Things to Do Before You Travel Abroad - Contact Your Auto Insurance Company
Just because the holidays are slowly but surely coming to a close doesn't mean you have to forget about travel until next year.
There's still Valentine's Day, spring break and the infamous summer vacation right around the corner! You've got a lot to do between now and then, especially if you're planning to bring your car along instead of just leaving it home...
not the least of which is making sure you've got an auto insurance policy that will make the leap with you! If you're a newcomer to the big, wide, wonderful world of international travel you probably don't already know that most American auto insurance companies don't do business internationally.
Guess what? Most American auto insurance companies don't do business internationally.
That means as soon as you drive, fly or ferry off US soil your current auto insurance policy isn't going to help you.
At all.
It's not that insurance companies don't want to do business abroad.
In today's global economy, the signature of a company that's going to dig in its feet and stick around for a while is its ability to do business in the global marketplace.
It's just that between paperwork, bureaucracy and currency changes, most auto repair shops and local insurers believe that trying to file auto insurance claims across international borders is more trouble than it's worth! If you had to cut through all that red tape, you probably would too.
The catch is, you don't want to get busted driving overseas without insurance coverage.
Local law enforcement absolutely loves nailing tourists for illegal driving practices when they're in their country.
(It's easy money, can you blame them?) You really don't want to find yourself in a position of being guilty until proven innocent.
Getting international auto insurance isn't nearly as hard as you might think, however.
The really nice thing about living in a global economy is that traveling overseas isn't nearly as difficult today as it was a few centuries ago.
That means a lot more people are doing it, and insurance providers are racing to keep up! There are a number of companies out there that specialize in helping travelers hook up with insurers in the countries they're going to be visiting so they're not hitting the highways without coverage.
That means all you have to do is pick up the phone and your visit will be nice, legal and fully insured.
There's still Valentine's Day, spring break and the infamous summer vacation right around the corner! You've got a lot to do between now and then, especially if you're planning to bring your car along instead of just leaving it home...
not the least of which is making sure you've got an auto insurance policy that will make the leap with you! If you're a newcomer to the big, wide, wonderful world of international travel you probably don't already know that most American auto insurance companies don't do business internationally.
Guess what? Most American auto insurance companies don't do business internationally.
That means as soon as you drive, fly or ferry off US soil your current auto insurance policy isn't going to help you.
At all.
It's not that insurance companies don't want to do business abroad.
In today's global economy, the signature of a company that's going to dig in its feet and stick around for a while is its ability to do business in the global marketplace.
It's just that between paperwork, bureaucracy and currency changes, most auto repair shops and local insurers believe that trying to file auto insurance claims across international borders is more trouble than it's worth! If you had to cut through all that red tape, you probably would too.
The catch is, you don't want to get busted driving overseas without insurance coverage.
Local law enforcement absolutely loves nailing tourists for illegal driving practices when they're in their country.
(It's easy money, can you blame them?) You really don't want to find yourself in a position of being guilty until proven innocent.
Getting international auto insurance isn't nearly as hard as you might think, however.
The really nice thing about living in a global economy is that traveling overseas isn't nearly as difficult today as it was a few centuries ago.
That means a lot more people are doing it, and insurance providers are racing to keep up! There are a number of companies out there that specialize in helping travelers hook up with insurers in the countries they're going to be visiting so they're not hitting the highways without coverage.
That means all you have to do is pick up the phone and your visit will be nice, legal and fully insured.