Brent and Michael's Secret Travel Hacks, Part 11!

Outsmart your worthless electronics warranty, get cheaper subscriptions for everything, get free liability insurance, keep your plane from crashing, and don't get eaten by bears or cougars!

Another edition of our unique travel hacks!

For past travel hack columns, see Part Four and Part Five and Part Six and Part Seven and Part Eight and Part Nine and Park Ten and Part Twelve and Part Thirteen and Part Fourteen and Part Fifteen and Part Sixteen.

Here are our latest hacks:

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When filling out online applications for visas and other travel documents, do not use auto-fill. Often, these forms are very, very specific, and if you screw up even one question, your form will be rejected — and your first application fee will almost certainly not be refunded. Countries are far less forgiving than businesses.

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I’ve previously written a lot about health care for nomads and expats. Good news! SafetyWing has finally rolled out “Nomad Health” — their “full international health” insurance policies (as opposed to their existing, more limited “travel” insurance policies).

Nutshell? As with their travel insurance, I think their competitor Genki is a better deal (especially with this previous “Brent and Michael Secret Travel Hack,” where you can get coverage in America for half the usual price).

Like Genki, SafetyWing’s Nomad Health has two tiers of coverage, but their policies:

• Are unavailable to anyone over 74 (unlike Genki, which has no upper age limit).

• Top out at $1.5 million per year (unlike Genki, which generally has no maximums).

• And are missing some basic benefits (like pregnancy coverage), at least in their cheaper, standard tier.

That said, in terms of pricing, SafetyWing’s “standard policy” does appear to be somewhat cheaper than Genki’s — though their “premium” version is more expensive than Genki’s (although, again, if you want U.S. coverage, don’t forget this incredible hack, which drives costs way down.)

I’ll have a deeper-dive comparison between the two companies soon!

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Here’s a hack if you’re a cat burglar: the best way to get inside a hotel room is through the sliding door on the balcony, which many people leave unlocked. And the most common places where most people hide their valuables are: under the mattress, in their dirty laundry bag, or in the freezer of a mini-fridge.

Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief would appreciate this hack.

Conversely, here are some hacks if you’re a traveler trying to avoid cat burglars: don’t take a first floor unit, and also carry duct or packing tape with you when you travel — you can tape valuables to the underside of furniture in the event there is no room safe.

Oh, and lock that sliding glass door!

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