Archive for November 2011
Air Travel – The New First Class Dining Experience
With first-class air travel reaching enormous amounts in regards to cost, what are the airlines doing for their first-class passengers in exchange for such hefty dues? For one, they are upping the ante when it comes to the onboard first-class dinging experience. As we all know, airfare has sky rocketed recently as the average first-class round trip flight is around $13,000. Yes, a much more comfy seat and more leg room may be worth the price, but airlines are beginning to do away with those pre-determined menus and beginning to go so far as to hiring their very own on-board chefs.
Yes, you heard it correctly. With several airlines, your very own first-class chef is available on your flight. Of course, much of this sort of activity is being done on more foreign flights, but it seems to be quite a popular trend these days. The number one and number two rated best on-board meals currently go to Gulf Air and Cathay Pacific (Gulf Air being the airline with the personal chef aboard, of course.) While this all may be a bit ‘overdone’, like a fresh egg made to order at Cathay Pacific, it really only costs the airlines about $30-50 per traveler. This all seems like a pretty good deal for the airline, as well as the traveler. That is, if this is what they expect out of a $13,000 flight. But it does not end here.
Airlines, such as Singapore Airlines is providing first-class travelers heir choice of beverage, including champagne including Dom Perignon upon boarding the flight. This pleasant experience in accented with a lovely serving of world famous caviar with travelers’ meals. While all of this seems a bit overdone, one may begin to wonder if it is really a bit over the top. In the United States, many of us have not experienced such pleasantries on our flights. We are pretty lucky if we get a free box of snacks, like Southwest Airlines has been so kind as to provide on several flights. Are airlines going to be jockeying for such positions in the future in the US as they have been on foreign airlines? If so, then how far? Today it sounds as if our airlines are really having some trouble dealing with things such as oil prices and rising costs in order to do business.
It is actually a very interesting point in time in regards to the airlines as competition is heating up as well as airfare prices. How high will they go? Who knows? What I wonder about is if the first-class upgrades will really propel the airlines into better profits, ultimately cost them more money, or if they actually have more money than we think? All I know is this is getting very interesting; however, not interesting enough to raise prices for airfare even more just to suit the personal chefs on board. So, what will happen next with the airlines seems to be headed towards raising the bar in terms of quality of experience. But, how will this affect everyone? Hopefully, it will allow airlines to pick themselves up across the board and provide a pleasant flying experience for everyone in the air.
Travel Insurance – Don’t Leave Your Country Without It
If you are planning on travelling overseas it is vital that you take out travel insurance. Unexpected things can happen, such as natural disasters or accidents, or you may become ill while away, and without travel insurance you could find yourself facing huge expenses.
Natural disasters and accidents
We certainly never plan for accidents to happen and natural disasters can strike anywhere out of the blue. This is why having travel insurance is so important as it is at least the one thing you can organise and if something does go wrong then you covered. You may require medical assistance or find that you need to be flown home. Travel insurance can cover your medical expenses, which in a foreign hospital can cost you thousands if you are not covered. If you require further attention you may need to be flown home, and a medical evacuation can reach in to the tens of thousands of dollars.
Illness
If you become ill overseas you may need to be admitted to hospital, and when in a foreign country this can be extremely costly as you won’t be covered by their health system. If you need to return home early these additional costs can be covered if you have travel insurance. Your insurance will cover your hospital stay and any medical emergency costs.
Lost or stolen belongings
It is important to have travel insurance while travelling overseas in case you lose your belongings, or if they are stolen. Travel insurance will cover your luggage and any documents, such as your passport and visas, as well as any cash.
Death or disability
If you become permanently disabled you will find that most policies will cover expenses, or if you happen to die as a result of an accident then your travel insurance can cover this too. It can be extremely costly to transport remains, for example from Europe it can cost around ten thousand dollars to fly a body home. The stress of having to come up with this huge sum for a grieving family would be terrible, so it is worthwhile having the cover.
Things to check
Make sure that you are covered for all your travel items and that you have enough cover for the country you are going to. Do a bit of research and find out what the medical expenses are like where you are going and check your fund will cover you if you have to be hospitalised. You may find that dangerous activities like scuba diving and bungee jumping are not covered, so find out first and think about whether you are going to risk partaking in these activities while away. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions you may not be covered unless you let them know, so make sure you are upfront. When you take out your insurance be thorough and read the fine print, and double check your dates. You need to be covered for the entire duration of your trip so remember the difference in time zones.
Travel Insurance – Guidelines To Help You Pick A Good Deal
Travel and uncertainties walk besides each other. Buying a life insurance, to some extent, is of great help when it comes to assuring you some sort of financial security if you meet an unfavourable condition. But when you are travelling to foreign destination, you need an insurance, which is specifically meant to protect you against all unfavourable conditions during your tour. A travel insurance fulfills all such requirements of availing some sort of security during your tour.
Among the several types of insurance policies meant specifically for your trip, it becomes difficult to choose the best one suitable for you. There are two types of travel insurance available in the UK. Single trip insurance covers the single trip, while the annual trip holiday insurance covers all your trips in a year. If you are not a frequent traveller, you should opt for a single trip insurance. Similarly, if you are a frequent traveller, you should buy a multi-trip or an annual trip holiday insurance.
Choosing a right insurance for your trips depends on various factors. Before you have finally signed the deal, you need to check the reliability of the insurance. Check whether the cover you are having through this insurance is appropriate to protect you. Most of the travel insurance will cover luggage theft, stolen cash and other belongings. It will even give you healthcare and legal assistance. Many of the insurance fetch 24 hr medical and legal assistance.
It is not that all insurance covering your trip will give you fool-proof security. Most of the Travel Insurance policies do not cover you if you are going for adventure trips, which include activities like skiing, scuba diving, trekking and forest exploration. To avail insurance benefits on such trips, you need to buy a specific insurance covering all such adventurous activities. Moreover, you will not be covered if you have lost your cash, luggage and other belongings due to your own mistakes.