Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
off work and store closures in October.
Croatia, Hungary, the Czech Republic,
and Slovenia each close down for a day
(Oct 8, 23, 28, and 31 respectively) to
celebrate political milestones. The har-
vest season goes into full swing, too,
with village celebrations in progress
across the region. Warsaw hosts a
Jazz
Jamboree
this month. It is purported
to be the oldest jazz festival in Europe.
November
All Saints' Day
(Nov 1) is another holy
day for Catholics and a day to close up
shop in Eastern Europe's Catholic
countries (Croatia, Poland, Slovakia,
Slovenia). Polish people place lighted
candles on the graves of the dearly
departed on this day. November 11 is
St. Martin's Day
and the first day of
the wine season in grape-growing
regions (Croatia, Slovenia) and a day
to eat, drink, and be merry.
December
Christmas fairs abound in the Czech
Republic in the days leading up to
Christmas. Polish children delight on
St. Nicholas Day
(Dec 6) because they
receive gifts. Except for Russia,
Christ-
mas Day and St. Stephen's Day
(Dec
25-26) are celebrated throughout
Eastern Europe as both religious and
civic holidays, as is
New Year's Eve,
aka
St. Sylvester's Day,
on December 31.
5 Travel Insurance
The cost of travel insurance varies widely,
depending on the cost and length of your
trip, your age and health, and the type of
trip you're taking, but expect to pay
between 5% and 8% of the vacation
itself. You can get estimates from various
providers through
InsureMyTrip.com.
Enter your trip cost and dates, your age,
and other information, for prices from
more than a dozen companies.
TRIP-CANCELLATION INSUR-
ANCE
Trip-cancellation insurance will help
retrieve your money if you have to back
out of a trip or depart early, or if your
travel supplier goes bankrupt. Permissible
reasons for trip cancellation can range
from sickness to natural disasters to the
State Department declaring a destination
unsafe for travel.
For more information, contact one of
the following recommended insurers:
Access America
(
&
866/807-3982; www.
accessamerica.com);
Travel Guard Inter-
national
(
&
800/826-4919; www.travel
guard.com);
Travel Insured International
(
&
800/243-3174; www.travelinsured.
com); and
Travelex Insurance Ser-
vices
(
&
888/457-4602; www.travelex-
insurance.com).
Travel in the Age of Bankruptcy
Airlines go bankrupt, so protect yourself by
buying your tickets with a credit
card.
The Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees that you can get your money back
from the credit card company if a travel supplier goes under (and if you request
the refund within 60 days of the bankruptcy).
Travel insurance
can also help,
but make sure it covers against “carrier default” for your specific travel
provider. And be aware that if a U.S. airline goes bust midtrip, a 2001 federal
law requires other carriers to take you to your destination (albeit on a space-
available basis) for a fee of no more than $25, provided you rebook within 60
days of the cancellation.
