The World Really is Flat: Flying Overseas For Healthcare

Many of us know that health care prices are getting out of control in the United States, but it won’t really hit you until you’re in a hospital somewhere and a doctor tells you that you need a $50,000 surgery. Nobody’s got that kind of money just sitting around! Many people have been going overseas to places like Brazi, Costa Rica and India to have surgeries performed so that they can get the surgery done for a lot less money. This practice is called medical tourism and according to the Financial Times of London, it can save patients up to 75% of the costs on major surgery.

Flying overseas to have medical operations performed will certainly save you money, but the question is whether or not the quality of care you will receive is similar to that you would receive in the United States. The Financial Times also tells us that Singapore is the best place to travel to overseas to receive medical care of the same quality as you would receive in the United States. You’ll save about 50% on your bill and will have a private nurse available 24 hours a day.

Several insurance providers actually allow their members to travel abroad to receive health care. Most plans that are sponsored by Aetna have benefits that cover elective surgeries overseas. In addition, OptiMed Health and United Group Programs offer care at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. You’ll have to check your specific policy to find out the exact terms and details, but there’s a chance your insurer might provide some money toward your overseas surgery.

There are some things that people considering overseas treatment need to be aware of before jumping on a plane. If you go overseas, chances are you will have no liability protection or any recourse in the event of malpractice. Be sure to check the credentials of the doctors and surgeons who will treat you. Make sure they were trained or board certified in the United States or another developed Western country. The hospital should also be certified by the Joint Commission International. It’s the foreign branch of the major US accreditation organization and will give you a pretty good idea if it’s a hospital you should be visiting.

There are now actually companies that provide medical tourism services. Companies such as Medical Tours International and Planet Hospital can handle all of the arrangements for you. Just be sure that the hospital has carefully reviewed the hospital before you sign onto anything.

If you are traveling abroad with a health condition make sure you have all of your necessary medical supplies and paperwork for carrying prescriptions internationally. You can find more information online along with sites to help you find a doctor wherever your headed.

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Renting a car can often be an expensive proposition. If you’re on vacation, or your car is stuck in the shop getting repaired, you can get stuck paying quite a bit of money renting a car. Fortunately with some due diligence, there’s ways that you can make renting a car much less expensive. Here are some tips to save money on car rentals.

Broken Car? – If your vehicle is at the dealership or in the shop getting fixed, ask if they have a courtesy car that you can borrow. Quite often the place fixing your car will let you borrow one of theirs while your vehicle is getting fixed. When my 95 intrepid was in the shop, the local dealership lent me an ’04 Alero to drive around, and didn’t’ even charge me for it! Not every dealership will be this nice, but it doesn’t hurt to ask, and it sure beats paying for a rental car!

Weekly Rate – In most cases, you won’t be able to borrow a car for free, so if you do have to rent a car, ask about getting a weekly rate. The discount often makes renting a vehicle for a week cheaper than renting a car for five or six days. It might make sense to hold onto the vehicle for an extra day to save some money.

Discounts – Ask the car rental place what sort of discounts they have. A lot of rental companies offer discounts to AAA members and members of other organizations such as the AARP.

Corporate Rates – A lot of larger companies can get a corporate discount. Check with your HR or travel department and see if you’re allowed to get the corporate rate for personal rentals. Be sure to check what it would cost you normally though, sometimes the corporate rate is higher than what you or I would normally pay.

Fill Up The Tank – When you’re done using the vehicle, make sure to fill up the tank to where it was when you got it. Most rental companies charge upwards of a $4.00 per gallon fee to refill the tank! Don’t over fill it though, otherwise you’ll end up paying too much that way too.

Insurance – Make sure that your car insurance covers your usage of a rental car before going. If you think that you’re covered and end up not being covered, you’re exposing yourself to huge amounts of risk and liability. Make sure that your insurance is in order to avoid some very costly bills if you were to get in an accident.

Last Minute Rentals – Quite often car rental companies will lie to try to boost their sales. Sometimes they’ll say they only have full-sized vehicles when they have plenty of less expensive vehicles to go around. If you go in the store, they might lie to you, but their website will be honest.

Take Pictures When Returning – When you return your vehicle, use your cell-phone camera, a digital camera, or a disposable camera and take a few quick pictures of the exterior of the vehicle. This way you’ll have proof that you returned the car in good condition. Car rental companies will take a quick look at the car when you return it, but the contract will say that they have the right to go back later and say it doesn’t. If you have proof that you returned it in good condition, they can’t come back later and try to extort money from you.

Whatever kind of vehicle you rent it may be wise to get insurance. There are different insurance rules for vans which require van insurance It can be more dangerous to drive large vehicles and sometimes more expensive you can get a variety of van insurance quotes online.

Imagine that you and your spouse are all set to go on the trip of your dreams. You’re taking a 7 day cruise to the Bahamas and visiting some of the most beautiful ports of call on this side of the equator, no work, no cell phones, no interruptions, just pure relaxation. You take the time off from work, head to the airport, only to find out that your flight has been cancelled due to mechanical problems, and you’re going to miss the flight and thus the cruise. You get the money back from the airlines for your ticket, but you’re out the cost of the cruise.

Situations like this happen more often than people realize, and many people lose a significant amount of money because they didn’t consider that things might not go exactly as planned. Fortunately, there’s a way that you can protect yourself financially in the event that your trip gets cancelled. It’s called trip cancellation insurance, which pays you in the event that for whatever reason, you can’t make it on your desired trip.

Trip cancellation policies should always be purchased when you are going on a cruise, taking a tour, or traveling on any sort of trip that requires you to pre-pay thousands of dollars. If you’re going on a trip where you can easily get your money back in the event that you can’t go, trip cancellation insurance probably isn’t necessary.

These policies will give refunds to the consumer in the event that the traveler cannot make their trip because they become ill, or someone in their family becomes ill. They also will refund the traveler in the event that the company, the tour operator, air line, or cruise liner defaults and makes it so that you cannot go on said trip.

Trip cancellation policies will cost about 5% of the total cost of the trip, but this fee is well worth it. You never know when an unfortunate incident is going to occur that prevents you from going on your trip.

When you do buy trip cancellation insurance, make sure that you purchase it independently of the company providing the tour, cruise, or trip. When they sell you policies, they are generally only designed to protect the company and not the consumer. And be sure to pay for your trip by credit card so that you can dispute the charges if some part of the trip was inaccurately described to you. You do not have the option to dispute charges on checks and debit cards.

While insurance on a vacation is optional, auto insurance is not. Particularly if you are driving groups around in large vehicles. So whether you want commercial van insurance for a company, or cheap van insurance for your family car you can get it online.

Cabin fever has been settling in lately. Gray skies and bitter winds keep the outdoors out of reach unless there is somewhere to go by car. Since school is in session during the week, often a weekend road trip can be just the thing to pull the family out of the funk of winter blues. Depending where you live, there can be a good handful of places to visit in a weekend. By planning ahead, you don’t have to spend a large amount of money to get some quality family time and add a little fun to the weekend.

Start by researching destinations that are within a two hour drive time or less to keep the cost of gas to a reasonable amount. There are many online resources which can point you in the right direction as far as activities and the price range you have in mind. Even if you don’t start out with an idea in mind, such resources are chalk full of good ideas that you may not have thought of on your own. Make reservations in advance to get better rates and online discounts. It will also save you time when you are on your trip. You will know what to expect and not waste time wandering aimlessly in search of information. Time is limited on weekend road trips. If you are making the trip, be sure you make the most of it.

A great place to start is the local visitor’s center. Not only can they provide a wealth of information on various places to visit or things to do, they also offer promotional information, discounted rates on entertainment, accommodations, and dining. Many visitor bureaus have websites you can explore and email addresses to contact a staff member if you have a specific question. If you are on a weekend road trip, keep your eyes open for the actual visitor’s center and make sure you stop in, stretch your legs, and find out about the area. The staff is eager to help and usually provide great personal insight about the area. Plus, you can usually get free or cheap coffee before you leave and continue toward your destination.

Weekend road trips can be as inexpensive as you want them to be. Make plans to bypass fast food restaurants and unnecessary purchases at convenient stores. Pack a cooler for drinks and grocery items to snack on. Make sandwiches before you head out for convenience on the road. The amount of money you spend at the grocery store before the trip can save you a lot of money when on the road. Pack extra food items for breakfast and lunch for the trip as well as for the next day if you plan to stay overnight. Make lists for packing, budgeting, and things you want to do or see in advance. When you hit the road, enjoy every last minute of it!

A great way to save up a little extra money for getting away is by switching to reward credit cards. These kinds of credit cards can help get cash back, airline miles and a number of other rewards, you can even get gas cards which will help you save money on driving.

New York City is perhaps one of the most expensive cities in the world to be in, but it’s also one of the most unique cities to visit. If you’re not careful, you can rack up a rather large bill in just a few days. You can’t even drive around without paying $5-$10 tolls in some places! If you plan on visiting New York City, here are some tips that will allow you to visit New York City without draining your bank account.

When you are traveling to New York City, you probably don’t want to drive. When you consider the cost of gasoline, extra wear and tear on your vehicle, the nightmarish city traffic, the cost of parking, the cost of tolls, most of the time it just makes sense to get public transportation. Take a bus or fly into New York City. Once you’re there use taxi’s, the subway, and busses to get around. This way you’ll be able to avoid having to deal with the traffic issues that the city faces

If you’re going to NYC, you’ll definitely want to head over to a Broadway show. However regular tickets cost upwards of $100.00, so you’ll have to be savvy to go without breaking the bank. In order to get some discounted tickets, consider going to the TKTS line, which is run by the Theater Development Fund. Tickets to all shows won’t be available because some will be sold out. You can however get very lucky and get some great deals on tickets without spending much at all. You can also consider checking for student prices, rush tickets, and standing room only tickets. If you can’t afford Broadway, checkout Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway. There’s still plenty of good shows in those theaters.

You’ll be able to find some very diverse and delicious food in New York. There are some places that are excellent and definitely worth going to, but there are also some places which have some terribly over-priced and mediocre meals. In order to get good food, get out of Time Square and travel to some of the more interesting parts of town. This will help you avoid some of the tourist traps. It’s a lot easier to get reservations during the week and prices are often cheaper on these days. Do some research by reading New York Magazine to figure out which restaurants are decent, and if all else fails, ask a local resident where they enjoy eating at.

Lodging in New York City is an extremely expensive endeavor. In most places, you’d never pay $200 a night to stay there, but this is a pretty decent price for New York City. Use price-comparison services such as Travelocity, Priceline, and Hotwire to find the best hotel deal out there. Usually you’ll save quite a bit of money by staying away from mid-town.

Taking a trip to New York City is a very complicated affair, but if you play your cards right and do plenty of research in advance, you can avoid many of the problems that travelers often face when visiting.

Flying with children can be daunting. Hearing people comment about your crying angel mid-flight can really tick a parent off as well as create a sense of defensiveness. However, flying with kids does not need to be horrifying. The ten tips listed here will make flying with any child a more pleasurable experience.

BOOKING THE FLIGHT

1. Pick a flight that happens at night or during your child’s naptime: No matter how tempted you may be to book a normal day-flight, you need to consider what will be best for your child. Look for the flights that are shortest in duration and are in off-peak times. By simply scheduling a red-eye or flying during your child’s naptime, the likelihood of your child sleeping through the flight increases making travel time calmer and easier. Plus, the price of the ticket will probably cost you less.

1. Book the Kid-Friendly seats: Most parents tend to book towards the back of any plane since they believe it will keep their children from distressing the fewest passengers. This means, by booking towards the back, you will likely only bother other more-tolerant, traveling families and find other children for yours to play with. Look for seats in rows of three (even if there are only two of you) so you increase the chance of someone not taking the third seat and give your child more room to play or sleep.

1. Consider flights with at least one stop: When flying longer distances, consider flights where you change planes and have at least a one-hour layover. Changing flights allows your child to get a change of scenery, stretch their legs, use a normal bathroom, eat decently cooked food, and even play at a playground with other children (since many airlines now offer play areas). Even though it may greatly increase your travel time, a happy child and a break in your own monotonous discomfort can well be worth the hassle.

WHAT TO BRING

1. Make a Kids Travel Pack: Bring a child’s backpack of toys, games, and books so that your child can play during the flight. Raid your local dollar store a few days before the flight, and your child will be obsessed with all the new toys in that bag. Let the child pack their own bag while making it clear that they can only play with the toys on the plane and you will create a sense of eagerness and excitement within your child.

1. Take Along Infant Tylenol for babies and Children’s Tylenol for older kids: Although some may frown at drugging your child during a flight, I highly recommend it. Like adults, the pressure of the cabin can give a child a headache, motion sickness, or just make them uncomfortable. Children’s Tylenol can greatly relieve any of their pains and allow them to sleep where they may be unable to do so otherwise.

1. Take gum for older children and bottles or pacifiers for babies: The pressure in the cabin can be extremely painful for a child. Pacifiers, baby bottles, and gum all help to relieve ear pressure making your kids more comfortable during take-offs and landings.

1. Bring along the Electric Babysitter: If you do not have a DVD player or Gaming System, now is the time to buy one. Both are excellent distractions that will monopolize your child for the duration of the trip and allow you to get some peace. Buy a new movie right before you leave, and younger children will watch it several times during the flight while older ones will concentrate wholeheartedly on it. Just make sure to bring the headsets or else the stewardess may ask you to turn it off. Plus, an extra battery costs about $50 and buys you an extra hour and a half. Add this to naptime, and you will have a child that is a perfect angel the entire flight. (A Gameboy or other Gaming System does the same thing and works especially well with teenagers. Just don’t forget to bring the rechargers for either electronic.)

1. Take a stroller for smaller kids: Strollers that recline horizontally allow the child to sleep any time during your vacation. As an added bonus, your stroller can act as a baggage carrier while in the terminal since airlines let you check strollers at the door of the plane.

DURING THE JOURNEY

1. Buy snacks and drinks in the airport: Since shorter flights no longer offer meals, and longer flights serve one to two meals maximum, it’s very important to get these items before boarding the plane so that your child does not starve. Even if a meal is served on the plane, it may not be served until several hours after takeoff. Also, while you can bring pre-packed snacks into the airport, liquids are no longer allowed past security checkpoints. By simply spending a few extra bucks in the terminal, you can ensure your child stays quenched and well fed during your flight, again ensuring their happiness.

1. Walk up and down the airplane at least once an hour: This is a good idea for both parents’ and children’s circulation, and it is a great idea for boredom. The child will get a change of scenery, thereby breaking up the monotony, plus they can meet other children on the plane, and you can arrange a mile-high play date.