You will need to consider whether getting into a fight with your annoying seatmate at 30,000 feet is really worth it. Photo / Getty Images
You will need to consider whether getting into a fight with your annoying seatmate at 30,000 feet is really worth it. Photo / Getty Images
We are looking for a company who will insure my husband for a minor precondition. The specialists inserted a heart monitor in him for a short period just to see if the condition was heart-related. It is due to come out within months but the companies we have been tosay they won't insure the precondition as "it is still under treatment".
- M Wright
Pre-existing conditions are always a tricky one and it can be difficult to understand how various conditions are defined and whether it's worth declaring them at all. Of course, it's essential to disclose, as the consequences can be costly. I received some advice from Natalie Ball, director of comparetravelinsurance.co.nz on this. Some conditions are simply not covered by standard travel insurance - such as certain types of cancer and chronic lung disease - and this includes conditions you are currently receiving treatment for. "Generally speaking, medical conditions that have not yet stabilised will not be covered," Ball says. "Though this doesn't mean you should rule out travel insurance altogether, you need to be mindful that you may be out of pocket for any costs related to that condition." If you're willing to investigate other avenues, you could try your luck with an insurance broker, such as healthinsurance.co.nz.
Ball also recommends that travellers start planning their travel insurance well in advance.
I was on a flight recently that had wi-fi service. Another passenger was using it to talk on a phone app and it was incredibly annoying. What is the etiquette on telling people to shut up?
Some airlines allow in-flight Wi-Fi, some don't. If the airline you were flying with is okay with it, you might be out of luck. Of course, it's up to you whether you want to start something - I suppose it's not too different to the people next to you having an animated conversation. Just try to do it as diplomatically as possible - there's nothing worse than getting into a fight with your seatmate at 30,000 feet, and there are very few issues that are truly worth it. To be honest, I'm surprised they managed to get a decent enough connection to handle a call - most in-flight Wi-Fi I've experienced has been painfully slow. This isn't a problem you'll run into the United States, as voice calls on planes are still banned over there, after lawmakers voted in April against lifting the ban.
