Terrorism is a challenge of the twenty first century and not only governments but even corporate groups and aid organizations are constantly facing its threat in different parts of the world.

Terrorism was not considered as part of the travel insurance plans even for international travelers until recently when westerners became the main targets of the terrorists in other countries. Even harmless tourists and travelers carry risks of being attacked or getting subjected to terrorist hijacking in many countries of the world.

These attacks are not randomly made or accidentally carried out. Sometimes, these attacks can be carefully planned and targeted only for certain groups of people. These groups of people can be ordinary citizens from western countries who are traveling across to other regions for merely travel and tourism activities.

The increase in terrorist attacks on westerns in other countries of Asia and Africa has brought in the need for introducing holiday insurance that cover suck kinds of attacks as well. The travel insurance companies have introduced holiday insurance plans that also cover insurance from terrorist attacks. But the terrorist attacks also need to be clarified. The travel insurance from terrorist attacks has not yet been standardized by insurance companies around the world.

There is still a need for proper definition and procedures involved in insuring people against terrorist attacks. For this reason, such types of insurance services and products are offered, but they are not standardized like other type of insurance coverage packages.

In fact, the insurance against terrorist attacks vary from company to company and sometimes, even from one individual to another individual. The travel insurance companies do not issue insurance services to people who travel to countries where the State Department or the Foreign Affairs Ministry has issued a terrorist threat.

Even in countries that are conflict prone and not necessarily posing threats from terrorists, the travel insurance companies make a special note of them and state to the insured people that their insurance becomes ineffective if they move to such areas.

If there is still a need to travel to conflict-prone areas, either for the purpose of carrying out some research or even for providing aid services, there are different insurance coverage packages and the insurance companies issue them under certain exclusive agreements.

Insurance companies also do not cover for every type of terrorist attack. The terrorist attacks can vary from place to place and even from one type to another. There could be random bullet shots or huge bombings and even sometimes, it could be hijacking. The insurance companies provide definitions and clear instructions on each of these attacks and make sure that the insured people take enough precautions before coming under such threats.

The insured travelers need to take extra precautions even if they have been insured by the insurance company under specific forms of terrorist attacks. The insurance companies do not provide insurance coverage to people who do not follow the regular travel advisory issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the country.

If you are going on holiday make sure you have Travel Insurance also know as Holiday Insurance because you never know what might happen!

While travel insurance is necessary for long and distant traveling, yet those who get insured also need to take precautions. Travel insurance policy provides adequate coverage for any person traveling to other areas or other countries.

However, this does not mean that one can remain carefree and stop taking precautions for one’s own safety as well as for the safety of the belongings one is carrying while traveling. Holiday insurance plans can be very attractive and one can purchase them easily, but it does not mean that one can stop taking precautions while traveling or enjoying the holiday.

The travel insurance companies clearly mention many points but these points are generally in the fine print and they are unnoticeable for the person at the time of buying the holiday insurance company. The holiday insurance company expects that the travelers are cautions about their health, well-being as well as for the safety of their belongings.

If the belongings have been stolen from a place where they have not been protected well by the owner, then the insurance company may not be able to accept he claim against the loss. The belongings lost in a locker or a safe hotel room can be considered for the claim by the insurance company because it shows that the traveler had taken precaution from his part while taking care of the belongings.

But belongings that have gone missing from an open beach or from a railway station can also indicate that the owner of the belongings was not really careful enough about them and hence, it resulted in the loss and the travel insurance company is unable to accept the claim.

Similarly, for accidental claims or even for medical claims, the insurance company has certain terms and conditions in place and expects the insured person to follow them. If the accident has happened in circumstances where the insured person himself has been found to be irresponsible like driving while drinking alcohol, then the travel insurance company may refuse to accept the claim.

The insured person has been under the influence of alcohol and it amounts to carelessness on part of him and the insurance company would be unable to provide the reimbursements for the any mishaps in this case.

Similarly, if the insured person has gone to another country and he is involved in playing extreme sports and becomes hurt or suffers an injury, then the insurance company may also not be able to accept the claim because they contradict the basic terms and conditions of the insurance policy. However, if the individual has plans to play extreme sports during his journeys, then he can seek other types of insurance plans in addition to the usual holiday insurance plan.

This could possibly help one to recover the amounts that have been lost while playing extreme sports or other dangerous games that do not fall under the ordinary travel insurance plans of the travel insurance company. These points need to be understood while taking up the travel insurance plans.

If you are going on holiday make sure you have Travel Insurance also know as Holiday Insurance because you never know what might happen!

A holiday in Mozambique sound exotic and it is. It is also still a very basic and poor country but there is hope that one day it may develop into what it deserves to be. Endless kilometers of unspoiled beach and sea, one of the best diving in this world, an interesting history and its people stand for it. We drove from Johannesburg to Tofo over Christmas for a 2 weeks beach cum diving holiday.

Despite what you may hear, you can drive safely and in a normal car to many places, provided you stay on the main roads. Some roads are very good, some have big potholes and rain can change a good road into a swamp in minutes. If you want to venture into more remote places, a 4&4 is advisable. Once you have your trip planned, enquire in advance as the status of the roads can change all the time. It is safe to drive, just take it easy, don’t speed and don’t drive at night. As a woman I drove alone with my kids and had no problem whatsoever. Just be warned, stick to the speed-limit in every village as policemen are stationed everywhere and stop you to ask you for a “fine”. Corruption is widely spread?Also fill up your tank in every big city (Maputo, Xai-Xai etc.) as in the smaller places there are no petrol stations or fuel is not available. I do speak of experience; I almost had to push my car?

From Johannesburg we left very early in the morning and had a great drive (+-5 hours) to the boarder. As it was a holiday period, the boarder can get very busy and I heard of 7 hours to pass it. We had left early and it took us “only” 2 hours in the cue and to do all the formalities. It is advisable to enquire prior about import, visa and customs regulations to avoid any delays. Visas are needed for most, South Africans and some other African nationals are exempted. You may consider staying overnight near the boarder to pass it early if traveling during a busy period. Our onward trip to Bilene (+- 4 hours) was uneventful and the slow drive through the outer skirts of Maputo gave us an idea of the poverty of this country. Despite having lived for years in Africa we had never seen so much dirt and chaos?

Once we had left Maputo, the road was excellent and we arrived well in Bilene where we stayed for 2 nights. Bilene is a little village situated next to a huge lagoon with the sea on the other side. We stayed in a wonderful luxurious lodge and enjoyed swimming and other water activities.

On to our last stretch to Tofo, most of the road was excellent and only 40 km were full of potholes (on the way back even these had been filled?.until the next rain). Tofo is a small, remote little village in a beautiful bay with many places to stay, a few restaurants and just a little market. Be warned there is no supermarket there but most goods can be bought at the market or in Inhambane. It is very laid back and the sea is just fantastic. Barra is nearby where one can find simple to 5* accommodation. The beach counts as one of the best in this world and diving from Tofo or Barra is fantastic. Most roads around this area are good but some can only be accessed with a 4&4 and when it rains, access can become a problem.

On the way back we stopped over in Maputo after a +- 8 hr drive. The seafront provides many good places to go but generally it is very poor and dirty.

Back on the road to Johannesburg early in the morning we passed the boarder after an hour’s drive and “flew through” in 20 minutes continuing our way back to Joburg. We had a great time in this unspoiled country and I can only recommend it, if you like places off the beaten track with basic comfort and the warm sea. Go there while it lasts.

For more information and enquiries about accommodation, car rental, diving, and more please visit Travel-Window.

Andrea Gastaud
Travel Window

Andrea Gastaud has been working in and around the travel and tourism industry for more than 15 years. She is the founder and owner of Travel-Window and Auto International -offering worldwide travel services.