Not having got to 73 quite yet I'm no experience of what I'll be like then (:confused1 but I do know lots of people that age or older who are extremely active. We were discussing travel plans at a family gathering yesterday and my wife's parents (80 next birthday) mentioned they're off to North Cape next summer as part of trip trip round northern Scandanavia. A friend of roughly the same age is an active skier and is off to La Plagne shortly while another (mid 70's) still does long distance (LeJog for example) cycling events.

Even at my relatively tender age I've noticed that the insurance industry is rapidly becoming the biggest obstacle to an active older life era. The renewal for our "easy trip" travel insurance came through a few days before Christmas and I rang them up (more in hope than in expectation) to see what, if any, of next year's planned trips they would cover. As an intro I said I was planning a few more active events in the next 12 months and got the reply "yes, we do cover cruises". ... What hope is there really if that's their idea of being out on the edge.

These days I work on the medical desk of a medical assistance company organising the repatriation of people from overseas who have damaged themselves or got sick abroad. We work for various insurers

What you really want from an insurance company is the knowledge that when the sticky stuff hits the whirly object they will pay out and not quibble.

From that perspective, Thomson are not too good. Price is quite good, but balanced against that is the fact that they will go through your medical history with a fine tooth comb in the event of a claim, and if there is anything in there you haven't declared, they probably won't pay out. And all that checking takes time of course, when time may not be on your side

At the other end of the scale, for the over 50s SAGA are hard to beat for normal everyday type stuff, not too sure about the more 'dangerous' activities. That will hopefully change though as over 50s get more adventurous. But they are very reliable.

For the under 50s, sainsbury is suprisingly good and the one I will probably go for.

Don't forget other specialist insurers though, like through the motorcycle federation, but check who the underwriter is. Cigna is the main underwriter we deal with and they seem pretty good.

of course, all that only applies in the UK!

The key though is hide nothing, if you don't declare something and you need the insurance they may not pay out, even if the reason for the claim is unrelated to what you didn't declare, and they will find out because in almost all illness claims and some accident claims, we will need a medical report from your GP before cover is agreed.

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

A very informative post with an inside view on medical insurance companies, perhaps it could go into trip paperwork in some form or other perhaps with some examples of why insurance companies don't pay out.

thanks

I would say the two main ones are they find something in your GP record you failed to declare or you are doing some kind of activity that's excluded.

We had a big case recently where a guy was injured kite surfing, which isn't covered, but when we got the translation of the medical report checked it turned out he was windsurfing, which was covered. The difference was whether a medical bill of potentially tens of thousands of pounds would be paid for by his insurance, or him.

Be under no illusions, we're into selling your house territory here, especially in America where bills frequently run into hundreds of thousands.

I recently queried a bill from America for over £10000 for simple gastoenteritis that required (or probably didn't) a one night stay in hospital.

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

Mark, PLEASE put a post together and I'll be VERY happy to put it somewhere useful The whole insurance question is something that really does need a proper writeup, especially for the older amongst us - and that includes me.

Sadly I'm around a year behind where I'd like to be on content... or is it two years...?

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Grant, that would be Moggy 1968 ..

Like to be..? Need several life times for the 'like to be' thing .. Should I become a Buddhist?

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One insurance thing .. going wrong so far http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1028263

I would be quite happy to but as Warin has pointed out it is Moggy 1968 who has access to first hand information, if I write something based on his reply there is a risk of inaccuracies creeping in.
One point I would like to mention on the subject is something I have put in several replies to the often asked question "can I ride in Europe/Africa/America on a provisional licence" is no it is illegal but also your insurance will be invalid.
Apologies to the OP as we are now totally off topic but an important issue.

I am not so sure that we are
this most recent discussion is a very valid consideration for staying "closer to home" as one ages (and we all do the latter if only because the alternative is clear).

The basic information about the approach taken by life insurance companies must be in here already surely? I feel sure that I have seen it discussed in here previously ("elf and safety" on the road for instance), somewhere between the "expert" information and those who don't understand the difference between life insurance and insurance of vehicles.
I agree that Moggys' post is a worthy read because he has some inside knowledge of the business that is current, but it is hardly a new revelation.

As for the OP, he is expressing a view about why he travels in a certain area while asking a question - personally I see little enough of this type of discussion; so often a report turns on how many s were consumed or how many countries could be "ticked off the list" in the shortest possible time.
Or, heaven forbid, "I am saving the planet by riding around the world and it would be really great if you pay me to do it".
As the OP said: why? (and please don't come back with that old chestnut "because it's there" and similar tedium).
Nor, just for clarity do I have any problem with folks who are doing such things for such stated reasons - but please don't think that it is of widespread interest or that your blog should be in the best seller list of e-publishing.

I'll get my coat now! Happy new 2015 by the way.

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Dave

It's kind of how my plan sits. Travel as much as i can while I am young enough and fit enough. When I am old and (more) knackered I'll buy a nice camper van and do Europe.

Only problem is, by the time the kids are grown up, I'll be old and knackered so I have had to reconcile myself to the fact I may never actually manage 'the big trip' I always dreamed of, so rather than the trip of a lifetime, I shall have to try and do a lifetime of trips.

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

Absolutely correct ..

I needed to effect some travel insurance recently. With the comments of this thread in mind, I decided to place the cover with SAGA. Not the cheapest deal available, but still priced at a relatively competitive rate of premium nevertheless.

Result: I made my first ever claim last Monday-9th, based on 'Failure of public transport'. In short, the initial connecting flight from my local airport up to London-Gatwick got cancelled due to a 'mechanical fault'. This meant having to get my flight ticket re-issued with the main airline concerned (Emirates) for the following day, plus an unexpected overnight accommodation expense in a Gatwick-based hotel.

Summary: I submitted my claim for £465.50 out-of-pocket expenses last week, on Monday-9th. I receive a courtesy phone call yesterday, Tuesday-17th from SAGA's Claim Underwriters - Cigna Insurance Services (Europe) Limited - confirming that they intended to credit the full amount claimed, by BACS transfer, into my bank account this week.

Just 6 working days to finalise the claim, from start to finish. No quibbling whatsoever. Excellent travel insurance!
.

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Right Way Round ...

Ten years before I can join . Ageist whasits . Still, good to hear of any part of the Uk insurance industry actually works like that.

I want my road insurance to be with William Hill or Ladbrokes (Book makers for those overseas). At least they'd be apologetic if I'd backed a winner and they decided to welch on the bet based on some small print. Can you imagine the riot if they decided the winner of the 3.30 at Kempton wasn't backed because the owner had changed colours!

Andy

It's not for everyone.

Do what makes you happy and what makes you feel comfortable. You could spend two life times travelling in Europe and never see it all.

100 years ago, the only chance most people got to leave their own town was if they were sent someone by the Military to get shot to pieces. We're all very lucky.


But travelling in these "far off dangerous places" is WAY easier and fun than you think. There are very few places left in the world where you can't buy a starbucks coffee and get wifi in your hotel room. Even the bigh bad wildernesses of the world.

Dangers, hostilities and hardships are highly exagerated to sell books and DVD's. The Government doesn't want you to go anywhere because you're contributing to their coffers so they do their best to scare you with bullshit like the FOC website.

Adventure is a state of mind. Not a GPS location.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.