This insurance is intended to cover medical expenses, financial default of travel suppliers, and other losses incurred while travelling, either within one’s own country, or internationally. Travel insurance can usually be arranged at the time of the booking of a trip to cover exactly the duration of that trip, or a “multi-trip” policy can cover an unlimited number of trips within a set time frame.

For most people, travel insurance is short-term insurance available specifically against travel-related emergencies and expenses. International travellers will almost always want to obtain travel insurance because it covers medical expenses, but even other travellers may find it useful depending on their plans. Basically, using insurance begins as you encounter any problem after you’ve purchased coverage and before or during a trip a problem that puts your plans at risk and/or that threatens considerable cost beyond what you would normally encounter. (This won’t include coverage for essential steps on your trip that you failed to arrange for yourself, e.g., lodging, meals, fully adequate connection times between flights).