You've heard it a million times - get travel insurance before you go. You've heard stories of times when it was necessary - and a few sad tales of people that didn't get it, and ended up paying a great deal of money - or not getting sufficient medical care. But when you plan your travels, you're usually focused on the details of the trip - and not insurance. In fact, it's often just an afterthought, purchased the night before you go, quickly and without a lot of thought (been there, done that). With travel insurance plans being reviewed and compared by sites like Consumers Advocate.org, it's so easy to compare.

But things can and do happen to travelers, all around the world, so it's best to be prepared. 

Here's a 101 on the types of travel insurance, and what they cover - so you can have peace of mind and enjoy your trip!

Ingenues arrive, Central Station, Sydney, 1928-1929 - by Sam Hood. Wikimedia Commons: From the collection of the State Library of New South Wales 

Medical/health

There are many types of insurance under this umbrella, including medical expenses due to injury or illness on your trip. If you're a UK citizen, be sure to look into how your health insurance covers travel in the EU - here's a great resource: https://www.ukehic.com/do-you-need-an-eu-health-card/

Check to see if your regular health insurance home covers travel, and if so, where and how.

Some medical insurance plans will cover pre-existing conditions, so check to be sure if this applies to you - and a pre-existing condition is anything that has occurred within 60 days of departure. If you are studying abroad, see what your current medical insurance and university health insurance cover, as well as what is included in your program at the host university.

Emergency Evacuation is an excellent thing to add on, if you are able to. Let's say you break your leg skiing, way up in the boonies where there isn't good medical coverage. You'll need this - to get out, and to get to proper medical attention.

You should also include Accidental death or flight accident insurance, which pays out to your benficiaries, if you have an accident that causes serious injury or death. 

A rescue worker is rappels down the helicopter 'Christoph 1', D-HMUM during a mountain rescue operation on top of the Bodenschneid in the Alps. Wikimedia Commons: Tobias Klenze

Trip protection

There are several aspects of trip protection insurance you can get: 

• Cancellation (if you can't go, or if a family member is sick or dies)
• Delay (usually weather)
• Trip interruption (if you are sick while traveling, if someone in your family dies at home, if there are weather complications or strikes, etc.)

Be sure that you are honest when you give the details of your travel when purchasing this type of insurance - some insurance companies won't cover some airlines (or parts of the world). If the US State Department has issued a warning, you might not be covered for that area.

Rick Steves notes that "it’s smart to buy your insurance policy within a week of the date you make the first payment on your trip. Policies purchased later than a designated cutoff date — generally 7 to 21 days, as determined by the insurance company — are less likely to cover tour company or air carrier bankruptcies, pre-existing medical conditions (yours or those of family members at home), or terrorist incidents." 

A lot of passengers are waiting at check ins during the Eyjaföll volcano erruption at the Istanbul International Airport. Wikimedia Commons: Ahmed of Al Jazeera English

Luggage/rental protection

This is for if your luggage gets lost, damaged, or stolen. You might be covered under your homeowner's/renter's policy, or under your credit card's insurance, if you purchased your transportation tickets with that card. Often, the airline covers checked baggage, so check there before you purchase what you need.

For rental cars, this is one of the most important (and misunderstood) areas of insurance. Some rental agencies require insurance or proof of insurance to rent the car. In Ireland, it's even crazier - you are required to have Super CDW or put down a deposit of a few thousand euros on your credit card until you return the car unscathed (and we know, in Ireland, you're going to bust a hubcap or mirror... let's be honest).

Dig in and see what your credit cards and regular insurance covers - and then purchase what you need just in case of emergency. 

A new kind of parking in Paris? Wikimedia Commons: Remi Jouan

OR you can usually get the entire package/comprehensive plan, which covers all three areas. 

Other insurance additions to consider, depending on your activities:

• Winter sports insurance
• Backpackers insurance
• Family or Group travel insurance
• Over 65 travel insurance
• Expat travel
• Medical tourism insurance
• Kidnap insurance

Time frame

There are several types of time frames you can purchase insurance for - a single trip, multi-trip, or annual. What are your travel plans this year?

Costs

Generally, insurance will cost 4-12% of your trip. 

Travel InsuranceTips:

• Ascertain what your insurance now will cover (medical, homeowner, as well as what your credit cards cover).
• Read the fine print. You want to be sure you're purchasing the right insurance for your trip and possible needs. 
• Email the policy to yourself, so that you always have it with you on your laptop or phone.
• Are you a student? Get STA's travel insurance, while you're getting your STA id card (which saves you a lot of money while traveling).  

Based on a railway crash in which the artist was involved as a passenger, on 17 January 1879. At La Chapelle, the evening train from Paris to Auvers was hit side-on by a runaway locomotive: Gachet received contusions around his liver. Wikimedia Commons: Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom.