Below are some basic Q and A's on Travel Insurance.  Please check your existing policy for specifics on insurance coverage.

What are the basic types of coverage?

Medical Coverage:  Does exactly what the name implies.  It covers costs for care of illness or injury while traveling.  Most domestic policies do not cover illness/injury overseas and they are certainly not covered by Medicare.  

Trip Interruption/Cancellation:  Provides reimbursement for non-refundable trip payments and deposits if a trip needs to be cancelled/delayed for covered reasons such as illness or illness/death of a family member.   Some policies provide reimbursement for reasons such as loss/change of job or jury duty.  Trip interruption reimburses the insured for increased transportation costs to return home or continue a trip due to covered reasons.   For instance, we had a traveler lose their passport in Peru.   They need to return from Cusco to Lima immediately to replace their passport then re-join the tour.  All costs were covered including the cost to replace the passport, flights, special concierge services, and hotels.  A more common reason for cancelling a trip might be because of an injury or illness.  An example of where trip interruption insurance came in useful to me was when my flight from Boston to Iceland was delayed because of bad weather.  An overnight stay was required at a hotel until my flight could be rescheduled for the next morning.  No reimbursement was provided by the airline.  However, trip interruption insurance covered the cost of hotel plus meals.

Emergency Evacuation Insurance:  If a traveler needs to be evacuated back to the U.S. or Canada for medical treatment, these costs can easily reach $100,000 or more.  They are probably not covered by a domestic insurance policy.  However, a separate emergency medical evacuation policy may cover some or all of these costs.

I strongly, strongly recommend medical coverage while overseas.  Yes, it does happen - people get injured and sick.  In my opinion, nothing is more important than your health and it needs to be protected.

As for trip interruption/cancellation insurance, this requires more thought, but is highly recommended.  We do have several travelers each year who take advantage of trip interruption/cancellation insurance.

The Professor's Comments

• Some credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, the Barclays Aviator card, and the Citibank World Elite card provide excellent coverage, including medical, emergency evacuation, and trip cancellation/interruption.  Speak with a representative from credit card providers and get a clear answer as to what is covered and what is not covered as well as the conditions of coverage.
• Some airlines will provide option to provide trip insurance upon purchase of an airline ticket.
• If making more than 2 international trips per year, consider purchasing an year-long medical coverage policy for the best value.
• Most medical policies require travelers to have a primary, permanent health policy in force.
• Insurance rules and regulations change from state-to-state.
• Most, but not all, policies require purchase to be made within about 2 weeks of making a deposit for a tour
• Please see my comments in The New York Times. 

Where to Get Trip Insurance

Try these providers:

• http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/
• https://www.hthtravelinsurance.com/
• Many airlines provide an option for trip insurance (again, check coverage limitations) when purchasing airfare.
• Credit Card companies may provide coverage if some or all of the trip is purchased with their credit card.  Carefully review the conditions and limitations of coverage with the credit card company.