Travel Smart: Protect your travels this holiday season

Just in time for the holiday season, Travel Guard is offering useful tips to help make your travel safe and less stressful.

“In a typical week during the winter holiday season, we can often get 15,000 to 20,000 calls from anxious travelers,” said Dan McGinnity, Vice President of Travel Guard. “Most are looking for confirmation that their flights are on time; help to rebook flights that have been delayed or cancelled; and assistance in tracking down lost luggage. We also help travelers who lose their travel documents, have medical emergencies, or just want a reservation for that ‘hard to get into’ restaurant while traveling. Our job really is to make our customers travel as enjoyable and hassle-free as possible.”

Travel Guard’s Holiday Travel Tips Include:

Ship Your Gifts. Travelers should not pack wrapped gifts or bring wrapped gifts to the security checkpoint at the airport. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may have to unwrap packages for security reasons. Consider shipping holiday gifts to your destination ahead of time. Travel Guard can help arrange for this.

Carry On Your Luggage. If you pack wisely and carry on your luggage, you can save time checking in, avoid the check-bagged fees many airlines now charge, and give yourself more flexibility for taking alternative flights if yours is delayed or cancelled. Worried about all those holiday gifts you planned to bring along? See tip 1 above!

Book Direct Flights Departing as Early as Possible. Many of the headaches travelers experience during the holidays occur from missed connections, the need to rebook flights, or getting stuck in a strange city. Preserve your sanity by booking direct flights whenever possible, and book the earliest departing flight you can.

Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates. The busiest (and most expensive) days to travel by air are the day before and the day after a holiday. To avoid the crowds and get a better price, consider leaving earlier and returning a day or two later.

Get to The Airport Early. With airport delays and holiday crowds, plan to arrive at the airports at least two hours before your departure time for both outbound and inbound trips. Check out TSA’s website, waittime.tsa.dhs.gov to get information on waiting times for security checkpoints at all airports.

Bring Your Numbers. Bring the phone numbers of your travel agent and the travel assistance hotline of your travel insurance plan provider. This can be a real lifeline if you experience unpredictable situations such as flight delays, cancellations and over-booked flights, etc.

If Your Flight Is Cancelled: Immediately call your travel agency’s 24/7 emergency travel service to get assistance in rebooking your flight. Travel Guard is one of the few travel insurance plan providers that also offers this service to its clients. You’ll get rebooked a lot more quickly than if you wait in line at the airline counter. Plus, you can get help with lodging and ground transportation if the next available flight requires an overnight stay.

Don’t Forget the Travel Insurance. “Things can and do happen that can force you to either cancel or interrupt your trip,” said McGinnity. “A travel insurance plan can cover your holiday travel investment, and also provide you with 24/7 assistance for virtually any situation you may encounter. It could be the most useful item you pack for your holiday travels.”

Travel Guard offers a number of comprehensive travel insurance plans that provide reimbursement for trip cancellation, interruption, as well as delays due to covered reasons, lost, stolen or delayed baggage, and emergency medical expenses, including medical evacuation. Most of these plans also include a full range of personal and travel assistance services that customers can access before and during their trip.

The complete family of travel insurance and assistance service plans available through Travel Guard can be purchased online at http://www.travelguard.com.

About Travel Guard
Travel Guard Group is one of America’s leading providers of travel insurance plans for more than 6 million travelers each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most plans also include 24-hour travel assistance services* for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.

The travel insurance offered through Travel Guard is underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., with its principal place of business in New York, N.Y. The policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions. All coverages may not available in all states. *Non insurance assistance services are provided by Travel Guard Assist.