Travel Insurance

[kipper]

While enquiring for flights overseas, I grabbed a brochure for covermore insurance. I also spoke to a consultant about it, and it appears they will only cover camera equipment upto $5k. Is there any other insurance that people know of that will give you more cover say in the vacinity of $15-20k or $10k at the very minimum?

[Onyx]

Your covermore agent is shit (Flight Centre?!). They will allow greater value coverage for your gear if you specify upfront and pay the extra premium, how much extra to be determined by a phone call from the agent to covermore (only a few bucks extra on top of the going rate).

[huynhie]

As Onyx has said

I have used covermore to insure my gear and you can add additional items ontop of your policy for an additional cost.

[kipper]

Onyx, Escape Travel which is a subdivision of Flight Centre. I'm not going by what the travel agent said but more what the brochure says. It says no more than $4500 for a single item for an extra premium of $180.

[MCWB]

Darryl, this probably goes without saying, but make sure you read the fine print as to exactly when your gear is covered!

I paid an extra ~$200 to insure my gear when I was in Europe last year, but after a small scare I actually read the fine print. Turns out that pretty much the only time my gear was covered was if it was stolen from me, could do nothing about it, and had a police report to that effect. Left behind on any form of transportation or accommodation? Nope. Damaged or lost in cargo hold? Nope.

Also, if applicable, check your home and contents insurance policy as it may cover your gear overseas anyway.

[kipper]

Left on transportation, don't think that'll ever happen.

Stolen I want, plus damage in transit. Can't believe they don't cover during transit.

[gstark]

Left on transportation, don't think that'll ever happen.

So,

You're of the belief that your luggage will always end up in the same location as you will?

Boy, do I have a deal for you.

One bridge. One owner, low mileage, high visibility location.



Maybe some oceanfront land? In Broken Hill ?

[kipper]

Left on transportation, and luggage not interlined by airlines is two different things entirely I would have thought? The foremost being your stupidity, the latter being the airlines.

[gstark]

Left on transportation, and luggage not interlined by airlines is two different things entirely I would have thought? The foremost being your stupidity, the latter being the airlines.

Insurers being insurers, and you being 10000 miles away from, in a country where the local language isn't your's, and most of the counter staff only speak the local lingo, and $5000 worth of your hardware has gone missing ...


Do you feel lucky?



And there are many reasons why your luggage mightn't turn up, and they're not all covered by your insurance. Strike action is usually a specific exclusion. In 2000 I flew from LAX-CDG-MXP. A strike in Paris meant my luggage was off-loaded from the Air France plane arriving from LA, but nothing was loaded onto the plane going to Milan.

You don't know this, of course, until your arrival in Milan.

With no luggage.

And suffering from laryngitis.

Of course, you're only one of about 200 people in the same boat, the Air France staff only speak French, it seems, and don't give a damn that your (or everyone else's) luggage is still in Paris., and because of the fact that there's so many people affected, they're really loathe to help anyone.

While you're theoretically entitled to some immediate compensation to permit you to buy a toothbrush annd some basics, you still need to be able to communicate that to the AF staff, who, as noted above, are being more obtuse than Carl Scully stating that everything's fine in the NSW Police Service.



So, as I said,


Do you feel lucky?

[Dug]

I lost gear in PNG in September last year. I got the third degree from the Covermore investigator and have not got a cheque yet and have been offered a reduced amount because the equipment was old ( It still worked)

I am not really happy with them but I am getting some compensation for my loss so it's better than nothing.

[cordy]

Anyone used QBE for overseas travel insurance?

[kipper]

Well I had lost luggage in Charles-de-Gualle but managed to find a lady that seemed to be incharge of handling lost luggage and she spoke perfect English. My family and I have experienced many occassions of lost luggage.