Traveling the globe is a passion that many people have and seeing the world can be very rewarding and enriching. Savvy travelers know that no matter where you are going, it is always in your best interest to purchase travel insurance. Many people do not have a full understanding of travel insurance, so they pass up the option when booking a trip. But there are many reasons to invest a small amount of money to purchase travel insurance. Some of the top benefits of travel insurance include:

Medical Costs

As a traveler, it is important to know that your health insurance benefits may not help you much when you're far away from home. If you're traveling domestically, you will most likely have to pay out-of-network co-pays and deductibles if you need medical care. With international travel, the majority of clinics and hospitals won't accept your health insurance and will expect you to pay for service before you are released. If you have travel insurance, your policy will cover these out of pocket expenses. 

Coverage for Emergency Evacuation and Air Ambulance Transport

No one sets off on a trip expecting anything bad to happen while he or she is travelling. But unfortunately, accidents, injury, and sudden and acute illness can happen even when you're on vacation. In the event that you're traveling internationally, you may be in an area where you don't have access to the medical care that you need for acute illness or a major injury. If you have travel insurance, your policy will cover the cost of transporting you by air ambulance to a hospital that can provide the level of care that you need.

In some cases, people need emergency medical evacuation while traveling. This may occur when a person has a very serious injury or falls gravely ill and can't travel home on their own on a commercial flight. Your travel insurance company can arrange for emergency medical evacuation that will transport you back home where you can be cared for by medical professionals at your local hospital.

Trip Cancellation

Traveling is not cheap, and many people invest a lot of money when booking trips and vacations. The last thing you want is to forfeit all of that money if you have to cancel your trip at the last minute due to illness, a death in the family, or any other event that you can't control. Many travel insurance policies have a trip cancellation clause that will reimburse you for the cost of your trip if you are unable to go. In addition, trip cancellation insurance can also protect you financially if the destination where you are traveling to is destroyed by a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or cyclone.