Health tips for travelers

STORY

		Wednesday, Oct 05, 2011 AsiaOne
Health tips for travelers
Singapore residents are now traveling abroad more, with over seven million departures in 2010, up from five million in 2005. Whether you are traveling for a short business trip or for an extended vacation with your family, it pays to take steps to protect your health. Here are a few pointers to take note of before and during your trip. Be prepared Always make sure that you obtain travel insurance prior to the trip. This is not only to ensure that your baggage is taken care of, but also to ensure that medical bills which might be incurred during your trip are covered. If you are traveling for work, check if your company is providing adequate insurance coverage for you. If you need to take prescription medicine regularly, pay a trip to your doctor at least a week before your trip so that you can stock up on medication if necessary. Depending on your destination, you might also wish to pack anti-diarrhea pills, as well as standard medication for runny noses, coughs and gastric problems. A checklist on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website recommends getting a prescription from your doctor specifying which medications you are taking. Other advisories recommend leaving the medication in its original packaging. The last thing you want at the end of a long flight is to be questioned by Customs because your unlabelled pills look like illicit drugs. Last but not least, get the necessary vaccinations, be it for influenza, malaria, yellow fever or meningitis. Infectious disease physician Dr Wong Sin Yew advises travelers to "seek pre-travel health advice and vaccinations before their year-end holidays, if the countries they are visiting have a high incidence of contagious diseases like flu and hepatitis." On board Singapore's normal humidity is about 70 per cent, while that within an airplane cabin is about 5 to 20 per cent. This can cause problems for people with dry skin or eyes. To keep your eyes moist, instill lubricant eye drops regularly. This is particularly important for people who already suffer from dry eyes or other eye conditions. Dr Lee Sao Bing, medical director of Shinagawa Lasik Centre, suggests reducing the use of the inflight entertainment system. People tend to blink less when they are staring at a screen, and this can aggravate dry eyes. Those with dry skin may benefit from applying a body lotion before the flight. On board, a sheet mask for the face can also help to restore moisture to the skin. Cindy Cheong, a beauty consultant trainer for SK-II, says that putting on a sheet mask for ten minutes towards the end of the flight can rehydrate and refresh parched skin. One should also make the effort to walk around the plane during the flight, even if it is only to the washroom and back. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), otherwise known as Economy Class Syndrome, can set in if one is stuck in a seated position for hours on end. While you're there Depending on your destination and the activities you'll be doing, it may be wise to bring along a good pair of wraparound sunglasses. This is particularly important if you are going for a beach holiday or to somewhere with lots of snow. UV light is reflected by the sea as well as by snow, and can actually cause sunburn on one's eyes. To protect your eyes, Dr Lee recommends using sunglasses that provide 100 per cent UV protection, are polarised, and wrap around the face so that light striking the side of the face is filtered before reaching the eyes. As many people know, UV rays can damage the skin and even increase the risk of skin cancer. Apply sunblock generously to exposed parts of the skin and reapply it every two hours to maintain its effectiveness. Consider wearing a cap to shield face and eyes from the sun as well. If you intend to take part in water sports such as diving or swimming, make sure that you do not wear contact lenses but use powered goggles instead, says Dr Lee. This will greatly reduce the risk of eye infections. Contact lens wearers should also follow the instructions of their contact lens practitioner and not wear their lenses beyond their recommended duration.

Pointers to take note of before buying a travel policy

 

By Genevieve Cua
The Business Times (Singapore)
Saturday, Oct 01, 2011

Here are some scenarios to illustrate what would be or won't be covered in a typical travel policy. There will be differences in the scope of coverage among different insurers. You will have to peruse your policy documents carefully.

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Travel delay
Not all types of delay will be covered by a travel plan. Most policies will specify that cover will kick in if the delay exceeds a minimum specified time - usually six hours.
These are some common causes of delay provided for in policies: a strike, riot, civil commotion or industrial action, natural disaster, adverse weather, or mechanical breakdown of the public transport. Also included are epidemics or outbreak of contagious disease.

Scenario 1: You were scheduled to fly from New York to Singapore but the flight was delayed due to a severe snowstorm.

If the delay exceeds the minimum specified number of hours, you will be able to claim for delay benefits. Most policies will pay a cash benefit up to a maximum limit but some will pay on a reimbursement basis for 'reasonable' expenses.

Scenario 2: You were scheduled to fly from New York to Singapore but the flight was delayed due to issues relating to the airline's business operations.

Operational issues such as crew rotation to meet statutory regulations, rescheduling of flights to suit capacity demands or the airline's failure to prepare the aircraft on time for the departure are considered business risks and are not covered.

Scenario 3: You were supposed to board a train from Frankfurt to Rome. You waited at a platform for three hours but then discovered that you were on the wrong platform. You missed the train and had to wait 12 hours for the next train.

As the delay was caused by your mistake, rather than any of the covered events listed in the policy, you will not be able to claim. There was in fact no delay as your scheduled train did leave on time.

Trip cancellation or curtailment
Scenario 1: You booked a trip to China but you had to cancel it as your son fell and fractured his leg prior to departure.

Most policies will cover trip cancellation, subject to certain conditions and named events. These events include a serious illness or accident to you or your travel companions or specified family members; or the unexpected outbreak of a strike or riot.

There may be a specified time frame prior to departure during which the named event must occur, usually 30 days.

Some policies will specify that no benefit will be paid if the policy was bought after you became aware of any circumstance that may lead to the disruption of the trip.

Scenario 2: You were travelling in China when you were informed that your mother had fallen seriously ill and was in hospital. As you are the primary caregiver for your mother, you had to rush home to take care of her.

As you could not amend your air ticket, you had to purchase a new one to fly home urgently. You also had to forfeit the rest of your tour.

Most travel policies' curtailment benefits will reimburse you for travel costs which you pre-paid in advance for which you are unable to get a refund. You can also claim for the additional travel cost to return home subject to a maximum limit.

Once again, the curtailment must be due to a named event, such as serious illness. You may have to provide supporting documents to verify that the event that caused the trip to be cut short did take place. In this scenario, these include documents that attest to your mother's medical condition.

Scenario 3: You were in London and planned to travel to Germany for two days before returning to London to fly back to Singapore. But due to severe weather conditions, you were unable to fly to Germany. You remained in London and flew home to Singapore as originally planned.

This case was not a cancellation or curtailment. You did not cut short your trip to return home, but merely changed your plans and stayed in London.

Some insurers do cover for curtailment due to adverse weather, hijacking of an aircraft in which the insured is a passenger, and natural disaster, among other conditions.

Scenario 4: The volcanic eruption in Iceland caused the spread of volcanic ash all over Europe. You had to cancel your trip to Europe as flights were cancelled due to the closure of airspace.

If your policy does specify natural disaster as part of its coverage, such as volcanic eruption, then you will be covered under the trip cancellation benefit.

You will be covered if you bought your policy before the disaster - in this case, a volcanic eruption - and/or if you purchased the plan before any travel advisory had been issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Scenario 5: In about two months, you will travel to the Maldives for your honeymoon. But prior to the trip, your travel agency became insolvent. You had paid $5,000 for your tour package upfront.

Cancellation due to insolvency is a covered event. But you should read the fine print in your policy. You may not get a payout if the petition for winding up or bankruptcy was made before you bought the cover, for instance.

Accident
Scenario: During a family ski holiday in Korea, your spouse collided with another skier and suffered a severe leg injury. Your spouse had to be evacuated from the ski resort to the hospital and then flown back to Singapore.

According to the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA), your expenses could run up to $90,000 - including the cost of evacuation, medical fees, accommodation, and transport for family and repatriation costs.

Depending on your plan, you could claim a benefit of up to $500,000 for medical cover and up to $500,000 for the cost of evacuation. For cost of accommodation and travel, the policy could pay between $3,000 and $25,000 per person. The indicative premium for seven days for a family policy is between $120 and $165.

Theft
Scenario: You are visiting the majestic pyramids in Egypt when you felt a little tug. You then discovered that your wallet and passport, which were in a little bag, had been stolen.

You had to make your way to the Singapore embassy to report your passport loss and make alternative arrangements to draw cash, such as a credit card advance. Your total loss, including cash stolen, was $5,000.

Your travel plan is likely to pay a benefit of $3,000 to $5,000 for your travel and hotel expenses and to pay for a replacement passport. You may also receive $300 to $500 for the loss of your cash. The indicative premium for a travel policy for seven days for two people is between $140 and $180.

Post-trip
You dined on fresh oysters at a fancy restaurant in Melbourne Airport just before boarding the plane for home.

You suffered a stomach upset during the flight and had to seek medical treatment at the airport upon return, as well as follow-up treatment. The cost of the two rounds of medical treatment was $250. Your travel policy is able to pay a benefit of between $12,000 and $30,000 for medical expenses on return to Singapore.

The indicative premium for a travel policy for a five-day trip to Australia is between $40 and $60.

S'pore homes open up to short-term rentals

		Saturday, Oct 01, 2011 The Business Times (Singapore)
S'pore homes open up to short-term rentals
By Debbie Yong A NUMBER of homeowners here are opening up their homes - for a small fee - to strangers on a daily basis. Though the idea is not new in the US and Europe, the short-term home rental trend has taken root so quickly in Asia that several major short-term room rental websites have set up outposts in Singapore in an effort to venture East. Says Ng Wei Leen, vice-president of Asia for German short-term rental website 9flats: 'Though I don't see Asia's growth outstripping that of Europe and the US yet, I expect our potential peak to be higher than theirs.' Since setting up less than a month ago, 9flat's Asian office has already garnered about 100 listings in Singapore and 500 throughout the region. Likewise, competitor portal Wimdu expanded here in May, just a month after the business was founded in Germany. It has 150 local listings so far and more than 5,000 in Asia. Says co-founder Steven Kim, who runs the Singapore-based South-east Asia office: 'It's hard to find a decent place in Singapore around the $100 per night mark. You will probably end up with a small hotel in a not-so-nice neighbourhood. With rented apartments though, you get much more space and sometimes even a proper kitchen, which is good for large groups or those with young children.' Prices for a room in Singapore on such sites run the gamut from US$15 per night for a shared room in an HDB flat to US$800 per night for exclusive use of an entire 2,250 square foot penthouse condominium in Newton. Most sites take a cut - typically 12-15 per cent - of the room's daily fee. According to Mr Kim, Singapore hosts are typically retirees with empty nests or childless young couples with an extra bedroom. Adds 9flat's Mr Ng: 'We find that many of them are multi-cultural and worldly wise. They have enough savings to purchase an extra home as an investment, yet are young and savvy enough to consider listing it on an 'alternative' rental website like ours.' While hosts are free to set the daily rates for their home, Roomorama recommends that homeowners charge about 30-40 per cent less than hotels in the area. They are publishing a guide to be released this month with pricing by area for homeowners to use as a reference. 'If you are trying to attract a high-end audience, you will obviously want to set a higher price for your home,' says Roomorama's co-founder, Singaporean Teo Jia En, who started the outfit three years ago when she was living in New York. The website branched out to include Asia-based listings in January. Roomorama is the 'grown-up version' of its competitors, says Ms Teo. 'There is a lot of trust involved in renting out your property, so we didn't want to attract the backpackers and younger travellers who have a limited budget and might end up trashing your place. Our travellers are those who can afford to pay for the local experience, like walking down the street in the neighbourhood to observe the local culture.' Unlike in the US, Ms Teo notes, many listings in Singapore are in fact homeowners' second or third properties, which they entrust to their property managers to oversee. They get higher yields on daily rate than on a monthly basis. Wimdu's Mr Kim also notes that while a larger volume of homestays are transacted at a greater speed in Europe than in Asia, Asian hosts 'tend to stick around'. 'Some may have initially came on guests,' he says. 'We're very much about the local touch.' board to make money, but they gradually change their attitude after hosting their first guests. Quite a number have taken on the role of ambassador of Singapore when receiving Each of Wimdu's 50 local offices has about two to four staff who try to stay with prospective hosts before they start taking on guests. 'If you're there for just 30 minutes, you're not going to see problems in the bathroom or bed when you walk around,' Mr Kim explains. The site also plans to hold regular events for hosts to meet up and share their experiences. In their first session in July, about 15 to 20 of the site's most active hosts came together to review the website for technical glitches and to share their concerns over issues such as security. 'We have a thorough system of checks in place to filter out anything suspicious; it's not a purely automatic process,' says Mr Kim. Like all the other sites, payment on Wimdu is made online through credit card or Paypal, and both parties' contact details released to the other after the transaction is completed. 'The situation of handing over cash is always awkward. The website helps to take that out so the focus is purely on the relationship rather than the money,' says Mr Kim. Following an incident in July when an AirBnb visitor vandalised a San Francisco homeowner's apartment and stole her personal items, the website promptly put in place an insurance scheme that allows homeowners to claim up to US$50,000 in damages. 9flat's homeowner protection plan, at 500,000 euros (S$875,000) and backed by Zurich Insurance, is the largest in the industry, while Roomorama and Wimdu both say they are in talks with insurance companies for similar plans. Says Chen Ji Chang, 43, who rents out a room in his condominium penthouse in Choa Chu Kang for US$120 a day through 9flats: 'It's a form of extra income for us but we're not treating this as a business. I have a three-year-old daughter who stays at home with our helper all day and it would be nice to have someone else at home for her to socialise with. 'We hope to meet people that we can eventually swap homes with on our future trips.'