• I AM 81 – I AM BEING QUOTED TRAVEL INSURANCE RATES THAT COULD PAY FOR MY CLUB MEMBERSHIP ANNUALLY? HOW DO I GET THE BEST RATES?

  Q –  (3.7.26) – I have two trips planned this year – one a land tour to the Canadian Rockies and the other a cruise to ports in Asia operating out of Bangkok. I am 81, my wife is a bit younger, and we are in relatively good health following my bypass surgery two years ago.

  I have been quoted an outrageous price for travel insurance by my travel agent, a woman I have known for many years and who we trust. She says that the better policies are age-based and once I hit 80 the price went up. Is that your experience and what do you recommend for your readers in our general age group? These days, it seems really foolish not to have insurance but is there any way a price conscious traveler can find a lower-priced alternative. She uses a company called Allianz. 

  A – Generally speaking, your agent is correct. The best policies, and Allianz is a respected carrier, tend to be age-based and premiums have skyrocketed in the past several years. If you purchase the insurance offered by your supplier – the tour operator or the cruise line, you will almost always pay a flat rate, the same rate they would charge a 30 year-old so there are some savings. But if you are looking for advocates to seek out the cheapest travel insurance – we’re not it. Always think about the possibility of needing emergency surgery in a destination you will be visiting. Will your medical treatment, necessary surgery, care and accommodations for your spouse, and, if necessary, a medically equipped private flight home to the States be included in your coverage? (Some of this falls under the title “Medical Evacuation”. We want you to have $1 Million in Evacuation coverage on any policy. 

  That said, if you want to “shop” for travel insurance at a lower rate we will mention the website www.squaremouth.com This site allows you to compare both coverage and cost of a wide range of travel insurance providers. It would be wise to spend some time on the site to get an overview of the coverages available along with sample costs for someone your age. There is no charge to use the site.

  Finally, we would point out something about travel insurance that is rarely discussed. Always dig deep to find out if the insurance seller has true “Advocacy” rights on your behalf. That means, if your insurance claim is turned down, does your seller promise, on any reasonable claim, to personally be your advocate with the insurance carrier to try to re-open your claim so that a new underwriter at the company evaluates it.

  We have done this several times for our clients and the claim was eventually approved after being initially turned down in every case. 

  And congratulations on your good health! We hope the beauty of the Rockies and the parts of Asia you will be taking in provide truly memorable moments in a life well-lived. 

• IS THIS A GOOD USE OF POINTS IN COPENHAGEN?

  Q – It looks like I finally have enough Bonvoy Marriott points to get a two-or three night stay at one of their overseas properties. We are sailing out of Copenhagen in September and we were wondering if you feel that using our points at the Copenhagen Marriott is a good idea? Or, should we just sit on them?

  Was wondering about the Bonvoy Club. Do a fair number of people join and do most find it valuable? Thanks for this site. Really helpful to a lot of us. But too much about cruises – would love to hear more airline and hotel advice. 

  A – The Marriott in Copenhagen is with easy walking distance of Tivoli Gardens. We think it is a good, perhaps very good, 4-star option. But with one caveat: Make certain that you are confirmed in a riverview room. The back of the property faces a section of the river that is quite active with boaters and kayakers. It also has a lovely walking path. The front side of the hotel faces the street.

  It is a decent walk to the city center but the #26 bus stops by the hotel’s front door so it is easy to hop on and off.

  Generally speaking, we do advise using Marriott points for quality European hotel bookings whenever possible. 

  You are a member of a very “exclusive club”. The Marriott Bonvoy Club announced it had reached only 203 million members at the end of 2024. It is, by a very wide range, the largest, most successful hotel loyalty program on the planet. The Marriott Corporation realizes significant earnings just on the guest information it amasses. So don’t be disappointed if you are not immediately recognized on sight.

   

• CONSIDERING CANCELLATION OF OUR SCHEDULED EGYPT TRIP – WHAT TO DO?

  Q – We have a rather special privately planned trip to Egypt scheduled to depart in the next 45 days. With war in the region we have to face the necessity of canceling our long-awaited trip to Egypt. Do we cancel now or let the tour company in Egypt cancel? . The government is telling Americans not to travel to the Middle East and I suppose there is good reason. We will be using our credit card insurance coverage. We booked this online so details are rather sparse.

  A – We sort of knew you had booked online by your third sentence. Your credit card insurer will likely not cover your final payment which we are guessing has already been made. Normally, we would advise that you wait for the tour company in Egypt or whoever it was that handled your arrangements to cancel. But as you are scheduled to depart in 45 days, our guess is that your trip will not be cancelled.

  In fact, Egypt inbound tourism is generally not affected by events in Iran. Egypt is not on the Level 3 or Level 4 State Department Advisory List. Here is the latest State Department notice that would affect your trip:

  On March 2 we issued a region-wide precautionary message to Americans in the Middle East in light of evolving dynamics. Here is a summary of our latest security updates as of March 3, 9pm EST. We have increased Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to Level 3. Egypt remains at Level 2 reflecting that our overall assessment of the security situation there has not changed at this time.

  You need to speak to the firm handling your arrangements directly. You also need to assess exactly what level of coverage you are holding. Do you, for instance, have the kind of coverage that would pay your bills for a stay in an Egyptian hospital? Do you have the kind of coverage that would allow you to be medically evacuated from Egypt if that was necessary?

  Your note was rather brief so it is difficult to give you a comprehensive answer. In looking at your situation, we would advise that you consider moving forward with this journey. But if you do, you may need to purchase additional travel coverage (Really challenging at this late date).

  We are concerned about you. You are in a difficult situation. If you cancel you will likely be out a great deal of money. If you get frustrated, call us. There will be no charge but we would like to be available in case you need us.

  We are starting to hear from a number of people who made bookings abroad, offering up their personal details and credit card information with a 1-800 call center that, given technology, could be located anywhere in the world. Sadly, these travelers are all being charged for the services of a US-based travel adviser without their knowledge. It is always included in all online pricing even though no highly-qualified adviser is involved. It is one of the major travel scams associated with online bookings. The public knows little about this because media outlets are so dependent on travel advertising from online purveyors. 

• WILL MY TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY COVER MY CANCELLATION OF AN UPCOMING EGYPT CRUISE AND TOUR GIVEN EVENTS IN IRAN?

  Q – (3.3.26) – We have been planning a Viking River Cruise along the Nile along with several days of land touring for almost a year. We obviously will not be going. Our insurance is through Travelex and we are wondering if they will cover the entire cost of the trip. We are scheduled to depart in two months. How will this be handled?

  I would hope that we would be granted a full refund but not sure if that will come from Viking or the insurance company. My travel agent is suggesting I make an immediate claim based on the State Department advising travelers not to travel to Egypt and the Middle East. Do you agree?

  A – No. Your insurance claim will likely be denied. Below is a list of specific events not covered by typical insurance policies. Viking will, in this instance, likely offer a future credit and cancel your sailing. The War was no fault of theirs and full refunds to all guests on a major itinerary covering several months would have a severe and negative impact on the company. The credit would likely be in the full amount of what you have paid to date.

  The good news is that Viking will almost certainly be advising your agent that it is canceling your cruise. The amount of the credit should be in the official cancellation notification. One question worth pursuing is whether or not you would be allowed to pass on this credit to other family members if you decide not to use it. Most policies will not permit this. Discuss with your agent whether or not you should wait until Viking cancels. If you cancel first, your options may be severely limited. Understand that travel advisers are, in the vast majority of States, prohibited from discussing insurance policy coverage as they are not licensed insurance agents. We would strongly recommend that you call the Customer Service number at Travelex directly to verify your options and to choose the best way to sustain a favorable outcome. 

  Here is their contact information: Customer Service Phone: 1-800-228-9792 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST, Monday – Friday customersolutions@travelexinsurance.com Guests who have purchased CFAR or “Cancel for Any Reason” insurance will, on the other hand, likely receive a full cash refund as that type of policy allows for the cancellation of any journey for virtually any reason. Because insurance companies offer CFAR options, they will only offer full cash refunds to those who purchased that type of coverage. It is an extremely costly type of coverage so few travelers take it out.  As of this morning, plans are underway to remove ships from the conflict area. Escorted tour groups to Israel and throughout the Middle East are being cancelled. The vast majority of flights are being cancelled. It could be some time before travel resumes in this part of the world to anything like “normal” levels.  Here is what Travelex specifically states it will not cover: Note it does not cover “declared or undeclared war, or any act of war.”
• WHEN WILL A CRUISE LINE TRY TO BUY OFF BOOKED GUESTS?

  Q – (2.23.26) While I am thinking about it, maybe sometime you could explain when and why a cruise line will offer to buy a confirmed cruise passenger out of their booking. A person sailing with us told us Regent offered a full refund if they would cancel their cruise.

  A –  It would almost never happen on a normal booking. Computer systems prevent a double booking and your agent receives a written contract of passage for your journey. Unlike airlines, which do not have an obligation to honor your assigned seat, cruise lines put everything in writing and no one is moved involuntarily.

  Our guess would be that the situation you describe was generated by a group booking. When a travel agent gets a contract for thirty beds on a sailing, for instance, no one really knows how many of those beds will actually be sold. The cruise line makes a guess based on the travel agency’s past performance. But if they underestimate the size of the group a ship can become overbooked and independent guests need to be bought off. This is never a forced cancellation. Offers are made until the number of staterooms required is achieved. 

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