Bin Laden’s Death Does Not Change Terror Threat Level

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by Tiffany Parker April 30, 2011 in Insurance News

The news of Osama bin Laden’s death has many vacationers comparing  travel insurance to protect the excursions they planned.  Some people feel the military action taken by the U.S. will inevitably lead to some form of retaliation, increasing some people’s fear of travel.  Even after the announcement of his death, the terror thread level has not changed.  The following excerpt from an MSNBC article provides more detail.

“The death of Osama bin Laden is an important success not only for the United States, but the entire world,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in statement. “Our efforts to combat terrorism, however, do not fixate on one individual, and we remain completely focused on protecting our nation against violent extremism of all kinds.”

Napolitano says elevated terror alerts will only be issued when the government has “specific or credible information to convey to the American public.”

Some law enforcement agencies around the U.S. added security meas

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US Travel Warning for Mexico

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by Tiffany Parker April 25, 2011 in Insurance News

Travel insurance can protect a vacation investment if it has to be cancelled or interrupted for a reason that is written in the policy.  Most of the time this is because of a sickness, injury or death of a traveler or family member, but many other unforeseeable circumstances can apply as well.  A recent expanded US travel warning for Mexico has many travelers asking if this is a covered reason to cancel.  An article from USA Today addressed the travel warning in more detail.

An expanded U.S.State Department travel warning to Mexico, issued before this week’s news that 183 bodies have been discovered in a northeastern border state, is generating mixed responses in tourist spots highlighted in the new alert.

The April 22 warning notes that millions of U.S. citi

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Advice For Cyclone Season In The South Pacific

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by Tiffany Parker April 25, 2011 in Insurance News

Travelers heading to the South Pacific region should be aware of the risk of cyclones during the period of December through April, according to the U.S. Department of State. The threat of cyclones originating in the area could cause problems for your trip.

While most vacations in the South Pacific pass without any negative incident, you should monitor weather reports and take the appropriate action should a tropical cyclone hit the region. Make sure your trip is protected with trip cancellation insurance. Affected areas include Australia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, as well as French Polynesia.

Make sure you have up-to-date travel insurance to cover a tropical cyclone if it hits your vacation while you are abroad. In the past, U.S. residents were unable to return home on their scheduled flights due to infrastructure damage and limited flight availability.

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New System for Terror Threat Levels

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by Tiffany Parker April 19, 2011 in Insurance News

Most travelers have heard an airport announcement or seen a news story reminding what color the terror threat level is.  For those traveling, hearing orange or red level made them glad they had purchased a travel insurance policy to cover their trip.  But the color system was sometimes confusing.  For many, it is difficult to remember how bad orange was supposed to be.  The color coded system was replaced this week by a simpler method of identifying the terror threat level.  An article from Fox News provided more detail.

Goodbye HSAS (Homeland Security Advisory System). Hello NTAS (National Threat Advisory System). The chart showing five different levels of threat will be gone as of next week. Gone too, will be those colors. So say farewell to green, (low threat) blue (guarded), yellow, (elevated) orange (high), and red (severe). They

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