Do You Need to Purchase Travel Insurance?

With summer travel season in full swing, more vacationers are considering buying travel insurance as a way to relieve stress and gain some peace of mind. But ask questions first to know whether travel insurance is right for you.

A recent survey from staffing firm Randstad U.S. reveals that more than 40% of respondents feel stressed when preparing to be away from work for vacation (suburbanchicagonews.com June 29). And following 9/11, more travelers worry about whether travel plans will go off without a hitch.

Do your homework before purchasing travel insurance:

• Avoid redundancy. Check insurance policies, credit card agreements, automobile clubs, and other memberships for existing coverage. These may already provide adequate coverage for the trip.
• Double check. Review reservations and purchase agreements to see what contingencies are already in place. Airlines, for example, must reimburse travelers up to $3,300 per passenger for lost baggage on domestic flights (airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm).
• Shop around. Look for coverage differences in competing policies. Read the fine print to understand exactly what is covered and how. For example, some emergency medical assistance policies provide for evacuation to a hospital of the policy holder's discretion, while other policies provide for evacuation to the nearest hospital.

To compare travel insurance plans and coverage options, and obtain pricing, visit insuremytrip.com.