In the excitement of your overseas trip, it’s easy to overlook travel insurance but in reality it’s the most important booking you need to make.

If you are traveling with a family, the chances are that someone will get ill, hurt or break something, break or lose something. The most common reasons for travel insurance claims are:

• you need to cancel your trip
• your travel to a special event such as a wedding or a concert is delayed and you need to find an alternative way of getting there
• your bags are damaged, lost or delayed
• you have an accident or illness and require medical and/or hospital care and even medical evacuation home. The cost of surgery and hospital care can easily run in to the hundreds of thousands in some overseas countries.
• because of injury or illness overseas you are unable to work on your return home
• you die while you are overseas and your family wants to either conduct a funeral overseas or return your remains to New Zealand
• you need a friend of family member to come and help you because of illness or accident
• you need emergency dental treatment
• personal items are stolen or damaged
• rental car excess should you have an accident
• you need to change your travel plans after you leave

Travel insurance may also cover you for less common but potentially big ticket items such as personal liability. If you have an accident you can in some circumstances become liable for damages, compensation and legal expenses. This could potentially amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Read the fine print

It is really important when buying travel insurance to ensure you read the fine print and gain a clear understanding of what is covered and what isn’t – not all travel insurance is created equal.