We here at Europ Assistance USA often travel to Paris to visit the headquarters of the Europ Assistance Group. Some of our employees could write their own book on advice when traveling to France, Europe and other places across the world, but most of us rarely or ever visit countries outside of North America. What documents do you need? Do you need any vaccinations? What about medical requirements or other key information? Our partner brand, Netglobers, has an iPhone app that is basically a “Swiss Army Knife of travel apps” that provides all ... Read More

Hurricane season has officially begun with the second storm in 2011, Beatriz, already underway. To help travelers stay safe this season, CSA and EA USA, offer preventative measures and tips for staying safe during and after a major storm. Preventative measures go a long way in staying secure in the event a storm is approaching: Prepare an evacuation plan and be ready to leave accommodations if necessary. If you are in a vacation rental property or hotel ask property management upon arrival about possible safe places. Monitor local media and prepare to ... Read More

We are now several days into the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. The scene on the ground remains chaotic with the added concern of radiation spreading from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. At least 6,405 people are confirmed dead, with more than 2,400 injured. More than 100,000 buildings in the region were damaged, if not destroyed, leaving about 380,000 people seeking shelter. EA USA currently has 144 open cases involving 521 individuals. We are actively coordinating our efforts to help members seeking assistance, many ... Read More

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, Europ Assistance USA continues to coordinate efforts with clients and our global network of medical, logistical and security resources. We remain ready and equipped to handle calls from members seeking assistance.

EA USA is currently managing cases involving approximately 217 customers, many of whom were moved from the affected zones to a safer location in Japan with several others evacuated from Japan via commercial airline on regularly-scheduled flights. To-date there are no ... Read More

A severe 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the Japanese coast on March 11th resulting in major damage to the country’s infrastructure. Its epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) from Tokyo. All major modes of transportation have been halted due to massive damage and flooding. Additionally, aftershocks between 5.6 and 7.1 magnitudes are continuing. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued tsunami warnings for large areas of the Pacific Rim. Japan’s meteorological agency has issued its top-level evacuation alerts for the entire Japanese ... Read More

Civil unrest, such as the current situation in Egypt, can vary in size and form from small, organized rallies to large-scale demonstrations and rioting. Usually, travelers are not directly targeted by protesters, but they can be targeted if their government is the direct target of the unrest. People may also be wounded simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most incidents of civil unrest are related to labor disputes or social and political issues. What You Can Do to Prepare Inform yourself before departure As episodes of civil unrest ... Read More

This week is National Protect Your Identity Week, sponsored by the Better Business Bureau and National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Identity theft prevention and resolution is something we live with every day here at Europ Assistance USA while protecting and assisting some of the 10 million Americans victimized each year. We provide ongoing protection to our customers and help them straighten out any damages that occur if they do fall prey to one of the fastest growing crimes around. All this week, we’ve been highlighting a different kind of ... Read More

Travelers can be a ripe target for identity thieves. When traveling, we provide others with access to our personal and financial more often than in our typical daily interactions: your personal affects are out of your control for long periods during flights, you are taking your identification (and your purse/wallet) out often during airport security check-ins, using your credit card in unfamiliar locales (hotels, restaurants, car rental places, etc.), potentially visiting unfamiliar ATMs, accessing the Internet from unknown locations and are ... Read More

Another post in our series on EA USA’s Haiti earthquake assistance efforts from our team on the ground in the Dominican Republic. Following is an account from Christina Graves, an EA USA Logistics Coordinator. With a whirlwind of activity, I arrived at Reagan National Airport early Sunday morning. The final decision to send my team to the Dominican Republic and assist in processing an undisclosed number of our American clients into the US after their evacuation from the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake had been made quickly and created the expected ... Read More

Day 3 in our series on EA USA’s Haiti earthquake assistance efforts from our team on the ground in the Dominican Republic. Following is an account from Richard Knight, our head of Emergency Logistics. A strong aftershock hit west of Port-au-Prince at 6am and it is unknown at this time how much further damage has been caused. What is clear is that some of the foreign nationals who decided to stay after the first quake are, understandably, reconsidering their decision. The knock-on effect to this is that today we have had a stream of requests from ... Read More