Even the most seasoned travelers sometimes feel confused about travel insurance — what’s out there, what it covers, whether or not they need it.

While coverage and policies vary from state to state, of course, here are some basics of travel insurance to get you started:

1.  There are five main types of travel insurance. What you might need depends largely on what kind of trip you’re taking, what kind of traveler you are, and how frequently you travel. The five main types are:
• trip cancellation and interruption (full or partial reimbursement for a trip you need to cancel prior to departure, a trip that gets cancelled because a tour company or resort goes out of business, or a trip that gets cut short for a wide variety of reasons)
• medical (for health issues that occur outside of your normal coverage area)
• evacuation (due to disaster, dangerous weather, political emergency, or medical emergency)
• baggage (reimbursement for lost, stolen, or damaged baggage)
• flight insurance (also called “crash coverage,” this is basically a life insurance policy that covers you while you’re on the plane, in the event of a statistically-rare crash) ​

​Greece has always been an ideal Mediterranean vacation destination. With over 1,400 islands (230 inhabited), it can be hard to choose which one to visit first. Hopefully, these eight guidelines will assist with your decision.

New York Times writer Susan Heller famously said, “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”

Even when we have great intentions, it’s easy to overload our suitcases. We wind up dragging a lot of stuff around. There’s more to keep track of; it winds up being a lot of physical and mental clutter. And, of course, we wind up paying a ton of extra fees for the additional weight and luggage.

So, rather than viewing efficient packing as a practice in minimalism, I like to think of it as a challenge that helps you make the most of every vacation: you have what you need, you’re freed up to not have to lug around a bunch of extra weight, and you can put that saved money towards a special souvenir, a nice dinner out, or another cool experience. ​

​As human beings, we’re guilty of saying “We’ll go there on our next trip,” and “There’s always next summer.” The truth is, next year isn’t always promised. Just last month, the world watched Notre Dame become engulfed in flames, losing three main parts of the historical structure. Now, France is racing to repair the damage before the foundation weakens from spring rains.

The tragedy brings to mind how blessed we are to have sites that recognize and honor our history. Even more so, gratitude floods my heart that we can visit and experience these bucket list wonders.

   If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ve undoubtedly had the near-universal experience of enduring a TSA security line or an immigration line upon re-entry to your home country.

What if you could bypass these lines for good?

You may have heard of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. You fill out a fairly lengthy application, pay $100, and if your application passes the initial phase, you’re invited to an in-person interview/screening at a participating airport. If you pass that phase of the application, you are granted a Global Entry ID. In a nutshell, this is how it works:

At airports, program participants proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. (www.globalentry.gov)

In addition, people who are approved via the Global Entry program can also participate in TSA Pre-Check, which allows people to skip regular TSA security lines at participating airports and go through an expedited line — without having to remove shoes or other clothing items, open laptops, or do any of the other things that take up time in line. 

Global Entry (and the accompanying TSA Pre-Check) is a good fit for your flying needs if:

• You plan to travel internationally any time in the next five years. The more you travel, of course, the more worthwhile it will be — but many reviewers indicated that Global Entry is worth the time savings even if you travel internationally once a year or less.
•  You have the Amex Platinum, Mercedes-Benz Platinum, or Business Platinum (or Centurion) cards, as the $100 fee is refunded to you as a statement credit. Other cards may also offer this reimbursement — check with your credit card company to be sure.
• You live within a reasonable distance of and use any of the airports listed here. The Global Entry program requires the in-person interview, so if the nearest participating airport is several hundred miles from you, it might not be worth it, unless you are a very frequent flier. Participating TSA Pre-Check airlines and airports can be found here.

In addition to inside information on things like Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check, as your travel advisor, I have many great helpful hints and connections to make your next trip an amazing one. I would be thrilled to meet with you and plan out your next great adventure! You can reach me by clicking here.

A Once In A Lifetime Trip
Alaska should definitely be on your bucket-list travel! Considered to be one of the last frontiers of the world and the 49th state in the union, Alaska is a gem of the world. It is a land of ice, bald eagles, mountains, grizzly bears, and the epitome of the American spirit. One of the best ways to see Alaska is by cruise and there are a couple of different ways to do this. The variations include the type of ship and whether you want to tour the Inside Passage or the Gulf of Alaska.