Travel Guard Helping Religious Travelers

TRAVEL GUARD HELPING RELIGIOUS TRAVELERS
Leading travel insurance plan provider launches the Faith Travel Plan for religious-destination travelers just in time for religious holiday season

Stevens Point, WI, October TK, 2008 – According to the Travel Industry Association of America, one in four Americans is interested in faith-based travel*. The size of the faith-based travel industry is estimated at $18 billion**. This month, Travel Guard announced the launch of a new travel insurance offering – the Faith Travel Plan – developed to appeal to this growing market. The new plan is a novel approach to meeting the travel insurance needs of travelers embarking on mission trips, pilgrimages, volunteer vacations, conferences and retreats. In addition to enhanced coverage options, the Faith Travel Plan features specialized concierge services to help customers who may feel “out of their element” traveling to religious destinations around the world.

"The travel agency partners we work with who specialize in faith-based travel asked us to develop a program specific to their clients’ needs," said Tom Zavadsky, Travel Guard Executive Vice President. "We continually look for innovative ways to develop travel insurance programs that meet the needs of our travel partners and their clients. Travel Guard's Faith Travel Plan provides these travelers with enhanced worldwide coverages as well as customized services such as last-minute safety advisories or travel information specific to their upcoming mission trip or pilgrimage."

Faith Travel Plan featured coverages:
• Trip cancellation coverage up to $100,000 – High coverage limit if overseas travel must be cancelled for reasons such as sickness of religious pilgrimage traveling companion or financial default of mission tour operator.
• Children 17 and under at no additional charge – Ideal for religious-oriented family travel, the Faith Travel Plan includes coverage for children under age 17 at no additional cost.
• Medical Evacuation – Medical coverage for insureds whether traveling in religious groups, individuals or families that includes medical evacuation and transportation to the hospital of choice or home in the event of an unforeseen incident.
• Cancel for Any Reason – The Faith Travel Plan reimburses up to 50% of the trip cost if the insured(s) cancels a covered trip for any reason, up to 48 hours prior to departure.
• Cruise, airline, and tour operator default coverage

Included in the plan is a Faith Traveler’s 24-hour hotline with specialized concierge services giving religious travelers convenient access to worldwide religious destination information, urgent message relay to friends and worship leaders and pre-trip health and safety advisories. Plus, LiveTravel emergency assistance services offer an around-the-clock travel hotline for finding alternative flight options, rebooking flights, replacing lost travel documents and making hotel and rental car reservations.

Travel Guard is one of the nation’s leading providers of travel insurance plans, and markets its plans through over 12,000 travel companies throughout the United States. For more information on Travel Guard, log onto www.travelguard.com. Travel agents with questions on the Faith Travel Plan or any of Travel Guard’s comprehensive range of travel insurance plans can call Travel Guard’s 24-hour World Service Center at 800.826.1300.

Travel Guard Group, Inc. (“Travel Guard”) is one of America's leading providers of travel insurance and assistance services plans for more than 6 million travelers each year. Travel insurance plans through Travel Guard are distributed by more than 12,000 travel agents across the United States.

Travel insurance through Travel Guard may include coverage for trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation expenses, and lost or delayed baggage. Most of the plans available through Travel Guard also include 24-hour travel assistance services† for emergency medical assistance, last-minute or emergency travel changes, lost luggage tracking, pre-trip travel advice, and more.

Insurance is underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa, with its principal place of business in New York, NY. The Policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions and termination provisions. All coverages may not be available in all states. †Assistance services provided by Travel Guard Assist.

* Travel Industry Association of America, November, 2006.
**The International Conference on Religious Tourism, 2006.

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