Good Neighbor Insurance is closely following news of the recent Air France 447 crash. We grieve with families who have lost their loved ones. International travelers often find themselves in distressing situations. By planning wisely for overseas travel, travelers can lessen the financial strains of unforeseen accidents and illnesses.

Air France Tragedy Highlights the Importance of International Travel and Accidental Death Insurance

Families of passengers and crew aboard Air France 447 anxiously wait for more news and pictures of the recent discovery of the downed aircraft

Sections of the plane have been found some 600 miles northeast of Brazil. The recovery of the vertical stabilizer is expected to help search teams narrow their hunt for the plane’s black box. Search teams are also recovering bodies from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

“Tragedies like the Air France crash are a time of great upheaval and stress for a victim’s family,” says Jeff Gulleson, President of Good Neighbor Insurance.

The passenger manifest shows that most were either Brazilian or French citizens. The rest came from some 30 different countries. Only two Americans were aboard. Most likely any remains recovered from international waters will be brought to either Brazilian or French soil.

At times of international tragedy, a family’s personal tragedy can be exacerbated by the difficulty of repatriating the remains of those who died. Although catastrophes of the magnitude of the Air France tragedy happen infrequently, we at Good Neighbor attest to the importance of insuring against such emergencies. When tragedies occur on foreign soil, travel insurance can assist a victim’s family with the return of any personal effects recovered and the repatriation of remains.

“It is a consolation to know that whatever remains are found will be brought home without the family having to be distressed about cost or arrangements,” Gulleson says.

Pei Medill, Group Administrator for Good Neighbor, encourages prudent trip planning. “Travelers are thinking about where they will stay, what they will eat, and what sight-seeing they will do. They want to have fun, and rightly so. Unfortunately, they do not plan ahead for when things go wrong, which they frequently do. One international medical evacuation service assisted in 14,000 missions in one year. That is about 35 evacuations per day!”

A variety of problems can happen on any international trip, from the frustrating loss or delay of baggage to the catastrophic loss of life or limb. For as little as $30, travel insurance for an average trip abroad will cover medical evacuation, medical services, 24 hour emergency hotline services, and access to contracted doctors and global health and security services. For another $20 you can have another $200,000 of accidental and dismemberment coverage.

Good Neighbor will assist you in finding an insurance plan that fits your particular needs and desires, no matter the nature or duration of your next trip.

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