Page 17 - AAA Now! – AAA Northway – Winter 2020

TRAVE
FIVE WAYS TRAVEL PROTECTION CAN CLEAR YOUR PATH FOR YOUR AAA VACATION
As a AAA member, you understand the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. That’s why we offer Allianz Travel Insurance to help you secure your investments, belongings, and yourself with plans that feature exclusive AAA benefits. That means whatever your vacation looks like, you can make the most of it with greater peace of mind. Here’s how:
You can worry less about non-refundable trip investments.
For some of us, the term “non-refundable” can cause hesitation or concern. The “what ifs” with potential to derail our plans can seem infinite. What if something like a hurricane causes a change in plans? Or what if there’s a family emergency back home while you’re away?
Luckily, putting your concerns to rest over many of these hypotheticals is easy. Allianz Travel Insurance plans offered by AAA give you a broad range of covered reasons for trip cancellation and interruption to reimburse your pre-paid, non-refundable vacation expenses — so you can spend your vacation, and weeks leading up to it, with your mind at ease.
You’ll know you’re protected with emergency medical/dental/transportation benefits.
Plenty of travelers often forget that U.S. government medical plans and many personal health insurance plans don’t work outside
their country. The U.S. State Department even cautions you in your passport to look into this before leaving the country. A trip protection plan provides important coverage benefits for emergency medical/dental, and emergency medical transportation, plus services to help ensure you get the care you need away from home. You also can access our travel insurance partner’s network of pre-screened medical providers to help ensure the quality of your care.
Your benefits can help make unexpected travel delays easier.
If, for example, inclement weather keeps your flight from boarding on-time, it could be even more disappointing to have to pay extra for meals, lodging and transportation that were never part of your plans.
Luckily, with benefits for covered travel delays, you can get reimbursed for additional qualifying trip costs if this happens. Plus, with plans
including SmartBenefits*, you can automatically receive a fixed payment for each person named on your plan whenever a qualifying delay is tracked — without ever having to submit a claim.
You can relax knowing you have 24/7 access to professional, multilingual assistance.
Whenever an issue arises away from home, it can be all the more challenging to work through it if you’re not completely familiar with local emergency facilities and other nearby services.
Let’s say you lose your passport. One call to your assistance team can help you reach local authorities and the nearest U.S. government office, so you can report the loss and replace
your passport as quickly as possible. If you have
a medical emergency while traveling, access to these services can help save you or your travel companions critical minutes by locating your nearest appropriate facility and making any necessary transportation arrangements to get you there.
You can worry less about what happens if you come down with COVID-19 before or during your trip.
To help members who’ve come down with COVID-19 before or during their trip, our travel insurance partner is making temporary claim accommodations for eligible members who have to cancel their trip, cut it short or need medical care while traveling 50 miles or more from their residence.
Next time you’re planning a trip, be sure to clear your path to reaching your personal vacation goals. Visit your AAA Northway Travel Advisor, call 877-222-8283 or visit www.AAA.com/Allianz for more information and a free quote.
Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Plan(s) underwritten by BCS Insurance Company or Jefferson Insurance Company. AGA Service Company is the licensed producer and administrator of these plans. Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services. Contact AGA Service Company at 800-284- 8300 or 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233 or customerservice@allianzassistance.com.
*When you opt-in and provide flight information, we’ll monitor flights and send flight status and benefit alerts, including about flight delays that qualify for automated travel delay payment. Standard message/data rates apply to SMS alerts. SmartBenefits automated claims system and payment availability is not guaranteed and is subject to our sole discretion. All claims subject to policy terms, conditions, and exclusions.
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Destination and Excursion Planning
“Planning trip destinations is a particularly challenging task for cruise operators in the current environment, as decisions must be made well in advance of sailing. This requires cruise operators
to leverage data projections and best estimates to predict the future conditions (as they relate to the virus) in selected destinations and to flexibly respond as this information changes. Cruise operators must rely on imperfect inputs to these decisions and rely on partnerships to acquire up-to-date information about a given locality, as well as establish arrangements for cruise line-sponsored excursions.”
Mitigating Risks for Crew Members
“Most recommendations from the Panel apply
to both guests and crew. Nonetheless, the Panel believes a special focus on crew is warranted given that crew are on board ships for significantly longer than guests and have different living conditions and potential exposures based on their roles. A robust testing regimen for crew, precautions on board like physical distancing and PPE use, thorough training, attention to the living conditions for crew and reinforcing a culture of self-reporting any health or safety concerns can create the conditions for a safer working and living environment for a ship’s staff.”
The Panel recognizes that just as important as writing health and safety protocols is ensuring that those protocols are implemented appropriately. The Panel recommends that cruise operators have systems and processes in place to continuously evaluate implementation of and adherence to their revised protocols for health and safety on board.
Cruise operators have demonstrated their commitment to adopting numerous new protocols to implement the recommendations made by the Panel. Two final recommendations for cruise operators that may bolster public confidence in their return to service are: (1) iteratively testing these new risk mitigation measures, and (2) creating a cycle of continuous learning and improvement.
The challenge posed to the Healthy Sail Panel
was complex. Our understanding and knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 is evolving daily and these plans will need to evolve to incorporate new science and practices. We know that safety is top of mind, now more than ever. Therefore, when you travel with one of our travel partners, you'll have the security and peace of mind of traveling with a brand backed by AAA. Whether you're looking for a road trip through your own backyard, or global journeys halfway around the world, our legacy as travel advisors means you can feel confident we’ve got your back thanks to AAA’s more than 100 years’ experience of trip planning for Americans.
Highlights and excerpts from the recent Healthy Sail Report commissioned by Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Go to AAA.com for the full report.
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