This is definitely timely since I agreed this week to accompany a friend to Ireland. The last time I went to Europe I had a great health insurance policy but I still took out a cancel for any reason policy through Am Ex - I think it was about $300. That trip was very pricey - I hired a private driver, had first class airline seats and stayed at several exclusive resorts.

I tuned 65 last year and now that I'm on Medicare with an AARP Supplement (Plan F) I know I have to pick up extra insurance. This will be my first trip out of the country on Medicare.

However this trip is considerably less expensive since it's a small group tour put together by the owner of a travel agency who will accompany us. With his knowledge and contacts he was able to get unbeatable prices. He told me that he purchases trip insurance through Allianz

Since this trip is half the price of my previous one I'll have to do a cost/benefit analysis and decide what my comfort level is. While I wouldn't want to lose all the money the trip costs, I'm more concerned about medical coverage and/or an emergency medical flight home.

It's difficult to to read the fine print on those insurance policies to determine what they cover and what they exclude. I checked Allianz and the prices seemed reasonable.

I wonder if there are brokers who sell travel insurance who could help compare policies? Never heard of one.

Consumer Reports suggested using an online broker, like the on you mentioned - Insuremytrip.com - they sell coverage from 21 companies.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/06/do-you-need-travel-insurance/index.htm?loginMethod=auto

Consumer Reports"

"How to buy

Instead of buying a policy through a travel agent or booking site, go to an online broker such as InsureMyTrip.com, which sells coverage from 21 carriers, including CSA Travel Protection, MedJet Assist, and Travelex. Before you buy, talk to a sales rep at the insurer, get a sample copy of the policy, ask if your specific concerns are covered, and make the agent point to the words in the fine print that prove coverage. For medical policies, be sure to ask about coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Don’t buy travel insurance from a tour operator or cruise line because the coverage might be worthless if the company goes bankrupt, advises the American Society of Travel Agents. Hunter says it’s not a good idea to buy it from a travel agent, because he or she might be hawking a policy that pays the highest sales commission rather than the best one for you."

Squaremouth.com is another one. Many policies to choose from there, too.

All good advice. I didn't think of actually talking to a rep at the company, I just did it myself online. Glad I haven't needed it. However, I have seen someone take a fall on every trip I've been on, so I would not chance going without it.

I did think of that but had a hard time understanding it. Mine is a Capital One Venture card.

I always buy it when traveling abroad, and make sure evacuation is included. I have a college friend who fell on cobblestones in Spain last year and broke her hip. Even though she has been to over 40 countries and works for American Airlines, she didn't purchase travel insurance. It cost her in the low six figures to get home so she could have surgery and rehab. She couldn't go on a regular plane because she had to lie flat due to being in a body cast. She had to fly on a private charter. Ouch in more ways than one!

I do think it's worth it to pay for potential medical evacuation if it is not part of your own health insurance or on a credit card (don't know if this is real or not).

I remember years ago a friend of a friend booked a "trip of a lifetime" a couple years in advance and then her FIL wound up with terminal cancer and was near the end of his life at the time they had to leave. He told them to go, but they were miserable the whole time. They did not buy the insurance, so it would have probably benefitted them if they could have canceled.

Texan, low six figures?? Yike. The trip I have planned will cost about $6000, which would not put me in the poorhouse if I had to cancel, but ouch that would hurt.

I'm going to Canada for a few days later this month and just learned my Medicare and Supplemental will not cover me there. Health insurance for that trip will only cost $34, so I will get it.

A neighbor of my parents was just in Africa doing humanitarian work, and she was involved in a terrible taxi accident. Her legs were crushed, and they flew her to Paris for surgery. Sadly, she is going to have to have both lower legs amputated. She needs a medical flight to get home, and they are raising funds to get the $30,000 they are estimating the trip will cost. She DID buy travel insurance, thankfully.

I think it's wise to get it anytime you leave the U.S., just in case.

We always buy ours through BCAA (CAA/AAA) and fortunately have never had to use it. Our older son plays pro-ultimate frisbee and travels to the states for games and so he buys an annual policy to cover himself for medical.

Our younger son was teaching skiing in Japan a few years ago and so bought a 5 month policy to cover himself. While there he had to have his appendix out and the policy covered the entire bill - all $9000 of it.. We had to pay the bill initially and then they reimbursed us.

We think it's wise to get it for any travel to the US - even if it's just a day trip.

jlc, that is such a sad story. I feel so bad for that woman. It is the reason everyone should be insured. No one plans to have an accident or get sick.

I always buy travel insurance if I am going to be out of the country mostly for the transportation back to the states for a medical emergency. Since most of my travel is on a cruise ship with destinations in the Caribbean and other places not known for their medical system it is worth it to me. I have never paid anywhere near 600.00 for a policy mine being mostly under 125.00. I have had to use insurance twice (not for medical reasons) because of a missed flight and also for lost luggage. It more than paid for itself in both instances.

Credit cards, with travel insurance (like my Citicard), typically cover, if the card was used for the full purchase -- trip cancellation for flights/train, lost luggage, rental car damage, and a few other perks.

Also, my medical insurance covers me when traveling, but not for evacuation. That's the one, as mentioned above, that's really important.

A friend of mine's husband died after flying to Zimbabwe. It was too much to bring his body back, but she had his cremation handled there and his cremains were sent to her. Sad, but we also need insurance for sending our remains back home.

You can keep the cost of travel insurance quite reasonable if you don't try to insure the entire cost of the trip. For example, I got insurance for two months in France last fall for $122, but the only parts of the trip itself I asked them to cover were the cost of the flights and the hotel reservations I had already made before leaving. So the "trip cost" part was less than $1000. If you ask them to cover, say, $5K in hotels and flights, that's what raises the cost so much.

Good tip, Writersblock. Insurance is not terribly expensive without the "cancel for any reason" option, but I kind of need that. I will call Squaremouth or Insuremytrip to talk to someone there.

Oh, I had "cancel for any reason", just not such a high dollar amount, because the way I figured, if I'd already stayed in a place I'd already gotten what I paid for and otherwise I was only reserving one day ahead (walking), so I mostly just needed them to cover flight changes, besides the medical stuff.

Yes, I am less concerned about getting all my money back, I just want to be able to get home in a hurry if I need to for my ancient mother without breaking the bank, plus, as you say, the medical stuff. Thanks for the tips!

DF is the international medical director for an insurance company that provides coverage for medical emergencies and evacuation. Just listening to his side of phone conversations with medical personnel in other countries caring for Americans who became ill/injured while traveling, convinced me of the need for this type of insurance. Six figure costs are not uncommon for even relatively non-critical situations.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2016/the-pre-travel-consultation/travel-insurance-travel-health-insurance-medical-evacuation-insurance

Our regular insurance (supposedly) pays for medical bills overseas but we buy medical evacuation insurance through Medjet. I've heard it can cost 100K to transport across the ocean if you have a serious injury or illness and cannot fly on a regular plane.

Debbie-that's exactly what happened to my friend!

We generally choose the highest deductibles and least amount of protection for all insurance situations. We can "afford" the risk and so we would rather not pay the expected cost plus profit to an insurer.

However, our trip to Antarctica required medical evacuation insurance for all five of us. I was actually able to find that our particular Amex card covered that, very generously.

I also considered trip insurance because the Antarctic cruise was very very expensive, times 5. I could not find an insurer who would insure that high a dollar amount, so I just gave up. I would have been really torn if something had happened.

mdln, thanks for the link. Very interesting and makes me glad I am done having babies! Zika virus is frightening.

dedtired - I don't know if you're still in the market for travel insurance but I happened upon this article by Rick Steves which gives a nice overview of the different types of coverage and guidelines for selecting a policy. My trip isn't until September but I plan on getting the insurance before I finalize my payments.

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travel-insurance

Maire

Just read the Rick Steves link. He mentioned plane crash insurance (and not to get it). I had forgotten about that. I remember they used to sell in in machines at the airport when I was a kid.

Very timely. Maire. I just bought my insurance for my Greece trip yesterday. I have learned that the sooner you buy the insurance the better. Ideally, I should have bought it as soon as I made my first payment for the trip. I'm also planning a trip to Spain and Portugal next year and I should have bought the insurance for that trip right away but did not. I bought a policy from CSA -- their Basic plan for my trip to Greece.

I used Insuremytrip.com to make the purchase and also checked out Squaremouth.com. Both are reliable sites and very helpful.

I recently spent four days in Canada and even bought health insurance for that trip. It only cost $18. I know Medicare would not cover me. On the flight there, a man in the seat behind us became violently ill. It was horrifying! He kept saying "I think I am dying". Then he said his daughter had had a 24 hour flu and his symptoms suggested he may have caught it. He was white as a sheet and burning with fever as well as having intestinal problems. Of course we freaked when we realized it could be contagious. So, I was VERY glad to be covered although we did not catch it.

Great article. I really like Rick Steves. I will pass it along to my traveling companions. Thanks.

We use insuremytrip and thankfully have never had to use it.