GENERAL INSURANCE BLOG

Mumbai and its nearby locations have always been regarded as some of the best places to explore in the country. Besides being the financial capital of the nation, there is a lot to explore for travellers in the city of Mumbai. While a private tour package might seem like the easier option, it is way better to explore on your own. This way, you will be able to spend as much time as you like at every destination without having to hurry up and catch up with the rest of the group. Since the city is notorious for its traffic, many travellers, as well as locals, opt for a motorcycle or a scooter to go around. In case you go for this option, make sure that the vehicle has a suitable insurance policy in place. You can easily buy a new or renew the two-wheeler insurance online in India.

Here are the top 5 destinations in and around Mumbai that you can explore: -

• Gateway of India: If you visit Mumbai, it goes without saying that you must see the Gateway of India. Constructed facing the Arabian Sea in Colaba, it was built to welcome King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai. The best time to visit this attraction is either early morning or late evening when there isn’t a huge crowd. It is located right next to the Taj Mahal Palace, another notable attraction in Mumbai.
• Juhu Beach: If you are looking to get away from the busy city for a little while, Juhu Beach is a great option. Since it is quite renowned, there will most likely be a lot of people there but the gorgeous sunset and the cool breeze in the evening will be worth it. Just put on a pair of flip-flops and take a nice, long walk on the beach as you marvel at the magnificence of the waves hitting the shore. .
• Marine Drive: Officially known as the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, this destination located in Chowpatty is very well-known. A curved promenade that runs for kilometres, Marine Drive is the perfect place to sit and enjoy a breath-taking view of the beach and enjoy the cool sea breeze.
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: Built during the British colonial period in 1888, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is said to be the second most photographed location in India after Taj Mahal. It is a terminal train station built in a Victorian-Gothic style of architecture and attracts many who come to marvel at the splendid edifice.
• Elephanta Caves: Located on a small island called Gharapuri, east of the Gateway of India, the Elephanta Caves is a collection of caves, all adorned with intricate carvings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, these cave temples have been linked to the Kalachuri dynasty and also the Hinayana Buddhists. Take a ferry from the mainland and go explore the Elephanta Caves situated somewhere in the Arabian Sea.

Mumbai as a city is massive and has a lot to offer, both for tourists as well as those looking to move to a new city. Besides the above-mentioned destinations, you can also visit Film City, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the Taj Mahal Palace, Siddhivinayak Temple, Hanging Gardens, and many others. If you do plan on ditching a car and taking a scooter or bike to go around the city, make sure that you buy a suitable two wheeler insurance online in India for the vehicle.

It's an old adage "New or Old - Home is where the heart is". Whether you have moved into a new house or have just had your entire house renovated, you want to make sure that it is safe from calamities. You need to make sure that you can reduce the damage to your house in case there is a natural disaster and that you won’t need to pay a hefty amount trying to fix that damage. One of the best ways is to always have home insurance. With there being so many in the market, it isn’t that difficult to find the best home insurance in India. Here are some ways to secure your home against calamities: -

Get Home Insurance: Always having home insurance in place is one of the best ways to protect your house from any calamities. Home insurance will cover a certain proportion of the costs of repairing or will protect against any damage due to fire, a flood, an earthquake or other such disasters. So, if there were to be a calamity, you wouldn’t need to pay for all the costs of repairing from your own pocket; the insurance company will pay for most of it. Do a little research and choose only the best home insurance in india.

• Have a strong foundation: If you live in a house and not an apartment in a building, make sure to bolt the house to the foundation. When constructing or renovating the house, make it a point to secure the house to its foundations so it won’t be uprooted when there is an earthquake, especially if you live in an earthquake-prone region.
• Know how to turn off the utilities or electricity: When there is a natural disaster, the chances are that you won’t really have a lot of time to turn off all the electrical switches, water taps or the gas. So, you must always be prepared. Know where the main electrical board is or where the main source of the gas is, so you can just turn them off during an emergency instead of scampering around trying to turn off individual taps or switches.
• Do not put off any repairs: Whether there is a tap leaking, a hole in the wall or the roof, or the door isn’t properly hinged to the wall, do not procrastinate when it comes to fixes these problems. You cannot predict a disaster, and when it does hit, the slightest gap or the smallest hole will allow water to enter into the house and eventually flood it. In case of a storm or tornado, a loose door could ultimately break, and you wouldn’t have much protection from the strong winds or the damage they may cause.
• Try to use fire-proof materials: Trying to construct the house entirely with fire-proof material is not possible. However, the wires used must be all fire-proof. During a natural disaster, wires can possibly cause a fire, and using water to put it out would only be more dangerous. So, you must make sure that the wires you have running all over your house will not catch fire.

Being a homeowner, you need to keep a lot of things in mind to ensure that your property is safe from any damages and a natural disaster is something no one can predict so the only option is to be fully prepared.

There really isn’t the right time to go on a trip. Sure, you might need to take fewer leaves from work or school if it’s sometime in June or December when everyone is on vacation. But a vacation is a vacation. And it’s an exciting time; you are busy making plans about all that you’d do once you get there, all that you need to buy before leaving, packing up your suitcase and other such things. But that isn’t all. You shouldn’t get so absorbed in making all the plans that you forget to be thoroughly prepared for the trip. For instance, to safeguard your car when you are on your vacay, you should get it insured from the best car insurance company in India. There are some tips you should always keep in mind when travelling, no matter where. Some of them are as follows:

• Keep your belongings in a secure place: When you are travelling, there are chances of being pick-pocketed. Try keeping your wallet and identity proof in an inside pocket if possible or keep your bag towards the front side if they are kept in there. When staying in a hotel or hostel, do not keep your belongings scattered around and keep your luggage locked at all times. If you are travelling abroad, keep your passport and other documents in a locker if available.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Make sure to research well about where you’d be staying. Do not forget to find out details about the area where you’d be lodging. If you don’t, you might end up staying in an unsafe or dangerous neighbourhood. In case you do end up in such an area, try not to go out after dark, especially alone.
• Keep people informed: Whether you are travelling alone or with friends or family, it is always a really good idea to let people know where you are and what you generally intend to do that day. This way, in case something were to happen, or you aren’t able to contact anyone during an emergency, they would know where you are and can perhaps get to you or could inform the authorities if need be.
• Be careful when using public Wi-Fi: It is great to have Wi-Fi around you, so you don’t need to use up your mobile data but be careful when connecting to it. If you end up connecting to a network that isn’t secure, you could fall prey to hackers who might steal important information from your phone such as bank details or might even obtain your house address etc. It is key that you practise caution when using an unknown network since you could become a victim of cyber-crime.
• Beware of strangers: There is absolutely nothing wrong with making friends when out on vacation. In fact, it is great to make friends in different places. However, you mustn’t trust just anybody you meet. You can never really know - someone’s intentions so you must avoid giving out personal information or going just about anywhere with people you have just met.

Trips are a great way to destress and just have a good time, but it is necessary to be careful when travelling. You must take good care of your things, including your vehicles. For instance, if you plan a road trip with your friends, do not forget to choose the best car insurance company in India, so you are protected in case of a problem.

Car insurance is all about cutting your losses in case of an accident or theft. You will pay the premium annually or more frequently as per the guidelines of your policy. You need to pay the premium regularly to keep the policy active. Car accidents do not happen that frequently, but they do occur quite a lot. This makes having a proper car insurance policy extremely important. Though at the time of purchasing a car insurance policy, it is important to look up new car insurance rates, so you do not end up shelling an unnecessary amount of money. You will also be rewarded for driving safely and responsibly by No Claim Bonus.

No Claim Bonus is essentially a discount over the own damage premium component. It means that you would have to pay less in the forthcoming premium if you do not raise any claim in the entire year. You generally start with zero NCB (except in the case of NCB transfer) and accumulate discounts over the years. It is often misinterpreted, so here are few features you need to be mindful of: -

• NCB is available only on policy renewal. It is a reward for not making any claims during the entire year. It is earned by keeping a claim-free record. It starts at 20 percent after one claim-free year and accumulates steadily with each subsequent claim-free year and can reach up to a maximum of 50 percent.
• NCB belongs to you and not the car. It is essentially a reward to the driver. If you decide to change the car and get an insurance policy for it, you will retain your NCB discount from the first premium on your new insurance policy. So, in essence, NCB is transferrable between cars. However, NCB is not transferrable between two people.
• Transferring NCB is a simple procedure. After the purchase of a new vehicle, you have to submit Form 29 and Form 30 along with a letter requesting your insurer for NCB transfer. Your insurer will issue an NCB certificate which will be valid for three years after the date of the issue. You have to submit this certificate to your new insurer to retain your NCB benefits.
• NCB is only valid over the own damage component of the premium. This means NCB is not valid over the third-party liability component of the premium.
• NCB must be kept in mind before making small claims. NCB is reset to zero, no matter the magnitude of the claim. It is therefore important to make calculations before making any small claims. You can end up losing more than you gain. In addition to NCB be set to zero you will also lose any accumulated discount and will have to start over to reach a 50% discount earmark.
• You can purchase an NCB add-on cover that will allow you to make a limited number of claims without affecting your NCB. This can help you if you are stuck in the decision to make a small or moderate claim.
• Maximum NCB discount is 50% though some insurers allow higher discounts in their policies for driver's clean records.

Insurance is nothing but risk management. You buy insurance just so you do not fall into a financial burden in emergencies. Insurance is all about saving money. At the time of purchasing a new policy, you must always check up new car insurance rates, so you don't end up paying more. NCB too is a step towards saving money, you must always drive safely, and NCB ensures you will be rewarded for it.