Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
only after you return home. Even if
your plan does cover overseas treat-
ment, most out-of-country hospitals
make you pay your bills upfront, and
send you a refund only after you've
returned home and filed the necessary
paperwork with your insurance com-
pany. As a safety net, you may want to
buy travel medical insurance, particu-
larly if you're traveling to a remote or
high-risk area where emergency evacu-
ation is a possible scenario. If you
require additional medical insurance,
try
MEDEX Assistance
(
&
410/
453-6300;
www.medexassist.com) or
Travel Assistance International
(
&
800/821-2828;
www.travel
assistance.com; for general informa-
tion on services, call the company's
Worldwide Assistance Services, Inc.,
at
&
800/777-8710
).
LOST-LUGGAGE INSURANCE
On domestic flights, checked bag-
gage is covered up to $2,500 per tick-
eted passenger. On international
flights (including U.S. portions of
international trips), baggage coverage
is limited to approximately $9.07 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 cov-
ered by your homeowner's policy, get
baggage insurance as part of your
comprehensive travel-insurance pack-
age, or buy Travel Guard's “BagTrak”
product. Don't buy insurance at the
airport, as it's usually overpriced. Be
sure to take any valuables or irreplace-
able items with you in your carry-on
luggage, as many valuables (including
books, money, and electronics) aren't
covered by airline policies.
If your luggage is lost, immediately
file a lost-luggage claim at the airport,
detailing the luggage contents. 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 desti-
nation free of charge.
7 Health & Safety
STAYING HEALTHY
Norway is viewed as a “safe” destina-
tion, although problems, of course,
can and do occur anywhere. You don't
need to get shots, most food is safe,
and the water in cities and towns is
potable. (If you're concerned, order
bottled water.) It is easy to get a pre-
scription filled in towns and cities,
and nearly all places throughout Nor-
way contain hospitals with English-
speaking doctors and well-trained
medical staffs.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET
SICK AWAY FROM HOME
If you worry about getting sick away
from home, consider purchasing
med-
ical travel insurance
and carry your
ID card in your purse or wallet. In
most cases, your existing health plan
will provide the coverage you need.
See the section on insurance above for
more information.
Pack
prescription medications
in
your carry-on luggage, and carry pre-
scription medications in their original
containers. Also bring along copies of
your prescriptions in case you lose or
run out of your pills. Carry the generic
name of prescription medicines, in
case a local pharmacist is unfamiliar
with the brand name.
And don't forget sunglasses and an
extra pair of contact lenses or prescrip-
tion glasses.
Contact the
International Associa-
tion for Medical Assistance to Trav-
elers (IAMAT)
(
&
716/754-4883,
or
in Canada 416/652-0137; www.
iamat.org) for tips on travel and health
concerns in Norway and lists of local,
English-speaking doctors. The United
