There are many reasons why you would purchase travel insurance, the most prominent of which being the fact that it protects you in the event of an unexpected occurrence that would otherwise have increased your travel expenditure.

Although there are millions of travelers who purchase travel insurance yearly, not everyone knows exactly what it is and what it covers - this knowledge is crucial when you need to make the decision as to which insurer to partner with, and to ensure that you are adequately covered.

Health Cover:
Health cover is one of the main types of cover that you will get with a travel insurance policy. Emergency cover ensures that you are taken to the most appropriate medical facility in the event of an emergency. The health cover aspect also ensures that you are reimbursed for any medical expenses incurred during your travels - so if you get sick and need medical attention in a foreign area, you will be able to claim the medical expenses from the insurer.

Delay Cover:
By taking out a policy with delay cover, you can ensure that you will not be faced with unnecessary and costly expenses due to any unforeseeable fault, whether your own or someone else's. In terms of traveling delays, your expenses with regard to food and accommodation will be covered and if a delayed flight causes you to miss a cruise, you may find that your plan covers the related expenses as well.

Many policies also cover travel cancellations or disruptions - for example, if you have to cancel traveling arrangements that have already been paid for, or if you have to return home due to an unforeseen event, then the insurer will cover your expenses in this regard if it is catered for under your chosen policy. This is extremely useful in situations where the airliner does not allow refunds and your money would otherwise have been lost, even though you had no way of predicting what had occurred.

Death Cover:
Policies that include death cover will pay for the expenses related to death, dismemberment or severe physical trauma that has occurred as a result of an accident during your travels, a plane crash or accident, or any other incident related to traveling. These cases are generally covered under specific policy types, and it is therefore important that you know what is covered under your chosen policy before making a purchase.

Property Loss:
This is a general cover that protects you against loss or damage to any of your property. This cover generally comes in a few different forms, the most basic two being baggage loss and car damage. Baggage loss cover will pay for any of your personal items that have been damaged, stolen or lost if it could not be recovered. There are usually certain restrictions put in place by the insurer as to what kinds of property will be paid for or replaced, so it is a good idea to find out from the insurer exactly what will be covered.

Car damage cover protects your financial liability in a case where you rent a car and it is somehow damaged while in your possession. Many car rental companies charge you extra to have the vehicle insured and will not rent to you until you meet their insurance requirements, and this is where car damage cover comes in handy.

Beyond these basic types of cover, many insurers cover other specific circumstances and provide discounts based on a variety of given factors. The majority of travel insurers also provide their insureds with certain informational benefits, such as a 24-hour collect call service that travelers may make use of to get advice at any time.