My son leaves in two weeks for a month's stay in the rainforest in southeastern Ecuador. Is there any particular travel/medical insurance I should enroll him in before he leaves. On the african forum people are always talking about MedJet and others...is sonething like that needed while he is in Ecuador in the event of illness or injury. He has medical insurance here in the US, but what additional insurance should I consider given that he will be in a remote area of Ecuador? He will be somewhere between Puyo and Banos living with a tribe.

Thanks!

Medjet will go any place in the world. Give them a call. There service is good and their rates reasonable compared with the expense of med evac. Kudude They are over in B-ham, AL.

BEWARE !!!

IF YOU BUY ANY MEDICAL EVACUATION INSURANCE DEMAND THAT THE OUTFITTER HAS A SATELLITE PHONE TO REACH THEM !

DON'T ACCEPT THAT THEY HAVE CELL PHONES.

IF YOU NEED RESCUED YOU DON'T NEED TO DRIVE 1/2 HOUR TO THE TOP OF THE HILL AND HOPE THE WEATHER IS OK FOR CELL PHONE WORK

ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE .

Jkieth,

MedJet is a fine company but they do have limitations as to where they will pick up a client(generally it is at a hospital) in order to bring him/her home.

Take a look at Global Rescue, too. They seem to be able to pick-up in most places, including using helicopters-- hence the rescue in their name.

The reco0mmendation of sat phone is a SOLID one. Heed it.

For me it depends on how remote I expect to be. Medjet will take care of you "after" you arrive at a hospital. It is up to you to arrange and pay for transport from the field to a hospital. In some cases this could be a long, scary, expensive, and painful journey. But, if you are not extremely remote with good medevac services not far away, this could be a reasonable way to go.

Global Rescue will take care of you wherever you are, including extraction, all the way to your choice of hospital. I buy their short term policy for individual hunts. Can't submit a recommendation one way or the other on them as so far the only relationship I've had with them is that they very willingly take my money.

Thanks everyone....I appreciate the info!!!

JKeith,

Your son, any traveler, probably needs travel insurance as well as a Medjet/Global rescue trip Evac coverage.

Most travel insurance has medical insurance as well as the trip cancellation type coverage. You are right that his US health insurance policy probably does not provide coverage outside the US.

See:
Insure My Trip for more information and comparisons.

Les