It is always reassuring to know that when you are out travelling and something were to happen to you, theres always travel insurance to lean back on. In todays constantly evolving world, you never know what is going to come your way. This is why it is best to get one insured in every possible way.

Travel insurance is intended to cover medical and financial expenses, and any other losses incurred during your travel within the country or abroad. Travel insurance can be of several different kinds, each giving more importance to one particular aspect. For example, some travel insurance policies cover trip cancellation while others cover emergency medical evacuation.

So, when one does decide to get travel insurance, how does one go about choosing the best one? The first step would be to analyse the various other insurance policies you already have. Sometimes your health insurance might cover medical expenses incurred abroad, so depending on that you can opt for any particular travel insurance.

The three kinds of travel insurance are:

• Medical coverage
  
  This involves medical covers of different kinds. One covers medical and dental expenses incurred because of an injury or an illness on the trip. Another kind is the accidental death and dismemberment policy where you are covered during your journey, to and fro, and at all times during your travel. It functions as a life insurance policy.


• Trip protection
  
  This coverage includes cancellation coverage where it provides reimbursement of expenses in case one cancels their trip due to illness or if a family member is sick or dies. Delay coverage takes care of transportation delays, that is, if you are stuck at an airport due to a storm, then your prepaid hotel expenses are taken care of. In trip interruption protection, if you or a family member falls sick on your trip then it covers the related expenses.


• Luggage/car rental protection
  
  This covers your rental car in the event of an accident or your baggage and personal items in the event of them being stolen or damaged. Some items may be too expensive for insurance companies to cover, thus it is vital that one reads the fine print.

Other kinds of travel insurance are:

• Single Trip travel insurance
  
  It gives you and your family a basic cover for trip cancellation along with medical insurance for the duration of your trip.


• Multi trip travel insurance
  
  This insurance policy is used by frequent fliers and travellers, where the insurance company specifies the number of trips covered.


• Long stay travel insurance
  
  This insurance policy lasts for a period of 3-18 months and is best for those who take long trips.


• Medical travel insurance
  
  This insurance type covers all health related issues that might occur during a holiday.