by Margery Wilson

Every day the news brings reports of natural disasters, political upheavals, outbreaks of disease, labor disputes and other  reminders that spotlight the many ways in which travelers can have their itineraries  scrambled.  What can travelers do to protect themselves and their travel plans against  the unexpected? What insurance, if any, do you need?

Thousands of American travelers each year are flown home with medical assistance because of health emergencies. Car accidents and heart attacks are among the most common reasons.

Experts note there are several ways international travelers can protect themselves against medical emergencies — from registering in advance with the State Department, which can help locate doctors abroad and arrange emergency medical flights, to buying supplemental insurance or stand-alone medical evacuation policies.

“Americans have the concept that when they travel, their health insurance travels with them,” said Dan McGinnity, vice president for North America for Travel Guard, one of America’s leading travel insurance companies.

But most regular health insurance plans don’t cover costly evacuations. And finding that out after an emergency can be catastrophic.

Statistics show that even though travel insurance is important, only about 30 percent of travelers buy it. The problem is when it comes to purchasing travel insurance, even the savviest traveler can feel overwhelmed by choices. Jim solved the problem when he designed his site. Customers need only fill in a few crucial bits of information about their trip and the search engine compares policies and brings up a list of best options. In addition, InsureMyTrip.com offers customer support, and the site contains a wealth of useful information.

As the summer travel season approaches we are spotlighting a past show  in case you missed it.  On our January 29 show we were joined by James N. “Jim” Grace III, President and CEO of InsureMyTrip.com, the largest and most popular travel insurance comparison site in the world. Click HERE to visit his site which provides a wealth of information to help you plan ahead.

A veteran licensed insurance professional with over two decades of computer programming and development experience, Jim was intrigued with the notion of creating a unique consumer service that integrated his extensive knowledge and understanding of both fields. In 1995, he pioneered selling travel insurance on the internet, eventually conceiving and launching his “brainchild,” InsureMyTrip.com, the first online travel insurance aggregator, in 2000. Since then, Jim’s visionary talents have inspired the development of the first comparative Group Travel Insurance engine, and grown our company into the largest and most popular travel insurance site in the world. As CEO and President, Jim continues to chart the company’s progressive direction, forecast industry trends and challenges, and oversee corporate operations.

Jim is Vice President of the U.S. Travel Insurance Association (UStiA), a non-profit, national association of companies involved in the development, sales, marketing or implementation of travel insurance and related products.

Additional  Resources to help you with planning:

• US State Department: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1215.html
• CDC: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/plan-ahead.aspx

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