The 5 Most Stolen Hotel Items

Hotels expect you to take certain things from rooms (travel-sized toiletry bottles are fair game, for example). But when guests start to steal bigger items, that’s when it crosses the line into theft—and why hotels will put a little notice in the room letting you know that if the robe goes missing, it will be added to your bill at checkout.

Related Does travel insurance cover if you have to cancel?

The luxury hotel and spa guide Wellness Heaven surveyed 1,157 hotels to determine what the most commonly stolen items are. The top five: towels, bathrobes, hangers, pens, and cutlery.

Stealing soaps or pens seems harmless for many hotel guests, however, some are so bold that they carry TVs, pianos, mattresses or even stuffed animals out of the hotel. Wellness Heaven has asked 1,157 hoteliers which items are most commonly stolen. In particular, we observe a striking difference in the theft behavior between guests in 4-star and 5-star hotels.

The main result of the study: the overwhelming majority of guests steal towels and bathrobes – perhaps as a goodie for the next spa break? These two objects of desire are closely followed by hangers, pens, and cutlery. In addition to these "ordinary" items, there is a number of spectacular outliers that suggest a brisk imagination of the delinquents:

A Grand Piano

A hotelier from Italy: "Once I walked through the lobby, I noticed that something was missing, and soon after I learned that three unknown men in overalls had taken away the grand piano, and it never reappeared, of course."

Bathroom Fittings

Highly skilled craftsmanship was required of those guests who managed to steal bathroom fixtures, the head of a rain shower, a hydromassage shower, a toilet seat, a drainpipe or even an entire sink, as reported by a Berlin hotel.

Windowless Planes Will Give Passengers a Panoramic View of the Sky

Fighting over the window seat has existed since air travel was invented. However, with the new idea of producing windowless planes, there is no more need to look for special places in the plane, because every passenger will be with the equal opportunities for the panoramic view of the sky. The Center for Process Innovation is a leading technology and research company from the UK, which is creating the future of air travel!

The advanced planes will be windowless, which, instead of windows will have the entire length of the plane covered in OLED touch screens. This type of plane will provide everyone in the plane with a virtual window seat!

The experts believe that within 10 to 15 years these planes could hopefully be a reality!

All over the outside of the plane will be placed on cameras that are connected with the touch screens above the passengers. On the screens will be displayed a realistic view of what is going on around the plane outside.

However, for those who are getting sick of looking at the sky, there is an opportunity to turn the virtual window into an entertainment system.

What is OLED-touch screen technology?

OLED means an organic light-emitting diode, where is a film comprised of organic compounds capable of projecting light as a reaction to an electrical current.

Maybe that sounds scientific, but the use of this technology is a reality in televisions, tablets, computer monitors, and mobile phones. Of course, every advanced screen on the market will be used by the time these planes are actually manufactured.

The entire walls of the plane will be filled with screens, so the passengers could look out at the view surrounding them.

The experts are sure that the projections on the screens will reflect the real world outside, which will be a challenge for a few conspiracy theorists.

There are also disadvantages of this new concept, including the raised concerns that many people have when there is a higher amount of light, which can also cause some passengers discomfort.

Watch the video below to learn more about the future of transportation!

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Sources: www.higherperspectives.com

Canceling A Trip Due To Coronavirus? Here’s What Travelers Need To Know.

With the rapid rise in reported cases of coronavirus around the world, travelers are reconsidering their 2020 vacation plans. For many, that means canceling trips. For others, it means looking into travel insurance.

“We’ve seen a huge spike in travel insurance purchases and call volume since the outbreak,” Jason Schreier, CEO of April Travel Protection, told HuffPost. “As awful as it sounds, when these kinds of things happen around the world, it absolutely is a boost to our business.”

Travel insurance can be a useful resource if you face a health emergency, such as contracting coronavirus, during a trip. If you are quarantined or fall ill, your standard trip cancellation or interruption policy should cover any nonrefundable expenses that result. Traditional travel insurance plans also cover emergency medical expenses and medical evacuations home.

But what if you haven’t taken your trip yet and are thinking about canceling because of fears about coronavirus? Will insurance cover that? And what kind of insurance should you buy if you’re booking upcoming travel now? What can travel insurance do in the face of a global health crisis?

Theallgo spoke to industry experts to find out the good and not-so-good news about travel insurance and trip cancellation coverage amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Most Policies Won’t Cover Epidemic Concerns

While travel insurance may pay for hospitalization or quarantine interruptions, standard plans generally don’t cover preemptive trip cancellations based on concerns about an epidemic.

Say you purchased a basic cancellation policy when you booked a trip to Italy. If you decide to call off your vacation because you’re worried about contracting COVID-19, you probably won’t be eligible for coverage and will have to pay the cancellation fees and nonrefundable costs yourself.

This typically applies even if the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an official travel alert.

“Almost every travel insurance policy I’m aware of excludes epidemics and pandemics,” Schreier said. “The one thing insurance companies are most scared of is concentrated exposure. An epidemic or pandemic by nature could put these companies out of business if they had to pay out millions of dollars for millions of policies.”

If your January trip was affected by the coronavirus outbreak, you may still be eligible for some reimbursement. As an Allianz Travel Insurance advisory notes, “Customers whose plan includes the Epidemic exclusion may still have coverage for a covered loss occurring on or prior to February 3, 2020.”

‘Cancel For Any Reason’ Plans Can Help You

Although standard plans don’t cover you if you cancel a trip due to coronavirus fears, there is a more expensive option that will. And it has a pretty straightforward name.

“[U]nless a travel insurance company has stated otherwise, you can certainly cancel a trip out of fear of contracting the virus if you select this optional benefit.”

- MEGHAN WALCH, PRODUCT MANAGER AT INSUREMYTRIP

“Since the outbreak, InsureMyTrip reports a 60% increase in travel insurance policies sold with a ‘cancel for any reason’ benefit,” Meghan Walch, a product manager at the travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip, told HuffPost.

“Cancel for any reason is designed to give travelers the option to cancel a trip for ‘any reason,’” she explained. “So, unless a travel insurance company has stated otherwise, you can certainly cancel a trip out of fear of contracting the virus if you select this optional benefit.”

But There Are Restrictions

There are still some limitations on travel insurance plans with a CFAR option. For starters, they’re much more expensive, which can be prohibitive.

“The challenge in CFAR is it may only be available to a narrow slice of the traveling market. CFAR tends to be an optional upgrade in the more premium plans. It may cost another 30% to 60% of the base price,” said Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com.

With CFAR, you usually have to insure the entire cost of the trip rather than certain elements. Another restriction is that you have to purchase your policy within a set time frame ― usually 7 to 21 days ― from your initial trip deposit.

If you do choose to cancel the trip, you may have to do so at least 48 hours before the departure date in order to qualify for reimbursement. Most versions of CFAR plans also reimburse travelers for only 50% to 75% of their prepaid nonrefundable trip costs.

Additionally, there’s bad news for residents of New York: You can’t buy CFAR travel insurance. The New York State Department of Financial Services, which regulates the insurance industry, does not deem CFAR to be actual insurance because it “allows the purchaser to control the event that would lead to payment.” Thus, the state does not permit the sale of that benefit.

Ultimately, it’s important to examine your chosen policy in advance to get a sense of any requirements or restrictions.

“I always recommend people read the fine print to make sure they know what they’re buying,” said Charles Leocha, president and co-founder of the consumer advocacy group Travelers United. If anything is unclear, you can also call the insurer’s customer service line with questions.

Credit Card Travel Insurance Probably Won’t Help

Several credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance as a benefit when you charge travel expenses to your card or account’s rewards program. Examples include select American Express and Chase cards, including Amex Platinum, Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve.

But as with standard travel insurance policies, concerns about the coronavirus epidemic and travel advisories do not appear to qualify as covered losses.

In fact, Chase’s policy explicitly excludes “your disinclination to travel due to an epidemic or pandemic” as a grounds for canceled trip reimbursement. (Quarantine “due to health reasons by a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction” is covered, however.)

“Coronavirus has created a smoky gray area in a lot of these cases.”

- STAN SANDBERG, CO-FOUNDER OF TRAVELINSURANCE.COM

The American Express trip cancellation benefit description states that cardholders may be reimbursed “if a Physician advises the Eligible Traveler that a Covered Trip is medically inadvisable.”

There Are Other Measures You Can Take

Even if you don’t have CFAR insurance, there are ways to cut down on the costs of a canceled trip.

“With airfare, there’s a big price difference between getting a totally refundable ticket and nonrefundable ticket, but that’s not usually the case with the rest of your travel plans,” Leocha said.

Consider booking refundable hotel accommodations, which often don’t cost too much more than nonrefundable rooms. The same can apply to car rentals, restaurant reservations and other activities.

Even if you have a nonrefundable booking, try calling customer service anyway to see if they’re making an exception for coronavirus. Airlines and other travel services may offer reimbursement, waivers or credits.

“Coronavirus has created a smoky gray area in a lot of these cases,” Sandberg said.

Alternatively, it could be worth rescheduling, rerouting a flight or adding a second destination within your original trip.

You may also want to hold off on booking flights and other expensive travel elements until there’s more concrete information available about the coronavirus epidemic.

“With how things are looking right now, it seems like airfares aren’t jumping too dramatically,” said Leocha. “So if you’re really concerned, I would say wait.”

What Travel Documents You Need to Get In Order, and When

Before you get to the air airport, you need to make sure your travel documents are all together. The exact opposite thing you need is to be held up at traditions since something's absent or terminated, and nobody preferences being liable to "improved screening." Here's what you need to take with you, and how to make sure it's cutting-edge. 

For those of us in the United States, we're not so much acclimated with conveying travel papers consistently. Normally, a government-provided ID card or driver's license is sufficient to demonstrate our age or identity to somebody. In case you're flying or traveling globally, there's something else entirely to the image. How about we investigate. 

Make Sure Your ID Is Accurate and Up-to-Date 

Investigate your driver's license or ID card. Make sure it's exact, and there are no irregularities with the remainder of your travel documents. Additionally, make sure it's not going to terminate (or lapsed.) A lapsed ID can get you held up at a fringe crossing, particularly in the event that you don't have a reinforcement type of identification. I've seen individuals halted at the air terminal in light of the fact that their ID card was terminated, or close enough to lapse that remote tradition had second thoughts about them. 

In case you're flying locally, your ID is all you'll need to bring, yet notwithstanding visiting Canada, Mexico, or islands in the Caribbean require more identification. Birth Certificates used to be acknowledged at those outskirt intersections, however, that is never again evident. You'll need confirmation of both your identity and your citizenship, which means either a US passport or passport card. 

Traveling Internationally? Get or Renew your password in Time before Your Trip 

On the off chance that your travel plans take you abroad, you'll need a passport book or a passport card. You can see the contrasts between the two here. On the off chance that you don't have either, your most logical option is to simply get a passport book—it's adequate for a wide range of travel, and won't lapse for a long time. On the off chance that you do apply for another passport, make sure there's sufficient opportunity to get it prepared and sent to you before your excursion. Round out the structure on the web, at that point present your application via mail, or at post workplaces and town halls. Applications, as a rule, take 4 a month and a half, notwithstanding any postponements because of the bustling travel season. In case you're in a rush, you can pay $60 for sped up administration (2-3 weeks). In the event that you need it considerably quicker, apply face to face at a State Department Passport Agency. A turnaround can be as quick as a couple of days, yet confinements apply and you need to do everything faces to face. You may likewise need to show confirmation of your travel plans, similar to a ticket or lodging booking. A large number of similar standards apply in case you're reestablishing a passport. Current preparing times are constantly posted on the State Department's site. 

In the event that you as of now have a present passport, watch out for its lapse date. Numerous countries, including most European countries, won't let you in if your passport terminates inside three to a half year of your flight and return dates. Check the State Department's Country Information database for where you're set out toward explicit standards. You might need to get your passport recharged, just to take no chances. On the off chance that you have the choice, apply or recharge in August-September, or December-January. November is an intense month since holiday travel is going full bore, and the warm a long time of the spring and summer are quite often pressed with travelers. 

In the event that You Need a Visa, Apply Early 

A visa is an exceptional card or stamp in your passport that awards you passage to a particular nation. Visas are best gotten far ahead of time, and relying upon the nation, the procedure can be confused. Americans traveling to most European countries needn't bother with a traveler visa, yet you might be astounded which countries do. Head over to the State Department's travel entrance and type for the sake of the nation you're intending to visit. The data page you get will demonstrate to you if a visa is required. 

For instance, it's not astonishing Russia and China require American visitors have vacationer visas (that you'll need to apply for through their individual departments), however, do as well Turkey and Australia. Japan, then again, don't, insofar as you're visiting for under 90 days. Russia's procedure is variable to the point that Rick Steves has a whole how-to committed to the subject. Try not to be frightened away however—a few countries, similar to Turkey, enable you to apply on the web and get an "e-visa" to print out. Make sure to check so you're not astounded. 

Universal Student IDs and Driver's Licenses 

Your nearby driver's license or understudy ID won't cut it abroad. In case you're an understudy, you can demonstrate it, and you'd like to make utilization of understudy agreeable administrations like limits on transportation, lodging, places of interest, and innovation, you'll need an International Student Identity Card. It's universally perceived, incorporates some essential outing protection, and can even be utilized as a prepaid Visa. It's incredibly valuable, particularly on the off chance that you intend to examine abroad. You can scan the ISIC database for explicit advantages where you're going to perceive what you're qualified for. 

In the event that you intend to drive while you travel, you'll need an International Driver's Permit. Numerous countries don't remember US driver's licenses. Applying for an IDP is simple enough: contact the AAA or National Auto Club. Be cautious, however, they're momentary allows and may terminate before it's the opportunity to arrive home. Additionally, check with your collision protection organization to check whether you'll be secured. As a rule, you won't be except if you're visiting Canada or Mexico. Be that as it may, vehicle rental administrations abroad will sell you the negligible inclusion required in many countries. Pursue the State Department's driving tips to make sure you don't get fined or imprisoned for getting in the driver's seat.

Find the Best Travel Insurance Online

If you would like to seek out the most effective buys on travel insurance, victimization the net is one in every of the most effective ways in which to travel. Not solely does one have access to much each major insurance underwriter in Australia, however, you'll additionally compare insurance rates and receive instant data on your travel destination. the net permits you to seek out the most effective worth travel insurance while not ever having to depart the reach of your home or workplace.

Do Your preparation

Before you start your seek for the most effective travel insurance on-line, it's vital that you just begin your search reception initial. does one have any existing insurance policies that will already cowl you whereas traveling? Yes? No? Not sure? Well, which means you'll have to induce to figure finding and reviewing those policies. several travelers either incorrectly believe that their existing health or automobile policies can cowl them whereas traveling or discover that they have additional coverage supported their travel destination and activities when reviewing their policies. Be armed with the facts on the policies you've got to assist you to get solely the protection you would like.

Compile Your information

You have to grasp what you're {looking for|trying to seek out|searching for} to find the most effective travel insurance on-line and therefore the best thanks to accomplishing this is often to require a traveling inventory. wherever can you be going? however long can you be gone? what number folks area unit traveling? what number of destinations can you be visiting? can you be carrying any overpriced personal items? can you like a rental car? area unit there any sick or old members in your party? These area units simply some of the queries that you will have answers to seek out the travel policy that may best suit you.

Use a Comparison web site

Travel insurance comparison sites area unit nice timesavers and assist you effectively slim down your travel insurance underwriter and policy. These sites area unit dedicated to providing you a spread of choices that meet the specifications that you just enter on-line or via phone. Most provide ancient travel insurance, cruise insurance, vacation insurance, and backpackers insurance. employing a comparison web site is very sensible if you're running short on time or maybe patience.
Don't be inundated by the prospect of finding the most effective travel insurance. permit the net to assist you to get the travel cowl that's best for you and your family.

Travel insurance is some things that are to not be messed with, that is why you need to select the most effective travel insurance supplier potential.

The Best Travel Insurance, How to Find What You Need?

 are you ever knew that you need something, you know what it is, but have no idea how to find it?
Sometimes travel insurance can be like that, because it can be confusing, complicated and intimidating.
What you need is one place to go who you can be sure will help you find the type of travel insurance you need whether it be trip insurance, travel insurance, travel medical insurance, emergency evacuation insurance, extreme sports insurance or rescue insurance. I know a website you can go to for the kind of help and advice you need.
 So when you are not sure exactly what type is the best travel insurance for your trip, they will help you. Guaranteed!  Let's say you're going on a fishing vacation in southern Chile where the salmon is huge and hungry.

What kind of travel insurance will you need? Well since you are going fishing and will probably be staying in an established fishing camp not out in the wilds where you have to hike into unknown forests you probably need a good travel medical insurance plan. One that will assure you that the finest medical will be available should the need arises.
 A travel insurance plan that will also guarantee that if some natural disaster happens, like an earthquake, you will be receiving some funds per day (usually $100/day) and that you will be able to get home should an evacuation order be issued by the authorities. I know where you can go to get the information you need, the information that you can trust. Perhaps you are going skiing in the Swiss Alps you very probably need to get an extreme sports insurance plan or a travel medical insurance plan with good extreme sports rider.
These people that can help you with that decision by explaining the pros and cons of both types of insurance plans, they won't just try to sell you the most expensive plan. Why? Because they are professionals who have your best interests at heart, and they also know that if they treat you right you will become a repeat customer and will very probably refer your friends to them in the future. They are looking for a long-term business relationship, not a one-shot deal. What is their philosophy? They are in business to serve you, the customer.
  Maybe you are just flying to the Caymans for a week to take in the sun and lay on the beach, nothing strenuous, just be lazy for a week. They can make sure you have the insurance coverage you need, nothing more. They will always give you choices and explain the differences to help you come to an informed, intelligent decision.
 Why? Again because they are looking to the future, yours and theirs. So how do you find the Best Travel Insurance for your needs, travel insurance that meets your needs but doesn't exceed them? The answer is simple to contact the right agency at Global Travel Coverage [http://www.globaltravelcoverage. Com] where you will find people that really do want to do what's best for you when you travel, find the Best Travel Insurance for your trip. Thank you for your time and I hope you read more of my articles in the future.