Reader Connie emailed asking “Hey Travel Prof we are contemplating traveling with our college alumni association on a Far East tour. Our agent is strongly suggesting travel insurance? She has been fairly insistent almost to the pushy point. Why should we consider buying this coverage? It’s pretty expensive!”

First off I really need more information regarding your trip and the type of insurance coverage that you are being offered.

I am guessing that it is a comprehensive trip cancellation, travel interruption, medical and emergency evacuation policy.

I would also need to read over the trip’s fine print especially the company’s cancellation and refund policy along with your reservation data and payment schedule.

Armed with this information I would then be in more informed situation to comment on your specific situation.

Generally speaking if for some unforeseen reason you and/or your traveling companion is unable to travel and you have to cancel how much money do you stand to lose?

Think carefully as your answer will determine my answer.

If you can afford to forfeit all of your investment and not expect a refund then the answer is NO you do not need to purchase insurance. However if you do want to try and recover your travel investment read on.

I use the word “try” because you’re navigating a minefield when filing insurance claims.

There are just too many variables to deal with here but if you follow the insurance company rules to the letter you should be in pretty good shape.

Each travel situation and insurance purchase is different. I’m sorry but there isn’t a generic answer regarding this topic.

Travel insurance offers travelers coverage for unforeseen problems, from a cancelled flight to a serious illness—or in rare cases, even an act of terrorism or the financial default of a travel supplier.

If an illness, accident, or other covered unforeseen circumstance forces a traveler to cancel or interrupt their travel plans, they face two potentially major financial losses—money invested in nonrefundable pre-payments and medical expenses that in many instances may not be covered by health insurance.

There are hundreds of circumstances that could cause you to cancel your trip, return home early or force you to seek emergency medical treatment while traveling.

To demonstrate the importance of purchasing travel insurance, and emergency travel services, here are 10 common examples of what could go wrong.

• You have to cancel your trip due to an unexpected event such as bad weather, an illness in the family, involuntary job loss or the financial default of your airline, cruise line or tour operator.

• You have to return home early due to an unexpected emergency such as an illness or death in the family.

• Your luggage is lost or delayed, forcing you to purchase necessary essentials, or prescription medications.

• Your sporting, camping or adventure equipment is damaged or stolen.

• You become ill or injured and learn that your health care plan doesn’t cover you outside the U.S.

• You need an emergency medical evacuation due to an accident or sudden illness.

• You run into flight delays and miss a portion of your trip or cruise.

• You have to evacuate your resort due to an unexpected hurricane or storm.

• You lose your passport, leaving you stranded abroad.

• Your rental car is damaged leaving you responsible for the repair costs.

Common travel problems like flight delays, travel injuries and illnesses, unpredictable weather and lost or stolen luggage are why today’s smart travelers travel with travel insurance protection. .

There are a broad range of insurance plans designed for just about any type of traveler. They can provide coverage for many of the things that can go wrong before, during and after your trip.

Many travel suppliers are offering trip protection programs these days but I always recommend obtaining coverage through 3rd party insurers.

There are plenty of great travel insurance companies to select from and your agent should be able to offer these to you.

My reasoning here against this self insurance boils down to what happens if your supplier ABC Tours goes into bankruptcy protection? Then your insurance is basically in default too.

Chances of any financial recovery are very slim. A 3rd party policy offers better protection.

Coverage purchased from a cruise line just covers their portion of your trip.

Unless you’ve purchased separate coverage from the other suppliers your air, land and other features are not covered. This is when the comprehensive policy works to your benefit. It acts as an umbrella.

Regarding your agent strongly suggesting insurance I believe that he/she is looking out for your interests.

Discuss the pros and cons of this purchase with your booking agent. Identify the key dates of when you need to make your insurance purchase decisions. These dates become very important when and if you have to cancel.

Yes I am keenly that this is a very personal purchasing decision.

But I ask you to weigh the amount you’ve paid for your vacation in relation to the insurance premium. Spending a couple of hundred dollars to recoup a couple thousand of dollars may not be a bad investment.

You need to evaluate your situation and circumstances then make the decision. It is a roll of dice. Do you want to gamble and accept the risk or pay for the protection?

Regardless of your decision the Far East is a wonderful destination. Enjoy your trip!

Got travel? E-mail Steve Call at the travelprofessor@gmail.com or dial 740.550.9540.