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The truth is, you never know when an accident will strike on holiday. With travel insurance, you have access to a hotline that you can call for assistance. That could mean a world of difference if you’re alone and stuck in a painful situation.

Sometimes, life gets in the way of the plans we make. When that happens, imagine the amount you’ll be spending on a non-refundable trip. By just spending a nominal amount, you could save yourself the worry and protect your trip investment. Purchasing travel insurance is usually just about 8% of your total trip costs!

When travelling alone, you have to manage many tasks yourself. Inevitably, things may slip your mind and belongings may be lost. Plus, travel insurance offers coverage for luggage lost during transit so you can continue with your trip. The same applies for stolen belongings, which includes cash and travel documents. Stolen hand-carried baggage is also covered by travel insurance if you file a police report first. Even if Balinese monkeys steal your luggage and fling it off a cliff, you’ll be covered!

If your trip involves solo golfing or doing outdoor activities, you’ll be better protected. There are also insurance policies that provide a ‘special sports’ cover for activities like skiing, snowboarding or scuba diving.

If you’ve gone to great lengths to plan your solo itinerary, significant flight delays can affect your travel schedule. In the event that your flight is delayed for a long period of time, you’ll receive some compensation.

What if you’re on holiday and there’s no one to look after your house? In the event that an accidental fire happens in your home during your trip, this benefit can cover the losses and damages incurred. With travel insurance, you’ll be able to receive coverage for home repairs and valuables such as jewellery, collectibles, home contents and personal belongings.

Now that you know the basics of travel insurance, you’ll probably be wondering how you can pick the right one. Here are some tips to help you make an informed choice.

Find a reputable provider

Getting the right insurance is critical to having peace-of-mind during your trip. Global companies typically have a good reputation and valuable experience in providing various types of insurance. If you’re on a tight budget, smaller insurance providers can also be the way to go. This would be suitable if you are taking a short trip without a complex itinerary.

Consider the value of your belongings

All travel insurance policies have a limit on the amount insured per item we bring on holiday. If you are packing your laptop, travel documents, golf equipment and large amounts of cash with you, it would be critical to find an insurance plan that covers these valuable items.

Choose a plan that caters to your unique needs

Travelling alone means that you have to take extra precaution to ensure your own safety. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, ensure that your insurance provider can cover the condition. You should also check whether they cover specialist medical care. If you are travelling while pregnant, it is also useful to check if your plan covers women’s benefits for pregnancy-related illness or emergency. Seek an insurance provider with a 24-hour support hotline as this would make it easier for you to get help in event of an emergency.

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Solo travel can be a great adventure. With travel insurance, you can focus on getting the rest and rejuvenation you need, rather than worry about any complications. Got any questions about travel insurance? Find out more here or reach out to us here.

The first typhoon (Jelawat) in 2018 took place in March, but typhoons developed most frequently from July to September. While this goes to show that there is no fixed ‘season’, it is still helpful to recognise the higher probability of typhoons occurring in the latter half of the year. Hence, if you’re planning a holiday between May and December, it would be wise to follow the weather forecast closely and have ample travel insurance coverage at hand.

Storm surges are especially common in the event of a typhoon. That means destinations located near the sea are more exposed to high and dangerous tides that can cause floods and destroy buildings. As Southeast Asia is often seen as a haven for pristine beaches and coasts, it may be a good idea to postpone your beach vacation to another date, especially if the infrastructure is not built to withstand typhoons and storm surges. Otherwise, you may want to consider countries in the region that is not affected by typhoons, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

In the event of natural disasters such as a typhoon, insurance will always provide you with some relief. That is because it can come into play in so many ways. For the locals, personal property such as houses and cars are often damaged during a typhoon. Having home and car insurance will thus help to alleviate repair costs to a large extent. For travellers, having a travel insurance plan will help to cover for flight delays, extra accommodation charges, and even injuries sustained during a trip. It is also important to know that coverage is only included for adverse weather conditions that have commenced or been announced after the date of purchase.

When a typhoon eventually subsides, it is common to find the extent of damage being reported in the news, with losses that can amount to billions of dollars.* For the individual, these losses can be lessened with good insurance plans in place.

Want to know more about travel insurance plans? Find out more here or feel free to reach out to us here.

* Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-14/super-typhoon-mangkhut-slams-philippines-with-category-5-power

Have a sweet tooth? Make sure you consume these decadent treats in moderation. Other than biscuits and chocolate, many other foods have shockingly high sugar content. These include microwavable meals, low-fat yogurts, ketchup, baked beans and more. To be on the safe side, you should aim to cut your sugar intake by half to around 25g or 5 teaspoons a day. Artificial sweeteners and dark chocolate are healthier options that taste just as good.

While fruits may be a healthy snack, fruit juice contains a lot of sugar and calories. It is hence recommended to keep to just a small glass of 150 ml a day. And if you’re craving a soft drink, choose diet coke instead!

Heavily processed carbohydrates such as those made with white flour, white sugar and white rice have high sugar levels. These include breads, muffins, cakes, crackers and pasta. Such foods are known to be the main culprits of diabetes as they cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels. Eventually, this could result in type 2 diabetes. To reduce risks, limit your intake of food made with processed carbohydrates and opt for whole-grain options instead.

Unhealthy saturated and trans fats can increase blood cholesterol levels. High cholesterol increases the risk of you getting type 2 diabetes. Trans fats can come from packaged baked goods and fried food. In addition, saturated fats can be found in fatty meats, butter and full fat dairy products. To avoid consuming too much of these fats, avoid chicken skin and use olive oil to cook your meals.

If you’re practically a carnivore, this applies to you. You may want to cut down on processed meat like bacon, hot dogs and deli meats as these can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Even one 3-ounce serving of red meat a day can increase your diabetes risk dramatically! Switching to other protein sources will not only reduce your diabetes risk, it can help to improve your health. Salmon, sardines, eggs and grass-fed beef are healthier options for you to try.

Diabetes is just one example of the many diseases that can affect you. Keeping a healthy lifestyle and eating more nutritious food can keep such illnesses at bay. What’s more, it’s important to get yourself checked for any illnesses and check if they are covered by health insurance. Getting insurance while you are healthy can also protect you from high premiums later on!

Got any questions about health insurance? Find out more here or reach out to us here.

Jewellery is one of the most desired items on a burglar’s hit-list. Compared to robbing a jewellery store stocking gold, silver and precious stones, robbing your home is a piece of cake. If you have highly valuable family heirlooms or jewellery you don’t use often, it may be a good idea to store them at the bank.

It’s no surprise that cash is one of the top items a burglar desires. If you think keeping them in a safe deposit box will prevent theft, think again. That is where many burglars will look first! Instead, keep large sums of cash in the bank. If you need to keep some cash at home, store it in a discreet location, such as random folder on your bookshelf or your sock drawer, but be sure to remember where you hid them!

Electronics like laptops, iPads and smartphones are highly desired by burglars. These are usually the items that we leave lying around, which makes them an easy target. For extra peace of mind, you could keep your electronics in a safe in your room. You could also install a laptop lock or laptop alarm to make it harder for burglars to steal. Losing electronics can have other implications as they contain your confidential personal information.

It may come as a surprise, but burglars can go after your prescription drugs too as medicines have surged in market value. Burglars can easily sell them and get a hefty profit.

Protect your liquor cabinets! Even if a burglar doesn’t steal your expensive wine, he may decide to drink it. If the bad guys weren’t afraid to break a window to invade your home, they probably won’t hesitate to smash more glass to get a drink.

The worst thing you can lose during a break-in is your identity. Credit and debit cards, old cheques, bills and medical records left lying around can put your sensitive personal information at risk.

Believe it or not, some burglars may even rob you of your furry friends. If they don’t, they could still cause harm to your pets through accidental deaths and injuries during a break-in.

Expensive art pieces are on many burglars’ wishlists. Art, furniture and household utensils are easy to steal and can be re-sold for an immense profit. While it is difficult to ensure that these items won’t be stolen, keeping an inventory can help with an insurance claim if your household gets robbed. You could also keep photos of these items for reference in case you have to replace them.

Losing your power tools and building supplies can be a big inconvenience. These are highly desired by burglars too, so it’s important to keep them stowed away safely.

If a burglar enters your house through forced entry, you’ll receive compensation through home insurance. Depending on your insurance policy, you’ll be covered up to a limit for each personal belonging that is lost.

Here’s some extra information to guide you along.

More valuable objects like jewellery, antiques or silverware will likely have lower limits as most home insurance policies have limits for the amount they would cover for expensive items. If you have an array of expensive items in your household, you would need to purchase an additional endorsement to cover them.

If your home is burgled, this is what you need to do.

1. First, report the incident to the police.
2. Promptly contact your insurance agent. Many insurance agents have a time limit on how long you can wait to file a claim.
3. Document property damage with photographs and videos and prepare a list of stolen items.
4. Preserve damaged items as evidence of burglary. Do not discard, remove or start repair works related to the burglary without consent from your insurance agent.

 
No one ever wants to be a victim of a burglary. But when it happens, you can be sure that home insurance will help you get back on your feet. After all, it is more worthwhile to spend a few million dong a year on home insurance than forking out even larger sums for losses caused by theft.

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Got any questions about home insurance? Find out more here or reach out to us here.

Despite being the largest island in Vietnam, Phú Quốc island has slipped off the world’s radar for a long time. Lined with beautiful white-sand beaches that will make you want to lounge on them all day, it should be top of your list if you ever visit the country. Sunset-seeking travelers would find Long Beach, one of the most popular beaches, perfect to catch the sun dip below the waves. If you are up for an adventure, there are other uninhabited remote islands nearby that are equally alluring in beauty.

The province where the Raja Ampat Islands are found is also known as the Amazon of the Oceans. The reason behind this name is due to it having one of the highest diversity of marine life in the world. With more than 1,000 tropical fish species and 250 species of exotic bird sightings, this hidden treasure of Indonesia is a diver and bird lover’s paradise. Making the trip down to these islands is definitely worth it, especially when you come face to face with the untouched and undisturbed coral reefs.

On the eastern side of the Thai Gulf lies the lesser-known Koh Kood Island, as compared to the much-heralded Phuket Islands. With hardly any crowds and the absence of night life, this is the place to be at if you are looking to relax and unwind. About 70 per cent of the island is covered by lush tropical rainforests. If you venture into the middle of the island, you will find the beautiful Klong Chao waterfall—along with the opportunity to swing on hanging vines into a refreshing cool lake.

Whenever Hong Kong is mentioned, it is common to think of a concrete jungle. But just 20 minutes away from Central Hong Kong lies a completely peaceful world of sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and emerald green hills. The free-spirited and multi-cultural vibes that emanates through this island makes this a true gem. Go on one of the many hiking trails to clear your thoughts, or visit Lamma Winds, Hong Kong’s very first wind turbine.

No matter the activity you chose to partake in - be it plunging into lakes from hanging vines or diving into the sparkling blue waters - be sure to keep yourself covered with a comprehensive travel insurance plan. That way, you can enjoy your well-deserved vacation with a peace of mind.

Got any questions about travel insurance? Find out more here or feel free to contact us here.

When you’re not around, your closest allies are almost always your neighbours. Give them your vacation contact information so that they can notify you should they notice anything amiss. If you’re not on friendly terms with them, the next best alternatives are your relatives or your closest friend. You can even get them to swing by once in a while for a quick check.

If you have a mailbox out in your front yard that is visible to people, it may be worthwhile to give the post office a call to stop the mail for the period of your vacation. The same goes for your subscriptions such as the newspapers. Having an overflowing mail box or an increasing pile of newspapers on your porch gives a clear indication that the owner is away and only makes it more enticing for burglars.

In recent years, CCTVs are less costly and more effective than ever before. Installing a CCTV that can be connected to your smartphone is a savvy option that allows you to monitor your house anytime of the day. If you want to cut down on unnecessary footage, you can also invest in one that comes with motion sensors. Having a CCTV can serve as a deterrent for burglars, so even setting up a dummy camera can possibly make them think twice.

Sounds strange? It isn’t. Go through the valuables in your home and ring up your agent to update them on any valuable new additions to the house since the day you purchased your insurance. That way, you can check whether these home contents are under coverage. While most insurance plans don’t provide full coverage for expensive articles such as jewellery and fur, it is still important to get at least partial coverage for these costly items. If you don’t have an existing home insurance plan, it would be good to do some research and invest in a comprehensive home insurance plan before your trip.

Keeping your house secure requires teamwork and MSIG is on your side. If you have any queries regarding home insurance, feel free to find out more here or contact us here.