Insurance document loop frustrates tourist’s widow

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On my last visit to Tallinn, while I was admiring the view from the terrace atop the city walls, a kindly middle-aged man approached. From a satchel on his shoulder, he pulled out a stack of music CDs, all recordings of Tallinn’s famous Song Festivals. While he was eager to make a sale, my friend was even more intent that I learn the story of how singing helped lead his country to independence.

In 2018, the scrappy Republic of Estonia marks the 100th anniversary of its founding. Having endured 200 years of czarist rule, the unraveling of the Russian Empire and the turmoil of World War I, the Estonian people faced an uphill battle when they declared their republic in 1918. They quickly adopted a democratic Western Europeanstyle government and set about building a robust economy.

But when you are a small, humble nation lodged between two giants like Russia and Germany, simply surviving is a challenge. The good times didn’t last — in 1940 the Soviets marched in, and Germany invaded in 1941. By the end of World War II, Estonia found itself annexed again to its neighbor, now the Soviet Union.

Thus began a 50-year nightmare. Estonians saw their culture swept away, with Russian replacing Estonian as the language in schools. Russians and Ukrainians were moved in,

Born in Louisiana and raised in Florida, Paxton Ingram won over viewers with his magnetic personality and gorgeous vocals during his stint on “The Voice.” He says everyone expected him to pick Pharrell Williams to be his on-air coach. Instead, he selected country star Blake Shelton. Ingram, 21, recently released the single “Bad Luck.” He will be performing at this year’s SXSW music festival.

An edited version of our conversation follows.

A: It is right up there at the top. Miami has to be one of my favorite cities, not just ’cause I’m from there. When I was a kid, I was like, “Eh, I want to get out of here and experience life.” But now that I’ve had the opportunity to travel and see other things, I love coming back home. Miami is just another world. There are so many different cultures and languages here. You’re getting a melting pot when you visit Miami. If I had to compare it to any other city, I’d liken it to London more than another U.S. city.

A: True! It’s a welldeserved reputation! (Laughs.) We are a party city. When people visit, it’s exciting for them, because there is a party and vacation vibe. Everywhere you go there is some kind of party happening. and Estonians were shipped out. Moscow wouldn’t even allow locals to wave their own flag.

But Estonians were determined to maintain their cultural identity. They had no weapons, but they created their own power — remarkably — by banding together and singing.

Song has long been a cherished form of expression for Estonians, a way to keep hold of their national character, especially in the face of foreign domination. As long ago as 1869 (during another era of Russian subjugation), Estonians gathered in massive choirs to sing and celebrate their cultural uniqueness. Later, during the Soviet era, a brave choirmaster, Gustav Ernesaks, had the nerve in 1947 to lead singers in Estonia’s unofficial national anthem. For planting the seeds of the singing revolution to come, Ernesaks is still revered.

Finally, as the USSR began to crumble, the E sto-

QA: It never grows old. I love it! I get butterflies every time I’m about to board a plane. It’s that nervous excitement. I’ve kind of grown into traveling by myself, too, and take trips by myself. It can be kind of therapeutic for me.

A: It had to have been when I was probably about 7 or 8. We took a road trip from Miami all the way to Tyler, Texas. It was long. I’m still working through that. (Laughs) But we had a CD player and I had all my CDs, so I was in my own little world. I think that was my first real vacation.

A: (Laughs.) No! We’re flying! Actually, after that road trip to Tyler, we started flying.

A: Two great places really stick out — New Orleans and London. They each have their own nians mobilized again, using song to demand independence. In 1988, they gathered — 300,000 strong, a third of the population — at the Song Festival Grounds outside Tallinn. Locals vividly recall coming out to sing patriotic songs while dressed in folk costumes sewn years before by their grandmothers. The next year, the people of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia held hands to make the “Baltic Chain,” a human bond that stretched 400 miles from Vilnius, Lithuania, to Riga, Latvia, to Tallinn. Some feared a Tiananmen Square-type bloodbath, but the Estonians just kept singing.

This so-called Singing Revolution, peaceful and nonviolent, persisted for five years, and in the end, Estonians gained their freedom. It was a remarkable achievement: 1 million singing Estonians succeeded against 150 million Russian occupiers.

The spirit of song continues in Estonia. Every five vibe. New Orleans is one of the most interesting places on this continent. There’s so much history there and so many things to reference, from art to music to cooking to language to culture. It’s really special. And then London is just so cool. It’s an epicenter of Europe.

A. I really like cities where the music scene is thriving, like New York, New Orleans, London and Chicago. You can go out just about any time and hear great music. A lot of times you’ll go to an open mic night and it sounds like a middle-school show. But I’ve been to a few in London where the musicians were so talented. I was thinking, “Is everyone here signed (to a label)”?

A: The Maldives. It looks so good in the pictures. I also would have to throw in Algarve, Portugal, which has some of the most beautiful caves and beaches you’ve ever seen. And I’d love to go to Tokyo. For more from the reporter, visit years, the Song Festival Grounds welcome 25,000 singers and 100,000 spectators (the current amphitheater, built in 1959, resembles an oversized Hollywood Bowl). This is a national monument because of the stirring role it played in Estonia’s fight for independence. I’ve visited Tallinn several times, and the thrill of this phenomenon — and its historic importance — continues to inspire me.

Thankfully, the Russians did not succeed in diluting Estonia into oblivion. I’d guess that today’s Tallinn has more restaurants, cafes and surprises per capita and square inch than any Baltic city I’ve visited. Cruise ships have discovered Tallinn, and sightseers mob its cobbles most days.

Despite the crowds, I am always charmed by Tallinn’s Old Town, the best-preserved medieval center in all of Nordic Europe. And I make a point to get beyond the tacky tourism

A: I’m so sorry for your loss. Your insurance company should have promptly reimbursed you for your expenses, which are covered under your policy.

You did end up filing a claim with Seven Corners’ policy on time: You have a year to file, according to the company.

It appears you were stuck in a paperwork loop of some kind, where the company kept asking you for the same forms.

Chances are, after hearing your complaint, Seven Corners tried to transfer your case to someone more senior who could help expedite your claim.

A travel insurance company should never apologize for asking for documentation; its underwriters of the city’s central square. In ancient townhouses and guild halls around town, I’ve discovered several humble but worthwhile museums that put Estonia’s storied past in context.

Tallinn was a stronghold of the Baltic-Hanseatic maritime world, and the Tallinn City Museum provides a fascinating introduction to the glory days of merchant traders. The sober Museum of Occupations, recounting Estonian life under Soviet and German rule, is a reminder of the struggles faced by small countries in the shadow of empires.

The compact Museum of Estonian History condenses 11,000 years of Estonian cultural history with relative ease, focusing on the events and traditions that have shaped the country’s psyche. The Estonian Open-Air Museum, just outside town, displays salvaged farm buildings, windmills and an old church, all transported from rural areas to a parklike setting to both save and share Estonia’s traditions.

Visiting this tiny country, you can’t help but feel the connection of its people to their land and heritage — and the vibrancy of a free nation that’s just a generation old. Estonian pride is in the air. Rick Steves

writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at

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On a trip to Malaysia last summer, my husband was hospitalized with an infection and died. We had two active travel insurance policies at the time, one with Liverpool Victoria and the other with Seven Corners. The two policies overlapped by a couple of days.

When my husband became ill, we had two days left on our policy with Liverpool Victoria. I didn’t pursue a claim at the time because I was emotionally incapable of dealing with it, but also because I had the policy with Seven Corners, which began the date he was hospitalized.

When I came home, I submitted all of the required paperwork to Seven Corners. The company came back at me several times requesting more paperwork — pretty much what I’d already submitted. Months would go by and I’d get in touch to see how it was going, and they’d ask for more paperwork again and claim they were working on it.

A few weeks ago, when I hadn’t heard from the company for a while, I sent another email and got a reply that the claim had been transferred to a different person, and now she’s asking me for all the paperwork again. Can you believe it?

I’m appealing to you for help and guidance. Can you help me recover the $19,166, which covers the repatriation of my husband’s remains and airfare?

— Talor Min, Seattle require it. But it should be sorry for requesting the same receipts over and over.

I contacted Seven Corners and the company said you hadn’t sent the documents, which included a kinship affidavit, proof of medical bills paid and proof of funeral expenses paid. It appears you had sent some of those forms to Liverpool Victoria instead, the other insurance company.

With a little encouragement from my team, you re-sent the paperwork, and Seven Corners agreed to pay your claim.

This story, as originally written, didn't fully describe the various travel insurance companies involved in the claim. There were three: the travel insurance company, AMIG; a travel insurance retailer, April; and Seven Corners, a third-party administrator contracted by April and AMIG. Seven Corners says it processed the claim on time six months ago, but sent the check to Min's old address, which caused the delay. I'm happy to report that Min received her check and cashed it Jan. 5. Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler.” You can read more travel tips on his blog, or email him at