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Step 1
The most important thing to consider when buying travel insurance is the cancellation policy. Most traveler insurance policies cover the death or sudden, unexpected illness of those who are planning to go on the trip, but you want to make sure you'll be covered if you have to cancel your trip due to the death or illness of a non-traveling family member. Most will, but you should also be sure the cancellation policy covers you if there's a terrorist incident in the city to which you're traveling, severe weather, jury duty or if the airline, cruise line or tour operator defaults.
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Step 2
If you have other reasons for concern that may cause you to cancel your trip, but that are not covered under a general traveller insurance policy, you can get "cancel for any reason" insurance. Most of these policies do not give you 100% of your money back, however. Check with the policy provider for their exact terms of service.
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Step 3
You will be asked to fill out a medical form providing your medical history before you can buy travel insurance. Many policies will exclude certain benefits of coverage for travelers who have a pre-existing medical condition. This means you will not be reimbursed for a cancelled trip or travel delay or interruption if it's caused by the pre-existing medical condition. Some travel insurance companies will waive this exclusion if you purchase the travel insurance within a certain time window.
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Step 4
You do not need to book your trip through a travel agency to purchase travel insurance. If you find a better deal by making your own travel arrangements then by all means book the trip yourself. If you still want travel insurance, though, you can purchase it through a travel agency, a travel insurance company or online. Most policies will cover all of your prepaid and non-refundable expenses.
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Step 5
If you're using frequent flyer miles to buy an airline ticket most travel insurance policies will not cover you in the event of a cancelled trip or flight. You can get what's called travel interruption coverage to get a flight home and to cover any other arrangements that you can't keep because your trip or flight was cancelled.
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Step 6
Many insurance companies that offer travel insurance will allow you to purchase a policy up until the day before your travel. But it is best to purchase traveller insurance at least 7 days before you depart. You will not be able to buy insurance after you begin traveling.
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Step 7
If you're traveling as a family you can all be on the same insurance policy. This is also true if you're vacationing with a friend who is from the same origin country.
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Step 8
Before you buy travel insurance compare rates and terms of conditions. If you look around you'll most likely be able to find a traveller insurance policy that fits your needs perfectly!
