Travel Insurance – Avoid Becoming a Statistic
We have all seen and read media reports and statistics about the perils of not taking out travel insurance. There is certainly plenty of information on the internet for travellers regarding the importance of insurance. Despite this, however, recent research by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) indicates that one in five British travellers still neglect to take out travel insurance for their trips and holidays.
The British Foreign Office and their ‘Know Before You Go’ service provides excellent and free travel advice and country information to assist travellers before they set off. They also warn of the potentially dire financial consequences for those who risk setting off without travel insurance.
It appears that despite all the warnings many holidaymakers are still either unaware of the risk they are taking, or prepared to take a chance. This is a case of false economy as the cost of travel insurance is very cheap compared to the bills that could mount up over problems that arise while travelling overseas.
The ABTA research has shown that younger travellers, mainly the 15-24 age group, are the most uninformed as they believe that if anything bad happens to them while abroad the government will pick up the cost and take care of it for them. This could not be further from the truth. Many young travellers go abroad with friends, or on adventure holidays, or for Hen or Stag parties so are at particular risk. However, it is important to remember that if intoxication or rowdy behaviour result in injury, fines, or arrest your consulate or embassy cannot pay the bills for you or secure your release.
The sad reality for the families or parents of young travellers who get into trouble abroad is that they are going to receive a desperate telephone call for help and will have no option but to come up with the needed funds. The British Embassy or Consulate will go as far as making calls and contacting friends and relatives for them and advise on the transfer of funds, but that is about the extent of their assistance. The government does not cover payments for hospital treatment, nor does it pay to fly anyone home (repatriate them) or provide funds if they run out of money, get arrested, or have all their money and possessions stolen.
If a traveller is seriously injured or ill and needs to be flown home by air ambulance the costs are truly frightening – running into thousands of pounds for those who do not have adequate travel insurance.
Single Trip travel insurance can be surprisingly cheap, and even the minimum amount of cover it provides can be vital. For young travellers Backpacker policies are very affordable and still provide the necessary cover for medical treatment, liability and legal expenses. There are, of course, terms and conditions as with any type of insurance and policies differ from company to company so it is important to check. Having that insurance policy tucked in your pocket or hand luggage is not a license to act irresponsibly, or put yourself in harm’s way. It is unlikely to cover incidents that are found to be related to the excessive consumption of alcohol or drug use.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provides a level of cover for emergency medical treatment in participating member countries, and it is important to carry this (free) card, along with comprehensive travel insurance – but never instead of insurance. The EHIC does not cover anything much other than emergency medical expenses, and does not cover non-urgent or follow-up care. It also does not cover the cost of medical repatriation by air ambulance, if this should become necessary.
Repatriation costs can amount to as much as £45,000 from the East Coast of the USA, up to £16,000 from destinations like Tenerife, and up to £20,000 from destinations ‘down under’. Consider whether you have that sort of disposable money lying around? Most people do not!
Imagine suddenly finding yourself responsible for debt of this kind, either for yourself or for a travelling dependent. In these harsh economical times unexpected expenses of this kind would be totally devastating. Why take such a risk?
For the relatively small cost of insurance you are purchasing peace of mind and, with any luck, you may never need to use it. Consider that most travel insurance will cover costs for common and expensive travel mishaps, including:
Emergency medical treatment for injury or illness Repatriation by air ambulance Lost luggage or stolen money, credit cards and possessions Personal liability (in case of a lawsuit for damage to property or persons) Cover for Legal Expenses Cancellation of your trip (for covered reasons) Curtailment of your trip (cutting short your trip) Scheduled Airline failure Personal accident cover for death or disability
It is all too easy to spend a lot of time surfing the internet looking for cheap holidays or travel deals, but forget that it is equally important to take time to purchase travel insurance, and to check what it does and does not include. If unsure, always call and ask – don’t leave it to chance.
If you are not sure whether you might decide to go river rafting, bungee jumping or skiing on your holiday it is important to ensure that you will be covered for these activities and, if necessary, purchase additional cover.
Avoid being tempted to opt for the cheapest policy that you find on a comparison site. Take the time to check that you are getting adequate levels of cover for your money and that all your planned activities are covered. A very cheap policy may have cut the levels of cover where you most need it, or raised ‘excess’ levels (the amount that you contribute towards a claim) in order to tempt you with a cheap quote.
If you plan to make more than one trip in a year it is sensible to save money by opting for the Annual Multi-trip policy as this will work out cheaper in the long run.
Having an accident or mishap while on holiday is often unavoidable, and always inconvenient. However, facing financial ruin and becoming a statistic because you neglected to take out travel insurance is something that is completely avoidable!
Disneyland Hotels Map – Get Accommodations Close to Disneyland
Disneyland is situated along the streets of West Ball Road, South Walnut Street, South Harbor Boulevard and West Katella Avenue. The entire Disneyland Park has a total land area of 74 acres but the theme park has only covered 30 acres.
Hotel industry has been growing in the Disneyland area since the time it was operated, more investors has been building hotels inside the theme park and or around Disneyland. You can check out Disneyland hotels map and locate hotels in the vicinity as well as around the surrounding area of those four streets.
Using Google map, you can view the Disneyland hotels map. You can find two hotels along the South Disneyland Drive. There are two more hotels located along Magical Way and Downtown drive. When you check through West Ball Road near South Disneyland Drive, there are 6 hotels not necessary in rows but still down on those streets. There are also two nice hotels in the corners of West Ball Road and South Harbor Boulevard.
There are more or less twelve hotels built in the busy street of South Harbor Boulevard. You can find plaza hotels, Park Hotels, Inn & Suites, and Travelodge in this side of the Disneyland area. More Inns are established in West Katella Avenue. Room rates range from reasonably priced to luxurious suites.
To maximize the Disneyland hotels map, you need to check on the links of the respective hotels in those areas. By linking those websites, you will get the information you need for the type of accommodation that you prefer to check in when you visit Disneyland.
Time Travel Theory – Is Time Travel Possible?
Is time travel possible? The problem with time travel is the ‘Time Travel paradox’ which goes something like this. Suppose a person travels back in time before birth and breaks a link in the time chain that led to the traveler’s birth. This problem has been commonly explored by asking the question ‘What if you killed your own grandmother before she first conceived?’ (Why the time travel paradox is never expressed in terms of killing your own mother, I am not sure, but it isn’t). If you kill your grandmother then you would not be born. If you were not born, then you could not travel into the past, in which case you would not kill your grandmother. If you did not travel back in time to kill your grandmother, you would be born causing you to again travel into the past to kill your grandmother…with me so far?
The laws of physics seem to allow the possibility of time travel to take place. Many physicists believe that there would have to be some kind of constraint that would make time travel impossible.
Albert Einstein thought that time travel was a very distinct possibility. His idea was that, theoretically, the closer we come to traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), the more time would appear to slow down for us in relation to someone who was not moving. He called the slowing of time due to motion time dilation.
Einstein came up with an example to show the effects of time dilation that he called the “twin paradox.” The paradox basically states that there are two twins. One twin travels to a distant location at the speed of light, while the other twin stays on earth. For the twin that traveled, time slowed down, while time stayed constant for the twin that remained on earth. Upon returning the twins were no longer the same age. The twin paradox and time dilation actually supports the theory of time travel into the future.
The twin paradox theory was actually proven in an experiment in 1971. This time experiment used two atomic clocks which started off reading the exact same time. One clock was placed on a jet that traveled around the world at 600 mph, while the other atomic clock stayed stationary. When the jet landed, the clock that had gone around the world was behind by a few billionths of a second.
So what about time travel into the past? The basic features of quantum theory actually allow for the possibility of time travel into the past and that the paradoxes raised by the equations of Einstein’s theory of relativity never come into play. The theory is that quantum objects split their existence into multiple component waves, which follows a distinct path through space-time. Quantum theory allows for time travel, because nothing stops the waves from traveling backwards in time. If you travel back into time using quantum mechanics, you would only see those events that were consistent with the world you left behind.
Time travel is an interesting theory to say the least. I leave you with this thought on time travel. If one day someone knocks on your door and says that they are a distant relative of yours, you might want to think twice before you close the door.