Veteran travel reporter Ed Perkins, who writes for SmarterTravel, says cancellation insurance only makes sense if you have a non-refundable ticket or cancellation penalties “that amount to more than you can afford to walk away from — thousands not hundreds of dollars.”

“The policies the airlines sell are pretty meager,” Perkins said. “If you need travel insurance, you generally need more than the policies the airlines sell.”

Perkins suggests that if you want insurance, skip the airlines or the travel website and use a site such as InsureMyTrip, QuoteWright or SquareMouth to compare various policies from different companies. You want to look for coverage and exclusions.

For travel outside the U.S., you may want to consider international travel insurance to cover medical expenses should you get sick or injured while abroad. (Medicare does not cover foreign healthcare costs.) These policies will also pay for the staggering cost of medical evacuation if you need to be taken to a place with better medical care, and your health insurance plan does not cover the expense.

By Andrew Burton

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