Travel Insurance Protects

For all travel warnings go to the FCO website, which provides information on where not to travel. The swine flu outbreak in Mexico is a case in point. The FCO imposed a full travel ban on the country for a short period of time because of risk of spreading the disease. Insurers, tour operators and airlines all follow this advice and so customers were entitled to have their money refunded.

But now the ban has been raised as the threat recedes. Unfortunately those who fear swine flu and no longer want to go to Mexico are not entitled to a refund, unless there happens to be other legitimate reasons to stay at home. The opposite also applies. People who ignore the FCO warnings put themselves at risk, because they will be invalidating their travel insurance.

Frequent updates to the status of places occur, so it is important to take a look often. The FCO warnings are region-specific, so might include only part of a country. An example would be the recent bomb in Lahore, Pakistan, which put parts of the country off limits whilst other parts were open to travel to.

If it happens that the travel company is responsible for disrupting or cancels your holiday they should give you an alternative or your money back. However, they are not obliged to compensate you for any disturbance, inconvenience or disruption caused. They might if you are lucky.

Once you arrive safely and on time at your destination, be aware of how to keep yourself healthy whilst away. Much of it is obvious. In many areas tap water will upset your stomach, so if the Lonely Planet says don't drink it then listen to them. Bacteria and germs thrive in warmer climates and so prosnal hygiene, such as hand-washing, is particularly important to take care of.

When dining out or cooking yourself make sure meat is properly cooked, so that any germs have been killed in the cooking process. White meats should be pale and of an even colour, with no traces of pinkish opaque flesh showing through. The juices that flow from white meat when cooked should be clear, not pink or bloody. Red meats obviously aren’t necessarily well done and can be bloody.

Other annoyances occur for a vast number of reasons, such as the incident at Bangkok airport in November, when protesters held a sit-in and stopped the airport from functioning. There was no danger of violence but it did casue a lot of flights to be cancelled. Travel insurance really helps under these circumstances because it means another flight will be provided for you, so you won't end up stranded.

The bottom line is, anything can happen. So whilst you shouldn't be put off travelling overseas by the dangers or inconveniences that may occur, you should buy a decent travel insurance policy to give you peace of mind and make sure you’re protected.

Factors that Determine Term Life Insurance Rates.

With term life insurance policy, you are provided with limited coverage for a period that you wish, usually between 10 to 20 years. Term term life insurance policy, is the most popular insurance policy in the country because it is the cheapest. However, there are different plans for different people. With this policy, you will not receive any payout when your term expires. Payouts are only made to the beneficiaries in case you pass on during the period that is covered by the term policy. The rates of the policy depend on a number of factors such as age and occupation. Taking the policy at a younger age entitles to you to much lower rates. This is because you are expected to live past the period of the insurance.

The total sum of the term life insurance can be difficult to calculate. While some policies may appear to cost more, the may actually be much cheaper when you consider the total cost of the plan. For instance, policies that are renewable every year may appear to cost more than those whose premiums remain constant throughout the years. However, when you look loser, you may find the level term policy may cost higher especially when it comes to renewing the policy at the end of the term. This is one reason why you have to be careful when choosing an insurance plan. In fact, it is recommended that you engage the services of a professional insurance broker to advise you on the cover that you should take.

There are different factors that affect the rate of the term life insurance plan. Some of these include the following:

a) Your physical health. The insurer will check your medical record to check you health history. If you have heart disease, you can get a policy but at much higher rates. If you have a terminal disease, it is unlikely that you will be offered a life insurance cover.


b) Your occupation and hobbies also matter. For instance, if you work in a company in the gas storage facility, you will be considered a high risk client. Also, if you are into high risk activities such as bungee jumping, mountain climbing, and sky diving, your rates are likely to go up.


c) The company will also check whether you smoke or not. Smokers are considered to be high risk clients as they are twice as likely to die as nonsmokers. This will therefore raise the rates of a smoker by 20 to 30 percent. Quitting smoking will help you get a lower term life insurance cover rate.


There are different types of term life covers that you can go for. However, all companies consider the above factors when coming up with a rate for you. You can enjoy lower rates by taking the initiate to live healthily, quit smoking and avoiding putting your life at risk through activities such as bungee jumping. This will help you secure a lower rate insurance plan.