Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
expensive, and in most cases will require advance payment or proof of coverage
before they render their services. Policies can cover everything from the loss or
theft of your baggage and trip cancellation to the guarantee of bail in case you're
arrested. Good policies will also cover the costs of an accident, repatriation, or
death. See “Insurance & Health” in chapter 2 for more information. Packages
such as
Europ Assistance's “Worldwide Healthcare Plan”
are sold by Euro-
pean automobile clubs and travel agencies at attractive rates.
Worldwide Assis-
tance Services, Inc.
(
&
800/821-2828;
www.worldwideassistance.com), is the
agent for Europ Assistance in the United States.
Though lack of health insurance may prevent you from being admitted to a
hospital in nonemergencies, don't worry about being left on a street corner to die:
The American way is to fix you now and bill the living daylights out of you later.
INSURANCE FOR BRITISH TRAVELERS
Most big travel agents offer their
own insurance and will probably try to sell you their package when you book a
holiday. Think before you sign.
Britain's Consumers' Association
recommends
that you insist on seeing the policy and reading the fine print before buying travel
insurance.
The Association of British Insurers
(
&
020/7600-3333;
www.abi.
org.uk) gives advice by phone and publishes
Holiday Insurance,
a free guide to
policy provisions and prices. You might also shop around for better deals: Try
Columbus Direct
(
&
020/7375-0011;
www.columbusdirect.net).
INSURANCE FOR CANADIAN TRAVELERS
Canadians should check with
their provincial health plan offices or call
Health Canada
(
&
613/957-2991;
www.hc-sc.gc.ca) to find out the extent of their coverage and what documentation
and receipts they must take home in case they are treated in the United States.
MONEY
CURRENCY
The U.S. monetary system is very simple: The most common
bills
are the $1 (colloquially, a “buck”), $5, $10, and $20 denominations. There
are also $2 bills (seldom encountered), $50 bills, and $100 bills (the last two are
usually not welcome as payment for small purchases). All the paper money was
recently redesigned, making the famous faces adorning them disproportionately
large. The old-style bills are still legal tender.
There are seven denominations of coins: 1¢ (1 cent, or a penny); 5¢ (5 cents,
or a nickel); 10¢ (10 cents, or a dime); 25¢ (25 cents, or a quarter); 50¢ (50
cents, or a half dollar); the new gold-colored “Sacagawea” coin worth $1; and,
prized by collectors, the rare, older silver dollar.
Note:
The “foreign-exchange bureaus” so common in Europe are rare even at
airports in the United States, and nonexistent outside major cities. It's best not
to change foreign money (or traveler's checks denominated in a currency other
than U.S. dollars) at a small-town bank, or even a branch in a big city; in fact,
leave any currency other than U.S. dollars at home—it may prove a greater nui-
sance to you than it's worth.
In Chicago, if you find yourself in need of a foreign-exchange service, the
Chicago consumer Yellow Pages lists names and numbers of foreign-exchange
services under the heading “Foreign Exchange Brokers.” In the Loop, try
World's Money Exchange, Inc.,
203 N. LaSalle St., located on the mezzanine
(
&
312/641-2151
).
TRAVELER'S CHECKS
Though traveler's checks are widely accepted, make
sure that they're denominated in U.S. dollars, as foreign-currency checks are
often difficult to exchange. The three traveler's checks that are most widely rec-
ognized—and least likely to be denied—are
Visa, American Express,
and
