Insurance for fieldwork?

[AP]

Hello everyone!

I have a sort of stupid question. I cannot find the answer anywhere, not even among my peers, so I feel even stupider (is that a word?).

Ok, I am leaving for 14 months on fieldwork in June. Have any of you got insurance for that year? Basically, I want to protect my computer and external drive. The laptop is relatively good and could get stolen. The easy answer is "don't take it" but I need to work while there. Also, I don't have enough money to buy a crappy one. 

 

Thanks!

AP

 

[TakeruK]

Check with your school. Because you are doing fieldwork as part of your studies (I think?) you may be covered by some policies that the school takes out for people doing work on behalf of the school. This may just cover big picture things like work related injuries etc. but it might be a good idea to check.

Next, I would say talk to your the insurance company that has your renter's (or homeowner's) insurance policy. I know that my renters insurance covers the contents of my vehicle as well and also things like storage containers (when moving). And I asked about what would happen if someone broke into my office (at work) and stole my laptop while I'm at lunch and they said it would be covered. I am not 100% certain but my policy (from State Farm) seems to protect my belongings, wherever they are, not just in the property that I rent (I don't want to say this too strongly since you should definitely check with your own policy!). Note that typically renters insurance is meant to protect you in case you burn down your landlord's apartment and cause damages you can't afford to pay, however, many policies come with riders/add-ons where you can insure your stuff against damages and theft as well. You pay a certain amount in annual premiums to protect up to X dollars of your property. This latter part is what protects the contents of my vehicle, the storage containers when I was moving and my property in my office (and I think, but am not certain, my property in general, no matter where they are).

However, it may not really be worth it if you are only concerned about your laptop. I think the add-on to my renters policy is something like $100/year but there is also a $500 deductible for any claims. Also, typically, they will only pay out the current value of your property (i.e. if you bought a laptop 2 years ago, they won't pay for a new one, but only for the depreciated value which might not be very helpful). But, you can also pay extra premium to get an add-on that will pay out the original purchase price (not adjusted for inflation). So, if you have an renters policy, I would recommend talking to them! (and if not, it may be a good idea to get such a policy anyways) Then you can determine whether or not the money spent on the policy is worth it.

[kwils76]

Hi!

I agree with everything said above; also, you can look into travel insurance, as that will often cover personal belongings up to a certain amount. 

It's possible that the same company that does your health insurance will have a separate travel insurance package that you can get, but you'd have to check with them. There are also companies that do exclusively travel insurance, so you can shop around.

These policies also cover you for emergency medical and flight cancellations/lost baggage etc. 

Here's an example of a place that does just travel insurance that I got from a pretty quick google search:
http://www.insureandgousa.com/
 

 

[rising_star]

Renter's insurance will likely cover your belongings even if you're abroad. My renter's policy covers my belongings regardless of where they are so, if they get stolen while I'm at a conference, I could file a claim with my insurance.

For health insurance, I'd look through your school but also google around for other options. The problem with many student health plans is that they want you to use the student health center as your primary provider, which isn't realistic if you're going to be out of the area for an extended period of time.

[TakeruK]

On 4/1/2016 at 1:38 AM, kwils76 said:

Hi!

I agree with everything said above; also, you can look into travel insurance, as that will often cover personal belongings up to a certain amount. 

It's possible that the same company that does your health insurance will have a separate travel insurance package that you can get, but you'd have to check with them. There are also companies that do exclusively travel insurance, so you can shop around.

These policies also cover you for emergency medical and flight cancellations/lost baggage etc. 

Here's an example of a place that does just travel insurance that I got from a pretty quick google search:
http://www.insureandgousa.com/
 

 

I find that most travel insurance providers will cover shorter trips, but it's hard to get one for 14 months! Also, most of these policies cover trip cancellation, medical expenses and lost baggage, which doesn't really help for fieldwork, so you are paying a big chunk of money for things you don't need. (e.g. Trip cancellation and lost baggage may already be covered by your credit card benefits, if you have one)

13 hours ago, rising_star said:

For health insurance, I'd look through your school but also google around for other options. The problem with many student health plans is that they want you to use the student health center as your primary provider, which isn't realistic if you're going to be out of the area for an extended period of time.

Also, is the fieldwork within the US or international? Your school may have a specific set of policies for coverage internationally. We have a PPO-based student plan without the need to specify a primary provider, so if I was doing fieldwork in the US, I would just have to make sure there are some providers in the area within our network. Internationally, since there are no in-network providers outside of the US, my student plan covers any provider as an in-network provider, unless I am in my home country. So, this is a really good plan and it means a student at my school probably won't have to worry about additional health coverage. I second the advice to check with your school and compare with other external plan providers!

[kwils76]

2 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

I find that most travel insurance providers will cover shorter trips, but it's hard to get one for 14 months! Also, most of these policies cover trip cancellation, medical expenses and lost baggage, which doesn't really help for fieldwork, so you are paying a big chunk of money for things you don't need. (e.g. Trip cancellation and lost baggage may already be covered by your credit card benefits, if you have one)

Fair enough on the second point.

I just figured I'd mention it as an option because I briefly considered it when I was moving abroad for my masters program (I found some that would cover the full 12 months) before I decided to just establish temporary residency and take out an insurance policy in my new country. Of course, I was concerned about medical insurance and not that worried about personal belongings so there's that.  

I agree with checking with the school; didn't realize schools would cover internationally, that's awesome!

[AP]

Thanks every one!

I am not looking for health insurance. I mean, I am but I was not asking about that. I will get  insurance on site which is cheaper and better than traveler's. 

On 4/4/2016 at 9:53 PM, rising_star said:

Renter's insurance will likely cover your belongings even if you're abroad. My renter's policy covers my belongings regardless of where they are so, if they get stolen while I'm at a conference, I could file a claim with my insurance.

@rising_star Even if you are in another country? Even if that were so, I won't be paying renter's insurance because I won't be renting anything in the US since I will be abroad for 12+ months. But I will look into this. 

On 4/4/2016 at 11:28 AM, TakeruK said:

Also, is the fieldwork within the US or international? Your school may have a specific set of policies for coverage internationally. We have a PPO-based student plan without the need to specify a primary provider, so if I was doing fieldwork in the US, I would just have to make sure there are some providers in the area within our network. Internationally, since there are no in-network providers outside of the US, my student plan covers any provider as an in-network provider, unless I am in my home country. So, this is a really good plan and it means a student at my school probably won't have to worry about additional health coverage. I second the advice to check with your school and compare with other external plan providers!

@TakeruK This is international fieldwork. I have to check with insurance on site, but I am basically concern about laptop, camera, phone, etc. (not health)

Thanks all!

 

[smallaxe]

Agree with all of above. My program doesn't insure us for field work. Check out World Nomads. They have really great coverage and I've found it less expensive than other insurers! 

 

Edited April 6, 2016 by jamesaly
Typo

[AP]

UPDATE: 

I got mugged. I have health insurance and I have credit card's traveler insurance, neither cover the actual dissertation materials loss. My program has an assistance company and they are supposed to assist you with whatever you need, but with no phone and no laptop I couldn't contact them until I got everything sorted out. Fortunately, I was unharmed so I didn't need any medical assistance. They just took my stuff violently on a motorbike while I was walking across a touristy area in a city. Also fortunately, although I had to change my air ticket, the company waived the changing dates fees. Finally, my AirBNB patron graciously reimbursed me some money for leaving several weeks earlier. 

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, AP said:

UPDATE: 

I got mugged. I have health insurance and I have credit card's traveler insurance, neither cover the actual dissertation materials loss. My program has an assistance company and they are supposed to assist you with whatever you need, but with no phone and no laptop I couldn't contact them until I got everything sorted out. Fortunately, I was unharmed so I didn't need any medical assistance. They just took my stuff violently on a motorbike while I was walking across a touristy area in a city. Also fortunately, although I had to change my air ticket, the company waived the changing dates fees. Finally, my AirBNB patron graciously reimbursed me some money for leaving several weeks earlier. 

Oh no I am sorry to hear about losing your materials but I am glad you are not hurt. It sounds like you are back at your university now? Were you able to get any help to replace your phone, laptop etc.?

[Sigaba]

2 hours ago, AP said:

UPDATE: 

I got mugged. [...]They just took my stuff violently on a motorbike while I was walking across a touristy area in a city. 

@AP, I regret that this happened to you.

While you take stock of what was taken and what you need to do to get back on track, please pay attention to how you feel. Maybe even talk to someone (as in a trained professional) now even if you feel "okay" about what happened. (As an undergraduate, I got robbed at gunpoint. I didn't really talk to anyone about it because I was "okay." When the dreams started out of "nowhere," my academic plate was such that the shifting feelings didn't cause any setbacks. However, what you're working on now is a lot more complicated.)

[Sigaba]

On the topic of insurance and fieldwork, I very strongly recommend that one not go by assumptions and what seems when figuring out what coverage a policy covers. Insurance companies and their agents are not necessarily invested in accepting claims. Even if a claim is accepted, the process can be drawn out and cost you time and focus that should be going to other tasks. (In case I'm being too subtle, let me put it this way. Some--not all--insurance agents are weasels who will look for the first opportunity to screw you. Others, not all, are helpful but not as competent as they might be when talking about coverage. They can tell you yes, but be wrong.)

To the extent possible, communicate with an insurance company in a way that is clear, concise, and in writing. "I am going to be spending three months in Paris, France doing X, Y, and Z. What does your policy cover, does it specifically cover A, B, and C?"

If you can, consider doing research to find an insurance concierge that will do the leg work for you. When you consider paying a fee for such a service, ask yourself "How much is a hour of my time worth?" and then do some back of the napkin cost projections.

#HTH

[AP]

5 hours ago, TakeruK said:

Oh no I am sorry to hear about losing your materials but I am glad you are not hurt. It sounds like you are back at your university now? Were you able to get any help to replace your phone, laptop etc.?

 

4 hours ago, Sigaba said:

@AP, I regret that this happened to you.

While you take stock of what was taken and what you need to do to get back on track, please pay attention to how you feel. Maybe even talk to someone (as in a trained professional) now even if you feel "okay" about what happened. (As an undergraduate, I got robbed at gunpoint. I didn't really talk to anyone about it because I was "okay." When the dreams started out of "nowhere," my academic plate was such that the shifting feelings didn't cause any setbacks. However, what you're working on now is a lot more complicated.)

Thanks guys. 

This was about a month ago. I am not back on campus, but I am "back" in the prime location of my research, a home if you will. I didn't lose my archival reserach but I lost my notes. Besides the financial strike, emotionally it was hard but I was very supported by a community here and back home. @Sigaba your suggestion to speak to some trained professional is very good advice. People don't normally understand how much we value our laptop (it is not "just" a laptop), our phone, our kindle... it was hard for me to explain to people my anguish so I'll take your advice to heart. @TakeruK for now I am working with an old phone and an old laptop. I think I'll get a new phone because I use it like a camera for the archives and this one has low battery life. 

As a strategy, I am sticking to my research plan, only working longer hours. But yes, I was unharmed and while everything still sucks, it is an important silver lining considering I was abroad. 

I wanted to just follow up since I had initialized the thread about insurance and could not find something that could cover what I suspected could most probably happen. I had an insurance from a fancy credit card but the only thing they cover for theft was that they assist you when you place the claim at the police station. 

I also wanted to do the follow up as a reminder to plan time for managing your data. In general, all of us handle an enormous amount of data in the form of articles, quantitative information, archival research, and the like. We seldom set time apart for uploading, syncing, saving, and duplicating our precious research and we should. At least I did mention in any grant that I will spend one day a week uploading stuff to my university's server. My two cents. 

Thanks again  

Edited December 14, 2016 by AP

[rising_star]

@AP, oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about this! It's unfortunate that your belongings were stolen but I'm glad that it wasn't a huge setback to your research overall. It also sucks that your credit card didn't cover anything. I'm sorry you weren't able to find any insurance to cover what you thought might happen because that's really weird. It might be helpful, if you ever have the time, to provide a brief list of what you looked into so that others know what some of the useless options out there are.

I definitely agree with you that people underestimate the importance of backing up their research. There's a reason I know have that automated, mostly because I know I'd forget to actually do it otherwise.