Why I Changed My Mind About Travel Insurance

For years, I skipped travel insurance. The premiums seemed unnecessary, and I had the common mindset: I'm healthy, I've got time off approved, nothing's going to happen.

Then I spent enough years in this business to see what actually happens. My stance changed completely.

What I've Seen Happen

On a Danube river cruise, a woman who'd recently had a knee replacement bent over to pick up her slippers and completely dislocated the new knee. The ship pulled into Bratislava for an emergency medical evacuation. Her travel insurance covered the treatment, medical transport, and early return home.

On my flight home from that same trip, a mechanical delay caused the family next to me to miss their connection to Chicago. They paid out of pocket for a Vienna airport hotel, meals for five, and were exhausted. No insurance meant no reimbursement.

A client's father fell two weeks before their Italy trip and needed full-time care. Without insurance, they would have lost everything — flights, hotels, tours. Their policy reimbursed the non-refundable portions.

Another client missed their cruise because a winter storm shut down flights to Miami. The ship left without them. Insurance covered the missed portion and helped get them to the next port.

These aren't hypothetical scenarios. These are real people on real trips.

The Math

Travel insurance typically costs 4-10% of your trip cost. For a $5,000 trip, that's $200-$500. For a $10,000 trip, $400-$1,000.

What you're protecting:

•      Your entire trip cost if you have to cancel

•      Medical expenses abroad (your U.S. health insurance often won't cover you)

•      Emergency medical evacuation ($50,000+ depending on location)

•      Additional costs from travel delays — hotels, meals, rebooking

•      Lost or delayed baggage

The premium looks less like an expense and more like protection for a significant investment.

What Comprehensive Coverage Includes

Trip cancellation and interruption. Reimburses non-refundable costs if you cancel or cut your trip short for a covered reason — illness, injury, death of a family member, severe weather, jury duty, job loss. Some policies offer "cancel for any reason" upgrades (typically 50-75% reimbursement).

Emergency medical and evacuation. Covers medical treatment abroad and emergency transportation to adequate facilities or back home. Critical because most U.S. health plans provide limited international coverage. Look for at least $50,000 medical and $250,000+ evacuation coverage.

Travel delays. Reimburses hotels and meals if your trip is delayed beyond a certain timeframe (typically 6-12 hours).

Baggage coverage. Covers lost, stolen, or damaged luggage, plus essential items if your bags are delayed.

24/7 assistance. Access to help with medical referrals, lost documents, emergency cash transfers, and other travel emergencies.

When You'll Need It

Common situations where insurance pays off:

•      A family member becomes ill or injured and needs care

•      Weather delays cause you to miss your cruise or connection

•      A work emergency forces you to cancel

•      You test positive for COVID or another illness before departure

•      Your flight is cancelled and you're stuck in an expensive city

•      You need medical treatment abroad

Any of these could cost thousands. Insurance turns it into a manageable claim.

What to Look For

Comprehensive coverage. Don't settle for bare-bones policies. You want trip cancellation, interruption, medical, evacuation, and delay protection together.

Pre-existing condition coverage. Many policies cover pre-existing conditions if you buy within 10-21 days of your initial deposit. Read the fine print.

Cancel for any reason (CFAR). Optional upgrade that costs 40-60% more but lets you cancel for non-covered reasons and typically reimburses 50-75% of costs. Worth considering for expensive trips.

Financial default coverage. Protects you if your tour operator, cruise line, or airline goes bankrupt.

When to Buy It

Buy insurance as soon as you make your first trip payment. Many policies have time-sensitive windows (10-21 days from initial deposit) to access pre-existing condition coverage and cancel for any reason options. Waiting means you're unprotected if something happens between booking and buying coverage.

What It Doesn't Cover

Know the limitations:

•      Pre-existing conditions (unless you met the policy's time window and requirements)

•      Changing your mind (unless you have cancel for any reason)

•      Known events that were foreseeable when you bought the policy

•      High-risk activities unless specifically covered

Read your policy documents. Know what's covered and what's not.

The Bottom Line

I travel for a living, and I buy travel insurance for every trip. That should tell you something.

You can't predict when something will go wrong. You can only decide whether you're willing to risk the financial consequences if it does. For most people, insurance is a fraction of what they'd lose without it.

Not every traveler will file a claim. But the ones who do are grateful they bought the policy. The ones who didn't? They're kicking themselves.

When we book your trip, I'll walk you through your insurance options and help you find the right coverage. Peace of mind is worth the investment.