A Note on Insurance
While some travel companies require mandatory
insurance, CNH Tours leaves it up to every traveler to make his or
her informed decision on the acquisition of travel insurance.
We recognize that you may have existing policies that might cover
all or part of your needs, and we give you the benefit of the doubt
when deciding on these matters. We nevertheless highly recommend
ensuring that your most basic needs are covered. Before
looking into a particular product, you should take stock of your
existing insurance policies (e.g. home / life, medical) to see if
your needs may already be covered there.
Though basic "field" first aid facilities are
available on ships, our guests are asked to recognize and accept
that in case of injury or illness while cruising in Galapagos,
medical facilities and personnel may be as long as 24 hours away in
the town of Puerto Ayora, Galapagos for typical rural hospital type
medical attention, and possibly up to 48 hours away in Quito for
more specialized attention. Guests may want to consider acquiring
emergency medical evacuation insurance (air transport) for transfer
from the Galapagos airport to the mainland (otherwise,
transportation is available only via the regularly scheduled
commercial passenger airplane, three times a day). Guests accept
that CNH Tours cannot be held responsible for delays in
obtaining medical attention or the possible inadequacy of attention
available.
Timing: Once your
reservation is confirmed (e.g. you have received a receipt), travel
insurance companies normally require you to purchase your insurance
within 48 hours of purchasing your trip. Please check with
your local provider (or on the internet) to ensure that you meet
their deadline requirement. A copy of your insurance
certificate and contact details should be carried with other travel
documents in your hand luggage. For more information on
this subject, please see the heading Health/ Travel Insurance.
Health / Travel Insurance: We
recommend that you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy
to protect you and your investment before and during your
trip. Though CNH Tours will do its utmost to reimburse your
expenses even beyond our own refund policies, we are limited in
what we can do by the policies of third parties with whom we do
business (e.g. ship owners, hotels).
Comprehensive trip insurance
includes:
- Trip cancellation and interruption
- Travel and baggage delay
- Loss of baggage and travel documents
- Emergency assistance
- Medical expense and
- Evacuation/repatriation
NB. This list is not exhaustive and you may have
extenuating circumstances that may call for additional
insurance. CNH Tours encourages all of its guests to consult
with a qualified insurance agent to ensure that all of your travel
needs are adequately covered.
List of insurance
providers: The following are a few companies you
might want to research both on and off line. There are many
more out there, and naming those below does not consist of a
particular endorsement on our part.
The following are a few companies you might want to research
both on and off line:
USA
CSA Travel Protection www.csatravelprotection.com
Travel Guard International: (800) 826-1300 www.travel-guard.com
Travel Insurance Services: (800) 937-1387 www.travelinsure.com
TravelInsured International: (800) 243-3174 www.travelinsured.com
Squaremouth : www.squaremouth.com
Insure My Trip: www.insuremytrip.com
UK
GoSure www.gosure.com
Essential Travel www.essentialtravel.co.uk
Travel Insurance Online www.travel-insurance-online.com
Squaremouth : www.squaremouth.com
Canada
Blue Cross Canada : www.bluecross.ca/travelinsurance.html
TD Canada Trust Travel Medical Insurance: www.tdcanadatrust.com/tdinsurance/travel/quote.jsp
Travel Guard Canada: www.travelguard.ca/
Kanetix.ca: www.kanetix.ca/
Insure My Trip: www.insuremytrip.com
Squaremouth : www.squaremouth.com
A copy of your insurance certificate and contact details should
be carried with other travel documents in your hand luggage.
Most policies cover trip cancellation and
interruption, travel and baggage delay, loss of baggage and travel
documents, emergency assistance, medical expense and
evacuation/repatriation.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
TRAVELLER:
You can obtain a great deal of information and
advice from medical and travel industry professionals to help
prevent health problems while abroad. However, you must accept that
in the end, you are responsible for your health and well-being
while travelling, and upon your return, as well as for preventing
the transmission of communicable diseases to others. The following
are the main responsibilities to be accepted by the traveller:
- the decision to travel
- recognition and acceptance of any risks involved
- seeking health advice from professional medical sources in good
time, preferably 4-8 weeks before travel
- compliance with recommended vaccinations and other prescribed
medication and health measures
- carrying suitable medical kit for your personal use
- obtaining adequate insurance cover
- being aware of, and implementing health precautions before,
during and after the journey
- responsibility for obtaining a physician's letter pertaining to
any prescription medicines, syringes, etc. being carried, when
necessary
- precautions to avoid transmitting any infectious disease to
others during, and after, travel
- careful reporting of any illness on return, including
information about all recent travel