Allianz Global Assistance (former Access America)

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Comment by Allianz Global Assistance on April 17, 2012 at 3:00pm

WE ARE PLEASED  to announce the winner of our essay contest, "When Travel Insurance (Would've) Saved the Day!" We had a number of fine entries, and choosing one was not easy. 

So congratulations to Maggie Downs of Palm Springs, California, who will shortly be receiving a Kindle Fire. We were impressed and moved by her account, which is now published in the Tripatini blog at this link. 

We'd like to thank everyone who participated; they will be receiving a surprise gift in appreciation.

Best regards to all!

Comment by Allianz Global Assistance on April 9, 2012 at 12:25am

Our "Travel Insurance (would've) saved the day" contest is now closed as of midnight US Eastern Time. Thanks to all for participating, and stay tuned for the winner announcement!

Comment by Maggie Downs on April 8, 2012 at 10:07pm

I purchased travel insurance before embarking on my year-long, round-the-world backpacking trip. Of course, it's not the kind of thing you ever want to use, but I figured it might come in handy for medical woes, bag theft or a broken iPod.

I did not expect that my mother would die. 

She passed away in Ohio. I was in Egypt.  I never felt so physically or emotionally isolated before in my life.  

The day it happened I spent hours on the phone at an internet cafe, contacting family, making plans for the funeral, and of course, trying to find a way back to the U.S. 

Getting a last-minute flight within my budget, however, proved impossible. I must have made two dozen calls to airlines, asking for bereavement fares, and I still couldn't find anything that would work. Each phone call left me feeling even more broken and hopeless.

The last call I made was to my travel insurance. A very kind woman comforted me and said she was sorry for my loss. And she said the words I'll never forget: "You just get home. We'll take care of the rest." Immediately it felt as if I had been stumbling in the dark, and suddenly a stranger was there to give me a steady hand. 

It might not sound like much. But in that moment -- in the thick of my grief and sadness -- those words meant everything. And the woman was right. I simply had to book a flight home on my credit card, and the cost was quickly refunded.

Thankfully, even as I continued my trip later, I never had any other need for travel insurance, like emergency medical evacuation, political unrest or even baggage loss. It's unfortunate that I had to use it at all, particularly under those circumstances. But I can say with certainty that I will never take a trip without it again.

The price of travel insurance pales in comparison to the peace that comes from knowing that someone is on your side. That kind of security is priceless. 

Comment by CanCan on April 8, 2012 at 7:31pm

In December 2009, my family and I took a 3 week trip around Vietnam.
On Christmas Eve I was in the hotel bathroom and heard someone walk into our room.
I walked in on the maid "cleaning" out the inside of my purse.
The next day we were eating breakfast in a cafe and got an email from our
neighbors that our house had been burglarized and all of our electronics
stolen.
A couple days later, at a new location, I noticed that the only USD in my
wallet, one 100 dollar bill, was gone. I told the hotel and they said,
okay, we only have one maid, we will search her things.
They called me in to watch them dump out her purse, go through her cart,
and then....they made me watch them strip search her. They didn't find the
money. Before the three weeks were over, I was also relieved of my DSLR camera and HD video camera.
Worst vacation ever.
I still like Vietnamese food, but I think it would have been best to end that trip early. "Know when to walk away; know when to run!"
Allianz, take me away!

Comment by Vincent Russo on April 6, 2012 at 10:19am

A couple in our church got stranded in Europe when the touroperator who ran their trip went bankrupt and abandoned there customers. I don't remember the name of the company, it was a big company so you may remember this, and it was in the fall of 83. These people werent covered and they had to a lot of money to fly back to America. 

Comment by Robert Warner on April 4, 2012 at 10:33am

When I was little my parents saved for a long time so they could take us to Disney World.  After a day or two of being there my sister had red spots all over her body.  After seeing a doctor, it was determined that she had the measles.  At the time, the doctor told her not to look at the sun or she could go blind and to cover up as much of her body as possible from the sun.  She looked so funny, a big floppy hat, shorts on and tall socks, she hadn't brought any pants and it was really hot.  We didn't leave the park because we had not bought any travel insurance and there was no way to refund the money.  Looking back on the whole situation I'm sure my parents should have bought travel insurance but with 6 kids it would have been another year before we could have taken the trip.  I also wonder how many other people were infected because of my sister.

Comment by Robert Warner on April 4, 2012 at 10:32am

When I was little my parents saved for a long time so they could take us to Disney World.  After a day or two of being there my sister had red spots all over her body.  After seeing a doctor, it was determined that she had the measles.  At the time, the doctor told her not to look at the sun or she could go blind and to cover up as much of her body as possible from the sun.  She looked so funny, a big floppy hat, shorts on and tall socks, she hadn't brought any pants and it was really hot.  We didn't leave the park because we had not bought any travel insurance and there was no way to refund the money.  Looking back on the whole situation I'm sure my parents should have bought travel insurance but with 6 kids it would have been another year before we could have taken the trip.  I also wonder how many other people were infected because of my sister.

Comment by Michelle Simons on April 2, 2012 at 1:40pm

My sister went on a cruise to Hawaii on a huge ship for 7 days and my sister lost her beautiful expensive gold diamond necklace. She never had travel insurance but I know she wish she had. @mcjunkie

Comment by Allie McCoy on April 2, 2012 at 10:57am

I am sure you will get more upbeat stories than this. However, my story is a cautionary tale that changed the way I prepare for traveling. In 1970 two of my colleagues went to India for their summer vacation. One of them got very sick but, because she was young and not being paid well, she could not afford to be evacuated. She had surgery in a rural hospital, and she died. This was heartbreaking because it probably was preventable. 

Comment by John Kipper on March 29, 2012 at 10:30pm

I always thought travel insurance was for old people who worried they might get sick on a trip. And then it happened to me. Junior year in college I was studying abroad in Barcelona (it was rough, i know!!) and I was going to fly home for the Christmas break. Two days before the flight I started to feel funny. Being a hypochandriac of course I thought it was ebola, but it was just your garden variety flu. Lasted three weeks of sheer hell, though, I couldn't get out of bed let alone get on an airplace, so there went $900+ of airfare out the window, which for a college student is no small potatoes. Lesson learned? Nope. I still don't buy travel insurance but reading some of these stories I think maybe it's time....

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