Travel & Evacuation Insurance

Travel is like everything else in life; the unexpected happens - and when it does, your travel or medical expenses may not be refundable or reimbursable. Good News! You may not be able to prevent every unexpected event before or during your trip, but you can protect your investment and yourself.

At Destination: Wildlife, we strongly recommend travel insurance to protect ALL our travelers and their trip investments.

And for some travelers or for specific trips, we also recommend evacuation coverage.

Are Travel and Evacuation Insurance the Same Thing?

In a word: No
But when the unexpected happens, together, they are the best of all possible worlds

Travel or Trip Insurance

Travel Insurance covers your expenses when the unexpected happens. That can include:

►Trip Cancellation: Many trip expenses, including tour costs, are non-refundable. Trip insurance can cover last-minute cancellations due to your or a family member’s illness, or other circumstances or emergencies.

►Trip Interruption: Missed connections, unannounced strikes, weather or sudden illness or accident, and a host of other issues can interrupt the fun and cause unexpected expenses.

►Medical Expenses: Many medical insurers, including Medicare, do not cover unexpected doctor or hospital expenses outside the US. The right travel insurance will. We suggest Allianz as the trip insurance provider. Why? 1) They answer the phone, 2) pre-existing condition coverage.

►Pre-existing conditions might mean anything from allergy to angina. Not all policies cover pre-existing conditions; Allianz offers plans that do, provided the policy is purchased within 14 days after the initial trip deposit. Just ask us.

►Baggage Loss or Delay, and other unexpected situations

►New! Allyz(R) TravelSmart App. Organize travel itineraries, locate a hospital, view coverage details, contact customer care, and more

Evacuation Coverage

Evacuation coverage is what you need when the unthinkable happens. Global Rescue membership includes:

►Field Rescue and Evacuation If you have a medical emergency and are unable to get help on your own, a field rescue team is ready 24/7 to get you from the point of illness or injury to the nearest best medical facility. Global Rescue pioneered worldwide field rescue.

►Transport and Repatriation to Home Hospital Membership services include medical transport to your home hospital of choice if you’re hospitalized as an in-patient 100+ miles from home and require additional hospital care. 

►Claims Process: There are no claims to file, deductibles, co-pays, or reimbursements to request; all services are included in your membership.

►Advisory Services/ Travel Assistance: Global Rescue’s in-house expert teams of paramedics, nurses, physicians, and military special operations and intelligence veterans are available 24/7 to help. Whether it’s a medical question, a language barrier during an emergency abroad, or a lost passport, Global Rescue can help.

►In-House Expertise: Speak to an in-house Global Rescue expert on the first call. Direct communications, recommendations, and support continue until your emergency is resolved.

Allianz is one of the best-regarded travel insurers in the industry. It is known for its reasonable claims process and multiple travel insurance policy plans. Each trip and traveler are different, so Allianz has a plan to fit your specific needs. 

In addition to coverage for that one-time special trip, Allianz offers reasonably priced annual policies for independent travelers and families that take multiple trips of 45 days or less per year. Depending on your travel destinations & frequency, these annual policies may save you time and money.

Note from Roberta: One reason I prefer Allianz for our Destination: Wildlife travelers over other providers is that they answer the phone. Over the years, they have proved helpful, responsive, fair, and fast. I highly recommend Allianz.

Global Rescue membership is not travel insurance, it is the “friend” you call when you cannot evacuate yourself due to medical or other issues.

There are no “call centers.” When you need Global Rescue, you will speak to Global Rescue 24/7. Members have phone and email contact plus an app with an emergency button that alerts Global Rescue’s Emergency operations team.

In the event of an emergency, inform Global Rescue of the issue and your location * anywhere in the world, and they will handle the rest, including medical (covered to $500,000) and security evacuation (covered to $100,000.) 

Most of us will not (usually) be skydiving, summiting Everest, or exploring the Mariana Trench. However, accidents can happen anywhere, and so can health issues. Global Rescue has no restrictions on your activities during the event (even if skydiving, climbing, or diving). Note: If you plan on climbing higher than 15,000 ft, please add High-Altitude Evacuation.

Note from Roberta: Memberships are for a specific time, not a specific trip. You may explore remote rainforests or deserts without chipping a fingernail, then return and break an ankle on a mountain trail two hours from home. When you can’t evacuate yourself, Global Rescue is there.