Jellyfish Alert: Honolulu Waikiki Beach Closed

Even though Summer is winding down, it seems the Jellyfish are in their prime season.
Check out this recent article form our friends at Tripso:

Some 2,300 jellyfish were estimated at Waikiki beaches on Saturday and another 1,000 at Ala Moana shores, according to local reports. More than 20 stings have been reported, and ambulances responded to two incidents.

Waikiki lifeguards said they were closing the beach because of an infestation of the dreaded box jellyfish. Experts say a sting from a box jellyfish or other venomous types can be deadly.
Jellyfish are free swimming, non aggressive, gelatinous marine animals surrounded by tentacles. These tentacles are covered with sacs that are filled with poison that can cause a painful to sometimes life-threatening sting. The marine animals included in the “family” are jellyfish, box jellyfish Portuguese man-of-war, hydroids, anemones, and fire coral.

Symptoms from a jellyfish sting include:

intense, stinging pain, itching, rash, and raised welts,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lymph node swelling, abdominal pain, numbness/tingling, and muscle spasms, and severe reactions can cause difficulty breathing, coma, and death.

If you’re stung by a jellyfish, any kind of jellyfish, see a physician:

if you have difficulty breathing, swallowing, chest pain, or intense pain at the site of the sting,
if you have been stung in the mouth or have had tentacles in your mouth and are having voice changes, difficulty swallowing, or any swelling of the tongue or lips,
if the sting happened to someone who is very young or old,
if the sting involves a large area of the body, the face, or genitals,
if you continue to have itching, redness, pain, or swelling of the skin around the sting, or
if it has been longer than 10 years since your last tetanus shot.

If you are stung by a box jellyfish, seek medical help immediately. While you are waiting for medical help:

Flood the area with vinegar until medical help is available and keep as still as possible. If you are not close to medical care, soak the area and tentacles for 10 minutes or more, before attempting to remove them using gloves or forceps. If the sting is on the arms or legs, you can place a pressure dressing around the sting. Be careful that you do not stop blood flow - the fingers and toes should always stay pink. This will help to slow down the spread of the toxin.
Jellyfish stings are a common health hazard for beach vacationers. All jellyfish stings should be treated immediately. By the way, the “home remedy” of treating jellyfish stings with urine doesn’t really work.

Most jellyfish stings are harmless yet extremely painful. Some, however, like the box jellyfish found in Australia, and this past week in Hawaii, can be deadly. Of course, if you’re in an area prone to jellyfish in the water, you must be alert. If there are reports of jellyfish in the water, swim elsewhere.

Jellyfish are just another example of how not having adequate Travel Medical Insurance coverage can really ruin a vacation. Whether you require treatment for a painful sting, or a medical evacuation for a life threatening one, Insurance Services of America has got you covered.

Call one of our agents today and tell us about your travel plans. We'll find an affordable comprehensive plan with rates that won't sting you.

Cruise Value Center Customers Left Suddenly Adrift

One of the largest online cruise suppliers in the United States has folded, and given us another reason why you should always invest in trip insurance, and only through a reputable insurance company. I am always talking about how you should never purchase your travel insurance form a tour operator or travel agent, and here is yet another reason why:

The 14-year-old cruise retailer Cruise Value Center has shut down abruptly. It appears they have literally closed their doors, and walked away. Over the last few days, worried clients of Cruise Value Center have come to realize their ship has sailed along with their travel dollars. The links on their website no longer work, either, and although the site is still up, it's basically inoperable. Cruise Week's Special Edition today notes insider reports saying as much as $3 million dollars in customers' money never made it to the cruise lines!

You're probably thinking "I hope those people were smart enough to buy trip insurance to cover that." Guess what. They thought they were smart enough. But now there are reports that an additional $1.5 million dollars in customers' insurance payments never made it to the insurer, either! The insurer for Cruise Value Center has sent out a letter to over 1500 customers, explaining that their policies, believed to be in force by the consumer, were actually null and void, and cancelled for non-payment by the online cruise company. It's too soon to know all the details, but early indications are Cruise Value Center took these peoples' money and has now left them with no vacations, no money refunded, and no recourse other than through the judicial system. Keep in mind; this was one of the largest online cruise suppliers in the US.

If you purchase trip insurance from your travel agent our tour operator, and that travel agent or tour operator goes belly-up, naturally your coverage does too, but when you do business with a reputable agency like Insurance Services of America, you can be assured that you are dealing with honest, trustworthy folks who have been providing quality service for over 38 years.
Let the experts at Insurance Services of America show you how easy and affordable it can be to protect yourself and your investment if your tour operator should happen to sink.

Smooth Sailing… from your friends at Insurance Services of America