The Maha Kumbh Mela, usually shortened just to the Kumbh Mela (as the first word changes), is a Hindu pilgrimages attended by holy men and women across India. People come to a set city, indicated by planetary positions. It is said to be an auspicious festival to attend, and so attracts people from all walks of life. The festival can be attended by any number from 10 million to 80 million participants, and in recent years there have been around 1 million people attending from outside of India. There can be millions of people in a given spot for the festival on the important bathing days.

Potential Security Issues

India in general is subject to a high level of terrorist threat, and awareness of these issues has been heightened after the terrorist attacks on tourist-related areas in Mumbai in November 2008.

Although the Maha Kumbh Mela is being held in Haridwar district, rather than Mumbai, most travel in and out of the country in concentrated in Mumbai. Haridwar is also in close proximity to the troubled states of Assam, Nagaland, Tripura and Manipur – all are in the mnorth of the country. The highest level of travel insurance cover will help protect you from harm in these northern areas.

Potential Logistical Issues

The millions of people that flood into the Kumbh Mela areas during the religious festival place plenty of pressure on infrastructure! It is sensible to book accommodation as far in advance as you can, and to travel lightly, with only what you absolutely need. Carrying your luggage on the plane will help avoid any disturbances at the airport, and logistics-related travel insurance will cover the rest.

Recommended Level of Travel Insurance

On a per capita basis, the possibility of being caught up in terrorist or politically motivated crime in India is relatively small. Still, the Australian government has set its threat level to ‘High degree of caution’ for travelers going to India.

• Medical travel insurance cover is certainly recommended – India is a developing country and gastric diseases, as well more exotic diseases that are rare in Australia, are common. Not all can be vaccinated against.
• Logistics-related travel insurance cover is recommended, because of the enormous number of people that will be attending the Kumbh Mela. According to the Australian Government, petty crime is quite common in India, so travel insurance plans that cover you for loss or theft of personal belongings should be mandatory
• Cautious travelers could make use of the highest level of travel insurance cover, mostly for the catastrophe cover and mugging benefit that it provides.

Essential Travel Tips for the Maha Kumbha Mela, India 2010 is a post from: Travel Insurance Tips & Articles

The World Cup will be held in South Africa this year, from June 11 to July 11. The qualifying rounds are still in progress, so there is little indication of what nations will be in the final game – but whatever country it ends up being, the fans will be very emotional!

Potential Security Issues

The media has been reporting the possibility that the games will be used to draw attention to social issues like AIDS and prostitution in South Africa. It is also a given that the international profile of the World Cup might make it a terrorist or anarchist target. There seem to be several different interest groups wanting to piggyback off the World Cup to draw attention to their particular cause, meaning that the games are not likely to be completely without incident. Travel insurance should be considered a necessity, as much as a plane ticket if you’re planning to attend.

Potential Logistical Issues

While you don’t require a visa to enter South Africa for less than 90 days if you have an Australian passport, the expiration date of your passport can be no less than 30 days later than the expected end date of your stay. Check up on your passport expiration – your travel insurance won’t cover this sort of logistical problem.

There will also be enormous demand on accommodation in the nine cities hosting World Cup games – Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Port Elizabeth, Polokwanr and Nelspruit. Book your accommodation early – but make sure your travel insurance covers you for accommodation problems beyond your control. The high demand could make issues costly.

Recommended Level of Travel Insurance

South Africa is one of the most troubled countries in the world in terms of crime. When thinking about the level of holiday insurance you need, we’d recommend that:

• You get full medical travel insurance cover. South Africa is not a fully developed nation, and has several diseases that are very rare in Australia
• Logistical travel insurance cover is recommended, because of the potential difficulty in securing accommodation at a reasonable price of there is a problem with your existing booking.
• We also recommend the highest level of travel insurance cover, which includes hijack benefit, mugging benefit, catastrophe cover and search and rescue benefit. Unfortunately hijackings and mugging occur frequently in South Africa.

Essential Travel Tips for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is a post from: Travel Insurance Tips & Articles

The Olympic Cauldron will be lit in Vancouver on February 12, 2010, marking the official start of the games. All of the regular Winter Olympic sports are on the agenda: ice hockey, alpine and cross-country skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding and figure and speed skating will be heavily attended. There are also a couple of relatively new sports included for this set of games, like Skeleton and Luge.

The Olympics in Vancouver are being held in one of the most picturesque locations ever seen in a host city. That location, however, is also causing a lot of speculation about whether conditions will be suitable for snow-based and other outdoor events. The Opening Ceremony, and traditionally high demand events like medal rounds in figure skating and ice hockey have been booked solid for months.

Potential Security Issues

The profile of the Winter Olympics makes it a target for potential terrorist or anarchist demonstrations, as well as those of other special interest groups. The torch relay, which began on the 30th of October last year (yes, that is a massive run!), has already been marred by minor demonstrations. However, these certainly were not on the scale of Beijing’s Olympics and the Tibet issue, which went off relatively undisturbed.

Do look out for demonstrations, which can quickly turn violent with the help of crowd mentality. There will be around 6,000 security personnel on hand in the Olympic vicinity to keep eventgoers safe. Don’t skimp on the travel insurance, however – an upgrade often costs less than you think it would, and is a sensible precaution in the current international climate.

Potential Logistical Issues

We already mentioned that the opening ceremony and high demand events have been booked solid for some time. If you have made any travel plans on the basis of attending these particular events, you may want to rethink them. Logistics-related travel insurance claims can only be paid if outside circumstances prevent you from fulfilling your hotel booking (or other bookings), not because of failure to plan ahead.

You’ll also want to make sure that your online travel insurance policy, or your car rental insurance policy, covers everybody who will be driving your rental car. After Manhattan, Vancouver has the highest population density in North America – so you can imagine the traffic around the Olympics time!

Recommended Level of Travel Insurance

Given the issues that travelers might encounter at the Vancouver Olympic Games, we’d recommend looking for the following in an online travel insurance policy:

• Full medical travel insurance coverage – the risk of catching an illness in cold conditions, surrounded thousands of other people, is high
• Logistical travel insurance coverage – the fact that accommodation is at a premium in and around the Games venues (and in the entire city!) means that you could be up for considerable extra costs if you have a logistical problem.

The highest level of travel insurance cover, which offers catastrophe cover, hijack benefit, search and rescue expenses, mugging benefit and resumption of trip benefits may not be needed here … however, it only costs a little extra and could add to your peace of mind.

Essential Travel Tips for Canada’s Winter Olympics is a post from: Travel Insurance Tips & Articles