Category: Uncategorized

Considering Travel Insurance for Your Upcoming Trip?

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips, Uncategorized2 Comments

We often get asked whether travel insurance is a necessity when planning a trip. For us, it is one of the most important things you need when traveling and we usually purchase immediately after booking airline or train tickets and make hotel reservations. Whether we are traveling domestically or internationally we always purchase travel insurance. 

It is important to remember that even if your credit card offers travel insurance, it is often minimal coverage or only covers items that were purchased with the credit card. When you are making your decision about what type of travel insurance to purchase, you need to consider the type of trip you are taking so you can ensure that you are covered adequately.

Depending on your trip, you want to ensure that the travel insurance covers:

  • Visits to a doctor and/or hospital whether you are sick or injured during your trip.
  • Whether you have to cancel your trip for personal reasons.
  • If your trip is cancelled by an airline or rail service, does it cover all things that have been pre-purchased or reimburse deposits.
  • If you need to be evacuated from your location.
  • Broken or stolen electronics.
  • Baggage being lost or stolen.
  • Offers various types of plans that suit what you need.

When we travel internationally, we use World Nomads Travel Insurance. They offer comprehensive plans for all types of travel. Fortunately, we have not had to use our travel insurance, but it offers piece of mind for a minimal cost and the expenses it could save. Another reputable travel insurance company, that offers a wide variety of plans, is Visitors Coverage . We have not used them, but we know several people who have.

Regardless of who you choose for your travel insurance, it is definitely a worthwhile investment. We have been fortunate to have not been in a position where we had to use our insurance, but we have heard from so many people who having travel insurance was literally a lifesaver. Whether it was getting a helicopter to fly someone out of the jungle with a broken leg or getting home after a natural disaster, not having to worry about the added expenses that might come into play is well worth the peace of mind that travel insurance provides.

Our Growing Love Affair with Africa

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Over the years, we have been to various countries within Africa and each of those experiences have enriched us personally. We are weeks away from our next adventure into Africa, which is to visit Rwanda and see another part of this very large and diverse continent. Our previous trips to Africa have taken us to the coast, into the desert, and across the vast grasslands. This particular trip will take us into the mountains and the rainforests of eastern Africa. There are certainly even more parts of Africa that we would love to visit, but every time we immersed ourselves into the culture, met local people, and seen the beautiful scenery that the continent has to offer. As we look forward to our next experience, we decided to take a quick look back at our previous experiences.

Lighthouse on the Northern Coast of Africa in Morocco
Tajines and Dishes for Sale in Morocco
Snake Charmer in Morocco

Morocco – During our trip to southern Spain several years ago, we made a point of making our way across the Strait of Gibraltar to visit Tangiers, Morocco.  We took the high-speed ferry from Tarifa (near Gibraltar) to the port of Tangiers, where we were met by our guides to start what would be a truly memorable day and definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip.  Tangiers is a unique African city as it has been the doorway to Europe for centuries and therefore has a varied population, although it is still mostly Muslim. It might have been a quick trip, but it certainly created a wonderful memory that we continue to treasure today.

Camel in Egypt
Entering the Karnak Temple Complex
Empty Tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Egypt – Our time in Egypt was simply amazing whether it was seeing the Great Pyramids around Cairo or taking a river cruise from Luxor down to Aswan. The amount of history that you are able to see up-close is overwhelming as there are so many temples, monuments, and tombs to visit and to understand. Having a Egyptologist as a guide is an absolute must to even come close to understanding even a small amount of the vast history that resides in this amazing country. The beauty of the Nile Delta contrasting to the vast desert merely steps away is definitely a fascinating sight to see.

Lioness and Cub Snuggling – One of Our Favorite Photographs
Baby White Rhino with a Parent
Hippos in the Water

Kenya and Tanzania – Having done two trips to northern Africa, this was our first trip to eastern Africa and the opportunity to see the abundance of wildlife that exists on the continent. Obviously, animals have no sense of borders and simply follow the food and water across multiple countries. Whether it was the Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, or the city of Nairobi, there is so much to see and do when visiting Kenya and Tanzania. This was also our first trip post-pandemic, which presented its own set of challenges, but the eleven days that we spent on safari will forever be one of the most memorable experiences of our lives.

Giraffes
Elephants in the Grasslands
Lunch at Ngorongoro Crater

We have no doubt that our time in Rwanda will be equally amazing as our previous visits to Africa. Clearly there are so many other places that we’ve yet to visit from the west coast as well as South Africa, but it will take a while for us to have the opportunity to visit them all as it takes quite an effort to get to Africa when living in the United States. We can certainly hardly wait to share images and stories from our next adventure once we return in just a few weeks from now.