The 45 Places to Go in 2012 by New York Times.

What Should You Do In The Event Of Medical Emergency/Damage/Loss?

1. Contact the medical and emergency assistance hotline
Certain travel policies cover 24-hour emergency hotline service which provides you with access to assistance such as medical advice, referrals, medical evacuations and travel related matters such as lost passport and baggage.

2. Notify the authorities
If your insured belongings are lost or damaged, you must take all reasonable measures to protect, save and recover them, and must also promptly notify the local police, hotel, transportation company or transportation terminal authorities, whichever is applicable.

3. Notify your insurer as soon as possible
You should submit the claim form with all supporting documents such as your original policy, the medical report, police report and any relevant documents to support the claim as soon as possible to your insurance company. You should check the time frame for claim notification stipulated in your policy.

via InsuranceInfo Travel Insurance Booklet

1. Personal effects
Check with your insurance company on the personal effects that can be covered under travel insurance as the coverage differs between insurance companies.

2. Beneficiary
You are advised to nominate a beneficiary and ensure that your beneficiary is aware of the travel insurance policy that you have purchased.

3. Multiple insurance
If you have purchased more than one travel insurance policies, in the event of your demise and disablement, you or your beneficiary, as the case may be, will be compensated for each policy. However, for certain losses such as medical expenses which are compensated on reimbursement basis, you will only be compensated once for the actual loss suffered.

4. Foreign affiliates
Ensure that your insurance company has a good network of foreign affiliates which can provide you with the necessary assistance when required.

5. Medical and emergency assistance
It is important to check whether your insurance company provides 24-hour emergency hotline service.

via InsuranceInfo Travel Insurance Booklet

Scope of Cover
The scope of cover and scale of benefits differ between insurance companies and you should shop around to ensure that you purchase a policy which best meets your requirements.

The coverage commonly provided under a travel insurance policy includes:
• Personal accident
• Medical and its related expenses
• Loss of baggage, personal effect and money
• Loss of passport
• Personal liability
• Delayed baggage
• Travel delay
• Hijacking
• Repatriation

You can take a travel policy for you and/or your family members. If you purchase a family policy, coverage for each family member is apportioned from the total sum assured. In the case of a claim, compensation payable will be in accordance to the portion allocated to each member and should not exceed the sum assured in total. Please note that if you are above a certain age limit, you may not be able to obtain a travel insurance policy.

Understanding the Policy Benefits
• Personal accident – you are normally covered for death and total permanent disablement for a period within 365 days after the occurrence of the accident. The compensation will be paid according to a scale of benefits and may differ from one insurance company to another.
• Medical and related expenses – coverage for hospitalization, hospital or surgical expenses, outpatient medical expenses, as well as daily allowances up to a maximum number of days, should you be hospitalized for more than 24 hours.
• Loss of travel deposit or curtailment of journey – you will be reimbursed for expenses incurred due to loss of travel or accommodation expenses paid due to cancellation or curtailment of the journey.
• Loss of baggage, personal effects and money – this covers accidental loss or damage to your baggage, clothing, personal effects, and even money, caused by the carrier.
• Loss of passport – you will be reimbursed for additional hotel charges, travel and other expenses incurred in the country you visited, while obtaining the replacement of a lost passport. Such loss must be reported to the police within 24 hours.
• Personal liability – should you cause accidental bodily injury to a third party or loss or damage to the property of a third party, the insurer will indemnify you for the legal liability.
• Delayed baggage – if your baggage is lost or misplaced for at least 12 hours from the time of arrival at your destination, you will be reimbursed for expenses incurred to purchase essential items of clothing or personal effects.
• Travel delay – you will be paid a sum of money, according to a schedule, if your flight or voyage is delayed for more than 12 hours due to reasons beyond your control.
• Hijacking – the insurer may make daily payments up to a specified maximum number of days, if your journey is interrupted for more than 12 hours due to an act of hijack.
• Repatriation – in the event of accidental death of the insured, the insurer will reimburse the insured’s legal representative for the cost of returning the remains home.

Policy Exclusions
Losses caused by certain events are excluded from the cover. Some common exclusions include:
• War risks
• Suicide and insanity
• AIDS
• Provoke murder or assault
• Childbirth or miscarriage
• Hazardous sports

In addition, there are exclusions involving events such as baggage delay and loss of baggage and personal effects due to seizure or destruction under quarantine or custom regulation. You are advised to always read carefully and understand your policy exclusions.

via InsuranceInfo Travel Insurance Booklet

Searching For Airfares Doesn’t Have To Be A Gamble

NEW YORK — Searching for airfares often seems like a game passengers are set up to lose.

Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Scouring multiple websites for the best deal can be overwhelming. And after you book, there’s no guarantee that you got the best price.

“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.

Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” Harrison said.

Fares can fluctuate significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.

The flight was one of a dozen The Associated Press tracked over three months for a July 16-22 vacation. The No. 1 finding: Avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.

There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should heed this additional advice:

— Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.

— Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to 10 weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
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— Embrace social media. Airlines are giving more benefits, like exclusive sales, to travelers who interact with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.

— The so-called discount airlines — JetBlue, AirTran, Southwest and Frontier — adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident locking in a price. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.

It wasn’t always this complicated.

Before the airlines were deregulated in 1978, airfares were approved by the government. Prices were consistent and printed in timetables. But because air travel hadn’t been embraced by Americans and was something of a luxury, planes were often less than half full.

Deregulation allowed airlines to set fares and routes on their own. In the early ’80s, American Airlines started selling empty seats at a steep discount. The aim was to fill up planes and compete with new discount airlines such as PeoplExpress.

To prevent business travelers from trading down to cheaper tickets, the airlines required that fliers buy two to three weeks in advance and spend a Saturday night at their destination. The discount airline ticket was born.

Today, sophisticated computer programs analyze travel data and set a range of ticket prices so airlines can get the most money out of each flight. Prices are generally higher for seats sold at the last minute, which are usually bought by business travelers. Refundable tickets tend to be the most expensive, and cheap fares come with lots of restrictions.

Other factors go into the price, too: How fast are tickets selling compared with previous years? Is there a conference or special event in the destination city? Fares are often adjusted to match other airlines’ prices.

But there’s still a great deal of human intervention.

“To a degree, it’s trial and error,” said Greg Aretakis, vice president of revenue production at Frontier Airlines.

There can be as many as 20 prices on any given flight. Airline executives say that all that helps them boost revenue by 3 to 6 percent. If they price tickets too low, the airline can lose money. If prices are too high, seats go unsold.

“If that seat goes out empty, we can’t put it on the shelf and sell it the next day,” said American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith. “A seat that goes unfilled is like a banana that instantly spoils on takeoff.”

1. “In tough times we have to discount — creatively.”

For the hotel industry, 2009 was the worst year since the Great Depression, and last year was only slightly better. At its low, the average daily room rate was $97, down from $107 in 2008, and occupancy rates fell below 55 percent. “This recession has been so traumatic across the board for all types of hotels,” says Robert Mandelbaum, research director at Colliers PKF Hospitality Research. In turn, hotels have slashed staff and cut corners. Michael Aschoff, a retired compliance officer from Tampa, Fla., stays in hotels 30 to 50 nights a year and has noticed they’ve stopped replacing soap and providing body wash and mouthwash. “They have really cut back on little amenities,” he says.

But hotels are holding the line on rates, says Travis Rank, director of worldwide sales at Best Western International. Instead, some hotels offer free parking, gift cards or other perks, like a free extra night for customers who book a certain number of nights in a row. Check hotel websites to find these deals — which are likely to be available until 2012, when the industry is expected to recover.

2. “Book with us to get an upgrade.”

When you book your room through a third-party site like Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE – News) or Travelocity, the hotel typically pays a commission — up to 30 percent. Through their own sites, hotels will usually match the best rates and may offer specials, and many will let you change your reservation without penalty if you’ve cut out the middleman.

What’s more, book directly with the hotel and your “chances of getting an upgrade are vastly improved,” says Rank. Hotels also like to save perks for their loyalty-program members. Chris Jones, the general manager of Hotel Indigo in San Diego, says he gives upgrades to about 35 percent of customers, with priority going to loyalty-card holders. “The hospitality industry is all about relationships,” says Fredrik Korallus, executive vice president for global revenue generation at Carlson Hotels. “If you want something, it never hurts to ask.”

3. “We can be sneaky about our best deals.”

Since most hotels are franchises, individual owners offer the best deals. They’re promoted online, via e-mail newsletters and, more recently, through social networking sites like Facebook and Foursquare. Hotel Indigo had 500 followers on Twitter before it even opened, and Jones says last fall he offered $185 rooms to followers for $99 — and booked 45 rooms in two hours. Robert A. Rauch, a managing partner at a San Diego Hilton, says he offers time-sensitive deals and restaurant or spa specials online. Hotels also offer discounts through partners like Visa (NYSE: V – News) or American Express (NYSE: AXP – News), but since hotels aren’t always enthusiastic about those, “sometimes it takes some effort” to find them, says Matthew Stone, a professor of travel and tourism at Prince George’s Community College in Washington, D.C.

4. “Your room won’t really look like this.”

There are plenty of places to find reviews of hotels, from newspapers and magazines to websites with traveler reviews. But when you want to see what the room or the pool looks like, you often have to trust the hotel — which may not be trustworthy, says Eli Seidman, founder of travel site Oyster.com. There, Seidman posts a hotel’s image next to one taken by his own photographers to show readers how deceiving hotel marketing can be. “It’s pretty bad, in varying degrees, across the whole industry,” says Seidman. And when it comes to the description of the room, “the square footage is complete nonsense,” he says.

Most hotels are not out to actively deceive customers. “We want to ensure that the images are accurate,” says Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. But, he adds, “we have no specific written guidelines.”

5. “Kiss your credit card data goodbye.”

Hotels have become a favorite target for credit card data thieves. According to digital-security firm Trustwave, 38 percent of the credit card hacking cases it worked on in 2009 were in the hospitality industry — far more than any other industry the company works with. Hackers (usually organized crime outfits) access a hotel’s network by guessing the administrator password, then place malware on the network, which then transmits guest’s card numbers back to them. They can also steal other info about you — home address, phone number, license plate number — to aid in identity theft. Nicholas J. Percoco, director of Spider Labs, a unit of Trustwave, says he had his own card data stolen and used just minutes after he checked into a hotel last year. “It can happen really quickly,” he says.

“This has become a priority in the industry,” says Wagoner. “We are putting a lot of effort and energy toward data security.” His company, like others, has basic requirements in place that franchisees are expected to follow. Visa has also worked with the industry to improve its data security. And things are getting better: Percoco says the hospitality industry fell to become the second most targeted industry in 2010.

6. “We need locals as much as travelers.”

With fewer people traveling, hotels that have bars, restaurants, spas and golf courses have been forced to look closer to home for help making up lost revenue. At the San Diego Hilton, Rauch says, 60 percent of the revenue from the spa and 70 percent from the bar come from locals. “Hotels need to learn to become the hub of the community,” he says. Korallus says the majority of customers at the FireLake restaurant in the Minneapolis Radisson are locals, and Carlson Hotels is launching two new restaurants designed to attract more local business. Wyndham hotels that usually cater to business travelers have likewise sought to lure locals by offering discounted weekend rates. Indeed, much of the industry has worked to boost revenue this way, says Mandelbaum. And while it has helped, it has not made up for all the lost room revenue in the short term.

7. “We’ll happily waive that fee.”

These days airlines have found a way to charge for just about everything, but it’s a different story for hotels, which have been losing revenue from once reliable sources. At one time, people paid exorbitant fees to use the room phone; now everyone has a cell phone. Revenue from pay-per-view movies is down significantly now that people bring movies with them on their laptops. Looking to add revenue, hotels have upped staples like parking charges (up to $40 a day) and the mysterious “resort fee” that some vacationers have seen tacked on to their bills (as much as $30). “Hotels are desperate to leverage up these fees,” says Rauch.

The good news: Hotels are pretty open to negotiating or even waiving some of these fees, says Stone. Unlike the airlines, where just a few companies control the industry, the hotel business is made up of more individual owners who are desperate for loyal customers and who are competing against other hotels that may not charge these fees. Bottom line: If you don’t like a fee, ask about it.

8. “We can’t do much about bedbugs.”

Hotels are a perfect environment for bedbugs — lots of turnover and lots of beds. And it has become a big issue for the industry. According to the National Pest Management Association, 67 percent of the pest-control companies it surveyed have received calls to treat hotels and motels. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing hotels can do to prevent travelers from bringing them in, since bedbugs are tiny and can hitch a ride on clothes or luggage. “The key is to find it and treat it as quickly as possible,” Jones says.

Travelers can use BedBugRegistry.com or the iPhone app Bed Bug Alert to search for infested hotels but should take these sources with a grain of salt — the cases haven’t been verified and, even if true, may have been treated already. Your best bet: On arrival, check the corners of the mattress for bedbugs or the telltale brown spots they leave.

9. “We obsess over online comments.”

Traveler-review sites have become a powerful force in the hotel industry. Too many bad reviews and business may start to slide — a fact those in the industry know all too well. “We highly recommend that hotel managers keep up with what is being said about them online, and not only respond but rectify any issue the customer might have had,” says Wyndham’s Wagoner.

For consumers, these reviews are bringing changes for the better. Korallus says some of his hotels have begun opening their gyms an hour earlier, thanks to online comments. And Jones says he brings online comments into staff meetings: “The more feedback, the better.”

10. “You can make a killing on points.”

A few years ago, Dave Weinberg, a Maryland-based consultant who travels a lot for work, became a platinum member of Intercontinental Hotel’s Priority Club Rewards program — without spending much time at the hotel. He signed up for the branded credit card, then benefited from generous point offers. “All hotels are trying to lure in travelers with extra point offers,” he says.

“This is the longest period of sustained hotel promotions we’ve ever seen,” says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com. Hotels are offering double and triple points to those who stay with them. As hotel points rack up, Winship says, travelers might think about swapping hotel points for airline miles, since airlines are raising prices while hotel rates are likely to remain low in many markets. “The way things are going, airline miles have more real value,” Winship says.

To celebrate the occasion, Dato’ Eddy Leong performed a symbolic flag-raising to mark Firefly’s presence in KLIA and this was witnessed by Dato’ Azmi Murad, Senior General Manager, Operations Services of Malaysia Airports.

Firefly's first customer at its Airport Ticketing Office in KLIA. (From left: Angelina Corrina Fernandez, Firefly head or Marketing & Communications and Pn.Hamidah)

According to Firefly’s Managing Director, Dato’ Eddy Leong, opening a ticketing counter at KLIA was a natural progression from the decision to base its new Boeing 737-800 operations at the award-winning airport. “Firefly’s operations in KLIA will focus on offering unbeatable value at lowest fares. We will beat our competitors hands down with our low fares.

“This is made possible with our decision to use the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a capacity of 189 seats, which has allowed us to achieve one of the lowest cost of available seat per kilometre (CASK) among our competitors. We also have the advantage of leveraging on our parent company Malaysia Airlines’ infrastructure such as maintenance engineers and ground handling operations to keep costs low.

“The value passengers get in return besides low fares is also a pleasant experience and comforts such as aerobridge services and the convenience of an Express Rail Service – that we’re offering these benefits at fares as low as ours is indicative of our commitment to deliver value to our passengers. You don’t have to cross the tarmac under the hot sun to board our planes.”

Firefly will begin its operations on January 15, 2011 from the Main Terminal Building of KLIA to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu twice daily, and from January 24, 2011, four times daily and three times daily respectively. One of the key features of the B737-800 operations is that passengers can enjoy even greater savings with the Standard and Premium sets of services that let passengers buy several add-on services at low prices.

For example, the Standard set comprises an in-flight-meal, bottle of mineral water, 15+5kg of checked baggage allowance and Preferred Seat selection, and costs RM38 only, which is 40 percent lower than if the add-on services were bought individually.

Dato’ Azmi Murad said: “Malaysia Airports is pleased with Firefly’s decision to base its Jets operations at the Main Terminal Building, KLIA which will contribute to the growth of KLIA as a transit hub and enhance the connectivity offered. We look forward to working with Firefly to further improve the passenger traffic and bring in more tourists as it’s one of the key drivers of the Malaysian economy.”

Located within the departure hall, opposite Check-in Island C to D, Firefly’s new airport ticketing counter opens from 8.30am to 5.30pm and, sells tickets to all Firefly routes, add-on products such as in-flight meals, check-in baggage allowances and Standard and Premium sets of services. The opening hours will be revised to 5.30am to 10pm from 15 January 2011 onwards.

To date, Firefly has 21 airport ticketing offices and projects to open another six airport ticketing offices in 2011. The latest all-in fare promotion for the East Malaysian routes is RM59 one way for the travel period of 17 January to 15 May, 2011. Booking period will end on 16 January, 2011.

Two Royal Thai Air Force C130 aircraft left the Subang air force base near here around 5.03pm and were expected to arrive at their destination in two-and-a-half hours.

Pramualrat Phimpahu, 45, waiting to be carried into an ambulance at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital to be taken to the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang

Also onboard were 28 family members of the victims, and one passenger who was hurt in the accident. Three others were sent back earlier by ambulance.

Earlier, in Ipoh, Thai Embassy officials arrived at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital mortuary at 8am to make arrangements to send home bodies of the Thai tourists killed in the bus crash along the Cameron Highlands-Simpang Pulai road.

Buddhist monks, Thai Embassy officials and family members kneeled and offered prayers before 25 coffins draped in white cloth which were arranged in two neat rows outside the mortuary.

Areena Songserm, 19, inside an ambulance which will take her Bukit Kayu Hitam where she will be received by Haadyai Hospital officers. With her is her mother Senah Songserm.

Joss sticks and yellow chrysanthemums were also offered to the deceased.

The coffins were then loaded onto a 25-tonne trailer to be transported to the Subang air force base.

An additional van had to be used as the trailer could not fit all 25 bodies.

Both vehicles, together with other vehicles ferrying embassy officials and family members, left the mortuary at 12.15pm.

Haadyai Hospital consultant Choowit Jiranivatanont said four patients in stable condition were also discharged from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

Crash survivors Areena Songserm, 20, Rungnapa Klungsuwan, 53, Suchanchira Chaiaueai, 41, were transported to the Bukit Kayu Hitam border before being sent to the Hattyai Hospital.

Minmita Theenakun, 29, (second from right) being consoled by a family member at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital where she claimed the bodies of her parents Phuwadit and Thanathon Tanasak Theenakun.

They left the hospital at 11.27am in two ambulances, escorted by a van with Thai embassy officials.

Another survivor, Pramualarat Phimpahu, 45, was taken to Subang air force base to be flown to Bangkok.

Thai Ambassador to Malaysia Thana Duangratana thanked the Malaysian government for its assistance.

Two police outriders and two police MPVs escorted the trailer with the bodies to Shah Alam.

Well, worry no more because you can now easily sign up for a domestic travel insurance plan here in Malaysia that allows you to enjoy medical insurance coverage and travel inconveniences benefits. Click here to view the rates and schedule of benefits of a domestic travel insurance within Malaysia destinations.

However, if you are going to be traveling between West Malaysia and East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), please choose the Region 1 Travel Insurance Plans.

If you are a foreign traveler (non-Malaysian) where you will be flying off from Malaysia to any destinations worldwide, you are eligible to buy the travel insurance by choosing any of the Regions as listed here. Please note that you must ensure that you will be returning back to Malaysia. Otherwise, your coverage will only be considered a one-way single trip coverage.

As for expatriates who are living in Malaysia, you can always purchase travel insurance long as your departing destination is Malaysia. You don’t necessarily need to return to Malaysia to be eligible for the coverage, for instance, if you are going on a one-way trip out of Malaysia, and would only want to cover for the travel inconveniences during your departure from Malaysia.

In August, two months before it took delivery of its new next-generation 737-800 single-aisle planes, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) also said it had chosen to designate Kota Kinabalu as its second hub for connecting its passengers to Japan and other cities in Asia.

And as recently as Tuesday, Firefly said it will operate its newly leased fleet of 737-800s from the KL International Airport in Sepang to Kota Kinabalu as well as Kuching in Sarawak. Suddenly, Kota Kinabalu seems to be very much on the airlines’ radar.

But was it suddenly?

It is understood that AirAsia and MAS discovered the lucrativeness of the market as early as four years ago when they underwent the domestic air routes rationalisation plan, a confusing period which saw AirAsia taking over, ever so briefly, from the national carrier’s operations in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

Nexus Resort Karambunai

A study was also commissioned by MAS, which led to it placing an order for the next-generation 737-800s. Still, it had to wait until this month for the first such aircraft to be delivered.

To understand why Kota Kinabalu is so important to these airlines, start with the fact that tourist numbers to the state have been steadily growing. Last year, arrival numbers totalled 2.25 million – an increase of 80 per cent over 2003 when 1.25 million tourist arrivals were recorded.

Holiday makers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia continued to top the foreign arrivals list last year along with the UK and the US.

They like its pristine beaches, rainforests and diverse native culture. It is also home to the highest mountain in Southeast Asia and boasts beautiful resorts like Nexus Resort Karambunai, Sutera Harbour, and Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru and Rasa Ria Resort in Tuaran.

Sutera Harbour Resort

Additionally, Sabah has a sizeable Chinese-speaking resident population which helps in attracting tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Of course, it also helps to have an aggressive and proactive tourism body like Sabah Tourism Board, which constantly comes up with aggressive promotional efforts and attractive packages to entice tourists.

Kota Kinabalu is also uniquely positioned: the capital is less than three hours by flight away from most of the Asean capitals and just over five hours’ flight time to regional capitals such as Tokyo, Seoul and Perth.

Thus, it makes sense for AirAsia, MAS and Firefly to focus on Kota Kinabalu to bolster their fortunes, analysts said, adding new flights and competing to launch new services from the capital to major cities in the region.

But has MAS and Firefly lost out on a big economic opportunity for coming into the market later? Analysts think that it is no big deal. They believe the market there is big enough for all.

As for AirAsia, its chief Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has shrugged off concerns over the oncoming competition from MAS and Firefly and stressed that it is the world leader when it comes to low cost.

One thing’s for sure, as competition hots up on Kota Kinabalu routes, the traveller with more choices and better prices is perhaps the biggest winner. The three airlines’ aggressive expansion at Kota Kinabalu means more access for Kota Kinabalu-originating passengers to their entire network, particularly to eastern cities such as in Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea.

The state will be far more interconnected, leading to better and more affordable products, creating rising prosperity and higher living standards among its people.