This was published 9 years ago
Traveller letters: Travel insurance is essential, I learned the hard way
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Four days into a recent holiday in New York I slipped on black ice and fractured my kneecap. I ended up in an ambulance and hospital before being flown back to Australia for an operation.
Everyone I came across was wonderful – from passers-by who called the ambulance, to the police who had to divert traffic around me, the ambulance drivers and the nurses and doctors at Bellevue Hospital as well as the 24-hour response operators answering the phones on behalf of the travel insurance provider. My advice from this experience is:
1. Obviously have travel insurance, the best you can afford. I was not doing anything remotely dangerous – just crossing the road .
2. Download your policy to your mobile phone. I was asked for the details in the ambulance and at the hospital, and it made the process so much less stressful to simply show the policy.
3. Download a scan or picture of your passport to your phone for the same reason.
4. As soon as you can, call the number on your policy to advise what has has happened and ask specifically what information the insurers require. I was able to tell the doctors at the clinic exactly what I needed and they wrote their report accordingly, including advice concerning return travel arrangements. I took photos of the documents and sent them through to the insurer.
5. Keep calling to check progress. Don't rely on an email response. Keep all receipts, including those for taxis. Also worth remembering is that in the US hospitals discharge you with a prescription only. So travel with the best over-the-counter pain medication – it beats trying to find a 24-hour pharmacy in a taxi with your leg in a brace!
Jane Martin
PARIS MISMATCH
My wife and I arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport last October with a print-out from the Qantas website dated mid-August, listing our itinerary. But we were told we had missed our flight home and that we had been notified of the change to our homeward leg in May, which I had accepted.
After some time on the phone, Qantas rescheduled us three days later. I had assumed, not unreasonably I thought, that all information on the website under our booking code would be accurate, current and consistent. However, Qantas said it would only guarantee the information on the itinerary section, which its fine print says you must use.
Since I had printed from the seat allocation section (which gave incorrect flight information), Qantas would not reimburse me for our unplanned costs of staying in Paris for an additional three days. An appeal to the Airline Customer Advocate, which agreed with me that all information on the website should be accurate, was also rejected by Qantas.
Be careful what data you print.
Richard Harding
THAT'S THE SPIRIT
I returned to Sydney from Singapore after a two-week cruise in December with restricted movement and I was anxious about the hassle of boarding an aircraft. The friendly and caring Qantas staff changed all that, steering us quickly through the obligatory customs and immigration queues and onto the plane, where we were so well looked after.
Eileen Groenewegen
MIDDLE FEAST
We have just returned from a three-week holiday in Egypt and Jordan. We travelled through many parts of both countries and, although there was increased security, we never felt unsafe. Now is the time to visit as there are no crowds or queues, and local tourism really needs your support.
To the Egyptians and Jordanians who made our visit even more memorable, including the police officer who stopped Cairo's chaotic traffic twice so we could get to and from a museum, we thank you.
Lynn and Dennis Manias
ONWARD VIRGIN SOLDIERS
On a trip from London to the Lake District last year, my return Virgin train was delayed 85 minutes and, while it wasn't their fault, Virgin offered passengers a single-fare refund as a voucher for future travel. As I don't live in the UK, I called customer service hoping for a cash refund instead, with Dan the operator from Virgin mailing me a cheque for my £32 fare, plus £10 for any currency exchange loss.
When I wrote to thank him, Dan replied that he hoped I'd be on another Virgin train soon. I told him my delayed trip had been to see a 102-year-old relative, and if he was still with us in October I would certainly be on another Virgin train. Dan replied that visiting a 102-year-old relative is special and that he was going to make it extra special – giving me a complimentary first-class return ticket for the purpose.
Customer service doesn't get any better than that.
Tanya Tintner
COSTUME CHANGE
What a shame that The Big Picture entrant showing the ancient city of Hierapolis, Turkey (Traveller, January 10-11), was marred by the bathers' modern-day swimwear. Its authenticity was lost.
Geoffrey Blakemore
WE WELCOME YOUR TRAVEL-RELATED OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES
The writer of the letter judged the best of the week will receive a LUXE travel guides box set, valued at $60, including savvy, pocket-sized guides for destinations including Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, London and New York. See luxecityguides.com for more details. Letters may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Preference will be given to letters of 50-100 words or less. Email us at travellerletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.
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