The Little Black Book

Posted on September 7, 2010
Filed Under General, Travel, Travel Products | Comments Off

black bookSmartphones are great and travel apps certainly make life on the road much easier but for me there is nothing like a journal. That is why before I head out on a trip I check to make sure I have packed my favorite carry-on: my little black book. No, I am not talking about what you think I am. I mean my Moleskine City Notebook.

You see, the good people at Moleskine, the legendary notebook used by artists and thinkers from Picasso to Hemingway, have created a series of city themed notebooks. These guides called “City Notebooks” carry the same beautiful tooling and paperwork that made the original Moleskin notebook a chic must-have years ago. The notebooks are as functional as they are elegant, complete with an elastic closure, fold out maps, ribbon place markers, blank note pages and tabbed dividers for creating your own sections. Best of all, they come at a decent price too, (around $16.95 USD).

I own several of these and I adore the concept. I have found that if you are going on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation they are great to have as a structured journal of your adventure. But best of all is having one for each of your favorite return-to-cities. My New York, Amsterdam and D.C. notebooks are my most treasured travel items. Each book fits nicely into my back pocket. I make sure I have all of my directions and phone numbers inside. The sleek, embossed black leather notebook doesn’t look touristy at all so I can feel local even when I am looking for directions.

Things You Should Know

Posted on August 2, 2010
Filed Under Andrew Harper, Guest Contributors, Travel, Travel Products, Website Tips | Comments Off

things you should know

Andrew Harper, the most credible resource for unbiased travel intelligence, now has a new travel blog aptly named, Things You Should Know. This latest travel resource from Andrew Harper is packed full of stunning photographs and great information ranging from travel destinations to travel service providers. There is no doubt that Things You Should Know will quickly become the next staple source of travel information for savvy travelers everywhere.

Are You On Board?

Posted on July 25, 2010
Filed Under Health, Medjet, Safety, Travel, Travel Products, Videos | Comments Off

Are you on board with what to do if a medical emergency interrupts your next trip? If you are a Medjet member then the answer is yes. As a Medjet member there are various ways you can utilize your member benefits including medical evacuation to the hospital of your choice. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with this first installment of Medjet’s Safety On Board video series.

Evacuation or Repatriation? Letter from the President

Posted on March 31, 2010
Filed Under Health, Letter From the President, Medjet, Safety, Travel Products | 3 Comments

By: Roy Berger, MedjetAssist President/CEO

Last month we invited Members to submit questions to us via questions@medjet.com.

We thank all those that took the time to ask us what was on their mind when it comes to the Medjet offering and we have responded personally to all. Every couple of months we will take a question that seemingly has mass appeal and use this space to respond.

This comes from Fran of Roseburg, Oregon- a fairly new Medjet member as of December, 2009:

It might not hurt to define travel insurance vs. assistance for your members. Also wonder how cruise travel insurance fits into the equation.

Thanks, Fran. Actually this is a question we hear very often due to confusion in the marketplace regarding standard travel insurance and a specialty membership assistance program such as Medjet.

Travel insurance is important and used for both the exotic vacation as well as a cruise. Your standard travel insurance is going to offer trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost luggage protection, an evacuation benefit and a host of other a la carte options.

Trip cancellation, interruption and lost luggage are pretty self explanatory on the surface and the fine print of your  respective agreement will explain the benefits of these and anything else you might choose.

The evacuation benefit is where things get confusing. Evacuation is just that – removal from one position to another.  In the case of standard travel insurance it’s the movement of an insured normally from one in-patient or pre-inpatient location to a location/medical center better suited for the patient’s condition.

For example, a travel insurance policy with an evacuation benefit will come into play on a cruise. Insured becomes ill and has to be evacuated off the ship for evaluation and/or treatment on a land based medical  center. Your coverage will normally provide that movement but the benefit ends when you are moved from the port. Same applies to international travel. The insurance cover will evacuate you to a hospital of their choosing to (in their opinion) allow you to get the treatment your condition requires.

MedjetAssist is a repatriation benefit – a totally different kind of protection. We get you home. That is the benefit of your membership. You are a Medjet member if the unthinkable happens and you had the foresight to realize you want to get back into family and physician network.

Here is a scenario we see more often than not: Cruise ship in the Caribbean or perhaps Pacific. Passenger gets fairly ill or even  injured. Cruise ship wants to remove passenger as soon as possible and continue with the voyage. Perhaps you will be evacuated to Miami or maybe even somewhere in South America but unless you live in Miami you’re not going home.

Same person is a Medjet member. You phone us. We begin our  process. Your inpatient stay will qualify for the same at your hospital of choice. You want to get back into network. We understand and will begin the process of getting you repatriated.

Sometimes these stories have happy endings and the journey may continue. Ultimately however, as a Medjet member, if you are going to be hospitalized it’s your choice where you want to be.

And the beauty of the annual Medjet membership is your membership travels with you for a full year wherever you go, international or domestic, as long as you are 150 miles or more from home.

We believe in travel insurance. We think there’s a place for it. I  loaded up on it for an upcoming June journey.

However when push comes to shove there’s no place like home- the difference between evacuation and repatriation- and that’s what we provide!
Safe  travels.~

Questions, Anyone? – Letter From the President

Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under General, Letter From the President, Medjet, Safety, Travel, Travel Products | Comments Off


By: Roy Berger, MedjetAssist President/CEO

One of the best things we get to do, other than of course helping members in need, is present our product to groups and seminars under the banner of ‘Travel Safety’ with tips and recommendations.

It’s always fun to get out and introduce the Medjet product to a group of people who normally have no idea such a membership is available. Amazingly, it triggers a reaction in almost every one who either has had an accident or illness while traveling or knows someone that did.

Last month we had a 45 minute seminar entitled ‘Minimizing Risk During International and Domestic Travel’ as part of a conference of influential southern business leaders. We normally craft our presentations so there is ample time for questions and discussion following the Medjet story.

This particular event was once again the rule and not the exception. Our presentation lasted about 20 minutes followed by a full 25 minutes of questions, ‘what-ifs’, hypotheticals and personal stories. It always happens that way. The discussion is always so rich and the banter always so beneficial to everyone in attendance including us.

And again we saw so much confusion between travel assistance and travel insurance. Confusion between what the credit card and medical insurance companies may and may not provide in time of need. The discussion only ended because the room needed to be prepped for the next seminar or we still might be going!

It got us to thinking. If non-Medjet members had so many questions, are we taking for granted some questions and concerns our members may have? While our members are better versed in our offering than non-members, certainly you must have some concerns on your mind that we can address in this space in the coming months.

We have set up a dedicated e-mail mailbox at questions@medjet.com for you to submit anything that might be on your mind. We will take the most wide reaching of the lot and respond in future issues of the e-Newsletter. Rest assured however, every question will be answered either in this space or via a dedicated response right back to you.

We appreciate your membership in Medjet and stand ready to address your questions or concerns!

Safe travels.~

Roy Berger
President/CEO
MedjetAssist

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