Tips for Holiday Excursions

Snorkelling in the Cayman Islands, kayaking past hundred-foot tall glaciers in the Arctic, spotting wildlife on the coast in the Hebrides, cage-diving with sharks in Cape Town – there are hundreds of great excursions that cruise ships offer their passengers, and there’s usually something to provide everyone with a memorable experience on their non-sailing days.

Once you’ve booked your cruise, you’ll be able to browse through and pick excursions offered to you, and customise your trip to your tastes at additional costs. Most shore excursions are hugely popular and they book up fast as they operate on a strict first-come first-served policy. To avoid disappointment, InsuranceWith advise you either book early or book through one of the several excursion operators available in each port, which you can book through independently online.

If you are unable to make your planned shore excursion due to illness, cabin confinement or trip cancellation, Insurancewith cover any excursions that were booked and pre-paid for before you embarked on your cruise, allowing you to deal with any unforeseen event with peace of mind that you won’t be left out of pocket.

Below are some tips on excursions:

• Make sure you’re aware of local laws and customs before you arrive. Some countries can be offended by certain states of dress or behaviour.
• Stay with the group you intend on spending the day with. If you deviate from the main group, make sure you’ve arranged a place or time to re-group.
• Make sure you have a copy of all your important documentation – such as your Passport & Visa- just in case something happens.
• Don’t carry large amounts of cash with you, and if you must, split it with a travelling companion, friend or family member. Divided cash is safer. Don’t advertise your cash either – put it in a bag that crosses across your chest so you’re not an easy target for thieves.
• Make a list of important emergency phone numbers should you get lost, ill, injured or are late. For example, the ship, the guide, other people you’re travelling with and your insurance company.
• Make sure you have good travel insurance cover, should something unexpected happen you can rest assured knowing you’re not losing any money.
• Make sure you’re drinking enough bottled water to stay healthy and hydrated.
• Try to avoid walking alone or in small groups at night or down smaller streets, as this makes you an easier target for thieves and pickpockets.

Staying Safe in the Sun

The sun is warm and wonderful when it’s shining down on us, and with some forethought and care we should be able to enjoy it to the full without being burnt or permanently damaged by it. However, the sun’s UV rays can be incredibly harmful and cause skin cancer.

Here are some tips about suncare:

• Avoid the strongest rays of the day and long periods in the sun, so from 11am to 3 pm find shade, rest inside or find some shelter. Alternatively, if you don’t have a choice, put on a higher factor sunscreen.
• Keep covered up – even a t-shirt can lose up to half its UV protection when wet, so always cover up with some dry clothes after venturing into the water.
• Cloudy days are deceptive – UV rays can travel through clouds too, and especially with wind, you might not notice the heat or the rays, so keep an eye out.
• Make sure you use a sunscreen that offers both UVA and UVB protection and one that is waterproof.
• Comfortable sunglasses that wrap round are ideal for protecting eyes, and make sure you’re more likely to keep them on. Sunhats with fabric that covers your ears and neck are also great at keeping the sun off the bits more likely to burn and harder to reach with the sunscreen.
• Cover up at the slightest hint of it getting hot – better to be safe than be burnt and it ruin your day.

Experts recommend you use SPF 30, 40 or even 50 on children. Choose a coloured spray so it makes the application process more fun for them, and you can ensure you have total coverage.

Reapply sunscreen every 2-3 hours, apply generously and don’t forget your lips, face, hands, ears, neck and feet!

Choosing a Destination

The first thing to decide before booking your holiday will be choosing your destination. For many, finding inspiration is the most difficult thing to do in the holiday process. With a huge variety of places to visit, and more places being advertised, every destination tends to look more appealing than the last.

First of all, decide what you want:

Are you more the type of person who wants a holiday to relax in the sun, or someone who wants every other day to hold a different adventure in store? Someone who prefers soaking up the local culture or spending your time out focusing on you, your health and wellness? Decide what you want from your holiday from the list below, which will hopefully allow you to focus more on a destination able to provide you with what you want:

• Adventure
• Beaches & Sun
• Casinos
• Family Fun
• Health & Wellness
• History & Culture
• Romance
• Shopping
• Wildlife
• Winter Sports

Websites such as TripAdvisor have generators which allow you to narrow down destinations through types of holiday, month of travel, region alongside their user-rated experiences. If you’re feeling particularly spontaneous, whichplacetogo generates a random destination – a virtual way of spinning a globe and putting a pin down. ABTA offer a great way of showing where is great to go, when, incase you know when you want to go, but have no idea about where would be best to make memories at that time of year.

Advice on buying travel insurance if you have a medical condition

Where can I find a travel insurance provider who will cover me?

The thought of finding travel insurance when you have a medical condition can be a daunting one, but you’d be surprised at just how many options you have. In fact, providers like Insurancewith specialise in offering bespoke travel cover to those with medical conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease.

Finding your provider

The best place to start is by speaking to or visiting the website of a charity that supports people with your medical condition – it may be one that you’ve had contact with before. They should be able to offer advice, and may even have recommendations as to which provider is best.

A quick internet search might help too. There will likely be forums full of people who have been in similar situations – they could offer advice and suggestions.

What medical information do I need to provide?

You’ll need to give your insurance provider details of your condition, and the more information you can offer, the better. We advise that you tell them everything so they can decide what is and isn’t relevant – you won’t necessarily be charged more, it just means you’ll have the right level of cover should anything happen. Holding details back could cause the policy to be void when you need it most.

Why do I need a specialist policy?

Having a specialist travel insurance policy can make a world of difference if you have a medical condition, especially in an emergency situation. With the right knowledge and a wealth of experience, a good provider will be able to offer invaluable help in a foreign country, assisting with things like translation and the transferring of important medical records.

They can speak to your treating doctor in the UK and liaise with the doctors in the foreign hospital, ensuring you have the appropriate treatment when you need it most. Arranging such care without the help and support of a trusted insurer could be both difficult and costly.

What about insurance for other people in my party?

We would always recommend that your whole travelling party is included on the same policy, so if something does happen that causes you to cancel the whole trip, nobody is left battling with their provider for a pay-out. If everyone’s together, you should all be protected, even if the medical condition only affects one person.

When you’re looking for travel insurance, it’s important to remember that it’s not all about having millions of pounds worth of medical cover; your priority should be the level of support you receive from your provider. This is especially true if you have a medical condition, as this can make problems more complex.

Be sure to do your research and choose carefully – knowing you did will provide invaluable peace of mind on your upcoming trip.

Travelling with a medical condition

Travelling with a medical condition can be really daunting, but we cover 1000 of people like this every year.

When I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, I found planning our first holiday abroad made me feel really anxious, the cancer and the treatment had really knocked my confidence, but after chatting to my Doctor I realised all I had to do was plan. So if you are planning to travel abroad and either you or a member of your family has a medical condition, your first port of call should always be your treating doctor.

Leave yourself lots of time and it’s really important to have a check list. Some of the things you will find really useful are to learn some key phrases in the language of the country you are travelling to:

Your condition
Your medication
How to ask for help in an emergency

And a letter from your Doctor could really get you out of trouble at the airport, it will explain your condition and why you are carrying certain prescription medication.
I really can’t emphasize enough the key to a stress free holiday is planning.

So if you want more information about travelling with a medical condition go to our web site Insurancewith.com.