Travel Medical Insurance

Thanks for all the helpful replies!

Check out www.insuremytrip.com. You can compare companies for benefits, costs, etc. I usually end up with Travel Guard, but there are lots of companies listed.

I used insuremytrip.com last week to buy some insurance. Take your time, read thoroughly, and don't buy coverage you don't need.

From what I saw, most companies offer a collection of plans that combine medical insurance with trip cancellation and other kinds of coverage. It's the cancellation insurance that seems to boost the premiums. That make sense to me, since the odds of someone cancelling a trip must be greater than the odds they'll become seriously ill while on the trip.

I also saw several plans that seemed attractive, but offered $50,000 to $100,000 in medical coverage. That strikes me as rather low, all things considered.

I'm fortunate enough to have full medical coverage while traveling (including medevac) from my employer, but I have bought trip cancellation and the associated things (trip delay, etc) for my big trip to China a year or so ago. I have used insuremytrip.com to insure my uninsured adult son when we traveled.

Check out www.diversalertnetwork.org.
It is primarily for divers but anyone can join.
They have a $100,000.00 policy for evacuation
and to get you home, and also covers reparation
( don't think that is the right spelling) but
to bring a body back. Morbid thought, I know.
I believe it is only $44.00 a yr per family.
I am looking for more medical insurance, too.

travelnomads.com
They also have medi evac or you body if that should happen.

ETBD sends a brochure for Travel Guard International with their tour packets. They are at 1-800-549-9037 or www.travelguard.com. I haven't used them, but they would be first on my list if I decided to buy travel/medical evacuation insurance.

Kent: It's a low risk, high cost versus higher risk, lower cost equation. The risk that I'll be injured or become seriously ill during a trip is very low. The risk that something will force me to cancel the trip is higher.

As we know, the risk of losing luggage is rather high.

If someone is hospitalized the costs are going to be dramatic. Losing a piece of luggage is annoying, but hardly visible in comparison.

I purchased substantial medical and medical evacuation coverage, and a small amount of trip cancellation coverage. The cancellation coverage was twice the price of the medical coverage.

BTW, folks should note that cancellation insurance seems to cover your nonrefundable outlays prior to actually making the trip. That would include things like tickets, deposits, etc. It doesn't, I believe, cover the money that you would have actually spent on the trip, e.g., hotels, food, transportation, etc.