It was the first cold morning of the late summer. We awoke and made our way downstairs for the morning coffee, as is our ritual. Looking out the window at our five-pronged bird feeder, we saw a huge convention of birds greedily eating our offerings. There were seven cardinals, five various woodpeckers, four blue jays, four doves, three nuthatches and one each of golden finch, sparrow and chickadee. Amazing!

After watching and marvelling at this beautiful display for some time, I finally realized what was going on – winter’s coming. They were all “stocking up” for the great migration south. It was a powerful reminder of things that we had to do to get ready for our journey south. We are snowbirds, of course, and I know that they are too.

There are some critical things to take care of – your passport, travel insurance, a chip for your pet and any special needs for your personal situation. We recommend having a 10-year passport, and you must have a microchip in your pet to have them enter the United States. That microchip is very important to keep your pet safe and it only costs between $25 and $75 to have the procedure done. Just do it.

Travel medical insurance is a must. Many snowbirds have some coverage from their prior employer, and some depend on their credit cards – which I do not recommend – but most are required to buy from one of the many companies that sell travel insurance. Every plan is different! Knowing exactly what the policy says and knowing what it really means are critical. Please read it.

Watch out for low limits such as $10,000 or even $500,000; that is not enough. Read the pre-existing exclusions very carefully. Some plans will deny coverage if you are taking a medication. They will take your money, but they will not pay your claim. Some plans have very long stability periods such as five years. I certainly can’t remember what happened five years ago, can you?

And what about age limits? These are on most credit card plans. Benefits cease at age 60 or age 65 and, very occasionally, age 70.

The plans which I dislike the most are the ones that exclude any coverage for the illness or injury that you have, or even have had. Never buy a policy that will not pay your claim for the most likely thing to happen to you.

Our Medipac Travel Insurance Guide has several thoughts and recommendations and you should read it. If you did not get one, simply call our office and we can send you one. It is also online at: www.Medipac.com.

We have redesigned our insurance card to make it easier to read for both you and any medical provider. We hope that you like it.

I am ready to join the real birds escaping the winter, are you?

Safe travels.