Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Australian Travelers: Online
Travel Insurance y 02/6262-8754;
www.travelinsuranceaustralia.com.
au offers a variety of policies for U.S.
travel.
Lost-Luggage Insurance: On
domestic flights, checked baggage
is covered up to $2,500 per ticketed
passenger. On international flights
(including U.S. portions of interna-
tional trips), baggage is limited to
approximately $9 per pound, up to
approximately $635 per checked
bag. If you plan to check items more
valuable than the standard liability,
see if your valuables are covered by
your homeowner's policy, get
baggage insurance as part of your
comprehensive travel-insurance
package, or buy Travel Guard's
“BagTrak” product. Don't buy insur-
ance at the airport, as it's usually
overpriced. Be sure to take any
valuables or irreplaceable items
with you in your carry-on luggage,
since many valuables (including
books, money, and electronics)
aren't covered by airline policies.
If your luggage is lost, immedi-
ately file a lost-luggage claim at the
airport, detailing the luggage con-
tents. For most airlines, you must
report delayed, damaged, or lost
baggage within 4 hours of arrival.
The airlines are required to deliver
luggage, once found, directly to your
house or destination free of charge.
INTERNET San Francisco has few
Internet cafes. The closest one to
Union Square is Cafe.com, 120
Mason St., near Eddy Street y 415/
433-4001, open Monday through
Saturday. Other options include
Copy Central, 110 Sutter St., at
Montgomery Street y 415/392-
6470, and Fedex Kinko's, 1967
Market St., near Gough y 415/252-
0864. If you are staying in the
Marina, the Kinko's there is at 3225
Fillmore St., near Lombard Street
y 415/441-2995.
LIMOS Tr y Allstate y 800/453-
4099 or San Francisco Limo Ser-
vice y 415/440-6666.
MAIL & POSTAGE Dozens of post
offices are located around the city.
The closest to Union Square is
inside Macy's department store,
170 O'Farrell St. y 800/275-8777.
Another convenient location is Sut-
ter Street Postal Store at 150 Sutter.
You can pick up mail addressed to
you and marked “General Delivery”
(Poste Restante) at the Civic Center
Post Office Box Unit, P.O. Box 429991,
San Francisco, CA 94142-9991
y 800/275-8777. The street address
is 101 Hyde St.
MONEY Traveler's checks: Yo u
can get traveler's checks at almost
any bank. American Express offers
denominations of $20, $50, $100,
$500, and (for cardholders only)
$1,000. You'll pay a service charge
ranging from 1% to 4%. You can also
get American Express traveler's
checks over the phone by calling
y 800/221-7282; y 0870/600-1060
in the U.K.; visit www.american
express.com.au in Australia; Amex
gold and platinum cardholders who
use this number are exempt from
the 1% fee. American Automobile
Association members can obtain
checks without a fee at most AAA
offices. In the U.S., Visa offers trav-
eler's checks at Citibank locations
nationwide, as well as at several
other banks. The service charge
ranges between 1.5% and 2%;
checks come in denominations of
$20, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000.
y 800/732-1322. MasterCard also
offers traveler's checks. y 800/223-
9920. Outside the U.S. contact your
bank, who will be able to advise you
on buying U.S. dollar traveler's
checks. If you choose to carry trav-
eler's checks, be sure to keep a
record of their serial numbers sepa-
rate from your checks in the event
that the checks are stolen or lost.
You'll get a refund faster if you know
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