Luckily, in the years I have been taking small group tours to Italy, Spain, Peru, and Paris, we have not had a serious illness or injury. However, I get questions from travelers all the time regarding the purchase of medical insurance for their travels. The first step is to see what kind of travel insurance your personal insurance company covers, then decide if you need medical coverage for a trip to Europe or South America. Read my blog post for more details on medical coverage when traveling abroad.