On this episode of the Moneywise podcast, Rajesh (R. J.) Jyotishi is joined by his long time colleague Kirit Ghandi to talk about travel insurance. 

Kirit is originally from Bombay India, and has resided in Atlanta for nearly four decades. A pioneer of the Indian Community, he is a founding member of IACA, ICRC, and Gujarati Samaj.  Kirit is a Georgia Tech Engineering graduate (B.S. and M.S.) who has enjoyed many successful years in the technical field.  A Registered Life and Health Insurance Agent, he has been associated with Shalin Financial since 2004 while providing fulltime guidance and services to individuals and businesses in the area of Insurance and Financial well being. 

Jennifer Stukey will be back on future episodes of the Money Wise podcast. 

Today's topic is appropriate for this time of year, looking into traveler's and visitor's insurance policies. These would be policies purchased when traveling outside of your home country, providing protections in case of medical emergencies or other issues occuring outside of primary coverage. It should be considered as another part of the overall travel expenses. 

Check your own policy specifically for coverage in the areas that you will be traveling, to determine whether you are covered for medical emergencies. Out of Network deductibles may be double the amount of in-network deductibles for today's popular, preferred provider policies. 

R.J. relates a story of a fellow traveler in Tibet who fell from a yak, and broke her shoulder in four places. Unfortunately, there was no medical evacuation services available in the area, so the entire expedition had to escort her back to Katmandu for treatment. Her traveler insurance policy covered the medical expenses that she incurred. 

Look closely at the policy's clauses regarding pre-existing conditions and illnesses or injuries that occur as a reslut of a pre-existing condition, which might not be covered. Policies that are comprehensive in nature where there is a deductible but no caps on hospital stays etc., might be a best option.  And you may find some high-risk activities are excluded from your coverage. 

Other types of insurance include trip cancellations, lost luggage and other services offered by cruise lines and travel agents. 

The question arises as to where to get these policies, is the home country better or from the country of travel. This really depends on your level of comfort, as many find that having an insurance agent to work with in the home country prior to travel provides the most secure feeling. 

Check out the Visitors Health Plans page on ShalinFinancial.com for more information. 

Rajesh (R. J.) Jyotishi of Shalin Financial & Jennifer Stucky with The A. I. Group have been in the insurance and financial services for over 15 years and have assisted hundreds of individuals and groups for their insurance and employee benefits needs.

For questions, they can be reached at Rajesh Jyotishi:  770-451-1932, Jennifer Stucky: (770) 664-5526.

Theme music for the Money Wise podcast is Now or Never, available on the album Carpe Diem.