| The sinking of the MV Explorer in the Antarctic is a | | | | and their travel insurance. This is such a good example |
| dramatic example of what can go wrong on holiday | | | | on why travel insurance is so necessary when going |
| but, thankfully, these incidents are very few and far | | | | on holiday. Most people tend to think about losing a bag |
| between. But as more travellers venture into more | | | | or suffering a delay at the airport but travel insurance |
| remote areas on the planet, there is an element of risk | | | | covers so much more. The list is almost endless. |
| that will invariably attach itself to such holidays so using | | | | Passengers will be eligible for reimbursement of the |
| reputable tour operators and having adequate travel | | | | rest of their holiday by having to curtail it short, any |
| insurance cover is an absolute must. But returning this | | | | hospital costs from injuries sustained should be |
| incident for a moment. Like the Titanic, the MV | | | | covered with repatriation included where necessary, |
| Explorer had next to no warning. The iceberg, or | | | | personal belongings will be covered, legal costs should |
| growler as it is called when in a submerged state, was | | | | also be covered for any subsequent litigation and any |
| invisible, it was dark at the time and the outside | | | | lasting injury or death as a result could be covered by |
| conditions below freezing. So the odds were heavily | | | | the personal accident part of the policy. Thankfully, this |
| stacked against both ship and passengers. The | | | | type of incident is rare but it does happen though the |
| evacuation and subsequent abandonment of the ship | | | | Tsunami in Indonesia and Thailand in 2005 falls into this |
| was handled extremely well resulting in no loss of life | | | | category as another example of where it paid to have |
| at all and is a credit to the well organised and | | | | travel insurance. It won't stop the incident occurring but |
| professional ship staff. But what of the passengers? | | | | will significantly ease the distress and pain in the |
| With very little time to prepare, they had to leave most, | | | | aftermath. |
| if not all, of their belongings onboard, brave the | | | | So when deciding on purchasing travel insurance on |
| inhospitable polar seas, and, though not uppermost in | | | | your next trip, do think of the bigger picture rather than |
| their minds, curtail their holiday and return home. | | | | the loss on an ipod. Travel insurance is a bit like an |
| To be honest, this is a small price to pay for surviving | | | | iceberg. With an iceberg the damage is done by what |
| such an ordeal, but they will now be seeking some | | | | you don't see, whilst travel insurance comes into its |
| form of compensation from both the Tour operator | | | | own in the sections that you don't normally read. |