If all goes well with my cataract surgery, I'll be booking for the Gras Ranch in Namibia for March. Seeing as I'm down to one eye, lost the left to infection last January, what type of insurance do you all recommend? What's the usual insurance a person is covered by; cancellation? medical? baggage? Can anyone help me with the basics? Is TravelGuard a good choice for insurance?

Bobby B.

I usually get insurance on my guns and scopes via SIAI and cancellation is a good idea. As far as medical insurance goes if you have a group health insurance thru say your employer check to see if they will cover you out of the country. You may still have to pay all medical out of pocket and file a claim once you get back. Medical evacuation insurance thru Medjet or one of the others would be good too.

Just saw your are from Canada so I do not know how your medical insurance would work, if it covers you out of country or not. Still worth checking into.

The trip insurance that you can buy through SCI has some exceptions to pre-existing conditions problems, that is, if you buy the insurance within a short period after paying the first deposit.

If available to Canadians, I'd check into it. My last safari, I bought $50K of coverage for a reasonable price and also Global Rescue.

See if they have a package that includes legal representation; just in case you get ratted out by NAPHA. Hate to see you follow up the loss of an eye with prison time.

Rich

Ask yourself what risk it is that you are attempting to mitigate with insurance. Then ask yourself if you are better off assuming that risk yourself, or if you are financially unable to assume that risk, thus need to transfer (or attempt to transfer) some of it to a third party.

For example, guns and equipment. I don't know how expensive the guns or other hunting equipment you might take with you are, but mine are usually worth a couple of thousand dollars total. I don't find that buying an insurance policy for several hundred dollars (which may or may not pay off in the event of a loss) to be a useful form of managing this relatively small risk. If I can't stand a $2,000 hit, then I can't afford an overseas hunt in the first place.

Health: As a Canadian, you are accustomed to high-quality and inexpensive health care. But for Americans, if we get sick we could only be so lucky as to be in Namibia or South Africa (not so lucky to be in Zimbabwe or some other African locations.) Health care in the developed Southern African nations is at least equal to what is available in North America, and its total cost is about what an American with a $7,000 per year Blue Cross policy would pay in deductibles if he suffered a similar illness at home. Medical evacuation is not a consideration if you are in one of those Southern African nations, but again, is another matter in lesser developed countries, so you may wish to look into it if you're going to Zambia.

Trip cancellation. I've never understood what this is good for. Most trip cancellation policies only offset a small portion of any financial obligation you incur, for example a portion of your prepaid airline ticket. Or, the "policy" may provide you with the option of rescheduling your trip at a later date for a fee. Most trip cancellation insurance won't cover deposits with your hunting outfitter, only airfare, hotel, and other things like that. In all, it's just a way to make your trip cost more.

Can I afford to shell out a Quarter Million Dollar settlement if I injure someone in an auto accident? No, that's why I buy auto liability insurance. Can I afford to rebuild my house for $400,000 if it burns to the ground? No, that's why I buy homeowner's insurance. Can I afford to lose $10,000 on an African hunt gone awry? Well, it won't make me happy, but I'll survive it, which is why I don't buy any insurance (even if I could depend on the insurer to do what it promises to do). Ask yourself the same types of questions, then buy insurance accordingly.

Take a look here: http://www.shakariconnection.c...ravel-insurance.html

US & Canadian citizens usually find the Travel Guard option best and if you use the link on the page, you can design your own policy......

ding, ding, ding...We have a winner...Stonecreek hit it out of the park on this one. I am in the insurance business and these are my thoughts exactly.

DAMN STONECREEK!!! What an answer!!!

Way to go Stonecreek! Wonderful wisdon.

Well, for not that much I get medivac, med cover, some trip cover (not the whole thing), and some baggage cover.

Cheap compared to the cost of a medivac and first class medical. Not that much more than medivac alone.

I do not have the numbers with me but arrange it through my travel agent.