I was offered trip cancellation insurance for my first safari but I felt it was too expensive for what I felt was a low risk. It was in the area of $1100 for a $12,000 trip.

Booking next safari soon, does anyone know of a more reasonably priced carrier?

405wcf

I have check several insurance companys on line there all around 10% to 20% of your total safrari cost. mostthat I could find were 20% contact Kathi she is a great source of info

Use the Travelguard icon here http://www.shakariconnection.c...ravel-insurance.html for cancellation insurance and if you need medivac/emergency evacuation cover, use the Global Rescue icon on the same page.

The trip cancellation "insurance policies" I've examined are anything but insurance -- and actuarily are phenominally overpriced. They typically involve your proving a certain set of limited circumstances in order to "collect" on the "insurance". Then in addition to the premium you have automatically lost, there will be various "deductibles" adding up to another signifcant percentage of the price of the trip. Further, some or most of the "compensation" may come in the form of redeemable credits for future travel. Thus, your actual recovery of hard cash is extremely limited, and may be negated entirely if your reason for cancelling the trip cannot be documented (to the "insurers" satisfaction), or does not meet their strict criteria for a qualified event.

Bottom line: If you can afford to go on an African hunting trip, you can afford to lose whatever up-front costs of the trip you have at risk. Shelling out an extra 10-20% percent on top of your trip costs insures nothing other than the whole thing costing you more.

405

Please see INSURE MY TRIP here

You can make comparisons between various programs.

FWIW many of the plans allow you to specofy the amout of coverage you really need. [Can you reschedule or get a refund for some/most of your airfare - probably, can you get your PH/Outfitter to hold your deposit over till another year or a later date -most likely.]

You can determine the risks you wish to insure: last July I was only concerned with the Health Insurance coverage, so did not insure the air or safari deposits. As a result for $44 I got:


Total Policy Cost $44.00
Available to Travelers from U.S.
Trip Cancellation $0
Trip Interruption $0
Financial Default Not Available
Terrorism in Itinerary City Not Available
Cancel For Any Reason Not Available
Travel Baggage $2,500 2
Travel Baggage Delay 12+ hours
$250 max. 2
Travel Delay 8+ hours
$150/day; $750 max.
Medical $100,000 2
Dental Included in Medical 2
Emergency Medical Evacuation $1,000,000 2
24-Hour Emergency Assistance Yes
Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver Not Available
Pre-Existing Condition Period 60 Days
Insurance Company Stonebridge
A.M. Best Rating A-
Refund Policy 10 Day Free Look
Rental Car Collision/Loss (per policy) Not Available
Accidental Death - 24-Hour $25,000
Accidental Death - Common Carrier Included in Accidental Death - 24 Hour
Accidental Death - Flight Included in Accidental Death - 24 Hour
Policy Fulfillment Email
Additional Options
Travel Supplier Restrictions None
Additional Notes Hospital of Choice Evac Included
= Coverage Limitations 2 = Secondary Coverage


Again, all I really wanted was the Heath Coverage but got a lot extra for $44.

Les

These trip "insurance" companies are easy to find when it is time to pay the premiums, but you may find them "scarce" should you attempt to press a claim.

Let me ask a question: Has anyone here ever successfully collected on "trip insurance"?

Let me ask another question. Say you were offered trip insurance for a $1,500 premium which would pay (or presume to pay) you $10,000 in the event of a death, dismemberment, or whatever 2% chance ghoulish event is required to trigger the insurance. Now, alternatively, let's say you are offered a different policy which will pay you if you do not take your trip for ANY reason, but will only pay you $1,500. BUT, it will also pay you $1,500 even if the 98% chance happens that you DO take the trip, and, the premium for this insurance is ZERO! Which one would you choose?

What I have just described is the $1,500 advantage of NOT taking any kind of trip insurance. When you look at it from this perspective, it is a no-brainer. Now, don't you wish YOU were in the "trip insurance" business?

I buy from Travelguard every time I go, and I find this to be cheap and you can pick and choose the amount and type of coverage you want. You buy it online. But to get the best deal, you must buy it within a few days of laying out your first deposit for the trip. For obvious reasons, they are skeptical if you suddenly decide you need cancellation insurance a few days or weeks before you are due to leave. You get medevac rolled into the policy, and this alone justfies about half of the premium (vs the normal $10 per day that the Zim operators charge). You also get baggage insurance, this is a must if passing through JNB. Just make sure you file an airline and a police report if you have something stolen. I tell all my clients to buy this insurance. One final tip, AMEX has a cheap automatic baggage insurance program. Really saved one client's bacon when his black carry-on bag containing 2 binos, still camera, video camera, scope etc was stolen at a stoplight on the way to the hotel in Harare.

And yes, I have claimed once (stolen video cam) and my clients at least twice, and the companies paid up.