Going abroad for a vacation? Excited, but at the same time worried about the many things that can go wrong? It’s easy to have a stress-free holiday abroad, just keep these 10 tried-and-true travel tips in mind wherever you go:

1. Check your overseas medical services: Any country you travel to, find out how the medicare system works and the procedure for getting a doctor’s appointment. In some countries, it is not as simple as walking into a doctor’s clinic.

2. Familiarize yourself with local conditions and laws: Every country has its own customs and social etiquette. In order to avoid unknowingly offending someone, it is always better to take out some time to learn about the etiquette of the country you are traveling to.

3. Rent a car: Most countries provide an option of renting a car to drive around and explore the cities. This is a preferred option especially if you are going to travel from one city to another. Hence, make sure you know international road signs.

4. Read up about the local language: It goes without saying that before you leave, find out a bit about the culture and customs of the land. Learning to say ‘hello’ and ‘thanks’in the native language of the country never fails to bring a smile on the locals’ faces.

5. Medical kit is important: Carry a basic medical kit with you – some meds for fever, cold, stomach ache, etc. You are generally allowed to carry some medicines if you have a doctor’s prescription from your home country. Many foreign countries do not approve of over the counter medicines unless you have a prescription from a local doctor.

6. Find out about Indian embassy: Know where the Indian embassy is in the country you are traveling to. In case of loss of passport or any such unfortunate event, you will know where to head to.

7. Keep soft copies of your important documents: Keep a scan of all your major documents – your tickets, passport, visa, id proof are just some essential documents. In case of any issue where you loose the physical copy, you have a ready reference stored in your email. This can save you a lot of unnecessary trouble.

8. Don’t leave your belongings unattended: Keep your bag on your lap or on a chair next to you. Make it a practice to take a quick check just before you leave to ensure you haven’t left your keys, wallet on the table or your jacket hanging on the chair.

9. Don’t keep all your money in one place: If you lose it, you lose it all. Split the money between you and others traveling with you. Always keep some in your luggage back at your hotel room all locked up as a backup.

10. Leave copies of itinerary and passport with friends: Leave copies of your itinerary, hotel contact details with family or some friend, so you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

Last, but not the least, make sure you get a good travel insurance cover before you go, as medicare expenses can be extremely high in other countries.

Based on your own travel experiences, if you have any useful travel tips, do share them with us in the comments below!

To have a truly hassle-free travel experience, choose form our range of travel insurance plans here.

A road trip with your loved ones sounds fun, doesn’t it? It’s a leisurely holiday, where you have no set plans, and can take all the detours you like! But road trips generally mean that you won’t find yourself within reach of a modern city with groceries and chemists and other conveniences. Here’s a checklist of the things you simply cannot do without, when on the road.

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And of course, don’t forget to keep your car insurance policy in your dashboard at all times!

It’s the perfect weather to take in a long, scenic drive along a hilly route. But driving on hills requires special skills and know-how. This infographic covers the basics:

Click on the image for the full view

And the most important point of all? Don’t forget to keep your car insurance policy in your dashboard at all times!

In our previous post, we discussed some of the dangers of conducting monetary transactions on a trip to a foreign country. In this article, we’ll take a look at the ways in which you can prevent loss of money and get yourself the best exchange deal possible. First, some tricks you should know when dealing with the traditional forms of money exchange: cash, cards and traveller’s cheques.

TRICKS

Cash:

• Know the exchange rates beforehand – this will prevent you getting ripped off by local agencies.
• Never exchange money from airports, train station or hotels – you’ll inevitably pay a very high commission and get a lower rate.
• As far as possible, exchange money at local banks, or at a local branch of your bank.
• Exchange half your money before you leave on your trip, and exchange the rest of it once you reach your destination. Thus, if the rates go low, you’ll have half of your money intact. If the rate increases, you can capitalize on it with the remaining half of your cash.

ATM and Credit cards:

• Before carrying cards, alert your bank to your travel plans. Doing so will prevent them from freezing your cards when they see “suspicious” transactions.
• Find out what service and conversion charges your bank levies – some cards are more expensive than others.
• When using the ATM, be aware that you may be paying an international transaction fee. Be aware of your maximum daily withdrawal limit.
• Credit cards usually give you the best exchange value. But watch out for immediate interest charges, know your maximum daily spending limit, and never use a credit card for a cash advance at an ATM.
• Never opt for dynamic currency conversion; instead, ask to be billed in the local currency of your destination.

Travellers cheques:

• These may be the safest way to carry money, but they’re also the most expensive. Watch out for hefty commissions and conversion fees when you encash them.
• A commission-free deal may not necessarily be the best. To offset the loss from zero commissions, you may get a low exchange rate for your money.
• Hunt for the best deal available. Some places offer discounts on commission for students and senior citizens.

Now that you know how to prepare yourself for fuss-free finances abroad, here are some general tips that you should keep in mind – they might save you a lot of trouble and worry!

TIPS

• Don’t rely on using a signature for transactions. Some countries use chip technology that requires a PIN for all transactions.
• If your PIN is larger than 4 digits, ask your bank if you can get it altered, as foreign ATMs may not recognise more than that.
• Carry contact details of all the financial service companies you’re dealing with.
• Keep in mind the daily withdrawal restrictions in the country you are travelling to.
• Never keep all your cash, cards and cheques in one place. That way, if you go get robbed or misplace something, you won’t lose all your money at once.
• Keep a copy of all receipts to check against your statements
• As far as possible, deal in US Dollars. They can get you the best exchange rates, and it is often possible to pay directly in dollars rather than local currency.

If you found this article interesting,you might find Part I of it useful. Click here to read it.

To learn about Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance, please click here.

Money is the most basic of all travel necessities. Having money troubles when abroad is a traveller’s worst nightmare, seeing as there’s no shortage of risks – theft, misplacement, overspending, unforeseen expenses, etc.  While travel insurance can resolve many of these worries, the greatest, hidden danger of dealing in currency abroad is – exchange rates.

Most travellers assume that foreign exchange is as simple as presenting their money to a money exchange service, and getting back the local currency of the place they’re visiting. But as it turns out, it isn’t that simple, and unless you’re careful, you could lose out on a lot of money in the exchange process. Although there are a variety of ways in which you can carry money abroad – cash, ATM cards, credit cards and traveller’s cheques – each of them carries its own pitfalls.

Let’s take a look at what can go wrong when you’re travelling abroad with money in hand.

TRAPS

Cash: While this is the easiest way to carry money, it’s also the riskiest. You do need to carry some cash to cover immediate and small expenses like transport, food and drinks. However, relying only on cash throughout your trip puts you at the mercy of pickpockets and money exchange services, which often charge an extremely high commission and give you a lower rate than the market standard. A cash-only plan also requires you to be on your guard against overspending. After all, what happens if you run out of money?

ATM and Credit cards: An international credit or ATM card is the least risky form of conducting your transactions abroad. Carrying a card ensures that you need not carry much cash, and whenever you run out of money, you can always withdraw more from an ATM or simply charge your expenses to your account. Sounds fuss-free? It is, as long as you ignore the massive currency conversion and service charges you keep racking up at your bank.

Traveller’s cheques: This tried-and-true method of carrying money offers a great advantage over theft and misplacement. As long as you remember the cheque numbers, or have photocopies, you can get them encashed even if the cheques themselves have been lost of stolen. So what’s the problem, you ask? The flat fee for encashment – which can make small transactions burdensome, and your overall transaction bill very expensive.

In our next installment, we will tell you how to avoid these traps – so keep a sharp eye on this space!

If you wish to know more about Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance, click here.

Learn how to safeguard your baggage against damage, loss and theft – click here.

Travel Insurance is as important as any other travel accessory you would need while planning a trip overseas. Travel related risks can be many and the cost for securing yourself against these risks is relatively small. For instance, if in the unfortunate event of hospitalization in a foreign country, the expenses can be huge. But if you have a travel insurance plan, the policy will take care of the financial burden of the illness.

In addition to medical expenses, evacuation and repatriation, you can also make a claim on your travel insurance in case of loss of checked-in baggage, delay in baggage, personal accident, loss of passport, trip delay or hijack. In fact, Bajaj Allianz also offers a cover for golf tournaments in foreign countries.

The most important aspect of claim settlement in travel insurance is coordinating with the hospitals and local service providers in the foreign country. This is where a large network of international assistance companies or partners come in useful. Bajaj Allianz has a network of assistance companies in over 30 countries that enable medical assistance, claims process, repatriation and evacuation service and other services. In countries where a partner is not present, Bajaj Allianz directly coordinates with hospitals and other service providers to resolve a claimant’s query, request (for evacuation or repatriation) and claim.

(Article authored by Vikramjeet Singh, Head – Travel Insurance at Bajaj Allianz; published in Financial Chronicle)
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Bajaj Allianz Advantage

Bajaj Allianz is the only private general insurer in India to have an in-house team for handling Travel Claims. This provides the following benefits to the customer:

• International toll-free phone and fax number
• 24×7 availability
• Direct relationship with the customer and direct communication with hospitals in case of requirement of documents
• Quick settlement of claims
• Faster resolution of dispute and faster decision making on admissibility of claims

Claim process

• Claim is intimated by the customer through international toll free number which lands at the call center in India. In case, a call cannot be made, the claim can be intimated through email.
• On receiving the claim intimation, an Itrack is generated, which in turn automatically triggers a mail to the claimant informing them of the claim process, necessary documents required and provide them the claim form and other forms required. The same mail is also sent to the hospital in case of medical exigencies.
• A mail is also sent to the email id of the Claims team so that contact details of the claimant can be verified.

Tips for faster claim settlement

• Intimate the insurer as soon as the loss occurs. The service provider would be able to advise you about how to proceed further.
• Ensure that you provide correct details in the proposal form and disclose all information on existing health conditions.
• Provide complete documentation at the time of submission of claims, as per the requirements listed in the travel kit.
• For faster and direct credit of your claim amount, provide NEFT details to the insurer.

“Having an in-house team to handle Travel Insurance claims enables us to settle claims. By being in direct contact with the customer, we are able to understand their issues or problems faster and provide a customer-friendly solution at the earliest, even if it requires relaxing our processes if required.” – Kiran Makhija, Head-Travel Insurance

Worried about where to call if you need assistance in a foreign country? Click here.

To learn what you should keep in mind in case you need to be hospitalized abroad, click here.

Travelling abroad is an exhilarating experience – but not if you reach your destination and realise that your luggage hasn’t. It’s very easy for baggage to get misplaced or stolen, and for the contents to get damaged when you are taking an international flight. View the slideshare given below for a few simple, yet effective, tips on safeguarding your luggage.

In case of any claim or assistance abroad call Toll-Free Numbers :

When dialing a universal toll free number the caller must first dial the appropriate country’s international access code (+) as illustrated above.

Worried about what to expect when processing a travel insurance claim? Click here to know more about the process.

In case of any early return of the insured person prior to expiry of the policy period the company will refund premium at the following rates subject to no claims being incurred on the policy.

If you are admitted to a hospital after OPD consultation or otherwise please notify us immediately. The Insurance medical assistance department (doctor) will discuss your medical condition with the Treating doctor and if it is confirmed that the admission to a hospital is NOT due to any pre-existing conditions or any conditions listed in the exclusion list, then the Insurance Company shall guarantee payments to the hospital and settle the payments with the hospital.

Documents Required: In order to expedite processing of the claim you must send the following documents immediately by fax to +91-20-30512207 or scan and email to us at travel@bajajallianz.co.in

1. Completed Claim Form signed by the Treating Doctor and you
2. Name, address and contact details of the Local / Family Medical Doctor in India
3. Signed copy of the RELEASE OF MEDICAL INFORMATION FORM (ROMIF) to authorize your Treating Doctor and Local Medical Doctor in India to release your medical information to the Insurance Medical Assistance Department.
4. Treating Doctor’s medical report.
5. Estimated medical expenses.
6. Date of Travel from India.
7. Details of domestic health Insurance policy, if any (Policy No, name and address of insurance company)
8. Copy of passport with exit stamp from India and entry into overseas country

Note: Your prompt submission of the above documents / information (ROMIF, LMO details, Medical Reports, estimated medical expenses, Claim Form) will enable the Medical Assistance Department to make a medical assessment and recommendation of coverage thereby facilitating the claims process.

Important Numbers: For any further clarifications please do not hesitate to contact us at Telephone +91-20-30305858,
Fax +91-20-30512207or email to us at travel@bajajallianz.co.in

If you need assistance abroad and don’t know where to call, don’t panic! Click here for a list of our international toll-free numbers.

Travel insurance claims may sound tricky, but we have an article that will help you understand the process better. Click here to read.