Do you ever find yourself asking:

“Is travel insurance worth it?”

“Should I get travel insurance?”

“Do I REALLY need it?”

If you’re anything like me, you should WITHOUT A DOUBT have travel insurance. Zip-lining through Costa Rica, skydiving in Australia, surfing in Bali, walking through the Costa Rican jungle barefoot because I didn’t have proper shoes, breaking out in hives in Cambodia because I was allergic to malaria pills, I mean the list goes on, people!- And any of these situations could have ended badly if I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t have travel insurance

Every time you’re about to pay for your flight. You know that page you get that asks if you’d like to buy travel insurance before booking your flight?-Don’t just skip on by that section, read it and think about it.

And the truth is that when I left to travel the world in 2015 I didn’t leave with any type of insurance (yes, I didn’t even have medical insurance). My plan wasn’t to return to the US anytime soon. In my mind, medical insurance was too expensive (which it is) and travel insurance was too (it really isn’t).

I was relying on my American Express Gold Card to save me in case of an emergency. Although I really just prayed to God (any God, really), and crossed my fingers, hope to die, that in those months I was traveling Southeast Asia solo, nothing would happen.

Thankfully, nothing did!

I finally decided after zip-lining in Costa Rica, skydiving in Australia, etc. that I would buy travel insurance. I got Allianz Insurance, personally, I got the Annual Executive Plan. It’s the best deal for its offer. I like that I have lots of coverage “just in case” and it isn’t crazy expensive. I travel a lot, and I am always on an adventure.

Oh! Let’s not even touch upon my the little game I play at airports when I show up an hour before my flight and race through security to make it. Yes, I do it for international flights too.

Anyways, let’s go back to you looking at that airline page that asks if you want to buy travel insurance before booking. There are three things you should consider when purchasing travel insurance.

Destination & Season

Where are you going and when? My most recent trip to Miami had me running out (literally) of Miami, Florida from Hurricane Irma. I couldn’t actually catch a flight out of Florida because everything was booked. If I did, it would have been covered by my insurance. I didn’t lose my original ticket back home but I ended up driving from Miami to New Jersey. Thankfully I was covered.

Traveling to the Caribbean between August – October is a high season for hurricanes. Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if you knew someone had your back if your flights were canceled and you had to spend a night in a hotel and you didn’t plan/ budget for?

Price

Consider the cost of, (God forbid), breaking your foot while hiking through a glacier in Iceland. Let’s say you had to be heli-evacuated out of there. (No, that didn’t happen to me, but I know someone who it did.) They, unfortunately, didn’t have travel insurance. What would have been an easy one-time annual fee of no more than $400-ish dollars for insurance turned into a $25,000 medical bill — not even joking. It was a nightmare.

Most people don’t purchase travel insurance because we think it’s expensive. When in reality it’s fairly cheap and reasonable. You should ask yourself if the cost of travel insurance is worth the peace of mind that you’re covered from any ‘what ifs’ while you’re traveling.

Type of Traveler YOU are

This determines a lot. Think of the type of person you are and be honest with yourself. For example, I am clumsy and always doing crazy things. Or maybe you aren’t a travel blogger like I am, but you love adventure. Going to exotic destinations and cliff jumping is what you live for. Or maybe you’re always late. You’re constantly running to the airport, praying you don’t miss your flight. These are the factors you should consider when purchasing travel insurance. Decide what type of traveler you are, then pick the perfect travel insurance package for you. Personally, I believe it’s cheaper to just pay for an annual plan verse paying for travel insurance every time you book a trip.

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure you should always consider travel insurance. It’s a no-brainer! Especially because we all know that when you travel nothing EVER goes as planned and it’s better to be prepared than unprepared.