Erie Times-News, Pa., David Bruce column

July 31--Recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Orlando, Brussels and elsewhere have spurred more travelers to purchase cancellation insurance on their trips.

The travel insurance comparison website Squaremouth.com told The Wall Street Journal that trip cancellation sales increased by 19 percent during the month after the attacks in Paris and Brussels. Searches for terrorism coverage rose by 167 percent during that time.

"The trend we see is that more people are buying travel insurance," said Marita Williams, manager of travel promotions and product development for AAA East Central. "I think it's due to the climate in the world, and that travelers are getting more information about everything travel insurance covers."

Travel insurance can reimburse some or all of your costs if you have to cancel a trip due to illness, weather, a relative's death or many other reasons. A standard policy costs about 5 to 7 percent of your trip, according to Consumer Reports.

Policies can be purchased through a travel agent, such as AAA, at the time you buy your travel package or by itself at a later date, Williams said. AAA offers stand-alone travel insurance at its offices and at www.aaa.com.

"The only problem with buying insurance after you book your trip is that it usually won't cover pre-existing conditions," Williams said. "If that is a concern, you need to buy your insurance when you buy your travel package."

Here are other tips for buying travel insurance:

Know what insurance you already have. You might already have some coverage through your homeowners, auto, life or health insurance. You might even have coverage through your credit card benefits.

Learn what the policy will cover. All policies are not the same, Williams said.

"Talk with your agent or read what the policy covers and what it doesn't," Williams said. "What if some emergency happens at home during your trip and you need to get back? Not all insurance policies cover that."

Compare the cost of the policy against the cost of your trip and the chances of disruption. Travel insurance doesn't make sense if your are taking a low-cost trip, or if the chances of cancellation are remote, Williams said.

"As an example, my mom is in her 80s," Williams said. "We would want to get insurance if we travel with her, so that if something happens to her, we can cancel our trip."

___

(c)2016 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.)

Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at www.GoErie.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.