During the last 25 years my wife and I have done a lot of travelling around the world. We are now in our early ‘80s and still planning trips overseas while still physically capable.
Our first trip overseas was in 1998 to the UK and Europe for five weeks and we booked our airfares, rental cars, travel insurance and some of our accommodation through travel agents we were familiar with.
During the next 15 years we travelled overseas at least once a year – sometimes twice – again using agents we knew.
With the increase in travel companies offering so many more types of excursions we dealt directly with the tour groups e.g. Princess, Avalon, Cunard and Holland America.
On most occasions we did not experience any major hiccups; seating arrangements on a couple of flights were messed up, a couple of flights were delayed and cancelled, and their notification to us was not very good.
On one trip in France my wife became ill on the second last day in Bordeaux and I asked our provider to book us on an earlier flight if possible. They said this was possible but I would have to pay equivalent to double the original cost, which I paid, but I don’t think the provider looked after us very well.
After that I decided I needed a dedicated travel agent and we chose itravel in Carlingford in New South Wales.
We have been travelling with them for many years now and have had quite a few situations where they have given such good advice on where to travel.
They have also been available 24/7 when we have needed assistance and have given us the confidence to travel to many places we may not have considered.
Getting us out of trouble
We went to Antarctica four years ago but as we had not been to South America before and did not intend to go again, itravel suggested we should take a few days at the end of our cruise to go to Iguazu Falls, which was a great way to finish off a superb holiday.
We checked out of the hotel in Iguazu but when we were waiting for the bus to take us to the airport we were told that our flight to Buenos Aires had been cancelled. The airline could not tell us when we had been rescheduled to another flight.
After a couple of hours getting nowhere, I phoned itravel and I advised them of our dilemma. It was 4.30am back home yet within an hour they had advised us of our flight out that evening, accommodation in Buenos Aires and a morning connecting flight to Santiago for a pre-booking in a hotel before flying home the next day.
And again…
We have always taken out travel insurance and fortunately we have never experienced a serious health issue…until now.
In November last year we flew to Barcelona to spend four days there before sailing out with Viking on a Mediterranean cruise.
The day before the cruise we were touring Montserrat by bus. We had a beautiful day and were on our way to a vineyard for tapas and wine tasting.
About 15 minutes from the vineyard I started to get severe stomach pain – a gastric attack. Fortunately we arrived at the vineyard in time for me to get some temporary relief.
I was in extreme pain for a couple of hours and after a visit from the house doctor at our hotel he sent me to the emergency ward at an international hospital.
They advised I needed to be admitted but for that to happen I had to immediately pay Euro 5,000 (approx. $AU9,000).
We had the money but could not get it cleared through our credit card quickly enough. When contacted, our travel insurance company advised they needed assurance I did not have a pre-existing condition, which I didn’t, and they were still trying to confirm my financial legitimacy. They were a great disappointment!
This went on for more than three hours and the hospital was still refusing to admit me without payment. My wife called itravel, who arranged payment immediately.
I had arrived at the hospital at 8.45pm on a Saturday evening and was finally admitted at 3am on Sunday morning and stayed there for another three days. The doctor told me that I could have had serious complications had I not been admitted.
So in summary what I am clearly saying is we never travel unless organised by our travel agent. Find an agent that you trust to get you the best deals, but also to have your back should things go wrong. It’s always better to have a human being to call if and when you need help, rather than doing it online yourself where you’ve got no one to turn to.
And as people always say: if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel. Take it from someone who’s been there and seen that the hard way.
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