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More than ever, you need a COVID-19 Plan B when traveling internationally. If you don’t, you could end up stuck in a quarantine that might feel like a prison.
Susan Bilhorn had a COVID-19 Plan B. This included purchasing travel insurance, packing additional medications, and booking trips with appropriate tour companies. Good thing she did: When she recently visited Croatia, her tour guide discreetly informed her that she had tested positive for coronavirus.
A few minutes later, an ambulance picked her up and took her to a quarantine hotel in Dubrovnik, where she spent the next 10 days.
“The accommodations were comfortable and the staff very helpful,” says Bilhorn, executive consultant in Laguna Niguel, California. “There was enough food. Good quality and variety.”
So how did her plan B work? Her tour operator, smarTours, coordinated with local authorities for her quarantine. Local medical authorities managed her quarantine measures. And her travel insurance company, TripMate, has reimbursed nearly all of her quarantine costs.
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Medjet Chief Operating Officer John Gobbels said: “The best way to approach it is to sit down and list each of your greatest fears and create a concrete solution for each before you set off.
But how do you develop it? It requires some research into country rules and what happens if you get infected. You will also need insurance and extra money to survive the quarantine.
“Unfortunately, part of the new normal of travel involves planning ahead,” said Rajeev Shrivastava, CEO of travel insurance marketplace VisitsCoverage.com.
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What are the COVID-19 regulations in the country you are visiting?
“The first step is to understand the COVID regulations in the destination country,” says Narendra Khatri, principal at travel insurance company Insuby. “Are there quarantine rules for when I am infected? If so, for how long?”
This is also a good time to check your travel insurance to make sure it covers your necessary quarantine accommodation costs.
“That way, at least Plan B doesn’t add more money to existing trips than necessary,” he says.
What will they do to you if you have COVID-19?
You’ve probably seen the horror stories of people with COVID-19 being sent to prison. Cruise lines are some of the worst offenders. My USA TODAY colleague Dawn Gilbertson recently reported on Brittany and Steven Loiler contracting the virus on the Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. I was forced to spend the rest of the voyage in a small cabin in the ship’s ‘red zone’. There, crew members in protective clothing unloaded meals.
Joe Cronin, President of International Citizens Insurance, said: “Plan accordingly.”
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In some countries you may have to stay in a hotel where you have to pay for your accommodation. Others might put you in government quarantine, give you inedible food and nothing to spend time with, and charge you for that privilege, he says. The ship will throw you into a quarantine cabin and you may have to survive on a cold bagel and prune meal.
“Be sure to have a budget in both situations,” says Cronin. “You may want to pack entertainment and shelf-stable foods like granola bars in case you are quarantined.”
Do you have adequate insurance and financial resources to quarantine?
Most travel insurance covers travel disruptions due to COVID-19 infection. But the question is how much does it cover? Check the fine print of the policy to see the restrictions. Ask yourself: How far does $2,000 go in a quarantine hotel? (Not far in some countries.)
Katelynn Sortino, a digital nomad living in Morocco, knew she couldn’t rely on her local healthcare system if she had COVID-19. So she opened a savings account to cover her quarantine costs.
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“Thankfully my case was really mild and ultimately unnecessary,” she says. I think that’s important for people in developed countries, and we don’t want to put an extra burden on local health systems that need to focus on taking care of their own people.”
Your travel insurance company may offer resources to help you even if you don’t have a Plan B. For example, Allianz Travel Insurance provides the policyholder with her 24/7 travel assistance and a support team to troubleshoot travel-related issues such as travel delays. and cancel. You can also access the service from your app. Concierge services are also available with Generali Global Assistance travel insurance plans.
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Knowing the rules of the countries you visit, understanding what can happen if you get infected, and having the right insurance can help you have a good Plan B while traveling abroad. Say.
“When it comes to COVID and travel, we need to plan for the best and prepare for the worst,” says Carrie Pasquarello, co-founder of travel safety company Global Secure Resources. It is better to have a plan and not use it than to have no plan.”
Expert Tips on Developing a Plan B
Visit a trusted coronavirus test. Don’t spread your wings when you reach your destination. You could end up waiting in long lines at public hospitals and missing your flight because your results didn’t arrive on time. Tour operators can arrange for the entire group to be inspected at the hotel. “But this service may not be available to individuals,” said Christine Petersen, her CEO of smarTours.
Upgrade your insurance. Time and time again we hear from travelers complaining that their travel insurance does not cover their travel fears. In fact, that’s not true, says Seven Corners president Jeremy Murchland. You can upgrade your policy to a “Cancel for any reason” policy. This policy provides partial reimbursement of non-refundable travel costs upon cancellation. “This means that even if you’re not sick but worried about infection rates at your destination, you can still cancel your trip out of fear,” he says.
Please bring your laptop. If you have work that you can do remotely, take your laptop with you, even on vacation. This is the advice of his Charles Neville, his Director of Marketing for European travel company JayWay Travel. “I know, you’re supposed to hang out,” he says. “But even in quarantine, if there is work that can be done remotely, we will remain productive.”
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