AU2013222051A1 - A travel support system - Google Patents

Abstract

A travel support system and is disclosed in this specification. The system comprises a web server that 5 generates travel insurance policies from user information received from client computing systems. The user information typically includes the countries that a user intends to visit during an overseas trip, the user's age and any high value items specified on the insurance 10 policy. A base station associated with the web server generates travel support information for individual users. The travel support information is customised using the information supplied for the insurance policy. The base station transmits the targeted travel support information 15 to a computing system associated with the corresponding user via a dedicated travel application. The travel application is linked to the user's travel insurance policy so that updated information relevant to the user's travel plans can be distributed to the user. Cloud storage Email server 3rd Party Applications Travel Q&A3 4 Travel related 36 content Insurance Membe policies profile Figure 2

Description

- 1 A TRAVEL SUPPORT SYSTEM Field of the Invention 5 The present invention relates to a travel support system and to a method of providing support information and services to a traveller. Background of the Invention 10 It is known to provide a system that is accessible online and useable to obtain travel insurance based on user provided travel details. 15 However, such a system is relatively unsophisticated and is not capable of providing a user that has purchased travel insurance with travel support, and in particular travel support when the user is at a specific travel destination. 20 Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a travel support system 25 comprising: a web server that receives user information from client computing systems via a data network and generates travel insurance policies from the received information, the user information including countries that a 30 corresponding user intends to visit during an overseas trip, and a base station that generates targeted travel support information from received user information and transmits the targeted travel support information to a computing 35 system associated with a corresponding user, the travel support information being linked the user's travel insurance policy.

- 2 In an embodiment, the system comprises a travel repository generated by the base station for distribution to individual users, the travel repository including the 5 targeted travel support information generated for a user and a summary of the corresponding user's travel insurance policy. In an embodiment, the system comprises a web interface 10 that receives user information from individual users and facilitates payment for a travel insurance policy established from the user information, the web interface being hosted by the web server. 15 In an embodiment, the system comprises a client application that interfaces between a user computing system and the base station to facilitate the transmission of travel information. 20 In an embodiment, the system comprises an automated policy interface integrated with the client application that facilitates alterations to the travel insurance policy after issuance by the web server. 25 In an embodiment, the the user information received by the web server comprises: i. the users age and gender, ii. the countries that the user intends to visit during an overseas trip, 30 iii. the departure and return dates for the overseas trip, and iv. specified insurance options that the user elects for a corresponding insurance insurance policy. 35 In an embodiment, the targeted travel support information comprises localised information for a country a user intends to visit during an overseas trip, including any -3 one or more of: i) vehicle licence requirements; ii) local disease advice; iii) common scams; 5 iv) safety tips; v) arrival advice; vi) language guides; vii) addresses and/or contact numbers for applicable embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; 10 viii) activity suggestions; ix) restaurants recommendations; x) discount rates from affiliates; xi) accommodation suggestions; xii) mobile network options; and 15 xiii) travel alerts. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided travel assistance process comprising: 20 receiving user information via a data network from a client computing system, the user information including the countries a corresponding user intends to visit during an overseas trip, producing a travel insurance policy for the user from 25 the received user information, generating targeted travel support information for the user, including information specific to the countries the user intends to visit, and transmitting the travel support information to a 30 computing system associated with the user. In an embodiment, the process comprises compiling a travel repository for distribution to the user, the travel repository including the targeted travel support 35 information generated for the user and a summary of the corresponding user's travel insurance policy.

- 4 10. In an embodiment, the process comprises receiving the user information and facilitating payment for a corresponding travel insurance policy established from the user information via a web interface. 5 In an embodiment, the process comprises facilitating alteration of a travel insurance policy after issuance using an automated interface accessible via a data network. 10 In an embodiment, the received user information comprises: i. the users age and gender, ii. the countries that the user intends to visit during an overseas trip, 15 iii. the departure and return dates for the overseas trip, and iv. specified insurance options that the user elects for a corresponding insurance insurance policy. 20 In an embodiment, the targeted travel support information comprises localised information for a country a user intends to visit during an overseas trip, including any one or more of: i) vehicle licence requirements; 25 ii) local disease advice; iii) common scams; iv) safety tips; v) arrival advice; vi) language guides; 30 vii) addresses and/or contact numbers for applicable embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; viii) activity suggestions; ix) restaurants recommendations; x) discount rates from affiliates; 35 xi) accommodation suggestions; xii) mobile network options; and xiii) travel alerts.

- 5 In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a travel support system comprising: 5 a base station accessible through a communications network, the base station being arranged to receive travel information indicative of travel plans associated with a user and to record policy information indicative of a travel insurance policy produced using the received travel 10 information; the base station being accessible by a user computing device through a communications network, the base station arranged to send travel support information to the user computing device when the user computing device accesses 15 the base station, the travel support information selected using the received travel information. In an embodiment, the base station is arranged to facilitate reception of the travel information through a 20 communications network that may include the Internet. In an embodiment, the user computing device is arranged to store the received travel support information such that the travel support information is available when the user 25 computing device is not in communication with the base station. In an embodiment, the travel support information is selected from travel support information that is stored at 30 the base station and/or selected from travel support information obtained from at least one source remotely located relative to the base station and in communication with the base station through the communications network. 35 In an embodiment, the base station is arranged to produce the travel insurance policy automatically based on the received travel information. The base station may be - 6 arranged such that the travel insurance policy is accessible on-line from the user computing device. In an embodiment, the travel information received at the 5 base station includes any one or more of the following: i) the specific countries that the user is proposing to travel to; ii) the date that the user is leaving; iii) the date that the user is returning; 10 iv) the ages of the user and other people travelling with the user; v) medical conditions that the user and any accompanying persons might have; vi) specified items that the user elects to stipulate 15 on the insurance policy, such as a camera or mobile phone; vii) activities that the user is proposing to undertake; viii) the gender of the user and of the persons 20 accompanying the user; and ix) the country of residence of the user. In an embodiment, the travel support information comprises text, at least one image, video and/or audio information. 25 In an embodiment, the travel support information includes any one or more of the following information: i) vehicle licence requirements in the destination 30 country; ii) information about local diseases; iii) information about common scams in the destination country; iv) basic safety information about the destination 35 country; v) useful advice on arrival in the destination country; - 7 vi) useful local language phrases; vii) useful local addresses and contact numbers, such as for Embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; 5 viii) suggestions for activities in the destination country; ix) suggestions for local restaurants in the destination country; x) information about special offers, for example 10 provided by third party organisations; xi) suggestions for places to stay in the destination country; xii) suggestions for connecting to local communications networks; and 15 xiii)local alerts indicative of significant events relevant to the destination country, for example from a safety perspective. In an embodiment, the base station comprises a web server 20 arranged to facilitate access to the base station through the Internet. In an embodiment, the web server is arranged such that a user computing device is able to provide the base station 25 with the travel support information using at least one web page provided by the web server. In an embodiment, the base station comprises an application programming interface (API) arranged to 30 facilitate access to the base station through the Internet, the API arranged to enable a user computing device to provide the base station with the travel support information using an application implemented on the user computing device. 35 In an embodiment, the base station is arranged to send additional travel support information to a user computing - 8 device when the user computing device accesses the base station subsequent to receipt of the travel support information. 5 The base station may be arranged such that the additional travel support information is selected based on the current user location or a travel destination that the user will next visit. 10 In an embodiment, the user computing device comprises a tablet computer, smartphone, PDA or laptop computer. In an embodiment, the system is arranged to receive emails, to recognise an email that is associated with a 15 user of the system, to store the email and/or any attachments associated with the email, and to make the email and/or the attachments available for access by the user from a user computing device when the user computing device accesses the base station. 20 In an embodiment, the base station is arranged to send a travel support service to the user computing device when the user computing device accesses the base station, the travel support service selected using the received travel 25 information. In accordance with a forth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a software application installable on a user computing device, the application 30 when installed on the user computing device causing the user computing device to operate in accordance with a travel support system arranged to: communicate with a base station accessible through a communications network, the base station arranged to 35 select travel support information based on travel information indicative of travel plans associated with the user; - 9 receive the travel support information from the base station when the user computing device accesses the base station; store the received travel support information at the 5 user computing device; and make the travel support information accessible to the user when the user computing device is not connected to the base station. 10 In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing support information to a traveller, the method comprising: facilitating communications between a base station and a remotely located user computing device; 15 receiving at the base station travel information indicative of travel plans associated with a user; recording policy information indicative of a travel insurance policy produced using the received travel information; 20 accessing the base station using the user computing device; selecting travel support information based on the received travel information; sending the selected travel support information to 25 the user computing device from the base station when the user computing device accesses the base station; storing the travel support information at the user computing device; and making the travel support information accessible to 30 the user when the user computing device is not connected to the base station. Brief Description of the Drawings 35 The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - 10 Figure 1 is a block diagram of a travel support system 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating functional 5 components of a base station of the system shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a block diagram of a user computing device configured to operate with the system shown in Figures 1 and 2; and 10 Figure 4 is a screen relationship diagram illustrating representations of screens presented to a user by the computing device shown in Figure 3. Description of an Embodiment of the Invention 15 Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, a travel support system 10 is shown that includes a base station 12, in this example in the form of a computer server, accessible through a communications network such as the Internet 14 20 from user computing devices 16, 18. In this example, the user computing devices include a tablet computer 16 and a smartphone 18, although it will be understood that any communications enabled computing device that is capable of implementing software applications and communicating with 25 the base station 12 is envisaged, such as a laptop computer or PDA. In the present example, the base station 12 is implemented as a computer server including a processor 20 arranged to 30 control and coordinate operations in the base station 12, and a network interface 22, in this example arranged to facilitate wireless communications with the base station 12 though the Internet 14. In the present embodiment, the base station 12 is accessible by the user computing 35 devices 16, 18 through web pages served to the user computing devices 16, 18 by a web server 24, for example realised by software implemented by the processor 20, and - 11 through an application programming interface (API) that communicates with the user computing devices 16, 18 using a dedicated application installed on the user computing devices 16, 18. 5 The system is arranged such that based on travel information indicative of a user's travel plans that are provided by the user, the base station 12 provides the relevant user computing device 16, 18 with travel support 10 information or services. The travel information may be provided to the base station 12 through one or more web pages associated with the base station 12, using the dedicated application that is installed on the user computing device 16, 18, or in any other way. After 15 receiving the travel information, the base station 12 may automatically produce a travel insurance policy relevant to the user and store details of the travel insurance policy at the base station 12, or alternatively the travel insurance policy may be created manually or semi 20 automatically with input from an operator associated with the base station 12 and details of the produced travel insurance policy stored at the base station 12. The base station 12 also includes a data storage device 26 25 arranged to store programs, data and information used by the base station 12, and a database 28 that may be incorporated into the data storage device 26, or implemented separately to the data storage device 26, and arranged to store user profiles indicative of users 30 associated with the system, and travel information indicative of travel plans associated with the users. The base station 12 also includes a memory 29 used by the processor 20 to temporarily store data and programs used by the processor to implement functionality in the base 35 station 12. The base station 12 is arranged such that a user may - 12 connect to the base station 12 through the Internet 14 using a user computing device 16, 18 and provide the base station 12 with travel information indicative of travel plans associated with the user. For example, the travel 5 information may include the following information: i) the specific countries that the user is proposing to travel to; ii) the date that the user is leaving; 10 iii) the date that the user is returning; iv) the ages of the user and other people travelling with the user; v) medical conditions that the user and any accompanying persons might have; 15 vi) items that the user is proposing to take, such as a camera or mobile phone; vii) activities that the user is proposing to undertake; viii) the gender of the user and of the persons 20 accompanying the user; and ix) the country of residence of the user. Based on the travel information received by the base station 12, a travel insurance policy is produced, either 25 automatically using one or more programs stored in the data storage device and implemented by the processor 20, or manually by an operator associated with the base station 12. 30 However, it will be understood that the travel information may be received by operators of the travel support system 10 in any other way, for example by telephone, and the travel insurance policy created based on the travel information received in this way. 35 Based on the travel information received using the user computing device 16, 18 or otherwise, the base station 12 - 13 selects travel support information or services relevant to the received travel information from the data storage device 26 and/or from elsewhere, such as from one or more sources on the Internet 14, and synchronizes the travel 5 support information with the user computing device 16, 18 through the Internet 14. The travel support information synchronized with the user computing device 16, 18 is specific to the user and/or 10 specific to the travel plans associated with the user, in particular the travel destinations that the user will travel to. The travel support information or services may include articles, images, audio and/or video relevant to the user and relevant to the destinations that the user 15 will be travelling to. For example, the travel support information may include: i) vehicle licence requirements in the destination country; 20 ii) information about local diseases; iii) information about common scams in the destination country; iv) basic safety information about the destination country; 25 v) useful advice on arrival in the destination country; vi) useful local language phrases; vii) useful local addresses and contact numbers, such as for Embassies, hospitals, and emergency 30 services; viii) suggestions for activities in the destination country; ix) suggestions for local restaurants in the destination country; 35 x) information about special offers, for example provided by third party organisations; xi) suggestions for places to stay in the destination - 14 country; xii) suggestions for connecting to local communications networks; and xiii)local alerts indicative of significant events 5 relevant to the destination country, for example from a safety perspective. xiv) active push notification alerts The received travel support information is stored locally 10 on the user computing device 16, 18 such that the travel support information is accessible by the user. In this way, the user is able to receive relevant travel support information prior to travelling to a destination 15 country, and the travel support information is stored on the user computing device 16, 18 so that the information is available off-line. As a result, it is not necessary for the user to connect the user computing device to a communications network in the destination country in order 20 to receive relevant travel support information. A representation of an example implementation of the travel support system is shown in Figure 2, with functional components of the base station 12 shown instead 25 of hardware components. It will be understood that the functional components in this example are implemented using the hardware components shown in Figure 1 such that an API type architecture is provided for facilitating communications with remote user computing devices 16, 18 30 and implementing actions in response to the communications. The base station 12 in this example includes an application programming interface (API) 32 that defines 35 the rules and protocols by which a user computing device 16, 18 communicates with the base station 12, member profiles 34 that define travel information indicative of - 15 travel plans for each user that has obtained travel insurance with the system, and insurance policies 36, each insurance policy being associated with a member profile 34 and defining details of the travel insurance provided to 5 the user based on the travel information received from a user and recorded in a member profile 34. The base station 12 also includes travel related content 38 that includes travel support information, for example 10 in the form of recorded video and/or audio, text, brochures, articles, or any other type of information that may be relevant to a person that is travelling. The base station 12 also includes travel Q&A content 40 15 that also includes travel support information, for example in the form of recorded video and/or audio, text, brochures, articles, or any other type of information that may be relevant to a person that is travelling. The Q&A content 40 may include information relating to typical 20 questions asked by travellers together with the relevant answers. The base station 12 also includes content derived from 3 rd party applications 42, for example information indicative 25 of a hotel deal that is derived from a source associated with one or more hotels, travel alert information that is derived from a travel advisory service, or any other type of information derived from an external source or from an application separate to the travel support system 10, that 30 may be relevant to a person that is travelling. It will be understood that the travel support information may include information relevant to multiple destinations, multiple traveller types, and so on. The relevant travel 35 support information that is selected for a user from the travel related content 38, Q&A content 40 and/or the 3 rd party applications 42 and sent to the user computing - 16 device 16, 18 is based on the travel information provided by the user. Accordingly, the travel support information that is selected and sent to a user may be based on the age, gender, destination country, or any one or more item 5 of travel information that is provided by the user either at the point of purchase or afterwards in response to user login. In this example, the system 10 also includes an email 10 server 44 arranged to receive emails from users associated with the system and to store attachments to the email in a cloud storage device 46 such that the attachments may be retrieved by a user. 15 In a particular embodiment, when a user first obtains travel insurance with operators of the system, the user is provided with an email address associated with the system 10. The user then need only forward relevant emails that for example include important travel related information 20 and/or attachments to the allocated email address. On receipt of the email at the email server 44, the email and any associated attachments are then stored in the cloud storage device 46 and linked to the relevant member profile 34 at the base station 12. 25 The stored email and associated attachments are then made available to the user when the user connects to the base station 12 through the website associated with the system or through the travel support application. 30 It will be appreciated that this arrangement may be used to store important travel information and documents such as passport details, travel ticket information, accommodation details, such that the information and 35 documents are easily accessible by the user. In an embodiment, the stored information and documents are - 17 synchronised to the user computing device 16, 18 so that the stored information and documents are available off line using the travel support application. 5 In this example, the email server 44 and the cloud storage device 46 are disposed at a location different to the base station, although it will be understood that the email server 44 and/or the cloud storage device 46 may form part of the base station or may be disposed at the same 10 location as the base station 12. A block diagram illustrating components of a user computing device, in this example a smartphone device 18, is shown in Figure 3. 15 The components include a processor 52 for controlling and coordinating operations in the device 18, a display 54, a touch screen 56 for receiving inputs from a user, a display driver 58 for controlling operation of the display 20 54 and in particular for receiving instructions from the processor 52 and communicating display control data to the display 54 in response to the processor instructions, and a touch screen driver 60 for controlling operation of the touch screen 56 and in particular for receiving touch 25 information from the touch screen 56 for use by the processor 52 to determine user selections and the appropriate actions in response. The components 30 also include a network interface 62, in 30 this example a wireless interface, arranged to facilitate communications with a mobile communications network and a wireless computer network and thereby with the base station 12, a data storage device 64 arranged to store programs 66 for use by the processor 52 to implement 35 required functionality such as implementation of a device operating system and user interface, applications 68 that are selectively implemented by the device 18 in response - 18 to user input, and application data 70 associated with and used by the applications 68. The components also include a memory 72 for temporarily 5 storing data and/or programs during implementation of the programs 66 and/or applications 68. Referring to Figure 4, a screen relationship diagram 80 is shown that illustrates example screens presented to a user 10 on a user computing device 18, such as a smartphone, when a travel support application is selected by the user. The travel support application may be obtained in any suitable way, for example by connecting to a dedicated 15 applications repository or by connecting to a website associated with operators of the travel support system 10 and selecting a download link. In a particular embodiment, the application may be made available for download after the user has provided travel information 20 through the website associated with operators of the travel support system and obtained a travel insurance policy. It will be understood that the application that is 25 installed on the user computing device 16, 18 is arranged to present travel support information relevant to the user's travel plans in a structured user friendly way. It will be appreciated that for reasons of clarity the 30 diagram 80 shows only some of the possible screens that may be presented to the user, and in a practical application of this example other screens may also be presented to the user. 35 The screens represented on the diagram 80 include a screen boundary 81 that indicates the content viewable by a user on the screen and, for screens that have more content than - 19 will fit onto a single screen, additional content 82 that is viewable by scrolling the screen content across the screen in response to user input. 5 It will be understood that the system may be arranged such that a user is able to navigate through the screens by touching links on the screens and/or using defined touch gestures. 10 The diagram 80 shows a login screen 83 that is presented to a user when the application is first run on the user device 18. At the login screen 83, the user is able to enter username and password details into login details boxes 84, and confirm the entered details by selecting a 15 login button 86. If successful login takes place whilst the user device 18 is in networked communication with the base station, information identifying the user, such as the user login 20 details, are sent to the base station 12 to enable the base station 12 to identify the user and retrieve the relevant member profile 34 associated with the user. Based on the travel information in the retrieved member profile 34, the API 32 retrieves relevant travel support 25 information, in this example from the travel related content 38, travel Q&A information 40 and/or information derived from 3rd party applications 42, and sends the selected travel support information to the user device 18. 30 When the user selects the travel support application, a welcome screen 90 is displayed that presents a welcome message 92 to the user. The welcome screen 90 includes a pre-departure checklist link 94 that when selected causes information about the proposed travel to be displayed to 35 the user in the form of a checklist usable to remind the user of important information and/or actions that the user should do prior to departure.

- 20 The welcome screen 90 also includes a menu link 96 that when selected causes a menu screen 100 to be displayed. The menu screen 100 presents to the user several links 5 that are selectable by the user. The menu screen 100 in this example includes a header 102 that identifies the next trip to be taken by the user, an alerts link 104, a 'things to know' link 106, a policy details link 108, a '24 hr assistance' link 110, a 'local emergency Nos.' link 10 112, a trips link 114, a settings link 116 and a log off link 118. Selection of the 'things to know' link 106 causes a 'things to know' screen 120 to be displayed. The 'things 15 to know' screen 120 includes travel support information and/or links to travel support information associated with and relevant to the travel destination. In this example, the 'things to know' screen 120 includes 20 a 'basic Thai phrases' link 122 that when selected causes a basic Thai phrases screen 130 to be displayed, and Q&A links 124 that relate to some common questions relevant to the travel destination. When selected, answers to the selected common question are displayed. Selection of a 25 Q&A link 124 may cause a Q&A forum screen to be displayed wherein a user is able to view more relevant questions and answers and/or search for answers to user specified questions relevant to the travel destination. 30 The 'things to know' screen 120 also includes articles links 126 that relate to articles relevant to the destination country. When an article link 126 is selected, an article associated with the selected article link 126 is displayed to the user. 35 The 'things to know' screen 120 also includes a pre departure checklist link 128 that when selected causes the - 21 same information to be displayed as when the pre-departure checklist link 94 on the welcome screen 90 is selected. When the basic Thai phrases screen 130 is displayed, 5 several phrases link 132 are displayed that indicate a common phrase in English, and when a phrase link 132 is selected the phrase is displayed in Thai and/or audio of the phrase is produced. 10 It will be understood that the phrases screen 130 is specific to the country that the user is visiting or intending to visit and, accordingly, the phrases links 132 are obtained using the destination countries specified by the user in the travel information. 15 Selection of the alerts link 104 on the menu screen 100 causes an alerts box 136 to be displayed on the menu screen 100. The alerts box 136 includes particularly important information about the travel destination that 20 should be communicated to the user, for example important safety information. In one embodiment, the system may be arranged to display alerts when the travel application next connects with the 25 base station and synchronises with information at the base station, or alerts may be periodically pushed to the travel application from the base station or from any other suitable source of travel alert information. 30 Selection of the policy details link 108 causes a policy screen 140 to be displayed. The policy details screen 140 includes policy details 142 that summarise important information relating to the user's travel policy, such as the policy number, period of insurance, destination(s), 35 and so on. Examples of the travel support system will now be - 22 described during use. In a first example, Ben is a 24 year old male intending to travel to Thailand in December for 2 weeks. During his 5 stay in Thailand, Ben intends to hire a motorcycle. Using functionality provided in the application implemented on the user computing device 16, 18, using a website associated with operators of the travel support 10 system, or in any other way, Ben provides operators of the travel support system with travel information indicative of his travel plans, including the travel destination(s), duration and intended activities. In the present example, Ben provides the following travel information: 15 i) travel destination is Thailand, with potential visits to Bangkok and Chiang Mai; ii) Ben's age is 24; iii) Ben will be in Thailand for 2 weeks in December 20 2012; and iv) Ben will be hiring a motorbike for 2 days in Chiang Mai. Based on the provided travel information, a member profile 25 34 and a travel insurance policy 36 are created for Ben and stored in the data storage device 26. Using the stored member profile 34 created for Ben, the API 32 selects the following information from the travel 30 related content 38, travel Q&A information 40 and/or information derived from 3rd party applications 42: i) Article about driving licence requirements in Thailand; 35 ii) Article about malaria and dengue fever and prevention; iii) Information about drug issues in Thailand; - 23 iv) Information about common scams in Thailand; v) Advice for the first 24 hours in Bangkok; vi) Useful common Thai phrases; vii) Useful addresses and phone numbers; 5 viii)5 of the best answers relating to motorbiking in Thailand; ix) 10 great places to eat in Thailand; x) Information relating to a special deal for a 2 day motorbike safari from Chiang Mai with 10 details of the number of places left; xi) 3 suggested places to stay via a particular hotel booking website; and xii) travel alerts relevant to Thailand. 15 When Ben selects the travel support application on his computing device 16, 18, information identifying Ben is sent from the travel support application to the base station 12, and in response the selected travel support information is sent to Ben's computing device 16, 18 and 20 stored. Ben is then able to view the travel support information off-line using the travel support application. 25 In a second example, Helen is a 21 year old female intending to travel through 12 European countries for 3 months from June 2013 to August 2013. Using functionality provided in the application 30 implemented on the user computing device 16, 18 or in any other way, Helen provides operators of the travel support system with travel information indicative of her travel plans, including the travel destination(s), duration and intended activities. In the present example, Helen 35 provides the following travel information: i) travel destination is Europe with the intended - 24 destination countries specified; ii) Helen's age is 21; and iii) Duration of travel June 2013 to August 2013. 5 Based on the provided travel information, a member profile 34 and a travel insurance policy 36 are created for Helen and stored in the data storage device 26. Using the stored member profile 34 created for Helen, the 10 API 32 selects the following information from the travel related content 38, travel Q&A information 40 and/or information derived from 3rd party applications 42: i) Article about the most common scams in Italy; 15 ii) Article about petty theft in Spain; iii) Article about how to stay safe as a female traveller in Europe; iv) Article about how to keep money safe whilst travelling; 20 v) Useful common phrases for the specified destination countries; vi) Advice for the first 24 hours in London; vii) 10 of the best answers relating to backpacking around Europe in summer; 25 viii) 5 recommended places for gelato in Rome; ix) Article about how to connect to local mobile communications networks in each country; and x) Information relating to a special deal for accommodation in London. 30 As with the first example, when Helen selects the travel support application on her computing device 16, 18, information identifying Helen is sent from the travel support application to the base station 12, and in 35 response the selected travel support information is sent to Helen's computing device 16, 18 and stored.

- 25 In a third example, Peter, his wife Jane, and their 2 children aged 4 and 7 are travelling to Bali for 2 weeks in October 2012. 5 Using functionality provided in the application implemented on the user computing device 16, 18 or in any other way, operators of the travel support system are provided with travel information indicative of the family's travel plans, including the travel 10 destination(s), duration and intended activities. In the present example, the following travel information is provided: i) travel destination is Bali; 15 ii) Peter's age is 36 and Jane's age is 35; iii) Duration of travel is 2 weeks in October 2012; and iv) Peter wishes to list his camera on the insurance policy. 20 Based on the provided travel information, a member profile 34 and a travel insurance policy 36 are created for the family and stored in the data storage device 26. 25 Using the stored member profile 34 created for the family, the API 32 selects the following information from the travel related content 38, travel Q&A information 40 and/or information derived from 3 rd party applications 42: 30 i) Article about malaria and dengue fever prevention; ii) Article about mosquitoes and children; iii) Article about how to make travel safer and easier with children; 35 iv) Information relating to a special deal on a family first aid kit; v) Advice for the first 24 hours in Bali with young - 26 children; vi) Useful common phrases for Bali; vii) Article about how to connect to local mobile communications networks in Bali; 5 viii) Information about suggested photography locations in Bali; and ix) Information about a travel photography competition. 10 As with the first and second examples, when the travel support application is activated on a computing device 16, 18 associated with the family, identifying information is sent from the travel support application to the base station 12, and in response the selected travel support 15 information is sent to the computing device 16, 18 and stored. It will be appreciated that while the above embodiments implement a system wherein relevant travel support 20 information is available off-line for a user when the user is travelling so that the user does not need to connect to a local communications network whilst travelling, the system may also be arranged such that communications can be sent between the user computing device 16, 18 and the 25 base station 12 when the computing device is on-line. For example, the base station 12 may be arranged to send communications to a user computing device when the user computing device is on-line and the travel support 30 application is activated. Such communications may relate to security alerts that have arisen since the user started travelling and that relate to a country that the user is currently visiting or is scheduled to visit soon. In this way, the travel support application can serve as a direct 35 communication channel to travellers that may be used to communicate highly relevant and important information to travellers.

- 27 In addition, the travel support application may facilitate modification of the travel information and thereby the travel insurance policy after the user has started 5 travelling. Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention. 10

Claims (32)

1. A travel support system comprising: a web server that receives user information from 5 client computing systems via a data network and generates travel insurance policies from the received information, the user information including countries that a corresponding user intends to visit during an overseas trip, and 10 a base station that generates targeted travel support information from received user information and transmits the targeted travel support information to a computing system associated with a corresponding user, the travel support information being linked the user's travel 15 insurance policy.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising a travel repository generated by the base station for distribution to individual users, the travel repository including the 20 targeted travel support information generated for a user and a summary of the corresponding user's travel insurance policy.

3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2 comprising a web 25 interface that receives user information from individual users and facilitates payment for a travel insurance policy established from the user information, the web interface being hosted by the web server. 30

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3 comprising a client application that interfaces between a user computing system and the base station to facilitate the transmission of travel information. 35

5. The system of claim 4 comprising an automated policy interface integrated with the client application that facilitates alterations to the travel insurance policy - 29 after issuance by the web server.

6. The travel support system of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the user information received by the web server 5 comprises: i. the users age and gender, ii. the countries that the user intends to visit during an overseas trip, iii. the departure and return dates for the overseas 10 trip, and iv. specified insurance options that the user elects for a corresponding insurance insurance policy.

7. The travel support system of any one of claims 1 to 6 15 wherein the targeted travel support information comprises localised information for a country a user intends to visit during an overseas trip, including any one or more of: xiv) vehicle licence requirements; 20 xv) local disease advice; xvi) common scams; xvii) safety tips; xviii) arrival advice; xix) language guides; 25 xx) addresses and/or contact numbers for applicable embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; xxi) activity suggestions; xxii) restaurants recommendations; xxiii) discount rates from affiliates; 30 xxiv) accommodation suggestions; xxv) mobile network options; and xxvi) travel alerts.

8. A travel assistance process comprising: 35 receiving user information via a data network from a client computing system, the user information including the countries a corresponding user intends to visit during - 30 an overseas trip, producing a travel insurance policy for the user from the received user information, generating targeted travel support information for 5 the user, including information specific to the countries the user intends to visit, and transmitting the travel support information to a computing system associated with the user. 10

9. The process of claim 8 comprising compiling a travel repository for distribution to the user, the travel repository including the targeted travel support information generated for the user and a summary of the corresponding user's travel insurance policy. 15

10. The process of claim 8 or claim 9 comprising receiving the user information and facilitating payment for a corresponding travel insurance policy established from the user information via a web interface. 20

11. The process of any one of claims 8 to 10 comprising facilitating alteration of a travel insurance policy after issuance using an automated interface accessible via a data network. 25

12. The process of any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein the received user information comprises: i. the users age and gender, ii. the countries that the user intends to visit 30 during an overseas trip, iii. the departure and return dates for the overseas trip, and iv. specified insurance options that the user elects for a corresponding insurance insurance policy. 35

13. The process of any one of claims 8 to 12 wherein the targeted travel support information comprises localised - 31 information for a country a user intends to visit during an overseas trip, including any one or more of: xiv) vehicle licence requirements; xv) local disease advice; 5 xvi) common scams; xvii) safety tips; xviii) arrival advice; xix) language guides; xx) addresses and/or contact numbers for applicable 10 embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; xxi) activity suggestions; xxii) restaurants recommendations; xxiii) discount rates from affiliates; xxiv) accommodation suggestions; 15 xxv) mobile network options; and xxvi) travel alerts. 13. A travel support system comprising: a base station accessible through a communications 20 network, the base station being arranged to receive travel information indicative of travel plans associated with a user and to record policy information indicative of a travel insurance policy produced using the received travel information; 25 the base station being accessible by a user computing device through a communications network, the base station arranged to send travel support information to the user computing device when the user computing device accesses the base station, the travel support information selected 30 using the received travel information.

14. A travel support system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the base station is arranged to facilitate reception of the travel information through a data 35 network.

15. A travel support system as claimed in claim 13 or - 32 claim 14, wherein the user computing device is arranged to store the received travel support information such that the travel support information is available when the user computing device is not in communication with the base 5 station.

16. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the travel support information is selected from travel support information that is stored at 10 the base station.

17. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the travel support information is selected from travel support information obtained from at 15 least one source remotely located relative to the base station and in communication with the base station through the communications network.

18. A travel support system as claimed in any one of 20 claims 13 to 17, wherein the base station is arranged to produce the travel insurance policy automatically based on the received travel information.

19. A travel support system as claimed in any one of 25 claims 13 to 18, wherein the base station is arranged such that the travel insurance policy is accessible on-line from the user computing device.

20. A travel support system as claimed in any one of 30 claims 13 to 21, wherein the travel information received at the base station includes any one or more of the following: i) the specific countries that the user is proposing to travel to; 35 ii) the date that the user is leaving; iii) the date that the user is returning; iv) the ages of the user and other people travelling with the user; v) medical conditions that the user and any - 33 accompanying persons might have; vi) specified items that the user elects to stipulate on the insurance policy; vii) activities that the user is proposing to 5 undertake; viii) the gender of the user and of the persons accompanying the user; and ix) the users country of residence 10

21. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the travel support information comprises text, at least one image, video and/or audio information. 15

22. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein the travel support information includes any one or more of the following information: xxvii) vehicle licence requirements in the 20 destination country; xxviii) information about local diseases; xxix)information about common scams in the destination country; xxx) basic safety information about the destination 25 country; xxxi)useful advice on arrival in the destination country; xxxii) useful local language phrases; xxxiii) local addresses and contact numbers for 30 embassies, hospitals, and emergency services; xxxiv) suggestions for activities in the destination country; xxxv) suggestions for local restaurants in the destination country; 35 xxxvi) information about special offers, for example provided by third party organisations; xxxvii) suggestions for places to stay in the - 34 destination country; xxxviii) suggestions for connecting to local communications networks; and xxxix) local alerts indicative of significant 5 events relevant to the destination country, for example from a safety perspective.

23. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein the base station comprises a web 10 server arranged to facilitate access to the base station through the Internet.

24. A travel support system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the web server is arranged such that a user 15 computing device is able to provide the base station with the travel support information using at least one web page provided by the web server.

25. A travel support system as claimed in any one of 20 claims 13 to 24, wherein the base station comprises an application programming interface (API) arranged to facilitate access to the base station through the Internet, the API arranged to enable a user computing device to provide the base station with the travel 25 information using an application implemented on the user computing device.

26. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 25, wherein the base station is arranged to 30 send additional travel support information to a user computing device when the user computing device accesses the base station subsequent to receipt of the travel support information. 35

27. A travel support system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the base station is arranged such that the additional travel support information is selected based on the current user location or a travel destination that the - 35 user will next visit.

28. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 27, wherein the user computing device 5 comprises a tablet computer, smartphone, PDA or laptop computer.

29. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 28, wherein the system is arranged to receive 10 emails, to recognise an email that is associated with a user of the system, to store the email and/or any attachments associated with the email, and to make the email and/or the attachments available for access by the user from a user computing device when the user computing 15 device accesses the base station.

30. A travel support system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 29, wherein the base station arranged to send a travel support service to the user computing device when 20 the user computing device accesses the base station, the travel support service selected using the received travel information.

31. A software application installable on a user computing 25 device, the application when installed on the user computing device causing the user computing device to operate in accordance with a travel support system arranged to: communicate with a base station accessible through a 30 communications network, the base station arranged to select travel support information based on travel information indicative of travel plans associated with the user; receive the travel support information from the base 35 station when the user computing device accesses the base station; store the received travel support information at the user computing device; and - 36 make the travel support information accessible to the user when the user computing device is not connected to the base station. 5

32. A method of providing support information to a traveller, the method comprising: facilitating communications between a base station and a remotely located user computing device; receiving at the base station travel information 10 indicative of travel plans associated with a user; recording policy information indicative of a travel insurance policy produced using the received travel information; accessing the base station using the user computing 15 device; selecting travel support information based on the received travel information; sending the selected travel support information to the user computing device from the base station when the 20 user computing device accesses the base station; storing the travel support information at the user computing device; and making the travel support information accessible to the user when the user computing device is not connected 25 to the base station.