Is travel insurance really necessary?  Gleeful Travel says yes, but I'll let you be the judge of that.  Travel insurance products can include benefits such as trip cancellation/trip interruption protection, emergency medical and dental benefits, emergency medical transportation, travel accident insurance, baggage loss and baggage delay coverage, travel delay coverage, legal referral, travel assistance, and a 24-hour hotline for emergency assistance.

Even the best-laid plans can go awry when the unexpected happens. Travel insurance can help you protect your valuable trip investment and provide many important benefits that are not covered by health, homeowner’s, or credit card insurance programs. For example, only travel insurance provides trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage. If you have to cancel or interrupt your trip, this valuable protection can save you thousands of dollars. Many travel insurance policies also provide coverage for emergency medical transportation and medical expenses that are often not covered by health insurance or Medicare plans. As an added value, some travel insurance plans also offer primary coverage — which means that you are not responsible for copayments or deductibles.

We encourage and advise our clients to read all the fine print of their health, homeowner’s, or credit card insurance programs.  Many who think they are protected when they travel because their credit card offers “Travel and Emergency Services” should read the fine print. For example:Here is just a sampling of information printed in one credit card company’s “Benefits Package” information sheet - "Emergency Message Service can record emergency messages for travelers, immediate family members, or business associates.

Medical Referral Assistance provides medical referral, monitoring, and follow-up. The Assistance Center can give you names of English-speaking doctors, dentists, and hospitals; assign a doctor to consult by phone with local medical personnel, if necessary, to monitor your condition, keep in contact with your family, and provide continuing liaison; and help you arrange medical payments. NOTE: All costs are your responsibility.

Emergency Transportation Assistance can help you make all the necessary arrangements for emergency transportation home or to the nearest medical facility. This even includes arranging to bring your young children home and staying in contact with family members or employers. In the case of a death, the Assistance Center can make arrangements for returning the remains of the deceased home. NOTE: All costs are your responsibility.

Lost Luggage Assistance can arrange shipment of replacement items if an airline or common carrier loses your checked luggage. However, you are responsible for the cost of any replacement items shipped to you.

While these are all useful services, if your clients are counting on their credit cards to cover unforeseen costs incurred due to emergency while traveling, they are in for certain disappointment. Some credit card companies provide more protection than others. You should encourage your client to carefully review the differences between the coverage you can offer and that provided by their credit card company."

In addition, Medicare has limited coverage of health services outside the United States. This also can apply to cruises that carry foreign registry but depart from the United States.