Image via Flickr user bass_nroll

Every traveler begins her journey with a complex web of connections, coupled with dreams of blue skies, unlimited horizons, fair weather and unlimited upgrades.

But, as in everything in life, risk and reward live together and in this complex fine print driven world, we all live and travel while the “devil truly is in the details.”

Practical Drivers for Taking the Plunge and Buying Travel Insurance

Most travelers have a tendency to buy insurance if they believe their may or could have a problem out there on the road that’s unforeseen and significant.

For many of you it’s the smart thing to do — your dropping some serious money on a trip and spending $100-$200 in travel insurance is really not a significant cost vs. the level of protection you will receive.

Critical Option You Should Weigh Prior to Boarding

As above, dear traveler, the devil is in the details. So, don’t multitask this with a carrier on a land line and your smartphone logged in to Instagram.

Go Deep and Long if You are out there on the Frontier: You can get unlimited medical coverage from some providers and a lower cost policy might just cover up to $1M.

Know if you are Covered with Reciprocal Healthcare: Some countries have agreements with other countries, you may be entitled to free or reciprocal coverage if their is reciprocity between the countries.

Are All or Some of Your Belongings Covered? If your iPad falls into the Thames, are you covered? Is your luggage covered for theft and damage of any kind, are electronic devices covered — get the details from your provider, they are obligated to walk you through the fine print.

What does “Cancellation” Mean? With many providers you can define the amount of coverage based on a specific event that prevents you from traveling — look for a policy that covers the full cost of your trip and any incremental costs. Like all things in business, a higher amount triggers a more costly premium.

Provider Insolvency: If your provider goes out of business while you are traveling make sure you have a minimum of $250K in coverage and this can be an exotic clause for some providers and your airline should be factored into this coverage.

Car Rental Coverage: In most cases mainstream coverage bundled with the car rental may not cover all of your costs if you are involved in an accident.

Personal Liability Coverage: This should be $2-$3 million at a minimum and you want blanket coverage that prevents someone from suing you for any type of exotic or weird happenstance.

Be Prepared for Challenges: Travel with emergency numbers and contacts and keep a copy of these on you physically in case you are injured and unconscious and don’t rely on information backed up on a device, paper is better.

Keep Your Paperwork: If you have a problem be diligent in keeping all receipts, police reports, hotel records, whatever else you need to substantiate a claim.

Be safe, have a great time and shop around for travel insurance and make sure you get localized comprehensive coverage that fits your travel plans.

See Full Story on huffingtonpost.com