Hi Frank,
Thank you so much for helping us plan our trip to Italy in May, 2016. Having Travel Insurance (the Gold Plan) was a blessing and will always be part of our travels. As you know, while in Italy, my wife had a fall which left her with two broken ankles. Travel Guard came to the rescue, as they handled all the arrangements to get us home quickly and safely. Once notified of the accident, Travel Guard emailed forms to our hotel that we took to the hospital (English & Italian version) requesting the attending physician’s report and a “Fit to Fly” form. This spelled out what the physician’s orders were for transportation back to our home. These forms and several release of information forms plus copies of our passports were emailed back to Travel Guard for their use in completing travel details.
Since my wife could not walk or put any weight on her feet she needed help with mobility. To resolve this issue Travel Guard designated me as a non-medical escort and arranged a medical escort to be flown from Amsterdam to Italy. He met us at our hotel on the day of departure and stayed with us till we arrived at our home in Westlake. During the trip home he monitored my wife’s vital signs, administered an injection to prevent deep vein thrombosis, and assisted me in getting her to the restrooms on the airplane and in the airports. Additionally, Travel Guard arranged all air travel, transfer by van where required, airport porter with wheelchair, and luggage assistance. This was a great help in getting thru airport security quickly and early boarding. Because my wife was required to have both legs elevated as well as medical assistance we were all seated in business class on the eleven hour flight from Rome to Atlanta. The Atlanta to Cleveland trip was on a smaller plane so a three seat row was reserved for my wife.
Prior to our departure from Italy, at least once, and sometimes twice, a day Travel guard called or emailed us with updates on travel arrangements or just to check on my wife’s condition. Everything was handled very professionally and always with my wife’s comfort in mind. We spoke with several different representatives and each was very compassionate and caring, making sure we had answers to all our questions. This was a tremendous help in lowering our stress levels, knowing that everything was being done to get us home with the least amount of disruption. There is no way either of us could have known how to go about managing this situation, pulling together so many different events, and having the excellent results we experienced.
Upon arriving home, we had an information packet from Travel Guard with claim forms for our out-of pocket expenses. Included in the insurance is trip interruption coverage that enables recovery of prepaid, non-refundable, unused portions of the trip, such as hotels, airfare or tour package fees. Don’t leave home without it!
You may freely share this letter to help others be better prepared for their journey – Dennis
Importance of Travel Insurance
