TaekwonâGeremyâ - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's ...
TaekwonâGeremyâ - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's ...
TaekwonâGeremyâ - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's ...
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Insurance Tips: Do You Need Travel Insurance?<br />
By Hector Flamenco, Special to <strong>The</strong> <strong>Spectrum</strong><br />
If you do a lot of traveling for business, it is very likely that your company<br />
takes care of the travel insurance for you. If you are traveling for recreation<br />
or pleasure, you may not even have thought about needing travel insurance.<br />
Many tourists are exposed to a number of dangers when they travel but may<br />
not actually be aware of the risks they are taking. If you plan to travel, you<br />
should seriously consider looking into travel insurance.<br />
One of the most common dangers that a traveler may face is the loss<br />
or theft of money, luggage, electronics such as a cell phone or iPad, and<br />
important documents related to travel such as your passport or even your<br />
plane tickets. When a loss like this occurs, it can be very important to have<br />
instant help. Your family will need to know that your plans have changed if<br />
you don’t have your original tickets for flying home, and you will need their<br />
assistance to come up with funds if your money has been stolen, so that you<br />
can purchase new tickets to get home. This can be an expensive venture, and<br />
you may end up paying for your trip twice if this type of problem were to<br />
occur. However, with travel insurance, most of your costs would be covered,<br />
and help would be right where you need it so you can get back home.<br />
Sometimes, a person who is traveling gets involved in legal problems or<br />
even in unlawful activities without realizing it. <strong>The</strong> cost of hiring a lawyer<br />
when you are out of the country could be astronomical. You can get insurance<br />
that will cover at least a portion of any legal expenses that you might incur<br />
when you are traveling.<br />
When you travel, you also expose yourself and your family to possible<br />
health risks associated with changing environments and even different foods.<br />
This is a bigger problem for people who rarely travel than for people who<br />
travel frequently, since they don’t really know what to expect. If you require<br />
medical assistance when you are in a different country, you will find that it<br />
can be very costly, depending on the problem and on the country. Without<br />
travel insurance that covers medical costs, you could end up spending all of<br />
your vacation money on medical care. You can get insurance that covers most<br />
common medical issues that could save you quite a bit of money in the long run.<br />
Another common danger that a person who is traveling may encounter<br />
is an accident. Whether you are at home or abroad, accidents can happen.<br />
Depending on the type of accident, a person could receive a temporary<br />
disability, a permanent disability or even a worst-case scenario of death. You<br />
can imagine the cost of being life-flighted from the scene of an accident to a<br />
hospital when you are in a foreign country, or even the cost of an ambulance<br />
taking you to a nearby medical facility. If you don’t have travel insurance,<br />
you could find that your entire savings account has been emptied or that you<br />
have incurred a large debt because of a single accident.<br />
When you think about it, the cost for travel insurance for one trip is much<br />
less costly than if you were to experience any of the problems listed above.<br />
If you travel frequently, you can get insurance that covers you either for a<br />
period of time or for a number of trips. This will cost more up-front than<br />
a single trip policy, but may be less expensive in the long run. All travel<br />
insurance policies are not created equally, so be sure to read the policy so<br />
that you will know whether you are covered for accident, illness, theft, lost<br />
luggage, legal expenses, ambulance services, etc. Know your policy before<br />
you go, and don’t leave home without it.<br />
Editor’s note: Please note that this article is for general information only and is not a<br />
professional consultation. Always seek information from a licensed insurance professional.<br />
Hector Flamenco is an agent with State Farm Insurance. Visit his website at www.<br />
flamencoinsurance.com.<br />
Senior Activities<br />
<strong>The</strong> Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Ave., <strong>Redwood</strong> City, is providing<br />
the following activities that are open to the public during the month of March.<br />
Friday Movies for Everyone<br />
Every Friday, 1:15 p.m. (unless otherwise announced)<br />
Come to the Veterans Memorial Senior Center for a free feature movie in our<br />
state-of-the-art movie theater! Please note: Movies may be changed at any<br />
time due to availability.<br />
March 8: “Flight”<br />
March 15: “Anna Karenina”<br />
March 22: “Skyfall”<br />
March 29: “<strong>The</strong> Bouquet”<br />
Lunch<br />
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, noon<br />
<strong>Redwood</strong> Room, $5<br />
Our new chef, Gavin Gonzado, executive chef at Portobello Restaurant here in<br />
<strong>Redwood</strong> City, is now cooking on-site and our diners rave about the meals he’s<br />
preparing. Our meals always include soup, an entrée, dessert and your choice of beverage.<br />
Make your reservation for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at 650-780-7259.<br />
AARP Free Tax Preparation<br />
By appointment only<br />
Wednesdays through April 10<br />
Call the AARP tax appointment hot line at 650-489-6023. You will be asked<br />
to leave a message and an AARP volunteer will contact you to schedule an<br />
appointment. You must have an appointment for this service.<br />
Blood Pressure Screening<br />
Tuesday, March 5<br />
9–11 a.m., Goldstar Room<br />
11 a.m.–noon, Adaptive PE Room<br />
Did you know you can get a free blood pressure screening here at the center?<br />
Well, you can! Sponsored by Sequoia Health & Wellness Center, on the first<br />
Tuesday of the month, we are glad to be able to offer this service. Come get<br />
your free blood pressure screening.<br />
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Luncheon<br />
March 14, noon<br />
<strong>Redwood</strong> Room, $8<br />
Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by having lunch with old and new friends.<br />
Our wonderful new chef, Gavin, will be preparing the traditional corned beef<br />
and cabbage. Don’t miss out on this luncheon: Make your reservation(s) by<br />
calling 650-780-7259.<br />
Zumba!<br />
Saturdays, 9:30–10:30 a.m.<br />
Sequoia Room, Wellness Building<br />
Carmen and Vanessa, from M & M Studios, will be holding a Zumba class on<br />
an ongoing basis. Cost is $10/drop-in or purchase a punch card for 10 sessions<br />
for $45. No experience is necessary to attend this calorie-burning class.<br />
SAVE THE DATE: June 22<br />
Bingo, Bunko & Bridge<br />
This event, sponsored by the Peninsula Hills Women’s Club, will be held in<br />
support of families of veterans in recovery at Fischer House in Palo Alto.<br />
To learn more about the Veterans Memorial Senior Center, call 650-780-<br />
7270. <strong>Redwood</strong> City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department<br />
provides recreational facilities and activities for all ages and interests, and<br />
supplies building and custodial services for city buildings. <strong>Redwood</strong> City<br />
Parks also operates the Veterans Memorial Senior Center and the Fair Oaks<br />
Community Center, providing social, educational and cultural activities, as<br />
well as information, referral and counseling services to persons living in<br />
<strong>Redwood</strong> City and neighboring communities. <strong>Redwood</strong> City Parks is more<br />
than you think! Its website is located at www.redwoodcity.org/parks.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Spectrum</strong> 29