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Written by Maak

You know the story. Standing at the car rental counter, tired after your trip, you are asked whether you’ll be taking additional insurance. Do you take it, or do you decline, assuming your own auto insurance or credit card will cover any damage.

You may be one of those that ends up taking the extra insurance to make sure you are covered - often from not knowing what the car insurance covers while renting a vehicle and concerns about being inadequately insured. Instead of waiting until you get to the counter, it's a good idea to check into your existing coverage BEFORE you travel. By checking before leaving, you'll get:
- Peace of mind – you don’t want to spending your holiday with a nagging concern as to whether you did the right thing
- Savings – holidays are expensive enough without paying for insurance that you already have
- Correct coverage - most rental car companies will hold you fully responsible for your rental vehicle if damaged or stolen, therefore you must know how you are insured.

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Even though you are covered via your auto insurance, you may still want to take the car rental insurance. Some people take it so that if they do have an accident, their regular car insurance won't be impacted.
   
To help you do your homework before leaving home, here is some information about the most typical types of insurances that are offered by the car rental companies.

CDW (collision damage waiver) and LDW (loss and damage waiver)

If a rental car is damaged, the renter may be responsible for the first several hundred dollars of damage (the deductible) up to the full price of the car. By purchasing CDW (also known as Loss Damage Waiver or LDW), the renter is released from responsibility of any loss or damage to a vehicle up to the full value of the car. However, if the renter is in violation of the rental agreement, the waiver is void.
Especially in the US and Canada, some credit card companies offer CDW/LDW insurance as a cardholder benefit for a limited period (e.g. 30 days). Likewise many personal auto insurances cover this, so it is certainly worthwhile checking with your insurance and credit card companies.


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SLI (supplemental liability insurance) or ALI (additional liability insurance)

This optional insurance protects the renter and other authorized drivers of the car against claims made by third parties for bodily injury/death and property damage caused by the use or operation of the rental vehicle. In most countries, the rental agency will automatically give you liability coverage that's equal to that countries minimum. However, those limits usually are low and can easily be exceeded in an accident, so this coverage gives you added protection.

Check with your own auto insurance policy to determine whether additional excess coverage is already provided.

PAI (personal accident insurance)

This provides a one-time payment for you or a passenger in case of death or maiming from a car accident. This is generally covered under your auto or health policies. Check your personal car insurance policy to see if it covers car rentals. If your policy covers car rentals, you may not need PAI. This insurance is usually optional.

PEC (personal effects coverage)

This coverage provides protection against loss or theft of personal belongings from the rental car. Once again, check your own auto or home owner insurance policy to determine whether your coverage includes rental cars.


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My advice is therefore, before renting a car:

• Ask your insurance company whether your car or home-owner insurance covers any of the above insurances – also when abroad. Check what the impact will be on your premium if you are involved in an accident when renting a car.
• Check your credit card company whether they provide any coverage
• If neither offer adequate coverage, check whether your insurance company can offer coverage through your current policies, and if so see whether the cost is comparative to paying the rental company
• Ask the rental company whether they have any deals where insurance is included in the rate – often the rental companies include insurance in some of the larger cars, but it could work out comparable to an economy car.
• Check some of the car rental consolidator sites – often they bundle the insurance into a “Gold” price that can be very attractive when compared to renting directly from the car rental companies.

Whatever you decide, make sure you are adequately insured before sitting at the wheel, inadequate or under insurance can have grave personal and economic consequences if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident.

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Written by Maak

Pickpockets operate all over the globe (yes, in your home town too!) and unfortunately they are probably here to stay. In this article have selected 10 tips on how to keep your cash and other valuables safe and out of the way of pickpockets.

#1 Look the part. It’s funny how many of us are paranoid about pickpockets when we are on vacation, but don’t give them a second thought in our home town. Invariably pickpockets focus on tourists who they expect are carrying cash around, and probably more than the locals have on them. So tip #1, is don’t look like a tourist – if you look like a local, without map in hand, camera and rucksack, there is less chance of attracting the attention of the local pickpocket. Of course, if you are a European travelling in Asia or Africa, you just look different, in which case you’ll just have to take some of the following tips into account.


Photo by Moth /CC

#2 Carry a money belt and don’t use it like a wallet. Money belts are probably the safest way to carry your valuables around, but remember not to use it in public – so make sure your everyday cash is in a handbag or wallet – just as you would at home.

#3 Don't carry it all together. Divide your cash and valuables, and put each portion in different places – my wallet/purse, a money belt and a small pouch hanging around my neck are the places I usually use (unless the pouch sticks out if I only have a light blouse on). Make sure you take more than one credit card with you and keep them in different places. If you are a family travelling, make sure each of you carry a portion of the cash – reducing the risk of losing everything. I even give our older children a pouch with some cash – which is also good if they get into some kind of emergency and need to take a taxi back to the hotel.


Photo by Spanner Dan /CC

#4 Use a waterproof bag on the beach. A dilemma I often experience when going to the beach is what to do with my valuables. The obvious answer is not to take them with you. However if you have no choice I found that a waterproof diving bag was the best alternative – you can get them down to the size of an MP3, which is pretty handy for keeping spare cash dry whilst you are swimming, with armbands, so they are secure whilst you are in the water.

#5 Use clothing with plenty of pockets and zips. Again, not always practical to wear clothes with zips – especially if a T-shirt is all you need, but it’s far more difficult for a pickpocket to get at something that is zipped than something in an open pocket or bag. In addition, the chances of something just falling out of your pocket are also greatly reduced - you have no idea how many coins, phones and other stuff fall out of pockets on rollercoaster rides around the world. You can purchase special travel garments and accessories online at e.g. TravelSmith or Tilley.

#6 Do your homework. When travelling somewhere new, it’s always a good idea to read what the guidebooks write about pickpocketing at the specific destination or search on the net. Sites exist that tell you which pickpocket schemes are 'popular' at the destination you are travelling to – take for example a look at tips about Paris and tale a look at this great diagrammatic description of some of the normal pickpocket schemes.

Photo by Misfitgirl /CC

#7 Keep a short leash on bags. Bag openings should be close to your body, not hanging down on a long leash. Preferably, the strap should be around your waist or across the shoulder (instead of on the shoulder), and you should hold the bag opening into your body. Never hang bags on chairs, on grocery charts, department store counter or fitting room.

#8  Carry your house keys elsewhere. Keep your keys in your coat or jacket, or around your wrist. If your purse is stolen, the thieves will probably know where you live – but at least they won’t have your keys

#9 Leave everything you don’t need at the hotel. If there is a safe at your hotel – either at the front desk or in your room – use it. Put everything in there that you don’t need to carry around with you.

#10 Never carry your wallet in your back pocket – need I say more.


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Photo by chrismear /CC

Written by Maak

Accidents happen, things get lost, misplaced or stolen. For many holdidaymakers, this is the worst case holiday scenario - the start of immediate panic and concern. However by doing some homework before you leave and taking a few precautions, you can minimise the risk and be prepared if the nightmare scenario actually does happen. Here are some guidelines on what to do if you lose your passport, credit cards or money whilst you are on holiday. 

Make copies

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Make copies of all documents you may need whilst you are on holiday. I always take copies of my passport and any visas, credit cards (both sides), travel documentation, drivers licence and travel insurance. I always keep the copies in a different place than the actual documents, e.g. in each suitcase or the hotel safe and send a copy to myself on e-mail which can be accessed remotely. If you are so unlucky to lose everything, the copies may be the easiest way to convince the authorities that you are who you say you are.

Put post-its in your passport

If your passport is stolen, there is probably little chance that some kind-hearted person will return it. However, it may have just fallen out of you bag and somebody picks it up. Therefore, make sure current and future contact information is easily found – your mobile number, address in the country you are visiting, home address etc. I do this with post-its. I put them in before I leave home and remove outdated post-its. Consider sticking contact information on your mobile etc.

Contact your embassy


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I usually take the embassy contact info with me and keep with my copies. Most embassies have an emergency number that you can call if it is outside business hours. You should always call your embassy as soon as you notice that your passport has gone missing. The embassy will give you guidelines about what to do. Generally, you need to actually go to the embassy to get a new passport and you will need proof of identity – which is where the copies may come in handy. Usually a temporary passport can be issued at short notice. However if the embassy or consulate is in a different part of the country or you are due to leave the country before a passport can be issued, the situation becomes more difficult. Again, the embassy will be able to guide you.

Get a travel insurance and call them

If something happens whilst on vacation, it’s good to be insured. Make sure you have bought travel insurance before you leave home and know where to contact in case of emergency. My travel insurance company sends me a plastic card to carry around with the numbers to contact – make sure that each person that is covered has a card on them (not just the head of the family) and you have copies. If anything happens, call them - the sooner the better.

Know your bank's policies

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Always do some research before you leave home about that the policies that apply if you lose you credit card – or if the ATM 'eats' the card. Most banks have a number to call and your card can be blocked immediately. I keep this number on my mobile phone and together with the copies of each credit card, I have made.

Some banks will ask you to file a police report if the card is stolen, make sure you ask if this is necessary as it may affect your liability later. Many banks can issue replacement credit cards within a few days - but if your stuck in a country where your bank isn't represented, you may not be so lucky. Speak to your bank about the possibility of transferring funds to the country you are visiting.

Cash: Have a Back-up Solution

A colleague recently ended up spending three days in Hong Kong without a credit card or cash, after an ATM eat his card. I must admit that I’m a bit paranoid about ending up somewhere and running out of money, so I plan based on the fact that my credit card will be stolen. I follow three golden rules:
• I take two cards with me and keep them separated
• My better half also has two cards
• Make sure you always have enough cash on you to pay our way – we usually split the cash between all travellers, even our children and keep anything we don’t need in bags around our necks. If we are staying at a hotel with a safe, we keep some of it there – but not all of it!

There’s always Western Union

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A credit card can get you far, but there are still places in the world where only cash counts. Western Union can be found pretty much anywhere and they’ll help you – often for a significant fee – transfer funds, either from your own account or enable family of friends transfer funds to you. It’s pretty efficient, you usually have cash in hand within an hour!