InternationalBenefits.comTravel Blog

Getting Lost - An Adventure in "The"

2007-10-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

So, it's a beautiful Nevada Sunday in Las Vegas, the top is down on the convertible, the light breeze and partly cloudy sky makes us feel this will be a relaxing trip to Mt. Charleston. My wife hasn't been there yet, but I was there with my daughter a few months ago. You see, my wife and I actually were on our way there a few weeks ago, but I had her make a wrong turn, and we ended up driving around "The 215" all day (all major roads are considered to be "The" for some reason).

So, looking at Google Maps, I emeorized the route for this particular Sunday. After all, I wanted to make sure we'd get there this time. Well, to make a long story short, we turned off "The 93" instead of "The 95"....which would have been the next off ramp.

Being the adventureous type, we decided to stay on 93 to see where it goes. We realized that we were on "The 15" which at that point was still "The 93". We saw a sign that said "Junc 93 North" and figured we'd take it, since we knew where "The 15" would take us, as we'd been down that road (been there, done that).

Well, 200 miles later, we ended up in Caliente, Nevada.....although we thought for sure we were in Utah or Colorado....or who knows where. It's a good thing we had enough gas to get there, because this 200 miles was all open road in between mountain ranges....no food, no gas, no nothing. Boring....except for the fact the Sun was on the west, then the est, then the north...we had no idea of which direction we were going, or where we'd end up.

We had lunch at a little buger-casino joint. The owners, who had just opened the place, had recently moved there from our origin of departure, Henderson, NV. They explained that we were on the west side of Nevada - which was not correct, as later I went online to discover we were on the east side, which is what I figured....since a sign we say after having lunch said "Beaver Dam - 300 miles". We'd been to Beaver Dam on another trip....which we discovered there was no such dam, but a town called Beaver Dam.

So we explored the mining town a bit north of Caliente, and headed back the same way we came. "The 93" south was actually heading west, then north, the east, then west, then south....finally. Too bad there wasn't a straight line from Caliente to Las Vegas....probably would have saved two hours of drive time.

Moral of the story: Print out the directions from Google.....or your wife will (jokingly) say "You're an idiot".

Traveling with Elderly Parents

2007-03-11T16:56:00.001-07:00

Planning for a trip when you have elderly parents.

I just received a call from a client planning a trip to Paris. The cost of the trip is $5,000 and is non-refundable. She is most worried about her elderly father who has numerous medical problems but noyhing life threatening at this time. She wanted to plan the trip but cancel if her father became very sick.
The answer is trip cancellation insurance. This type of insurance will not only reimburse nonrefundable costs if you get sick but will pay if traveling companions or certain relatives get sick.
The catch is to buy the plan within 14 days of making the first deposit.
By doing this, the companies waive the pre-existing clause. This is most important of course if there are problems such as the elderly parent.
Go to www.internationalbenefits.com to learn more about trip cancellation insurance.

Travel Insurance Experience

2007-03-08T15:41:00.000-08:00

From an actual Travelguard claim:

Less than a day into his seven-day Caribbean cruise, Mark from Colorado unexpectedly fell into a seizure aboard the cruise ship during his annual vacation. His wife, Sharon, was terrified and begged the crew to turn back to Fort Lauderdale, the city from which they had departed. Despite Sharon’s pleas, the crew decided to continue with the trip. Fortunately for Mark and Sharon, they had purchased a travel insurance plan through AIG Travel Guard.

The cruise ship’s doctor didn’t feel that the ship was properly equipped to handle Mark’s medical condition, and recommended that Mark be admitted to the nearest appropriate medical facility for a C.T. scan and consultation with the facility’s neurologist. As soon as the ship reached port, Sharon called AIG Travel Guard, and they quickly arranged medical evacuation by air ambulance for Mark to Fort Lauderdale for further evaluation.

To complicate matters further, Mark and Sharon’s luggage never arrived onboard the ship at the start of the cruise and they needed help tracking it down. Using the BagTrak program, AIG Travel Guard was able to track down the couple’s luggage, helping them avoid yet another mishap.

Fortunately, Mark’s condition started to improve, and he was soon cleared to travel. The couple considered requesting re-boarding permission in order to catch up for the last leg of their foiled cruise vacation, but with the logistics involved and bad weather on the way, they decided against it.

From coordinating the medical evacuation for Mark, to arranging adequate medical treatment in the appropriate medical facility, to tracking down the couple’s luggage and arranging Sharon’s hotel while Mark was in the hospital, the coverage through AIG Travel Guard helped soften the blow of this otherwise traumatic experience. In addition to all of the travel assistance services provided, the family was reimbursed for all covered expenses, trip interruption, travel delay and luggage delay expenses, totaling over $16,600.

Because Mark and Sharon traveled with travel insurance through AIG Travel Guard, they were able to quickly bounce back from an otherwise awful vacation experience.

The scenario summarized above is offered only as an example. Coverage depends on the actual facts of each case and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy. Anyone interested in the above product should request a copy of the description of coverage for a description of the scope and limitations of coverage. Policy terms may vary based on individual state requirements and may not be available in all states.

Go to www.internationalbenefits.com for more information.

Christmas on a Cruise....

2006-12-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

This week, I've penned my own tribute to Clement Clarke Moore, author of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. To proceed directly to the cruise deals, please click here.

Alan Fox
Chairman & CEO
Vacations To Go

'Twas the night before Christmas and far out at sea
Our vessel was sailing as smooth as could be

The stockings were hung from the balcony chairs
With hope that St. Nicholas would find them out there

The children were nestled all snug in their uppers
Having just settled down from a Christmas Eve supper

And ma and myself, we were covered in aloe
A bit too much sun, in a pool nice and shallow

When up in the sky there arose such a clatter
I leapt from my bed to see what was the matter

To the sliding glass door, I flew like a flash
Well, more like a saunter, and less like a dash

When, what to my skeptical eyes should appear
But a big shiny sleigh and eight flying reindeer

They circled our ship from starboard to port
And the moon lit the driver, a jolly old sort

Who called to his team in a happy retort,
"Now Dasher, now Dancer," so on and so forth

I raced through my cabin and into the hall
To the very top deck, in time for us all

To be awed by the sight of Old Santa's sleigh
As he lightly touched down by the midnight buffet

With a bundle of goodies thrown over his back
He climbed up the side and dropped down the smokestack

From insides to oceanviews, balconies, suites
Santa filled every stocking with toys and with treats

Until all the deliveries had been handled with care
Then he noted he still had a minute to spare

So he surfed the Surf Park, with nary a fall
While Dasher and Dancer scaled the rock-climbing wall

And Prancer, who was actually fond of the cold
Tried the ice-skating rink, a sight to behold

And then with a whistle, Santa summoned his team
And he bade us farewell, silent nights and sweet dreams

And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of view
Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good cruise.

Need help with travel insurance?

2006-12-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

Have a travel experience you'd like to share? Send your stories about travel, vacations, travel experiences, or questions and comments about travel insurance to info@eisenbergassociates.com. We invite you to visit our websites at InternationalBenefits.com and EisenbergAssociates.com for information on travel and travel insurance, including travel medical insurance, trip cancellation insurance, emegency travel evacuation insurance, as well as travel tips and travel advice.

Mackinaw City, Michigan

2006-12-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

We took a family vacation to Michigan this summer. It took us 2 full days of driving to reach our destination - Mackinaw City. Mackinaw City is located on the northern tip of the lower Michigan peninsula on the shoreline of Lake Huron. It is a tourist town, filled with hotels, beachfronts, shopping and dining.

One day we took a ferry ride to Mackinac Island. The boat ride took 18 minutes and we traveled through the Straits of Mackinaw to reach the island. Mackinac Island became a favorite vacation destination during the Victorian era. The Grand Hotel, featured in the 1980 film "Somewhere In Time" with Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer has helped make the island famous.

The island boasts an old military fort from the late 1700's, lavish victorian hotels, museums, a variety of restaurants, fudge stores and gift shops, and beautiful natural scenary like Arch Rock. There are many hiking trails and the island even has a butterfly conservatory. The island does not allow automobiles. The only method of transportation is by foot, bike or horse. There are carriage tours around the island for visitors. In the summer months, there are over 500 horses on the island. Most are shipped off the island for the harsh winters.

Snow in Las Vegas!

2006-12-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

I was raised in Chicago, so I'm used to snow. However, after living in Florida for over 30 years before moving to Vegas a little over a year ago, I awoke to an ominous world. Snow in the desert!

Snow covered Cactus!

The morning news reported several traffic accidents, two of which had fatalities, possibly related to the fact that some drivers are not used to iced roads.

So, if you ravel to Vegas, or think it doesn't snow in the valley (as I did), think again!

Post your travel stories here!

2006-12-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Bryce Canyon

2006-11-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

This "mini-vacation" information is brought to you by Frank Okun, the webmaster for InternationalBenefits.com.

He and his wife took a weekend trip to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks from Las Vegas. First visiting Bryce Canyon, about a 4 hour ride from Vegas. They stayed at Ruby's Inn, known for its history and rustic atmosphere.

Frank highly recommends the ATV package, which you can purchase at the Inn. The tour begins from across the street of the lodge. The highest point of the Canyon could be seen - 11,250 feet elevation.
And the amount of land out there is incredible.
So, if you're going to Bryce, definitely get on one of thee ATV rides!
On your way to Bryce from Vegas, you can stop in St. George to have dinner at Chili's, right off "the 15". Frank and his wife took the "scenic" route of winding roads, but their suggestion is to drive this during the day, as you can't see anything at night! Also, it gets cold at night, so bring warm clothing.
The rooms at Ruby's Inn are of a "cowboy" theme, so if you are not used to the western flair, be prepared.
Get up early and have breakfast in the "Cowboy's Steak Room". Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits & gravy and tater-tots.....reminded me of fast food. Not impressed. However, the Rib-Eye Steak was superb for dinner. Dining wise, there are two choices - the Cafe or the Steak House.

Zion National Park
(An excerpt from Frank's blog):
Since there wasn't much else left to do, we decided to cut our stay by one night. We checked out Sunday morning and drove to Zion National Park, which was supposedly 83 miles south. Well, I took a right on UT-12 instead of a left, and after realizing we had traveled way more than 13.5 miles to Center Street, where we were supposed to get on State Road 89, I thought we should turn around. As we saw a sign that said "Boulder (Colorado) 35 miles....we thought of continuing, or going back.
So, we stopped in a little town...where Cheryl asked for directions...even though, I had a map and realized my error, they told her: "If you gone to Boulder, you done gone the wrong way". Duh.
So, we went about 85 miles astray, but the ride on 89 was nice. We made the correct (right) turn onto "9" and shortly were at Zion.
Wow! What a sight. Going through the tunnel - directly through the mountain - was an awesome feeling. A one mile tunnel of darkness. We stopped several times to take pictures, and Cheryl took many by holder her camera out the window.
We took a tram to the lodge, where we had burgers in the lounge, since the actual dining room was closed.
Although we didn't really "see" the canyon, we enjoyed the continuing tram ride which makes sevral stops to different walking and hiking trails. One needs to do some trails to see the canyons and wildlife.