Am I crazy to extend my stay 50 days, without travel insurance???

Wazen

During this 50 day extentsion which is from April 20th - June 10th,
I will be trecking as a newbie through Uttaranchal, Himichal Pradesh, and Jammu.

But first I will spend 3 months traveling alone from Jan 12- April 20, in Bihar, Assam and Sikkim, etc...


I can extend the stay while in India, no problem...
BUT, I can only purchase Travel Insurance if I extend my stay in India BEFORE I get there...In other words, I cant purchace travel insurance in the middle of my travels....

I dont know if I wana stay an extra 50 days yet. I dont know if I like India yet, what to expect, etc... I may get there and leave within a week... who knows!

So what do you guys think..
If I extend my stay 50 days just to treck through Uttaranchal, HP, and Jammu, which are relatively riskier from what I hear, am I stupid?

I wana be safe, hell I even got the Jap E shots!($400)
But then again, life is all about taking risks, and so is this trip! Backpacking alone & for the first time, in India for 3 months, is the riskiest thing I have EVER DONE in my life! So whats a little extra risk if everything is cool after 3 months..??

Well I am young, naive, and gung-ho on this trip. Any advice??


Aloha,
Wazen

iyou

Skip the extra insurance if you're unafraid of the risk. That's the answer.

By definition, insurance is something made for people who are risk averse. I've been to India five times and I've never taken out travel insurance. If you read the fine print in the contracts you'll see that it's no bargain; you don't get much for what you pay in most cases. Insurance companies aren't in the business of giving services away for free, you know. They're in it to make a profit. Everyone pools their premiums, the insurance company administers the program, and a few people get payouts far in excess of what they pay in. In the end the insurance company gets their cut and everyone's happy.

__________________
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--May a moody baby doom a yam.

MeCasa

Quit thinking so much,

Unless it's on fillin' that Marmot

I thought you was short on time?

Wazen

Got someone in my life who worries to death over me.
While this site has filled me with inspiration, my family fills me with worry and concern.
Normally I would just be the kind of giy to say f-it. And most likely will.
Just plaing it safe, you know that by now. Opinions are always welcome anyway. Aloha everyone.

chapati

For myself I would travel much more relaxed knowing I have an insurance. I mean its a lot of money. But what if you get to the hospital because of some road-accident or illness. You want to go to some good clinic and those are expensive. India is not new-zealand or Hawai, there is more chance to get sick or get involved in some accident then in most other countries. I was glad that I had my insurance when I got to the hospital (foodpoison) and was charged 500US$ for 6 days (I didn't pay it was all arranged by my insurance company). My insurance costed 300US$ for 7 months. Life is all about taking risks that is true but don't bother about paying 2 months insurance more (also when you are not sure if you are going to use it)....

(oh and btw: I can extend my insurance via email easily, maybe that is possible for you too)

TimMakins

GET THE EXTRA TRAVEL INSURANCE !!! Its cost is negligible compared to what it will save you if you actually need it. Anyone who suggests otherwise is being totally irresponsible.

It is all too easy to have an accident in any environment, but you are going trekking, which involves walking in mountainous areas and rugged terrain. If you do something minor like breaking a leg, the cost of helicoptering you back to civilisation will be in the region of US$5000, and that's before any treatment. If you have to be flown back home, you're going to be paying for it for a long time to come. And then there's third party risks, and legal...

I was in Morocco, deep in the desert, when I fell off the roof of a truck and landed on my back, across a log. It could have broke my spine, but luckily it just ripped a lot of back muscles. I could not move at all, and had to be flown home. I don't know if you've ever seen it, but when they do that, the stretcher is fastened to the top of 6 economy seats in a normal jet plane. And then of course the airline staff can't cope with you, so they fly out a nurse, with supplies, from home to accompany you back. Then you need an ambulance that drives up to the plane to take you to a hospital...

Do you want to pay for all that yourself ??????????????????

Don't be a dickhead. Get the insurance.

One thing, though - some of those places sell you more than you need. After many years of travelling, I've come to the conclusion that its a waste of money covering personal items lost or stolen. There are lots of people who claim for a stolen camera etc so in consequence the cost of 'cover all' policies go up. These days, I go for one that only covers for personal injury and 3rd party risks only. I just checked out the cost at my usual company here:

http://www.columbusdirect.com/Travel...-Insurance.cfm

and the quote for 1 year worldwide excluding USA is £181.43p ($320 US) Compare that to the all-risks cover of £327.92 and you'll notice the savings.

Tim in Ireland.

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Quote:

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john.sw

My father is eighty and can't buy travel insurance in the UK for anything under Rs.232,000/- for a month's cover.

He's not worried because he's eighty, and wouldn't mind being buried in India, along with his aunt, grandparents and great grandfather!

You can buy insurance in India to cover hospital fees, accident, etc.


________________

P.S.

My wife needed hospital treatment in India in 2005. We didn't claim on our insurance because the bill, including drugs, injections, etc. was only Rs.125/-

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phobal

Tim beat me to it....

bliss

try worldnomads.org or com, best deals ive seen, can do it on the road, all internet based.
good luck!

TimMakins

Hmm - they seem quite good. I just did a comparison to Columbus Direct: 1 year policy excluding the USA-Canada-Japan, and not going for digital camera/Ipod coverage. The premium was £200, as compared to Columbus quote for £181, but it include AUD 2500 coverage for standard luggage and personal effects.

They also have some handy features, such as being able to start or add cover whilst on the road.

Here's a comparison of cover offered, for the two companys:

Coverage with worldnomad:
Overseas Medical Expenses AUD $5,000,000
Emergency Dental Treatment AUD $500
Medical Evacuation/Additional Expenses AUD $500,000
Cancellation Costs AUD $10,000
Personal Liability AUD $2,500,000
Burial/Cremation Expenses AUD $12,000
Standard Luggage and Personal Effects AUD $2,500

Coverage with Columbus:
Cancellation £1000
Curtailment £1000
Medical Expenses £1 million
Personal Accident £15000
Personal Liability £1 million
Legal Expenses £10000



Has anyone made a claim with worldnomad ????

Tim in Ireland.

Eldaras

nice topic Wazen...
Here in argentina they want to charge me 30 USD per week for a travel insurance (Assist-Card Young), but is REALLY expensive for me since i'm going there for 6 months. So the sum goes up to 800 USD (a f*cking robbery).

Thanks you for the info guys!!!!!!! (worldnomads looks great... now if could get a promotional code )

--edit--
FOUND!! use this promotional code (BRIT01) to get a %5 discount in worldnomads

TimMakins

Where did you get the code from ? Who does it apply to ?


If they find you have no right to use that code, do they de-validate the insurance ? ? You might only find this out when you want to make a claim...

Tim in Ireland

Eldaras

Tim!

I saw this code in quite a few forums, and i took it from here www.britbound.co.uk/travel_insurance.php.
If you google "worldnomads promotional code" is the first hit... so i believe that a LOT of people are using it...

And it applies to almost everyone except if your country doesn't allow discounts (like in USA).

Ikuru

Yes your really crazy. And brave if you do it. whooo.

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bijapuri

if I get sick, I want insurance that sends me TO India and her world-renowned nedical facilities; all at a small fraction of the charge in USA!!!

so no, I don't use travel ins,

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