With tensions in the travel industry and the global political scene, more travelers are looking into travel insurance.
But the term can mean widely different things, and can offer either real benefits or an expensive duplication of coverage you probably already have.
If ever there were a purchase that calls for research and reading the fine print, travel insurance is it, says Edward Hasbrouck, author of "The Practical Nomad" series of travel books.
“You've got a higher chance of getting hit by a bus ... than being killed in a plane crash.”
That's because many of the reasons for which people would buy travel insurance, such as an airline or cruise line going out of business or the government shutting down every airport in the country, may not be covered.
Hasbrouck says he's recommended trip cancellation and interruption insurance for years, especially if a trip is being paid for well in advance.
Let's say you've booked a two-week walking tour of France and then take a spill and find yourself on crutches a week before you're scheduled to leave. Or your mom has emergency surgery while you're on an Alaskan cruise and you need to get home.
It happens all the time, Hasbrouck says, and the result is that vacations are ruined because people either cancel their trips and lose the money, or go when they'd rather stay home because they can't get a refund.
"It doesn't deal with the emotional pain, but it allows you to make your decisions unclouded by money," Hasbrouck says. "The further in advance you're paying, you're crazy not to get the insurance."