Travel Insurance for Seniors – Why the Elderly Should Plan for the Unexpected
Travel insurance for seniors is a necessary part of every senior’s vacation pre-planning. It’s important for senior citizens to know what countries they are going to visit, what activities they are going to do, and they need to know how long they are going to be away.A comprehensive travel insurance package is just as important as the rest of your travel packet. Your health is always an uncertain issue. You can pick up a nasty disease; you could slip and fall down a flight of stairs, or you could accidentally walk in front of a speeding bus.Travel insurance is a good idea to have it if you are a senior citizen. There are just too many situations that could go wrong for you to take any chances. You don’t want to roll the dice when it comes to your personal health in another country.How to Select the Best Travel Insurance for SeniorsNow that we have established that having travel insurance is a wise decision to make, the next step is how to select the best travel insurance for seniors. Here are some important tips:• Accident and Health Coverage – Probably the most important types of coverage for travel insurance for seniors are Accident and Health. Accidents can happen at any time, so it is nice to know that you are covered under those circumstances. It’s also possible for most of us to maintain good health by eating correctly, exercising, and seeing our doctors for regular check ups. However, seniors are more prone to strokes, heart attacks, and other serious complications because they are older.In addition, if you require hospitalization or emergency care in a foreign country, you could be expected to pay for the treatment upfront if you don’t have any insurance. This might cause some better hospitals to refuse treatment unless they are paid upfront.• Life Insurance – If you already have life insurance, make sure you are still covered if you are in another country. It’s especially important to check if there is a clause for repatriation in case of death while abroad. There are many seniors and other young adults who die while traveling or working in foreign countries each year. Many of their families are left with the responsibilities of having the remains flown back to the U.S. This can be very expensive and stressful at a time of family suffering.• Liability Travel Insurance – This is particularly important for seniors who want to rent cars and drive during their trips. Cars are already dangerous in the U.S. When you drive in another country, you might find yourself in situations where there are fewer rules and regulations on the road, and far more accidents. If you cause an accident, you could be held liable, and that might mean some jail time until you come up with the money for the fine, or until you pay off some family.I know one man, who was stuck in an Indian jail because he struck and killed some farmer’s cow. Cows are sacred in India, and they roam many streets. I know of another situation where a traveler was burning a candle in his bungalow on Koh Samui. He forgot to put it out before he left for a night of partying on the beach. When he returned, his bungalow had been burnt to the ground. He was also put in jail for a few months because he didn’t have any money to help compensate the owner. Liability insurance could have come in handy in his situation, as well.Travel Insurance for Seniors – ConclusionDon’t play Russian Roulette with your health. Make sure you have good travel insurance for seniors before leaving on your upcoming trip.
Benefits of Continuing Education
Are you stuck in a rut at work, doing the same job year after year with little or no hope of moving up the ladder? Do you constantly wish you could switch gears midway through your career in pursuit of that dream job? Are you the idealist who believes education is a continuous process and has an undying thirst for knowledge or the realist who just wants that promotion and the consequent increase in salary?The situations described above may be different, but the solution to all of them is one – continuing education. The term continuing education, which includes degree credit courses amongst many other types of learning activities, is generally used to refer to education that is imparted to students who are older than the traditional age of university-going students.According to a national survey of students in continuing education, the adult learners in both two-year and four-year college degree programs were considerably older than traditional students.Rising NumbersIn it’s latest higher education projection, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics reported that the total enrollment of students who are 35 years or older in degree granting institutions is expected to increase 7 percent between 2005 and 2016.One of the important reasons for continuing education could be the state of economy. According to an annual report by Sloan Consortium, a group of organizations dedicated to quality online education, bad economic times often have a good impact on education. It pushes working professionals to enhance their skills not just to retain their current jobs, but also to improve their chances of advancing as well as increase their employability.Some of the common benefits of continuing education are:• By enrolling in advanced or graduate degrees in their field, adults improve their chances of climbing up the corporate ladder and an increase in salary. There are certain specialized roles, such as nursing administration, which usually require professionals to obtain advanced degrees.• Many people pursue an education to enhance their skills and position themselves favorably in the job market.• Sometimes, continuing education becomes necessary if you want to switch careers and you don’t have the qualification, training, or experience to enter the new profession of your choice.• Some adults pursue education because they have a hunger for learning. For them, education is a lifelong quest. Some pursue degree programs related to their professions, while others choose fields that they are interested in, which may or may not be related to their professions.• For some, the reasons for continuing education have nothing to do with learning or earning. They look at it as something which will improve their image amongst friends and family.• Successfully completing continuing education courses is known to have a positive impact on people’s self-esteem and quality of life.Education may be a necessity for some and a passion for others. But the fact remains that for many, it may not be possible to give up a full-time job for continuing education. That’s where online degrees and distance learning programs are helpful – as they allow working adults to learn and earn at the same time.A wise old man (or woman) once said that it’s never too late to go back to school. The greatest tribute to that age-old adage is being paid by the working adult population of our country that fights all odds to go back to school!