Out of country travel insurance

[Schuster]

This question is directed toward those folks that have traveled to Mexico with their C-Dorys. Is it necessary to have additional insurance to travel south of the border for your truck trailer and boat? I know I'll have to check with my insurance agent but just curious how others who have traveled to Baja Peninsula handle that aspect of travel. Thanks for any comments.

[alainP]

One Mexico insurance policy required for the truck and another for boat, These are routinely issued on line or through your insurance agent, these are in addition to your US policies.
Every marina will require the Mexico boat policy to let you launch or give you a slip.
Not having a Mexico car/truck policy can get you in big trouble even in the case of a minor fender bender.
Also ..never travel at night!

[clayhubler]

Yes, separate insurance is needed.
I’ve been researching this lately for my trip to Baja in march. I am probably going to use BajaBound for the insurance. I haven’t been to Mexico before.

[Schuster]

Thank you both for the info. Good starting point to get organized. I think I'll take a trip down to Rocky Point in the truck this winter as a trial run.

[JamesTXSD]

There are places along the way to the border if you are going to Rocky Point where you can buy short term Mexico insurance for your truck. You absolutely do NOT want to travel in Mexico without Mexico insurance.

[Schuster]

JamesTXSD, This is also helpful info. I will be checking with friends in Apache Junction to see where they get their insurance as they travel down to Rocky Point a couple times a year. I've been going to Arizona for years in the winter but have never felt the need to take my truck across the border.

[alainP]

Schuster, I launch in San Carlos, Sonora. Quite a bit farther South than Rocky Point (Punta Penasco) but has much, much better facilities for everything and anything that has to do with boating, launching, storage etc.
Highway 15 to get there from Nogales is virtually brand new and very safe (2 lanes each way with separation most of the way) some of it is toll but not expensive.
I cross over to Baja from there and slowly work my way down to Puerto Escondido or sometimes La Paz. Spectacular coast line, islands and Sea life.

[thataway]

It has been a few years since we last went to Mexico. We always used Sanborn's for our car and boat insurance. Definitely necessary to have the Mexican policy.

Geico has a Mexican Insurance Division--We have never used them, but something to investigate.

We also in the past have recommended Vagabundos Del Mar, a boating travel club for Mexico

We have never gotten ill in Mexico. We always used "safe water"-in the last 40+ years this was a reverse osmosis water maker (we never ran the water maker where there might be contaminated water, which means every commercial harbor--or even inhabited bays--prefered at sea, or a cove with no dwellings ashore. . We never used ice in drinks of any sort (Ice is to put dead fish on). Any beer or soft drink we requested to be given to us unopened. We were very careful with uncooked vegetables. Those we used regularly aboard our own boats--but washed well with water and then rinsed with water containing Clorox, Microdyne, or potassium permanganate, at 0.1 percent. This washing solution should also be used on fruit which is sliced or cut into.

If taking on public water into the boat's tanks, then filter to the level which does not allow any protozoa or bacteria to pass through (meaning 0.1 micron)--Prefilter at 10 micron. We like to also pass any filtered water thru a Ultra Violet light ( 260 nm) unit to kill any virus particles. Also do not swim in a commercial harbor. One of our close friends almost died from Hepatitis after diving to retrieve his anchor. Boiling and distillation will also kill the virus. But filtration is still necessary, since some protozoa will not be killed with boiling.

[colbysmith]

Dave, I know you are talking auto/boat insurance, but when I first read the thread title, I was thinking medical insurance. There was another thread a while back in regards to that, but in case you haven't thought about it, as I've gotten into the Medicare age bracket, I learned that our Medicare and supplements don't cover much in the way of medical when out side of the USA. Just throwing it out there in case you are in that upper age bracket and on a health plan that doesn't do much outside of the US. (FWIW, when I went to Canada's Princess Louisa Inlet two years ago, I purchased medical insurance from GeoBlue which had very good coverage at a reasonable cost.) Colby

[Schuster]

Colby, yes i was talking about vehicle insurance while in Mexico. But you bring up some important points for those of us who rely on Medicare insurance for most of our medical needs. I am fortunate to have Medicare as well as GEHA insurance. It is my understanding that my GEHA plan covers what Medicare doesn't But no i realize that Medicare is probably useless out of the USA so I should do some further research on being insured medically out of country. Right now i'd have to flip the bill and get reimbursed when I get back and file a claim. We're headed to Nanaimo BC for Christmas so maybe I should check out GeoBlue before we go. Thanks for the heads up.

Dr Bob, sounds like you take the water situations seriously. Hepatitis is nothing to mess around with.
As for the auto insurance I checked the Vagabundos Del Mar web site and that looks to be a one stop shopping site. Thank you.

AlainP,
I looked on google maps for San Carlos, Sonora. Looks like about an 8 hour drive down from Apache Junction and $12 in tolls so not bad. How is San Carlos for places to stay, restaraunts, beach access etc if without a boat and just going to check it out for a coupe nights? It looks pretty interesting.

[thataway]

The other insurance I strongly suggest is repatriation insurance. In case of a medical emergency, it will fly you back to your city of origin and cover medical expenses abroad.

Two examples are: a C Brat at Lake Powell developed sepsis, and heat stroke--he was medivaced from Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, where he was hospitalized and then flown by air ambulance to San Diego, when he was stable enough to be transferred. The insurance thru Family Motor Coach Association also paid for his RV and boat to be transported from Page to San Diego. This used to be included with Family Motor Coach Membership--now it can be obtained thru them, Good Sam or Divers Alert Network. (No longer a benefit at no extra charge)

The second case was "travel insurance" when on a long boat trip on the Rhine River in Germany, the patient had a major vascular accident, and was in a coma for a prolonged period. The insurance paid for the hospital, interrupters, someone who spoke English and helped his wife. When stable he was flown by Jet air ambulance, with RN and Paramedic, from Germany to Seattle (cost was $125,000 for the trip along). All paid for by travel insurance. Total bills nearly $500,000

Medical care in Mexico is reasonably good, and very in-expensive. When we travel internationally we have a very comprehensive medical kit which covers most illness or injures. It does not hurt having an RN Wife, and MD husband. (Marie had to have a sailmaking needle removed from her foot (she stepped on a pincushion the needle was stuck into.) We went to the orthopedic hospital. The Dr. was trained at one of the best programs in the US. The anesthesia nurse was very concerned with Marie having a pacemaker, and I assumed the role of cardiac physician, complete with my own medications if necessary.

[alainP]

AlainP, (quote)
I looked on google maps for San Carlos, Sonora. Looks like about an 8 hour drive down from Apache Junction and $12 in tolls so not bad. How is San Carlos for places to stay, restaurants, beach access etc if without a boat and just going to check it out for a coupe nights? It looks pretty interesting.[/quote]
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Plenty of hotels, motels, houses for rent and restaurants are all over the place.
San Carlos has been a favorite retirement town for US and Canadian citizen for a long time. No Spanish language skills required there. Us border being relatively close is a big plus.