Travel Insurance Basics: What It Covers, What It Doesn’t and When to Buy
Trip cancellation, interruption, medical and evacuation coverage, cancel-for-any-reason upgrades, pre-existing conditions and Medicare abroad.
Category: International Trips
Passports, advisories, insurance and paying abroad.
State Department Travel Advisories and STEP: How to Read Them and Use Them
What the four travel advisory levels and risk indicators mean, how the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program works and what embassies can and can’t do.
Paying Abroad: Foreign Transaction Fees, ATM Charges and ‘Pay in Dollars?’
How to avoid foreign transaction fees, why to decline dynamic currency conversion, using ATMs abroad and card protections when things go wrong.
Passport Renewal: Fees, Processing Times and the Six-Month Rule
U.S. passport fees, routine and expedited processing times, renewing online or by mail, children’s passports, the passport card and validity rules abroad.