“Groups traveling across SC to discuss health care - Island Packet Online” plus 4 more |
- Groups traveling across SC to discuss health care - Island Packet Online
- Travel Insurers Offer Tips for Buying Winter Vacation Coverage - PR Inside
- 6 ways to leverage social media for smoother travel - CNN
- Convicted couple OK to travel - Wausau Daily Herald
- Brad Pitt Missed Out On Time Travel - Newsblaze.com
| Groups traveling across SC to discuss health care - Island Packet Online Posted: 06 Aug 2009 08:17 AM PDT CHARLESTON, S.C. — Representatives of a group calling itself South Carolina Healthcare Voices are traveling across the state to discuss health care reform being considered in Washington. The group says the series of Thursday news conferences will also help to dispel what it says are myths circulated about what health care reform may mean to America. Organizers say the current health care system costs too much and doesn't deliver enough care and things will only get worse without changes. The group is comprised of representatives from AARP South Carolina, South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, the state Small Business Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina Fair Share. News conferences are scheduled in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Travel Insurers Offer Tips for Buying Winter Vacation Coverage - PR Inside Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:34 AM PDT 2009-08-06 16:32:02 - TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 08/06/09 -- With economic recovery predicted, and the loonie holding strong against the U.S. dollar, Canadian snowbirds can start their annual search for fall and winter vacation destinations with a renewed sense of optimism.
And according to the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, they can also benefit from a growing inventory of out-of-country health plans designed not only for the young and healthy, but for travellers of all ages, even those in less than perfect health.
"There have never been more private insurance plans available to travelling Canadians," says Martha Turnbull, president of THIA. "The key is to get the right plan for the traveller's individual needs. One size does not fit all.'
- Don't judge a plan by price alone. Insurance products differ-sometimes a lot. Make sure it fits your health profile and your individual need.
- Don't look only at a plan's benefits. Look at limitations and exclusions-those things it does not cover. All travel plans have exclusions. They are meant to supplement your provincial health insurance, not be substitutes for it.
- If you're an early shopper and your health changes in any way between the time you buy your insurance and the date it goes into effect, you must notify your insurer. A health change in the interim might invalidate your coverage.
- Because you have pre-existing conditions does not mean you can't get insurance. Many plans will cover a pre-ex if it is stable and controlled. But you need to know the ground rules. Read your policy carefully and if you are required to complete a medical questionnaire do it completely and accurately. Get the help of your doctor if you need to. Speak to your insurance company directly if you have questions. Non-disclosure of medical information can void your coverage even if the non-disclosed conditions or symptoms have nothing to do with the conditions causing your claim.
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- If going on a cruise out of a U.S. port, make sure you have Canadian travel insurance that coordinates with your provincial health plan. Cruise lines tend to sell insurance designed for Americans and that is inadequate protection for Canadians. Make sure your travel agent knows the difference.
- Don't put off getting your insurance until the last minute. You need to understand your policy's benefits, limitations and exclusions and you want to take a copy of your policy with you. Most claim denials are caused by customers who don't read their policy, don't understand their own obligations and don't realize that it's impossible for travel insurance to "cover everything."
"Given the variety of travel insurance products in the marketplace, there are very few Canadians who don't qualify for some coverage. And the best way to find it is to deal with a qualified agent who specializes in travel health insurance, or visit travel insurance companies online," says Ms. Turnbull.
About THIA. THIA is the national organization representing travel insurers, underwriters, re-insurers, emergency assistance companies, air ambulance companies and allied services in the travel insurance field. Its website is www.thiaonline.com/ :
Contacts:
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| 6 ways to leverage social media for smoother travel - CNN Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:27 AM PDT (Tribune Media Services) -- Before the latest social media revolution, Jessica Gottlieb would have probably watched helplessly when her kids, Jane and Alexander, were trapped on the tarmac, waiting for their Virgin America flight to take off.  Some travel companies are very responsive to social media posts. But that's so 2008. When it happened to her recently, the Los Angeles-based blogger reached for her iPhone and twittered about her troubles. "Dear Virgin Air," she wrote. "My children have been on the tarmac for one hour with 90 more minutes to wait. I am at JFK gate b25. Pls RT." That last request -- please "RT" -- is shorthand for Gottlieb's nearly 10,000 followers to "retweet" her message, or rebroadcast it to their followers. And re-tweet they did. Within minutes, Virgin had phoned Gottlieb to reassure her that her kids would be fine. "They contacted the gate agent manager and explained to us the entire weather situation," she says. "Within 20 minutes of that conversation, the plane took off." The same forces that threaten to unravel a repressive Iranian regime are revolutionizing the way Americans travel. Social media sites that allow people to interact in the moment are changing how travel companies talk to their customers -- and how their customers talk back. The net result? Travel could improve for everyone. Behind the scenes It may not come as a surprise that this movement is being powered by microblogging sites like Twitter, which allows travelers to communicate in short, 140-character bursts of text, and Facebook, the ubiquitous social networking site. Sites like these let travelers share information almost at the same rate they receive it (or "real time," in tech parlance), which is something previous Web-based services didn't let travelers do. But few people have come to understand the far-reaching implications of the technology. Talk with someone like Cheryl Spezia, the vice president of marketing at the Destin, Florida-based vacation rental company ResortQuest, and you get a sense that the relationship between the travel industry and its customers is being rewritten. "The dynamics have changed," she says. ResortQuest's Twitter presence has helped guests get quick answers -- and sometimes action -- about their accommodations. In one memorable case, a condo with a broken air conditioner that was in less-than-presentable shape was promptly fixed when it was brought to the company's attention through Twitter. Third wave In order to understand what's happening here, let's hit "rewind" for a second. There have actually been three distinct customer service uprisings enabled, in part, by the Internet. In the late 1990s, Web sites and moderated discussion forums pushed the first wave of the revolution. But many travel companies brushed these sites off because they were easily managed or ignored. About a decade ago, blogs and emerging social networks like MySpace and LinkedIn gave rise to a second customer rights movement that is just now abating. The third wave, which harnesses the influence of Facebook and Twitter and may peak with a new Internet standard coincidentally called Google Wave, is just now on the horizon. It's a big one. Consider Gottlieb's choices. In 1998, she might have shared her story on a popular members-only online forum, but it probably would have languished there for weeks or the airline may have even persuaded a moderator to delete it. In 2005, she could have told her story on a social networking site, but her kids would have landed in L.A. before Virgin caught wind of the problem. Today, the results are practically immediate. Travel companies are paying close attention this time. Southwest Airlines lists nearly 70,000 "fans" on its Facebook page, while Virgin Atlantic has close to 20,000 and American Airlines has more than 10,000. JetBlue leads the pack on Twitter, with well over 700,000 followers. Southwest has more than 100,000 followers. How do you catch this third wave, ensuring a better customer service experience when you travel? Here are a few tips: 1. Sign up now An account on Twitter or Facebook is free. Once you've joined, "friend" or follow anyone in your address book that also belongs to these sites, and then start talking. Remember, it's a numbers game. A travel company is likelier to pay attention to someone with 10,000 followers than a lone wolf with just a handful of contacts. So don't be shy. 2. Get engaged Becoming a "friend" to a socially active travel company, which means following their Twitter feed or becoming a "fan" of their Facebook page, is the next step. Often, they'll begin paying attention to what you're doing. So when you have something important to say about customer service, these airlines, car rental companies and hotels will be far likelier to listen to you than if you were a random customer. 3. Travel with a company that understands "When it comes to a holistic social media strategy, I feel many airlines are either lost, or still experimenting," says Shashank Nigam, the chief executive of the aviation branding company SimpliFlying. "Or at least that's how it seems to the outsider." Pick a travel company at the vanguard of these changes, and you're likelier to be heard. Nigam says among the airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines, have reached that level. Many other travel brands, including Marriott, Starwood and Hertz also have strong social media presences. 4. Keep it positive For now, at least, companies are behaving more like people on these social networking sites. In other words, a kind word can really take you a long way. It did for Paul Marr, who works for an advertising agency in Vancouver and recently found $120 in unexpected fees on his Allegiant Air ticket. He tried contacting the carrier through normal channels -- to no avail -- so he sent a friendly message to its Twitter account. Within minutes, his problem was fixed. "Need an airline that offers great deals and listens on Twitter?" he asked his followers. "@allegiantair called me within 30 mins of my last post. Grt cstmr service!" 5. Be patient Travel companies are still finding their way in this new world. Many corporations that are involved in social media aren't really sure how they'll use it in the future, only that it is likely to be useful. For example, the iconic Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles chats with customers and anyone else who happens to be on Twitter. Its social-media claim to fame, at least in the customer service department, is helping a guest who tweeted that he had a moth in his room. "He thanked us via Twitter, and also told us that the iron in his room was broken," says hotel spokeswoman Melanie Boyer. "So we sent up a new one." Not exactly a stop-the-presses success story until you consider the Bonaventure is one of only a few Los Angeles hotel that bothers to listen to the twittersphere. 6. Look to the next thing Google Wave, for example, is a new communication platform where text, photos and other information can be exchanged in real time. It's expected to debut later this year, and when it does, be there along with the other early adopters. It's only a matter of time before others join in, including some forward-looking travel companies. You'll have their ear -- at least until everyone else arrives. It's clear to me that the third customer service revolution isn't the end, but a beginning. Travelers with a legitimate grievance used to be powerless to change their fate. Today, anyone with a Twitter account can get immediate satisfaction. Who knows what could happen next? (Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. This column originally appeared on MSNBC.com. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org). © 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC. All About Travel and Tourism • Twitter Inc. • Facebook Inc.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Convicted couple OK to travel - Wausau Daily Herald Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:34 AM PDT The parents convicted of reckless homicide in the "prayer death" of their daughter have been cleared to travel to visit their family in California. In October, they will find out if and how much prison time they will serve. Marathon County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Howard on Wednesday granted Dale and Leilani Neumann permission to leave the state, which had been forbidden under conditions of their bonds. Dale Neumann's trial: Gallery 1 | Gallery 2 The purpose of the family trip is to visit Leilani Neumann's ailing grandmother, defense attorney Jay Kronenwetter said at Wednesday's hearing. Most of Leilani's family lives in California and the family is paying for the Neumanns and their three children to travel to the state, he said. Howard ordered the Neumanns to surrender their passports before leaving Wisconsin and to call their probation officer once a week while gone. Howard allowed the trip under the condition that the Neumanns return to Wisconsin by Aug. 30. That allows sufficient time for the Neumanns to be interviewed a second time by their probation officer before their Oct. 6 sentencing, he said. They face a 25-year prison sentence. The Neumanns met with their probation officers for the first time Monday as the county probation and parole office prepares a presentence report. Such reports typically are generated by the office following felony convictions. They contain interviews and other background information the judge can use at sentencing. A jury convicted Leilani Neumann on May 22 of second-degree reckless homicide and Dale Neumann on Saturday of the same offense. Prosecutors argued that the Neumanns recklessly caused Madeline Kara Neumann's death when they allowed her to suffer for 22 hours as her health deteriorated. The Neumanns prayed for her to recover instead of taking her to a doctor. Kara, as the girl was known, died March 23, 2008, from complications of undiagnosed diabetes. Howard also lifted the gag order Wednesday he issued at the onset of the case. The order was made to avoid contaminating the jury pool, he said. Defense attorneys Gene Linehan and Kronenwetter also reiterated that an appeal in both trials is forthcoming.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Brad Pitt Missed Out On Time Travel - Newsblaze.com Posted: 06 Aug 2009 07:55 AM PDT |
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