The two tourists were among a group of five people traveling from Saint Catherine’s monastery in central Sinai to the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh when a vehicle carrying men with machine guns stopped their small bus, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Last month, Bedouin seized 50 German and British tourists whose bus accidentally crossed a roadblock they had set up as a protest against the governor of South Sinai. Those tourists, who were also on a trip to the monastery, were released a few hours later.

We highly recommend preparing an emergency plan.  You will not be able to prevent unforeseeable emergencies, but you can have a plan of response which should include emergency contact information, embassy information, copies of your passport and itnerary are just a few of the items which you should have immediate access to and your emergency contact person should also have access to.  In medical emergencies, we highly recommend calling the 24 hour worldwide assistance telephone number for live assistance.  If your insurance policy does not provide trained live assistance personnel who can help you overseas, then please contact Insurance Services of America for a travel medical insurance quote.  Insurance Services of America also provides kidnap and ransom insurance as well as high limit international life insurance and AD&D.

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A few of my fondest memories include getting lost in the Tahitian rainforest only to stumble upon a picturesque waterfall; sharing a single bus seat with two adults, children, and chickens in Mozambique; and touring underground cities thousands of years old in Istanbul.

Along with fond memories, I’ve also experienced some pretty nerve-wracking situations. Airline check-in counters that open just two hours before your sold-out international flight; weather delays that cause you to miss your connecting flight; seeing your luggage sitting on the tarmac as your plane ascends—even the most carefully planned trip can be disrupted by an unforeseen crisis. Even a language barrier can leave you stranded.

I have been through enough airports to say that the worst is the Maputo airport, the capital of Mozambique. Only a couple of airlines fly in and out of Mozambique and flight schedules are inconsistent at best. In 2009 I was visiting over Christmas and during my trip I learned that the Maputo airport decided to close on the day I was scheduled to depart—without notice. My flight was cancelled and that meant I could not make my international connecting flights.

As much as l love Africa, I was ready to get home. I don’t speak Portuguese, the local language, so I could barely communicate with the local ticketing agent. After a few days of frustration and not being able to rebook my flights, I was at my wits’ end. Even my local hosts didn’t know what I should do.

But there was hope. Before my trip, I had purchased an Atlas travel medical insurance policy and one of the plan’s benefits is 24-hour live assistance. I doubted they could help me in this remote part of Africa, but I was desperate and called the assistance line anyway.

To my surprise, I was connected almost instantly with a multilingual operator. She spoke with the local ticketing agent and helped not only reissue a new ticket out of Mozambique, but helped rebook all my international connecting flights. In less than an hour, my Atlas travel insurance helped me accomplish what I was unable to do in the past four days.

While language barriers and airport scheduling debacles may not be what we think of when we imagine unforeseen crises abroad, I know first hand that these things do happen and they can be just as disruptive as a medical emergency or natural disaster. I was fortunate enough not to have a medical emergency on that trip, but I was still able to take advantage of the live assistance my insurance provided.

The next time you crave a little adventure, be sure to think about purchasing a travel insurance policy. I’ll be happy to recommend a plan. You just never know how it might help.

Safe travels! Boa viagem!

Adam Bates, Vice President

Globally, yellow fever occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America and is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can include sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, backache, nausea, and vomiting.

Yellow Fever Risk Areas in Brazil

Currently, Brazil and CDC recommend yellow fever vaccination for travelers to the following states:

All areas of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Distrito Federal (including the capital city of Brasília), Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins.

Other designated areas of the following states: Bahia, Paraná, Piauí, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo. Vaccination is also recommended for travelers visiting Iguassu Falls.

Vaccination is NOT recommended for travel to the following coastal cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Recife, and Fortaleza.

Recommendations for US Travelers

Vaccine

Brazil currently does not require yellow fever vaccination for entrance into the country. However, travelers are strongly urged to get the yellow fever vaccine before traveling to an area of Brazil with risk of yellow fever virus transmission.

Protection from Mosquito Bites

Since yellow fever is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, travelers are also reminded to take steps to prevent mosquito bites:

When outdoors or in a building that is not well screened, use insect repellent on uncovered skin. Always apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.

Look for a repellent that contains one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin (KBR 3023), oil of lemon eucalyptus/PMD, or IR3535. Always follow the instructions on the label when you use the repellent.

In general, repellents protect longer against mosquito bites when they have a higher concentration (%) of the active ingredient. However, concentrations above 50% do not offer a marked increase in protection time. Products with less than 10% of an active ingredient may offer only limited protection, often just 1-2 hours.

The American Academy of Pediatrics approves the use of repellents with up to 30% DEET on children over 2 months old.

Protect babies less than 2 months old by using a carrier draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a tight fit.

Wear loose, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.

Spray clothing with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent for greater protection. (Remember: Don’t use permethrin on skin.)

Copyright © 2011, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In addition, we always recommend checking with your current health insurance policy to ensure it adequately covers you while you are traveling abroad.  You want to make sure it covers local medical expenses inccured while outside your home country, emergency medical evacuation which medically transports you to a hospital (if necessary, even back to the U.S.) in case you cannot receive proper local care and repatriation.  Contact Insurance Services of America for a travel health insurance quote.

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1. Slow down - this is common sense.  Leave early and allow extra time to reach your destination. Stopping, turning, accelerating – practically every driving function takes longer on ice and snow-covered roads.  Leave a minimum of a 4 second gap between you and the car in front of you.  You can determine how close by counting after the car in front of you passes a fixed object,  you should be able to count to at least 4 before your car passes the same fixed object.   Remember the car behind you might be as cautious as you, so you might have to leave even more space in order to remain at a safe distance.
2. Check your car - Replace your tires with all season or snow tires which have deeper and more aggressive tread.  If ice is bad and you have to drive, then buy a set of chains and learn how to properly install them.  Have your car checked by a mechanic for brakes, battery, anti-freeze, belts and windshield wipers.
3. Remove snow - not just the front windshield but from the hood, top of the car, lights and the rear of the car. You want to make sure you have full visibility
4. Use caution on bridges and overpasses – ice quickly forms on bridges and overpasses and can look clear or like “black ice.” 
5. Don’t Drive – if the weather outside is frightful, then stay home.  Be attentive to your local weather and check the news.  There are plenty of apps for your iPhone, Android, Ipad and tablets and most are free.  Check out a couple online at http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/best-traffic-apps 

A recent tragic story in AZ reported an elderly couple traveling from Arizona to New Mexico got their car stranded on a forest road and at the same time a winter storm brought snow and cold temperatures.  The elderly woman lost her life due and her spouse survived but was hospitalized.  The American Automobile Association (AAA) advises that if you become stuck, stay with your vehicle.  AAA also advises to keep a winter first aid kit which should include:

• A cell phone
• Flashlight
• Small snow shovel and brush
• Traction mats
• Ice scraper
• Battery booster cables
• Warm blanket
• Flares/triangle warning devices
• Heavy gloves
• Windshield washer fluid
• First aid kit
• Bottled water
• Energy bars

 Insurance Services of America wishes you a safe holiday no matter if you are driving or flying or if your friends and relatives are visiting you.

Indian authorities issued a terror alert for Goa state on December 5th, citing specific threats to the state’s tourist beaches during the Christmas and New Year’s season. According to authorities, the “prevailing situation in the country and intelligence inputs regarding terrorist threats to the Western coast of India” prompted the alert. Goa is a popular tourist destination in India.

Copyright © 2011, Altegrity Risk International, Inc.

Unexpected delays usually increase during the holidays, we recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your travel investment.

This comprehensive trip protection plan offers reimbursement for:

*  Cancellation or Interruption of trip due to sickness and injury.
*  Bankruptcy or financial default of airline or tour operator
*  Airline Strike
*  Weather
*  Employee termination or layoff
*  Terrorism that causes the US to issue a travel restriction
*  Hijack, quarantine or jury duty
*  Destruction of your home or primary residence
*  Burglary within 10 days of your departure
*  Assault within 10 days of your departure
*  Emergency military duty due to a national disaster 

In addition to the above benefits, the plan also features:

1.    Trip Delay
2.    Lost or stolen Baggage
3.    Baggage Delay
4.    Accidental Death and Dismemberment
5.    $75,000 Medical and $350,000 Evacuation coverage per person **
6.    24 hour worldwide assistance

Download a brochure, get a quote and apply for the Roundtrip travel insurance

Copyright © 2011, Altegrity Risk International, Inc.

The index case was a 25 year-old female who developed symptoms of fever, headache and vomiting, with no history of yellow fever vaccination. She consulted the health military post of Kédougou on 23 July 2011. The case was detected as part of a surveillance project for dengue and chikungunya conducted in the region. The WHO reference laboratory for Yellow Fever at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar confirmed the case (IgM by ELISA test and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test or PRNT) on 10 October 2011.

Two other cases – 29 year-old female and 3 year-old male – were reported on 10 and 11 August 2011. All three cases have fully recovered. An outbreak investigation team assessed the situation in the Kédougou and Saraya districts from 8 to 29 August 2011, where a total of 76 people (suspected cases and their contacts, including 10 deaths) were identified. Laboratory tests conducted showed no evidence of recent yellow fever infection among the 76 people. However, the tests (IgG) indicated that 20 of them had previously been exposed to yellow fever virus or yellow fever vaccine.

The health districts of Kédougou and Saraya benefited from a preventive mass vaccination campaign in December 2007, where the vaccination coverage was 94.9% and 94.8% respectively.

The Ministry of Health of Senegal plans to organize a vaccination campaign in mid-December 2011, targeting the non-vaccinated individuals aged nine months and above, excluding pregnant women in Kédougou, Saraya and Salémata health districts. The mass vaccination campaign aims to protect the susceptible population living in the area, which appears to have increased due to recent migration from neighboring countries. A total of 159,626 doses of vaccine from the GAVI-funded yellow fever emergency vaccine stockpile has been released by the International Coordinating Group on Yellow Fever Vaccine Provision (YF-ICG) for the campaign. Copyright © 2011, World Health Organization

A number of airlines said on November 28th they were canceling some flights in and out of London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) ahead of a nationwide public sector strike, reports indicated. The airport’s owner warned of possible 12-hour delays moving through immigration because of a public sector strike expected to cripple the U.K. Border Agency. It asked airlines to fly half-full planes into Heathrow. British, Middle Eastern, and Greek airlines canceled two flights.

Copyright © 2011, Altegrity Risk International, Inc.

If you have purchased the Roundtrip or Trip Protector trip cancellation and trip delay insurance policies, then we recommend contacting the 24 hour worldwide assistance telephone number on your ID card for help in rebooking missed connections or alternate airlines.  Unfortunately if you have not purchased travel insurance, then it is too late to purchase it to cover this strike or possible cancellations from the recent American Airlines bankruptcy.  Contact Insurance Services of America at 800.647.4589 or info@insurancefortrips.com and speak to a client services representaive about insuring your next vacation or trip.