Travel insurance

I've used different companies. I tend to think that the really important thing is whether or not the policy provides realistic coverage for a medical evacuation of someone back to a hospital in the U.S.. That can be a 6-figure sum. You also want to be sure that the company pays your overseas provider, rather than simply reimbursing you.

As j.c. posted what you're really interested in is med-evac to the U.S. worst case and direct reimbursement to on-site providers for the busted leg etc. (which is of much much less importance). We use Travel Guard (gold) because of concerns relating to my 87 year old mother. They will fly me (us) home in an emergency concerning my Mom as long as the condition necessitating the emergency flight home didn't exist when the policy was purchased. That is, general old age, a long term aliment which is being treated etc. does not disqualify our emergency flight(s) home. You'll need to factor in your ages, general health, price of overall trip and time away to determine what works best for you. Ask those sorts of question of USAA.

I have used several, but tend now to stick with Travelguard. They are friendly and efficient on the phone and I feel that they know their product and don't oversell or try to upsell. I am always careful that the medevac is part of the package.... One thing I do to mitigate costs...I only insure that part of the trip which is prepaid and unrecoverable -- airline tix, etc. Apt. rentals, etc. Hotels generally have a fairly reasonable cancellation policy for instance. The cost varies according to level of coverage, length of trip and age of travelers. There are excellent websites which offer comparisons of the travel policies. Start there. Janet
San Diego

When it comes to med-evac insurance, be sure you read the fine print. Some policies will only cover evacuation "to the nearest adequate licensed medical facility." Better policies will evacuate you to the "hospital of your choice." Also, some policies have an upper age limit, above which coverage is not offered.

Thank for the help! I'm passing this info on to my husband. You all mentioned stuff I/we had not. Kristen

Kristen, we live more on the "edge" and don't insure our trip. BUT, we spent about $50 for DAN insurance which covered us for emergency evacuation. (http://diversalertnetwork.org/) It's good for one year. It's actually a company for scuba divers, but that didn't really matter. I will take out another policy right before we leave. Depending on where you're traveling, I think worst case scenario, you MAY be able to go to an emergency room on a post that has a hospital. But I'm not sure how much more you'd get after that (assuming you have Tricare). If you're talking about insuring in case you have to cancel your trip, I have no advice to give... ;)