Travel Insurance

Being a big and mesmerizing country, Egypt has many people who will willingly assist in any way to ensure you have a hitch-free holiday and also assist if you encounter any blockades. Despite this, the public infrastructure in Egypt, where it is even in place, is terribly weak. Should anything not go according to plan, or in case of an urgent situation, you will be caught paying out of your purse to put things right. A broad travel insurance bundle would be great in Egypt for many persons.

Dependent on a number of factors, travel insurance cost differs widely. The destination, cost and duration of the trip, age and health status, and nature of the trip all affect the cost of travel insurance. However, expect to make a payment of around 5% to 8% of the holiday itself. Through insuremytrip.com you can find estimates from different providers and prices from many companies.

Yearly travel insurance policy may work out cheaper for citizens of the UK and their families who travel abroad more than once per year.

Also, www.moneysupermarket.com matches prices across a wide selection of providers for single- and multi-trip policies.

On booking a vacation, most popular agents will likely try to offer you their insurance package. Do not be in a hurry to accept these. The Consumers’ Association in Britain advises that you persist on seeing the policy and scrutinizing the fine print prior to buying travel insurance. The Association of British Insurers (telephone 020/7600-3333; www.abi.org.uk) offers advice over a call and advertizes Holiday Insurance which is a free guide on policy availability and costs. Alternatively, you may scout for better deals including Columbus Direct (telephone 0870/033- 9988; www.columbusdirect.net).

Trip-Cancellation Insurance

Insurance packages which include trip-interruption and trip-cancellation are an option for many independent travelers should the stress of roaming get to them in Egypt. The essence of this is to guard against loss of your money should you decide to opt out of a trip or even leave early, as well as if your provider goes broke. In the event of sickness, natural disasters, and State Department advisories, trip-cancellation insurance will cover these. More recently covered by trip-cancellation insurance is extended hurricane and cancellation for “any reason” which costs more. A substantial amount of your prepaid trip costs will be remitted to you here. Both coverage types are offered by Travel-Safe (telephone 888/885-7233; www.travelsafe.com). Expedia also offers coverage of cancellation for any reason for its air-hotel packages.

For additional details, get in touch with one of these recommended insurers: Access America (telephone 866/807-3982; www.accessamerica.com), Travel Guard International (telephone 800/826-4919; www.travelguard.com), Travel Insured International (telephone 800/243-3174; www.travelinsured.com), or Travelex Insurance Services (telephone 888/457-4602; www.travelex-insurance.com).

Medical Insurance

Medicare and Medicaid, as well as most other US health packages do not offer coverage for overseas travel and those that do frequently require payment upfront for the services and only after your return do you get reimbursed.

Medical coverage for you in Egypt is not up for debate, as there is an entire array of potentially hazardous holiday activities like diving and go-carts, not forgetting the traffic and insanitary food. Unless in an urgent fatal situation, avoid state-provided medical care completely. Be ready to cover the medical cost from the best-rated private clinics in Egypt, comparatively lower in cost than in the United States. Also consider the cost of medical evacuation to Europe if necessary.

For many, especially those traveling to high-risk or remote locations where urgent evacuation might be needed, it is important to procure travel medical insurance. Try MEDEX Assistance (telephone 410/453-6300; www.medexassist.com) or Travel Assistance International (telephone 800/821-2828; www.travelassistance.com; for broad information on services, call the company’s Worldwide Assistance Services Inc. on telephone 800/777-8710) if you are in need of extra medical insurance.

Canadians could confirm with their provincial health package offices, or contact Health Canada (telephone 866/225-0709; www.hc-sc.gc.ca) to enquire about their coverage and the required paperwork to take home should they receive treatment overseas.

Lost-Luggage Insurance

Flying into Cairo, missing luggage is not unusual but they are always found sooner or later. Poor services offered by the local airline representatives remains the major challenge for customers, being frustrated over the phone and maybe having to waste precious vacation time retrieving your luggage from the airport, as the hotel concierge should be able to handle this effectively.

Tourists in flights through Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport or Milan’s Malpensa International Airport have a more serious issue to worry about, which are repeated thefts from checked luggage. If you are going through these routes, try not to leave any valuable item in your checked baggage. Pack valuables only in carry-on luggage.

Luggage coverage is limited to roughly $9.07 per pound, reaching about $635 per checked bag on international flights, US portions inclusive. Check if your homeowner’s policy covers your valuables if you intend to check items having more value than is covered by standard liability. Secure baggage insurance as part of your wide-ranging travel insurance package, or purchase Travel Guard’s BagTrak product.

Quickly lodge a lost-luggage declaration with detailed luggage contents at the airport, if your luggage is missing. Most airlines stipulate a period of 4 hours from arrival for reporting of delayed, scratched, or missing baggage. Although the requirement for airlines regarding found baggage is to ensure delivery directly to your destination at no cost, it would take persistence and much pressure to persuade branch offices in Cairo to honor this.

Updated On March 18, 2020