Chat with us
Good Neighbor Insurance
  • plans
    • Travel InsuranceFor trips from 2 days to 2 yrs
      • Recommended / All Plans
      • COVID-19 Coverage
      • Pre-existing Conditions
      • Trip Cancellation
      • Annual Plans/Frequent Fliers
      • Traveling While Pregnant
      • Over 65
      • Emergency Evacuation Only
      • Adventure Sports
      • Inside the USA
      • More Options
    • Int’l Health InsuranceFor relocating/moving abroad
      • Recommended / All Plans
      • COVID-19 Coverage
      • Nomads
      • Maternity Coverage
      • For Canadians
      • International Term Life
      • For Furlough/Sabbatical
      • Supplemental Plans
      • International Students
      • Local Nationals
      • More Options
    • Group Travel PlansFor teams traveling together
      • Recommended / All Plans
      • COVID-19 Coverage
      • Trip Cancellation
      • Over 65
      • Pre-existing conditions
      • Personal Liability
      • To the USA
    • Int’l Group Health Plans(For organizations/employers)
      • Group Health Plans
      • Supplemental Plans
      • Census Forms/RFP forms
      • For Small Groups
      • The Process
      • Free Guides
  • resources

    Resources

    • Blog
    • Videos
    • Ask Doug
    • Free Guides
      • Trip Guides
      • Top Three Travel Risks
      • Free Guide To Travel Safety
      • Travel Medical Guide 101
    • Glossary
    • Ask Jeff
    • Helpful links:
      • Get Involved
      • Mission Resources
      • Responding to Crisis
      • Social Good Resources
      • Gap Year Resources
      • Volunteer Opportunities Overseas
  • company

    About us

    • Who We Are
    • Our Values
    • Testimonials
    • Meet The Team
    • Our Friends
    • Contact Us
    • Get a Quote
(480) 813-9100 Quote Chat

Blog

Good Neighbor Travel Insurance Blog

Political Meltdown: Is Any Country “Safe”?

February 16, 2011 By : Doug Gulleson

As Americans, fleeing the sudden meltdown of Egypt’s formerly stable government, finally arrive home, some are asking is any country safe from the potential for sudden violence? “We did not see the protests coming,” an official from Canadian’s International School, one of many foreigners fleeing Cairo, told the Associated Press.

The chaos started with such a small trigger. On January 3rd, the US Embassy in Cairo advised American travelers of an attack in Alexandria which killed 22 people from both the Christian and Muslim communities. Demonstrations had already begun in the wake of that January 1st event. By January 27th the embassy was warning American travelers against entering Egypt but was still only advising Americans in the country to sit tight in their homes or hotels and avoid any planned or spontaneous demonstrations.

Egypt has spent the last 30 years as a stable and relatively peaceful police state. Few knew what anger raged beneath the surface, rage no doubt exacerbated when the Egyptian government abruptly cut off their citizens’ internet and cell phone connections with the outside world. Violence escalated and by January 31st the State Department was busy arranging flights for American citizens fleeing Egypt.

“The State Department rarely makes arrangements to evacuate American citizens in cases of disaster or political unrest,” Jeff Gulleson, founder of Good Neighbor Insurance Inc, www.gninsurance.com,  and an expatriate with 30 years experience in Southeast Asia, explained. “That they did so in this case only emphasize the urgent plight of Americans in Egypt.” The Associated Press reported that even Iraq sent planes to evacuate its citizens who had fled bombings in their homeland for the relative safety of Egypt.

Lack of security and expected services are only some of the many difficulties Americans had to face in evacuating Egypt. Evacuees had to avoid looters and demonstrators, navigate spontaneous checkpoints set up by young Egyptians, and scramble to pay unexpected bribes to policemen at the airport. Egyptian airlines had trouble finding enough workers to fuel planes and do tasks essential to the evacuation of citizens from around the world, let alone actually staff flights.

American citizens not in Egypt on behalf of the US government had to promise to reimburse the State Department for flights arranged on their behalf, according to advisories. None of the flights were bound for the US, only for safe havens in neighboring countries such as Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.  A few headed for Europe. Even the State Department didn’t always know where the plane was headed when they announced the flight.

As of February 6th, the State Department announced they are no longer arranging flights out of Egypt. Travelers still in Egypt or stranded in neighboring countries will have to find their own way home on commercial flights.

Meanwhile, tales of harrowing experiences emerge. One woman, who traveled to Egypt for a conference, told the Associated Press that employees of her hotel had to arm themselves to protect the guests. Apparently the police had withdrawn from the streets and allowed looters free reign.

Being prepared for the unexpected can have serious bonuses when violence strikes. Many travelers know the benefits of insuring their travel plans. But not all travel insurance plans actually cover political evacuation. Most of our short-term medical insurance plans cover political evacuation, where the person began their trip before a travel advisory was issued. However, trip cancellation plans also do not cover “civil disorder”.

Just as medical evacuation covers the enormous expenses of an emergency medical need to return home, political evacuation covers unexpected expenses due to sudden political upheaval up to $10,000,  www.gninsurance.com . If an insurance plan has political evacuation coverage, the insurance company must be contacted for them to arrange the evacuation.

“Good Neighbor Insurance, Inc,  www.gninternationalpropertyinsurance.com is committed to ensuring travelers have the right coverage for any emergency they might encounter,” Jeff said. Political upheaval can arrive with all of the forewarning of an earthquake. So be prepared.

Doug Gulleson

Search Results

The celebration of Saint Stephen is commemorated annually

June 27, 2016

The celebration of Saint Stephen is commemorated annually in Ireland on 26th December. The day is to commemorate St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Meanwhile, the celebration seems to have little relation to St. Stephen himself. The Irish name for the day literally means “Day of the Wren” or “Wren Day.” If you come to […]

Read Article

Spain – A look at Health Care Systems around the world

March 8, 2010

Spain’ national health care system operates on a highly decentralized basis, giving primary responsibility to the country’s 17 regions. The Spanish Constitution guarantees all citizens the “right” to health care- including equal access to preventative, curative, and rehabilitative services. Coverage under the Spanish system is nearly universal, estimated at 98.7% of the population. The federal […]

Read Article

Five Tips for Debriefing a Short Term Team

October 16, 2009

As the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Good debriefing can help planners turn hindsight into foresight for next year’s summer trips. So here are five things to consider when debriefing your team. 1. Keep it laid back. Have you ever noticed that mountain-top experiences are exhausting? Most teams are ready for a “vacation” when they […]

Read Article

New WHO Report on deliberate attacks on healthcare workers

May 27, 2016

A new Report from the World Health Organization was released this week on deliberate attacks on healthcare workers and community health workers during emergencies around the globe. How can we reduce attacks on health workers, prevent future attacks, increase safety and delivery of aid and healthcare, and better understand this problem? Those were some of the goals of the World Health Organization creating this report.

Read Article

Traveling with a Physical Disability – Travel with mobility disabilities

April 20, 2017

Traveling With a Physical Disability / Mobility Disability This is the second article in a series on Traveling With A Disability: Traveling with a physical disability. The Introduction (and index) can be found here. In this article we will be specifically addressing traveling with a physical disability and travel with mobility issues. Our hope at […]

Read Article

Four Things Short Term Trips Offer Seniors

November 7, 2009

When planning Short Term trips, most people’s hopes are for teens and young people to get fired up about living their purposefully. After all, that’s when a person lays a foundation for the rest of their life. But what about those who already have a foundation and maybe have some wisdom to go with it? Seniors […]

Read Article

Copyright © 2021 Good Neighbor Insurance All rights reserved.

  • About Us
  • Site Terms
  • Privacy Policy