South American advice

[Manxman]

Left job, sold house, off to Alaska via Buenos Aires, Tierra del Fuego and all points in between. Just beginning to realise how terrified I am! Can anyone recommend companies to insure my bike and any decent travel insurance companies to insure me. I'm estimating my journey time to be circa 2 years - fool that I am! Will be riding trusty GS Adventure that until now has only taken me round Alps and Dolomites.

[David and Cheryl Laing]

You do realise that leaving the job, selling the house and all that is a good move. A very very good move. We rented ours and leave on our second journey in a few weeks. Look forward to one day meeting you on the road.
Dont be too scared but I think it is always a good idea to be a wee bit scared. That way you make more informed decisions.
Well done. . . stay safe.
Insurance???? we dont, and didnt last time, have insurance cover for our bikes but did take out third party insurance in countries that insisted. Took out full travel insurance for ourselves last time. This time we are taking medical and evacutaion insurance only. We found that a lot of the things the full cover type policies covered did not apply to us, and when it came to our luggage we felt that they could get out of paying up because we did not have our things in a locked boot or trunk. As silly as this sounds, the best security, we found, is a motorcycle cover. Yes, one of those plastic / nylon types. Seems to put people off touching. Even when you park inside a hotel lobby the cover is a good idea. Stopped the night staff playing with everything.
Proud of you, stay safe. Cheryl.

[cdveston]

But what do you do when you've asked the embassy, asked at the border, and they don't require insurance until the cops 120 km across the border demand insurance?

This is our dilemma in Argentina. Any have advice for minimal coverage that will get two US driver on venezuelan bikes though Argentina, Chile and perhaps Bolivia and Peru?

thanks, Chris

[Mick O'Malley]

Chris

Show them your travel insurance document and point to the £xxxxxx bits for losing limbs etc. They won't know the difference.

Worked for me.

Mick

[richardb]

Travel and medical insurance I used STA travel - their adventure sport policy includes cover for 'motorcycle touring', all other ones I looked at only allowed for bikes up to 250cc or similar.

I had bike insurance but can't remember name of company now - will rack memory for it.

Good luck and enjoy

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Richb
http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~richardbeaumont/60684/

[GlobeBusters]

We got 3rd party insurance for the bikes for all Central & South America (except Colombia) through www.alessie.com. Even with this, you still have to pay for compulsory insurance at Central American borders.

Alessie is an agent based in Rotterdam. The insurance policy is written through an America insurance company in Pennsylvania. Don't know if it is worth the paper it is written on as so far, have not had the bad fortune to have to use it. Having said that, the document is all in English, so if it was asked for (not a problem yet encountered), the policia, I'm sure, would not know this from any other type of insurance document.

We get all our travel / medical insurance through Trailfinders, which is really Campbell Irvine. 50% increase in premiums to cover travel by bike.