Daniel Crowe
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances 2018
VDLP (2020)
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Hi everyone,
I've been writing in a lot lately, but everyone has been brilliant so far in what I've been asking!
This time around I'm looking for travel insurance. I'm flying from Ireland to Biarritz in September to do the Camino Del Norte. Can anyone advise specifically on what would be needed to include in the travel insurance? Or better yet, can anyone give a name of a place to look for good prices and coverage? Is single travel okay? Or should it be the "hiking package"? Just need a little clarity.
Thanks again!
I'm puzzled why anyone from Europe would need "Travel Insurance". The air fare is minimal, you have socialized health care that's recognized in Spain, and traveling with inexpensive luggage. I'm from the US. My fare is around $1000 and my healthcare policy would likely be troublesome in Europe. The travel insurance that covers healthcare that I can purchase will reimburse me after I pay out of pocket. Just hope I have a large enough credit limit to cover the immediate out of pocket cost. And emergency transportation home is at the mercy of the insurance company discretion.Hi everyone,
I've been writing in a lot lately, but everyone has been brilliant so far in what I've been asking!
This time around I'm looking for travel insurance. I'm flying from Ireland to Biarritz in September to do the Camino Del Norte. Can anyone advise specifically on what would be needed to include in the travel insurance? Or better yet, can anyone give a name of a place to look for good prices and coverage? Is single travel okay? Or should it be the "hiking package"? Just need a little clarity.
Thanks again!
Ah, the mysterious ways of foreigners ...I'm puzzled why anyone from Europe would need "Travel Insurance".
I agree that the term "travel insurance" is too vague, but "need" is equally vague. People buy insurance to get services that are not included in their basic system, or to get the help and convenience of an insurance company handling the details in a foreign country.I'm puzzled why anyone from Europe would need "Travel Insurance"
Assuming you're not from Europe, did you just present your Allianz insurance card and all your financial responsibilities went away or at least for the most part? In the US if I show up to an emergency room I just present my insurance card and they will bill me later for the balance if there is any. They assume they are going to get paid at least 80%.I´ve been traveling to Europe all my life and I always use Allianz. They are all over Europe and they are extremely efficient. I needed help 2019 when I had a bad knee injurie walking the Portuguese way and they help me finding a doctor near were I was and also a magnetic resonance and, best of all, did not have to even know how much it all cost. They called me every day to see how I was , very personal and nice.
Also looking--have been alerted to specifically look for ones that do not provide evacuation insurance/displacement for pandemics/country shutdowns/COVID-19. I have used Tin-Leg in the past to compare what is available and have been very happy---but never had to use any. the information includes ratings which I believe are helpful.Hi everyone,
I've been writing in a lot lately, but everyone has been brilliant so far in what I've been asking!
This time around I'm looking for travel insurance. I'm flying from Ireland to Biarritz in September to do the Camino Del Norte. Can anyone advise specifically on what would be needed to include in the travel insurance? Or better yet, can anyone give a name of a place to look for good prices and coverage? Is single travel okay? Or should it be the "hiking package"? Just need a little clarity.
Thanks again!
I put my fictional data - 55 years old, three weeks in Spain, August/September, an Irish national and resident of Ireland - into the online form on the Tin-Leg website and the result was: No Tin Leg Policies Available. We apologize, you are not eligible for any Tin Leg policies.I have used Tin-Leg in the past to compare what is available and have been very happy---but never had to use any. the information includes ratings which I believe are helpful.
Hi everyone,
I've been writing in a lot lately, but everyone has been brilliant so far in what I've been asking!
This time around I'm looking for travel insurance. I'm flying from Ireland to Biarritz in September to do the Camino Del Norte. Can anyone advise specifically on what would be needed to include in the travel insurance? Or better yet, can anyone give a name of a place to look for good prices and coverage? Is single travel okay? Or should it be the "hiking package"? Just need a little clarity.
Thanks again!
All citizens of EU countries have equal access to the government healthcare system as the locals. The OP might be lucky enough to have an irish passport so he's an EU citizen, any travel insurance is likely to tell him to get healthcare from the Spanish system, it'll be free. (I post this as a non EU citizen and without a trace of jealousy....Assuming you're not from Europe, did you just present your Allianz insurance card and all your financial responsibilities went away or at least for the most part?
That's not generally how it works with travel insurance in foreign countries. Firstly, I've never had an card issued to me from my travel insurer.Assuming you're not from Europe, did you just present your Allianz insurance card and all your financial responsibilities went away or at least for the most part? In the US if I show up to an emergency room I just present my insurance card and they will bill me later for the balance if there is any. They assume they are going to get paid at least 80%.
I will do Donal, thanks for that. Judging by your name you're an Irishman??Daniel, check how long your policy covers you for being "out of the country" in one visit.
Mine was 30 days. I called insurance company and they made a note at no extra charge. I needed a policy for 37 days.
Have the passport!I will do Donal, thanks for that. Judging by your name you're an Irishman??
Very thorough reply Sio, thanks for that!Hi @Daniel Crowe
I am resident in Ireland and generally would always travel with travel insurance arranged to cover my trip. I find its cheaper to get an annual policy - at least in the before times when i was generally travelling more than once a year! I shopped around a bit but generally didn't have any issues - I've used getcover in recent years. (pretty sure i had allainz in the past too)
Walking the camino is generally seen as a "normal" activity i.e. part of standard cover.
Things to watch out for :
Trip length for any single trip
Insurance must be taken out before the 1st trip starts
If you have private health insurance you may be eligible for a discount or be able to get cheaper cover directly from VHI/Irish life health etc etc (this very much depends on the level of cover you have)
Trip cancellation - watch out for this, its usually a € add on, probably not that important for a short haul trip like this (but for example i had flights booked for Colombia April 2020 and their cancellation was not covered by my insurance)
If buying online, make sure you declare any preexisting conditions - sometimes they need to talk to you about this.
Big caveat just now - i haven't looked for travel insurance post covid so can't advise on that.
P. S. Make sure you have your EHIC with you and within date. Once you have one it's very straight forward to renew. You hopefully won't need this or insurance but as they say, better to be looking at it than for it!!!
P. P. S.
On the general discussion on whether someone needs travel insurance when covered by the EHIC, yes the EHIC will cover your emergency treatment - but it won't cover repatriation. I broke my leg a few years ago in Galicia and my emergency hospital treatment was covered by the EHIC. My travel insurance covered the cost of extra hotel nights, taxis and the 4 new flight bookings needed - 3 seats for me with my leg cast and 1 for my friend who stayed on with me in Spain. So, it was worth taking out the insurance!
Hope this is of help
I'm sure that you won't get Covid, but if you do, make sure that you get it in a city with a Parador!it’ll cover all my hotel bills for 10 or 14 days up to $6000
This is not my experience of this company. I would never use or recommend them.I bought Allianz as well it’s more expensive than the cheapest but it’s a first class company where you can reach a real human being quickly.
I mainly bought it in case I have a positive test trying to return to the US it’ll cover all my hotel bills for 10 or 14 days up to $6000 It also covers any emergency room visits or hospital stays to a large dollar amount. In the event I need an ambulance or medical evacuation all of that is covered as well. Those are the main reasons but there are additional coverages that I find valuable to me it’s a no-brainer
I have used Allianz a couple of times for Caminos, but have never needed to make a claim, so have no idea on a potential outcome to be reimbursed. I did appreciate a speedy response when I called to get a few questions answered before choosing them, which helped me make a decision.This is not my experience of this company. I would never use or recommend them.
I was insured with Allianz in 2019. I became very ill and required urgent medical attention during my Camino about 6 kilometers past O Cebreiro.
I phoned Allianz as I was required to do under the terms of my policy. It was a weekend and during the night Australian time when I phoned. I didn't have much credit on my mobile phone and so I explained that I needed urgent attention and asked the customer service rep to call me back. No one ever called back.
A local person from a bar helped me and called an ambulance for me and I was taken to the emergency department at Lugo hospital.
Two days later when I had recovered enough to use my phone I emailed Allianz and told them that I was in hospital and needed their help.
I received a reply from them saying that they would not help me until I provided them with a copy of my medical records.
I explained that I was still recovering I was on oxygen and a drip and was unable to leave my bed and so it would be very difficult for me to do that.
I filled out the hospital forms and put Allianz down as my medical insurance company and gave the hospital permission to share my records with them.
Unknown to me, Allianz phoned the hospital to get a copy of my records and for some reason unknown to me my doctor refused to share my records with them, perhaps something to do with EU privacy laws. I was not party to that conversation and so I can only assume what was said on both sides.
In any case, as a result, they again pressured me to get a copy of my records for them and threatened to not cover me until I did so.
In desperation I asked my doctor to show me my records and while I had them I photographed them with my phone and then emailed the photos to Allianz, thinking that this would settle the matter. But no, there is more.
I then got a reply from Allianz saying that they needed the records translated into English because, of course, they were in Spanish. They again said that until I provided a certified English translation they would not consider my claim.
I asked how they thought that I was going to do that and asked if they had a local support person who could help with that and again was told that my claim would not be processed until I provided a certified English translation of my medical records.
At this point I decided to give up on Allianz for the time being and to concentrate on recovering and leave any claim until at least I could get out of the hospital bed.
Finally, the pièce de résistance. A couple of nights later around midnight, I was surprised when one of the nurses ran into the room and said that my "wife" was on the phone and he had brought a portable oxygen canister with him so that I could go to the nurses station and talk to her.
I was very puzzled by this but went with the nurse to talk to the person on the phone.
When I got there I discovered that the person calling was an Allianz employee who was fraudulently claiming to be my wife so that she could talk to the doctor on duty about my medical condition.
I was, of course, furious and I told the Allianz person that.
The next day I emailed a complaint to Allianz management and asked them if it was normal for their staff to phone hospitals claiming to be a close relative of insured parties so that they could collect confidential medical information.
I never heard from Allianz again. I guess that they paid my medical bill because I left my home address with the hospital and I have never had a bill from the hospital.
Of course, my experience of Allianz's non-service might be an outlier but certainly I will never do business with them again if I have any choice in the matter.
I'm a past customer who will no longer use them.Mark me down as another potential customer who will not be using their services.
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