I need travel insurance. I know nothing about it. Help?

Post date: 2024-04-26 10:00:43

Mr. DrGail and I have an international trip coming up in January, and should probably have travel insurance of some sort. Beyond that, I haven't a clue.

We are both on regular Medicare A&B with a supplemental (Aetna, if it matters) that covers prescriptions and pays whatever Medicare doesn't pay. Aetna will cover us medically while we're abroad (in Cuba) at 90% of the in-network rate after our low deductible. So I think we don't need travel insurance for medical issues, but there may be aspects I'm overlooking. The real issue, I think, is if we are unable to go for some reason, as well as any odd things that might occur like adverse weather or our luggage is lost.

What is the name for what we need? The two companies I've looked at - the one affiliated with the tour operator and World Nomads which was recommended in an old AskMetafilter question - both cost ~10% of the trip total, but also cover medical expenses while we're on the trip. But I was unsure about some of the questions they asked, like how much money was at risk (is that the total cost of the trip or some other amount?) and what the "deposit date" is. Can you give me a crash course in the world of travel insurance? Bonus points for pointing me to a good company as well.

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