Vacationing in Mexico - Safety

I recently went on a vacation to Mexico…yes that dangerous place where everyone tells you not to go because something terrible is bound to happen to you. I have heard this from so many different people the last couple of years and I find it very difficult to group an entire country into one statement. There are certain places in Mexico that I feel much safer in than I do in my own town. Today I am going to share 14 safety precautions to take while on vacation in Mexico, or anywhere for that matter, to ensure your safety and also to not get ripped off.

#1 Make sure to never say it is your first time visiting because you are a target to get higher prices.
#2 Do research on how much taxi rides and/or rental cars should be.
#3 If you are a female make sure when you are walking to keep your purse close to your body and on the side facing away from the street. Smaller purses, preferably ones that can be wrapped around your wrist, are better.
#4 If it is your honeymoon, as tempting as it may be, do not say you are honeymooners because you are once again a target.
#5 Always check your bill especially if you have been drinking because in resort and common vacation locations they will try to charge you for extra drinks.
#6 If you do rent a car, gas attendants will require they fill up your tank. Make sure to watch them zero out the amount from the previous driver.
#7 If you meet someone at the airport or on the plane and they seem nice never share a cab with them to your hotel/house/condo that you are renting. They then know where you are staying and can  break in when you aren't there or worse, when you are there. This is a scam that can happen anywhere. Don’t let anyone know where you are staying.
#8 An obvious one is to not walk around after midnight with a group or by yourself. It isn't safe in the States and it isn't safe while traveling.
#9 This is a personal preference, but if you are concerned about getting any jewelry stolen then leave them at home. Vacation is a time to relax, not to be paranoid.

#10 There are dangerous places in Mexico but the best place to go is an island like Cozumel or Isla Mujeres. Their livelihood is based on you coming back. There are typically police and military all over these island for protection, to ensure tourism keeps booming.
#11 Trip insurance is always a good idea. Don’t get it through the airlines because it will only cover your flight and it quite costly. Go through an independent trip insurance provider and it will run you about $60. It could save you a lot of money and hassle.
#12 It is a good idea to make photo copies of your passport, major credit cards and bank account information. This is not to carry with you but to keep in the hotel safe just in case something happens to the originals.

#13 Do not post on Facebook that you will be away because that allows for an easy home invasion.
#14 Ask a neighbor to get your mail instead of stopping it all together. Anyone at the Post Office can then see who is on vacation and, once again, that welcomes in an opportunity for a  home invasion while you are away.


Safe Travels!    

Mary K. Marsh

Wedding Season Is Fast Approaching

If you or someone you know is going to be involved in a wedding this Spring or Summer, you might want to consider wedding insurance.  Travelers Insurance offers a Wedding Protector Plan which provides coverage in the event that something goes wrong.

What if the reception venue goes out of business a month before the wedding?  Or what if severe weather causes cancellation?  What about having the wedding dress damaged or stolen or having the bride or groom becoming suddenly ill and unable to attend?  These and a variety of other sudden or unexpected occurrences can be covered with insurance that will provide reimbursement for lost deposits or additional expenses.

The average wedding can now cost well above $20,000.  Our access to the Travelers policy can not only provide a bride, groom and their family liability coverage for the event, but also the security in knowing that all is not lost if something does go wrong.

The Travelers and Mars Insurance have you covered.

Safety For Your Home While Traveling

It’s so exciting to go on a vacation, isn't it?  To go on a trip to a new, exotic place.  It’s hard not to be excited, right?  There are so many things to do before you go – pack your bags, check with the airline, make sure the camera is charged….did you pack the sunscreen?  One of the most important steps in preparing for a trip is to make sure that your home is secure while you are away.  There are several easy steps you can take to make sure your home and property are safe in your absence.

First and foremost, make your home look like it’s still occupied!  There are several ways to do this.  This is an easy one especially if you have an animal at home that will need tending while you are gone.  Have a trusted friend or neighbor come by daily (at varying times) to take care of your pets.  If you don’t have a pet at home, have someone come by and bring in your mail.  Having your mail service stopped is a sure sign to a burglar that no one is home.  If you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, have someone come by and shovel your walk or mow your grass, water the garden or take out your trash on garbage day.

Most people will use a timer on their interior lights to make it look like they are home.  While this is a good idea, if you set an interior timer to go off at the same time every day, if a would-be burglar is watching your house this will indicate that you are not home.  The trick is to purchase a timer that can be set for varying times of day or if you have the ability, control the lights at home from your cell phone while you are gone – at different times during the day and night.  You also might want to consider installing a motion sensor light inside that way if someone does get into your home they may be fooled into thinking that someone is there after all and change their mind about what they’re doing.

 In addition, DON’T advertise on-line that you are going to be away and for how long!  This is very hard for people to resist.  It’s so tempting to want to tell all of your 300 closest social media friends that you are going on a fabulous trip.  Try to resist uploading vacation photos while you are still away.  I know you think everyone else wants to see the play by play of your vacation but they can wait until you have returned.
Other good rules of thumb are to make sure to have your electronics plugged into a surge protector so that in the event of a power outage your computer and television are not damaged.  Keep your thermostat set between 55 and 80 degrees and have someone run the water for a bit when they come by to check on the house.  This will ward off damage from frozen pipes.   Be sure to take your insurance agents phone number and your insurance policy number with you on your trip.  This way in the event that something does go wrong while you’re away, you will know just who to call.  Bon voyage!

Airplane Travel - Protect Yourself From Illness

While traveling …seeing the person on your airplane wearing a surgical mask, can be rather frightening!  Are they protecting you or themselves?  As it turns out, it may be both, according to Flustore.com.  It can help you avoid breathing in the infectious germs as well as protect those around you, by you not breathing out the germs onto others.

There are several other ways to protect yourself during air travel from various infectious illnesses.  Some basic simple steps may help you get to your destination healthy.

 Drink plenty of fluids, before and during your flight.  To save money, bring an empty water bottle to the airport and fill it from a water fountain after going through security

 Wash your hands often.  When soap and water are not available, bring along hand sanitizer.

 Be rested before you travel so that your body is stronger to fight the germs

 Get vaccinated against the flu

 Bring along zinc lozenges, vitamin C and Zicam

 Avoid the seat pocket in front of you.  People put everything in there, tissues, baby diapers, used food wrappers all carrying germs you do not want





Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!  Eating healthy, reducing stress, exercising regularly and getting enough rest may be enough to help you stay healthy!

Super Bowl Fun Facts

In gearing up for the Super Bowl, we thought we would share some weird Super Bowl facts to keep you entertained.  On game day, be sure to throw a few of these useless informative facts out there just for fun.

1. On the Monday following the Super Bowl, on average, 6% of the workforce calls in sick to work. While it is often assumed that people are just faking, in reality, quite a few are actually sick – usually from overdoing it with the food, drinks or both.

2. Super Bowl Sunday is the second leading day for food consumption in the U.S., the first being Thanksgiving according to the USDA

3. The sale of antacids goes up by nearly 20% the day after the Super Bowl.

4. Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys was the first defensive player ever named Super Bowl MVP and he was also the first player to be named a Super Bowl MVP from the losing team.

5. The first celebrity to perform at halftime during the Super Bowl was Carol Channing in 1970.
She sang a tribute to the City of New Orleans

6. According to the Insurance Information Institute, there are more alcohol related accidents on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year aside from St. Patrick’s Day.

7. It is estimated that 35% of all Super Bowl tickets that are sold are written off as a corporate expense.

8. 72 footballs will be on hand for use during the Super Bowl.

9. The toilet is flushed more times during halftime of the Super Bowl than any other time of the year.

10. The average number of people at any given Super Bowl Party is 17.

11. 1.23 billion Chicken wings fans will be enjoying more than 100 million pounds of chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday according to the National Chicken Council.

12. 9 out of 10 watchers are going to be at a home this Super Bowl, either their house or someone else’s house.  Boy that’s a lot of Super Bowl parties.

13. 11.2 million pounds of potato chips will be consumed during the televising of the big game.  But all those chips come with a price. Those many bags of chips will account for 27 billion calories and 1.8 billion grams of fat. Those grams of fat all add up too – it’s equal to four million pounds of fat nationally.  Information provided by Calorie Control Council and Snack Food Association.

14. 51.7 Million Cases of beer are sold to quench Super Bowl fan’s and help wash down all the food eaten on this day.

15. The first Super Bowl Rings were given to the winning team in the first Super Bowl played in 1967, the winning team……. The Green Bay Packers.

The Good and Bad of Credit Scoring

Most people are aware that one of many underwriting factors used in determining one's actual auto or homeowner insurance rate is credit scoring.  What many do not know is that a good credit score helps to lower your insurance cost.  The Insurance Information Institute, according to a recent article from Safeco Insurance, indicates that upwards of two-thirds of policyholders have a lower premium because of good credit.

The bad side of credit scoring is that the other one-third of policyholders have higher premiums due to their credit history.  The remedy is obviously trying to improve your credit in the future to more favorably affect your insurance premiums.

So, the next time you receive the privacy notice from your insurance company indicating that your credit score has affected your insurance premium, do not think that this is a bad thing.  You are most likely in the two-thirds of those policyholders who are getting better premiums because of good credit.


Frank Zimmerman

To Your Health.........

We are a society that is constantly on the go.  Between getting the kids ready for school, going to work, doing the grocery shopping, running to our children's events, sports events, taking care of the house, etc. we, often times, neglect our bodies and don't eat right or exercise.

During the cold winter months, taking care and eating right are increasingly more important.  However, that is the time we usually run through a drive through, go home and curl up with a blanket because it is just too cold to do anything.

With the Flu and illness on the rise, hospitals and doctors offices are feeling the stress of treating an overwhelming amount of patients these days.  Your health begins with you.  Eat right, exercise, rest an adequate amount and you will be stronger to ward off illnesses.

Each one of us has a unique sleep requirement but our sleep needs depends upon age, sex and various genetic factors.  On average, the human body (depending on age) will require between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  Sleep recharges the body.  Much like a laptop computer, you can only run it so long before the battery fails and you need to plug it in to recharge it.  The human body requires rest to recharge.

We all hear about how we need to eat a balanced diet but how many of us who are on the go all the time actually eat balanced and healthy foods? Our friends at www.helpguide.org have some easy tips for planning a healthy diet and will help make it easier for you to stick to a healthy way of eating.  "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" isn't far off.  Healthy food increases the bodies ability to ward off virus'.

Exercise is something we all need but many lack.  In fact, for some, the most exercise they receive is running the other way when someone mentions the mere idea of exercise.  Did you know that after age 34 the human brain can lose up to 7,000 brain cells per day?  Did you know that exercise is what allows the brain to replenish those lost brain cells?  Drinking and smoking increases the number of lost brain cells.
So, lets provide you with some simple, no equipment exercises that you can do to help you on your way to a healthier you.  RealAge.com will provide you with some simple workouts that just about everyone can do and there is no equipment required, so don't feel like you have to run out to get that gym membership started.

I would like to leave you with a recipe that is great on these cold days and is good for you too.


TORTILLA SOUP from Eva Longoria's cookbook

I use between 4 to 5 pounds of skinless boneless chicken thighs (original recipe calls for 4 pounds chicken legs and 4 pounds chicken thighs)
12 cups cold water
4 dried pasilla chiles
4 dried ancho chiles
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, diced
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
2 large bunches of fresh cilantro, leaves chopped
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For serving:
36 white or yellow corn tortillas, sliced into 1/4 inch think strips I personally like to use flour tortillas instead
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
6 large avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
A little more chopped fresh cilantro

1) In a large stockpot, place chicken legs and/or thighs in cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is opaque throughout and tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 min. With a slotted spoon remove the chicken from the pot an set aside to cool. Set aside the stockpot of broth. As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull off and shred the meat; discard skin and bones (which you don't have to worry about if using skinless, boneless).

2) Place the pasilla and ancho chiles in a medium saucepan, add cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chiles are soft, about 10 min. Drain the chiles and remove their stems and veins. If you want a spicier bite, keep the seeds; if not, removed the seeds as well.

3) In the food processor, place the chiles  tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt. (reduce the salt if doctor recommends a low salt diet) Process until smooth, adding a 1/2 cup of the reserved chicken broth to loosen the mixture if it is too thick.

4) Stir the chili puree and half of the cilantro into the broth. Bring to a simmer over low heat, and simmer for 20 -30 min. Taste and add salt if needed (we never do). Stir in the shredded chicken and the remaining cilantro and remove the pot from the heat.

5) Original recipe calls for frying the tortilla strips for 45 seconds. Baking them in the oven will cut down on the oil simply by lining a baking sheet with the strips of tortillas, brush lightly with olive oil if you'd like, bake in oven 350 degrees for just a few minutes. Check them often and take them out when they seem to curl up and get crisp.

6) To serve, put a few tortillas strips and a big scoop of lettuce in a soup bowl. Ladle the soup into the bowl. Top with avocado and more fresh chopped cilantro, and enjoy!



Mars Insurance wishes you a Happy and Healthy day.