Travel Insurance Weblog

Online travel websites often boost their margins by up-selling a travel insurance package that is as easy as a click of the mouse. $15 to $50 later you feel you have piece of mind, but sometimes that money spent is money wasted. If you do not read your travel insurance policy before buying expect to be in for some surprises.

Hurricane Wilma recently wiped out a reporter's vacation. Although the insurance ensured her that it covered canceled trips the insurance did not give them a single cent.

Only buy a policy after you read it, and in most cases it is probably best to buy travel insurance from an insurance agent instead of a travel service. Target 5 Cincinatti reports:

"It only covered if you were home and something happened to your residence, be it by natural disaster, or fire, or volcano even I believe," Taylor said.

Bob Hunter, an insurance expert at the Consumer Federation of America, said the group made a classic travel insurance mistake because they never read their policy.

"I would never buy insurance unless I knew what was covered, because you may be surprised," he said. "A lot of fine print in insurance policies, even in good insurance policies."

Read more: Target 5 Checks Out Travel Insurance Pitfalls