Fun and reckless behavior is not exclusive to the young. It seems the people we used to look upon as role models are often the ones misbehaving these days. Apparently, the number of mature drinkers is rising while the number of teenage drinkers has dropped. Young people are worrying about their carbon footprints, growing their own vegetables, and spurning drink and drugs. Role reversal? It seems so.
Many older folks are ignoring their health problems and throwing old-fashioned caution to the wind. They are jetting off abroad, often without getting a health check from their GP - or taking out travel insurance! The Foreign Office has expressed concern about this new generation of retirees who are putting themselves at unnecessary risk.
Are these aging rebels breaking the mold? What happened to our dear old grannies who spent their days baking cakes, knitting mysterious garments for us and trying their luck in the bingo halls? Where is the quiet grandpa who spent his days hiding in the potting shed with the newspaper and racing form? Perhaps they revert to a more staid persona at home, but once they have a taste for foreign travel and adventure there's no stopping this new silver jet set!
Drinking, or rather binge drinking, is reported to be the cause of most of the problems. Their benders often result in these oldies-but-baddies ending up in jail, hospital or even the mortuary! Why shouldn't they let their hair down (what's left of it) or have a knees up (so what if they're plastic). Many are wealthier than they used to be and feel they deserve to make up for all the years of sacrifice.
The over 55's are reported to be among the largest group of people participating in dodgy activities like bungee jumping, skydiving, and paragliding! These 'denture venturers' as they have been labeled, often outshine younger dare-devils. The young are becoming the new fuddy-duddies, tut-tut-ing the antics of their irresponsible elders!
There's no question that obtaining affordable travel insurance can be difficult for the older traveler. Cover varies from company to company, so it's best to shop around for the right policy. Many companies set age restrictions in the mid 60's for annual multi-trip policies and travel to the USA and Canada - due to the high cost of medical care. The over 70's may have difficulty finding an affordable policy, especially if they have a medical history which includes conditions like heart disease, stroke or diabetes.
Fifty used to be old, but 50 is the new 40 as they say, 60 the new 50, and so on. After working hard all their lives and paying taxes, the over 50s may feel they have earned it. Many won't get their state pension at 60 as they planned, but will have to work until they are 65, 70 or beyond because the government changed the rules. The retirement carrot is being dangled further down the road now. Who wouldn't get an attitude! No wonder they're buying Harley Davidson hogs and hitting the highways while they can!
Maybe older folks feel time is running out and it's foolhardy to stock up the freezer. Perhaps they don't care whether they make the return trip from their holiday. In a way you can't blame them, but one major downside to their rash behavior is the impact it can have on the holiday plans of others. Older travelers who don't see their GP for a check-up may not be medically fit to fly. There are reports that in-flight medical emergencies are on the increase, causing distress and chaos and sometimes requiring the pilot to make an unscheduled landing.
So, are they wrong to enjoy their silver or golden years and kick up their heels as they burn up the inheritance money? We probably shouldn't pass judgment. However, the family may not be amused if grandma has no travel insurance and breaks her neck jet skiing in Spain! Emergency medical treatment abroad can cost a small fortune and emergency repatriation (dead or alive) can be extremely expensive. The house and nest-egg they intended to leave to the kids could vanish as fast as a nice glass of bubbly if there's no travel insurance to help cover the costs.
Should we reprimand our seniors and send them clucking back to the bingo halls? Whatever your views may be, it's probably too late anyway. Like free-range hens, they've broken free of the coop, scratched some dirt, and had a taste of sunshine and freedom. Why not let them flap those bingo wings and fly while they can!
Probably the biggest factors when calculating travel insurance premiums is the length of the cover required. If you are taking a two-week vacation, there is a much lower risk than if you are making a yearlong voyage around the world. That said, there are many annual travel insurance policies that cover all the trips you make in a single year and if you make more than a couple of separate trips, annual protection may work out cheaper. Often family protection policies are not too much more expensive than a single person’s policy so if you get the whole family insured together you are also likely to save.
Another big factor is where you are travelling. While some countries represent more health risks, as they are more dangerous, it is also a fact that poorer countries often have far lower medical costs so insurance tends to be highest for travellers in North America and Europe, with the US specifically recognised as having high health care costs. If you plan special high-risk activities such as skiing or mountain climbing you will either need separate insurance for this occasion, or to have the activity specifically added to your policy, as there is a good chance it will be excluded.
Insurance premiums are calculated according to several risk factors. These are the factors identified by the insurance company as most likely to have an impact on the insured against risk occurring. Insurance is a significant cost associated with the item insured and should not be rushed into. It is always a good idea to shop around for the best price available. Insurance premiums will vary considerably from insurer to insurer so do your homework.
Look up the various insurance companies you are interested in and ask them for a quote. They can usually give you a rough estimate fairly quickly and even more exact quotes should also be possible if you provide more details and wait. You should also look up insurers online and get instant quotes from their website. This is a very fast and effective way of shopping around. You will get a good idea of what prices to expect. You can also experiment with the quotation websites to see what effect it makes to your premium price if you select different options. With all insurance policies you will have a number of options that affect the price of the policy. Therefore you should think about these options and if there are risks that you do not wish to cover then let the insurer know as your premium should become cheaper.
You should also try to make sure you do not double insure. It is a principle of insurance that you cannot benefit from the insured event’s occurrence. So you cannot get paid twice even if you have two insurance policies. So if a risk is already covered by one policy, again let your insurer know so they can remove it from their calculation.
Both Jean Andrews & Joseph Kenny are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jean Andrews has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Travel Insurance and Ski. Jean Andrews is a freelance writer living in the UK. She regularly contributes articles for TIA Ltd who offer at great prices online.. Jean Andrews's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Joseph Kenny has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Debt Consolidation and Credit Cards. Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of. Joseph Kenny's top article generates over 550000 views. to your Favourites.