TRAVEL DISCOUNTS AND INFORMATION 

TRAVEL DISCOUNTS:  EWB-USA has worked on creating opportunities for chapters to save on their travel plans

(1)  Green Travel Partners and EWB-USA have joined together to offer competitive Travelocity prices for all of your travel needs. Using a customized EWB-USA web site, anyone (including members, family, and friends) can make their reservations, including hotel and car rentals. As a result, EWB-USA will receive 50% of all profits from these bookings. The profits will be used to offset CO2 emissions and to support our programs. This is a great way to make EWB-USA "greener" !!!

This is how it works:

Starting today, use the following web site to book all of your chapter travel needs: www.GreenTravelPartners.com/ewb.html

This site offers the same Travelocity prices and customer service, but in addition EWB-USA will receive 50% of the profits!

Send your family and friends the link and encourage them to use it for all of their travel needs as well. This is a great way for them to support EWB-USA!

If you haven't purchased your tickets for this summer travel yet, this is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of. 


TRAVEL INSURANCE INFORMATION:

International Travel Insurance may be purchased individually or by a group, and provides short-term medical insurance outside of the U.S. Travel insurance is fairly inexpensive (see below) on a case by case basis; however, the cost of opening a long-term account with rotating beneficiaries is too high for EWB-USA to bear at this time. For this reason, we cannot become a travel insurance provider, but we can recommend several actions to you. Each travel team member must have insurance in order to be approved to travel on a project for EWB-USA.

The most comprehensive and economical plan available for short-term international travel insurance is the Patriot International plan. The Patriot plan is available both for groups (5 or more) and individuals. The group discount rate is usually from 10 - 15%. Coverage costs depend on several factors including: age, length of travel, cost of travel and geographic area. Most policies cost from $1.00-$2.00 a day. Emergency Medical Evacuation insurance must be purchased for each travel member.

Variations of the Patriot plan are available for non-citizens as well. Other providers include:

The New York International Group (list Doug Polifron as Contact)
Travelguard International
Gateway Insurance 

To purchase coverage, simply decide on a provider and visit their website. From there, you can weigh your options, get a quote, and sign up for a plan online. Most providers will mail or e-mail your insurance cards to you immediately, and thus require only about two weeks notice for coverage to begin. Proof of coverage is required by EWB-USA. An easy to fill out form is available online with the waiver forms.

Any country under a U.S. "terror watch" is exempt from coverage under the Patriot plan. "Terror coverage" is often available at an additional cost. 


BEFORE YOU TRAVEL:

General up-to-date traveling information about each country can be found by consulting the U.S. Department of State website or the World Fact Book. Additional information can be found on the Carter Center website.

Please read the document A Safe Trip Abroad put together by the U.S. Department of State. For vaccinations and diseases, contact the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention. or through their hot line at 1-877-FYI-TRIP.