1. Medical emergencies abroad. Becoming sick or injured during a trip is the leading concern of travelers.² Your health insurance may not cover you overseas, but if you are injured or suffer from a medical emergency during your trip, travel insurance can help you pay for care. Trip interruption insurance will also reimburse you for unused prepaid expenses for flights, excursions, and hotels that could be lost if you need to head home early.
2. Trip cancellation. It’s the second biggest concern for travelers.³ Illness, inclement weather, or happenings at your destination can upend your travel plans. Trip cancellation insurance reimburses you if you miss your trip due to a covered issue, which could include death, illness or injury to you, a traveling companion, or a family member, as well as flight cancellations, extreme weather, natural disasters, terrorism, and more. Some polices provide reimbursement if you cancel for work reasons, and some even let you “cancel for any reason,” provided you purchase this added benefit within a specified number of days of booking your trip.
3. Trip delays. About 20% of U.S. flights were delayed in 2023.⁴ Although airlines sometimes provide meal or hotel vouchers for delays, they don’t provide any accommodation if the delay is due to weather or other factors beyond their control. Trip protection can reimburse you for necessary expenses incurred as a result of a travel delay, including meals, lodging, and items for personal use.
4. Delayed or lost baggage. A delayed or missing bag could easily spoil your trip. Baggage delay coverage will reimburse you for the purchase of essential items such as toiletries and clothing for each of the days that you’re without your luggage. Baggage loss coverage will reimburse you for the missing luggage, along with its contents up to a certain dollar amount.
5. Evacuation. One in 30 trips ends due to a medical emergency or safety concern.⁵ Emergency medical transportation overseas can be extremely expensive — and most of the time, it’s not covered by your health insurance. If you need to be evacuated for health, security, or natural disaster reasons, emergency transportation coverage could save you thousands of dollars.

Travel insurance covers a wide spectrum of issues that can go wrong – before and during your trip. Beyond protecting your trip investment, travel insurance adds peace of mind; it can preserve your plans, and it can literally save your life. Learn more about travel insurance.

^1,2,3  “IMG Annual Travel Outlook Survey Results for 2024,” imglobal.com February, 2024
⁴  “Air Travel Consumer Report: December 2023, Full Year 2023 Numbers,” Bureau of Transportation Statistics, bts.gov. March 2024.
⁵ Medjetassist.com, accessed April 2024.