Posted on

To Insure or Not to Insure, That is the Question.

“Should I take out travel insurance?” This is a question that travelers often debate. Is it worth the cost of the premium? Some people think that travel insurance is a glorified life insurance policy covering your life and limb when traveling but this accident coverage is just a small part of the package and a part that is hardly ever used. A good comprehensive travel policy offers so much more.

Buying travel insurance can be a difficult decision for some some folks.

One of the most important benefits of a travel policy is trip cancellation and interruption coverage. This protects your travel purchase against unforeseen illness or accident that keep you from traveling. When you are considering purchasing a policy be sure and look at the trip interruption portion. Will it reimburse your unused, non-refundable portion of the trip? If an unfortunate situation arises where you will have to return home for a covered reason, it can help cover the increased transportation costs of traveling home on short notice. The policy many also cover you for missed connections, travel delays and even work/business related reasons.

In the unlikely event you become sick or injured during your trip, emergency medical and dental coverage is important to have. It is surprising, the number of health insurance policies that do not cover medical services when you are traveling internationally. It is a good idea to check with your health insurance provider to see what kind of out-of-country coverage you have.

I hate it when my luggage is lost or delayed. It is so irritating to lose your personal items only to find out the airline covers virtually nothing. Your travel insurance Baggage Protection will help replace lost or damaged items, and if you have to wait for your bags to catch up, it is somewhat comforting to know that you will be reimbursed for items that fail to make it intact.

When should you buy travel insurance? I would suggest buying your insurance right after booking your trip. The price is the same whether you buy it a year before the trip or the day before you leave, but buying it early gives you the most coverage time, and sometimes gives you bonuses such as covering pre-existing medical conditions and supplier default.

Make sure to use a reputable insurance company. Over the years, we have offered several different companies and have found Access America to have the best coverage, also the most fair when it comes time to pay a claim. We highly recommend using them for all of your travel insurance needs whether traveling on your own or traveling with us.

Be sure and know what your insurance covers. Read your policy ahead of time and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Most of the time you will find that you are covered for more things than you thought.

No one wants to think about the “what ifs” so let travel insurance take away some of these worries. Even though the odds are low that you might have to file a claim, the security and peace of mind provided with travel insurance is worth every penny.

Posted on

Wanted: Pancho Villa (You’d be Mean Too, If You Were a Man Named Dorothy)

Lee Klein, California Native founder, stands beside a statue of Pancho Villa in the city of ZacatecasPancho Villa, so the saying goes, was “hated by thousands and loved by millions.” He was a Robin Hood to many and a cruel, cold-blooded killer to others. But who was this colorful controversial hero of the Mexican Revolution and where did he come from?

Doroteo Arango, for that was Pancho Villa’s real name, was born in the state of Durango in 1878, a share-cropper peasant on a hacienda. According to the legend, one day when he was sixteen, he returned home from the fields to find that his sister had been raped by the owner of the hacienda, Don Agustin López Negrete. Doroteo took up his revolver, shot Don Agustin, and escaped into the mountains on a horse.

He became a cattle rustler and later joined a band of rustlers that was led by a man named Francisco “Pancho” Villa. In one of their many skirmishes with the law, the group was surprised by a group of rurales (mounted police) and Francisco was killed. Doroteo then took command of the gang and also assumed the name of the fallen leader. He may have done this to throw off those who hunted him for the murder of the hacienda owner or he may have done this to insure his authority over the group. Anyway, from that time on it was he who was known as Francisco “Pancho” Villa.

Wanted poster for Pancho Villa after he raided Columbus, New Mexico in 1916.Pancho Villa was a natural leader and was very successful as a bandit, leading raids on towns, killing, and looting. He was also involved in more legitimate ventures, including being a contractor on the Copper Canyon railroad.

In 1910, when the Mexican Revolution broke out, Villa was recruited by the revolutionary leader, Abraham Gonzalez. Villa put together an army of armed cowboys and ruffians and became the revolutionary general who led the war in the northern part of Mexico. His charisma and victories made him an idol of the masses.

In 1916, when an American merchant refused to deliver the arms to Villa’s army which they had paid him for, Villa entered the United States and raided the town of Columbus, New Mexico. He was pursued by General “Black Jack” Pershing through the mountains of the State of Chihuahua. Pershing’s pursuit of Villa ended in failure, causing him to telegraph back to Washington that “Villa is everywhere, but Villa is nowhere.”

The war ended in 1920, and many attempts were made on Villa’s life by relatives of persons he had killed. On July 20, 1923, while driving his car through the town on Parral, Chihuahua, he was assasinated. The men responsible were never identified.

Posted on

Ham and Cheese Again

It’s a good thing we enjoy a good ham and cheese sandwich. On our recent trip to Argentina and Patagonia, we were amazed at the ubiquity of this tasty combination.

On a mountain top, overlooking the lakes of Bariloche, Argentina, California Native founder Lee Klein enjoys the view and another ham and cheese sandwich.On our very first day in Buenos Aires, exhausted from jet lag and very hungry, we stopped at an empanada stand. Empanadas are a staple of Argentinian food. Basically, they are dough folded around a filling and baked. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. The available fillings were meat, onions and cheese, or ham and cheese. We opted for the latter. Delicious! OK, it was the first day, but we found a great lunch. Along the way, in other towns, we stopped in grocery stores, bakeries, etc. and ham and cheese was the filling we could consistently count on for empanadas.

As we traveled through the country, on most of our excursions, hikes, and sightseeing walks, a sack lunch was usually included. In the bags were an abundance of items—fruits, chips, salads, snacks and a ham and cheese sandwich.

Because of the size of the Country, it is often necessary to fly from one place to another. We flew on Aerolineas Argentinas, a nice domestic airline that goes everywhere. On each domestic flight, no matter the distance, we were served—you guessed it—a ham and cheese sandwich (with a sweet dessert).

So, we are walking along and exploring a town on our own, and decide to stop at a restaurant or cafe for lunch. Maybe just pick up a quick sandwich? Looking at the menu under sandwiches, there are several options: ham and cheese, ham, cheese, ham and cheese and egg, ham and cheese and tomato, ham and egg…well you get the picture. Substitute the word “Spam” for “ham” and you have a Monty Python routine.

Why so much ham? Much of the cuisine in Argentina comes from the Spanish and Italian immigrants, and hams were very popular in both countries.

Rolling through the countryside and looking at the farmland, we see lots of cows (explaining the cheese and the milk in the wonderful cafe con leche), sheep, horses and other animals, but the one animal that seems to be missing is a pig. I guess all the hams are out to lunch!