best travel insurance

First off, travel insurance is a very broad term so you will need to read the fine print very carefully. Second, insuring a third party (your parents) who is not involved in the travel is very difficult. You probably need a policy that allows you to cancel for any reason. Harder to find and much more expensive. Most polices will be defined risk. In other words, they spell out the reasons acceptable for cancellation. Sick parents are often not included. Check policies at Insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com

Ruth, I just pulled our latest Travel Guard "Gold Policy." With the disclaimer that policies may vary by state (various state laws/insurance commissioner requirements), here is the Trip Cancellations and Interruption language as it relates to sickness of a mother/father (not traveling with you):
2) If the Insured must cancel or interrupt his/her Trip due to Injury or Sickness of a Family Member not traveling with the Insured, it must be because their condition is life-threatening, as certified by a Physician or because they require the Insured's care. As the other posters mentioned, be sure to read the policies you are considering WORD FOR WORD and be sure you understand them. Call the insurance company a couple of times and ask the same question to be sure you get matching answers. We always buy the Gold Plan with Travel Guard (and we did have a claim that was paid quickly and smoothly) because it allows cancellation for need to work (and that was why we had to cancel a trip). For medical claims, be prepared to send in lots of documentation from all the doctors involved, showing date of diagnosis, etc. You often cannot find the complete policy language on a trip insurer's web site, but you can request that they send it to you (and it comes quickly by email). If you cannot get policy language ahead of time, don't buy. You are smart to buy insurance within the first two weeks of your deposit.....things happen!! And, be sure to insure every single non-refundable dollar you pay out...down to the last penny to insure any pre-existing conditions are covered. Miss it by one dollar, and they will deny the claim!!!!! So, don't self-insure even a dollar if pre-existing conditions are a concern.

The best insurance is one that you don't use. That said, get and read the fine print. Especially the exclusions. You only need insurance for what you cannot afford to write off, or pay for if the unfortunate event comes to be. For me, the big ticket item is medical evacuation insurance. For that, I have bought the lowest cost Basic Travel Guard. I can afford to write off prepaid air and ground cost, but paying for an intercontinental staffed medical evacuation flight would hurt almost as much as the triggering event. The purpose of any insurance is to share risk. The administrative cost burden and profit make insurance a losing bet against the house but a necessity IF you can not afford the consequences. My Dad, a former insurance agent told me re car insurance, you don't need collision if you can afford to buy a replacement car. But you cannot afford to be without liability. Basic, Silver or Gold or no insurance, your choice.

Thank you, Edgar, for putting it so succinctly. As I have said several times earlier, responses to insurance questions along the lines of, "I've never bought it and never had a problem;" and illogical and unhelpful. Ruth's issues are very special, and she needs to read the fine print carefully and maybe even get a lawyer to read it. My inclination would be to search for a policy, if such exists, that has no clause about pre-existing conditions of non-traveling family members.

While prepaid travel can have no refund rules, rescheduling MAY be a possibility. Rescheduling may require a rebooking fee but is not necessarily a complete write off. You may want to ask the RS agency about rescheduling policy. United Airlines Contract of carriage reads in part: "If you have purchased a restricted ticket, depending on the rules applicable to the fare paid, one or more restrictions including, but not limited to one or more of the following, may apply to your travel: (1) the ticket may not be refundable but can be exchanged for a fee for another restricted fare ticket meeting all the rules/restrictions of the original ticket (including the payment of any difference in fares); (2) a fee may apply for changing/canceling reservations; or (3) travel may be restricted to specific flights and/or times and minimum and/or maximum stay may be required."

If at all possible, add the "theft" clause. We were pick pocketed in Paris, and though i had trip cancellation insurance, the theft portion was not specifically included.

Not sure you can get insurance for pickpocketing BUT the best and cheapest insurance is a properly worn and used money belt. After that your homeowner's insurance and sometimes car insurance would probably cover theft of a camera or backpack.

I purchased a policy through Travelex once and Allianz several times, but I’ve never had to file a claim. I believe you will be covered in your situation if you buy the right plan. Allianz, for example, will pay if you need to change/cancel for yourself, a traveling companion, or a family member’s pre-existing condition when you buy the right plan with change/cancellation coverage. Many insurers will offer similar…you need to compare on-line and/or call a human being. Don’t just settle for the quick list of bullet points, read the certificate of insurance (contract) before you buy. If it’s not readily available on-line, call and ask that it be e-mailed to you…they’ll do it. You don’t need to be an attorney…it’s not that complicated. This type of coverage must typically be purchased within 14 days of buying your trip, as you seem to already know. One other important thing…change/cancelation policies have a lot of restrictions. They typically won’t pay out at 100%, and there are rules on when you can change/cancel relative to your departure date and still get reimbursed. Just read everything carefully first so you know for sure what’s covered and what’s not.

Ruth,

The best way to clarify what's covered would be to call the Insurance firm that provides the policy for RS tour members. They'll be able to tell you what they consider "pre-existing conditions for non-travelling family members". If you find that the suggested travel insurance provider isn't able to provide the coverage you need, you could always look at other firms. You might also find it helpful to speak with a Travel Agent or local insurance firm in your area.

As far as theft from pickpockets, you'll be provided with Moneybelts as part of your tour package. If you find the waist style uncomfortable, check a local travel store or Magellans for neck wallets and other models.

Which tour are you taking?

Happy travels!