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Having taken groups of students all over the world for 22 years, I can
wholeheartedly recommend that ALL of your group have good travel insurance,
covering medical problems, trip cancellation, trip interruption, etc.
It will save you a lot of problems, believe me! Everyone in my groups
is required to take out insurance! Regarding Great Britain--free medical
care is available for non-citizens only on an emergency basis. I once
had to pay $100 (U.S.) cash for a simple office visit to an English doctor,
plus cost of all prescriptions. (My problem was not considered a medical
emergency.) My travel insurance covered all of this and I was reimbursed
quickly and with no hassle. Re: Pre-existing conditions -- many travel
insurance companies now cover pre-existing conditions IF you buy their
insurance within 7 days of paying the FIRST deposit on your trip and if
you cover the whole cost of the trip. Otherwise, pre-existing conditions
are usually not covered (some companies do not cover them at all)--so
read the fine print carefully and do buy the insurance quickly after making
first deposit. Also, are you working through a student travel company
to take your Girl Scout group or through some organization that is providing
liability insurance for you as a leader? This is very important for you
to consider. Again, that is the ONLY way I would every take groups--the
company I use provides over 30 millions dollars worth of liability coverage
for me personally. In this litigious world, this must not be forgotten.
Cheers, Pat in Baltimore
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