need to take child discounts into consideration. The value is even better if you include the cost of the single supplement like I have as a solo traveler.
Beyond the great price, this policy now allows for purchasing a pre-existing condition waiver if you pay for the policy in full within 14 days of your initial deposit. The time period is pretty standard for policies that do pre-existing condition waivers. ABD's policy didn't use to provide that, which is why I never purchased the coverage from them before.
The kicker that I found out today, is that the policy also covers your airfare, even if you don't purchase it from ABD! It needs to be Home to London and Paris to Home, but can arrive or leave a few days before or after the trip. Hotel for that extra period is not included in the coverage, however, unless you purchase that through ABD. If you buy the pre-days from ABD, they are included in the coverage at no additional cost.
With all that, the level of coverage for $199 is really great for me. I suggest others look into it, also, and see if it's right for you.
If any of you need convincing that trip insurance itself is a good idea, check out my Trip Report for my Alaska ABD. I tripped & fell as I was preparing to leave the B&B I was staying at in Anchorage. I gashed my head & ended up in the Emergency Room. I missed my flight. I required staples in my scalp and a CAT scan. The insurance company dealt directly with the ER, and I never even saw a bill. The Customer Assistance folks got the Airlines on the phone and re-booked my missed flight for the next day (and the insurance reimbursed me for the re-booking fee and the difference in airfare, and the extra night's hotel room that they arranged). All I had to do was get myself patched up, rested up, and on that plane the next day. TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY worth it!
Again, most of this research was done based on my own situation, so I urge folks to do their own research. But I just thought I'd share what I found out.
Sayhello
