Travel Insurance: My thoughts .......

 Travel Insurance: Is It Worth It?

Short answer? Yeah… it is. But maybe not the way most people think.

For years, I was the guy who sometimes bought travel insurance. You know—add it on during checkout and hope you never need it. But as I’ve gotten older (and maybe a little wiser), the “what ifs” started to matter more.

I’ve heard too many stories:

• Someone has a heart attack overseas → $50K+ before they even get home

• Car accident in another country → massive bills and chaos

• Medical evacuation → easily six figures

That stuff isn’t theoretical. It happens.

So I adjusted how I travel.

Now I run with two layers of coverage:

• Global Rescue → for the big, scary stuff (medical evacuation, getting you home)

• Allianz annual plan → covers trip cancellations, delays, and medical incidents across all trips

Yes, it’s not cheap.
Allianz alone runs me about $1,200/year.

But here’s the thing…

On my last trip, I got hit with a bladder infection. Nothing dramatic, just bad timing. Walked into the resort's clinic, got treated, paid about $650 out of pocket.

Filed a claim when I got home.

Reimbursed in days. No hassle.

That moment reinforced everything:
I’m not paying for insurance hoping to “win.”
I’m paying to eliminate risk and remove stress when things go sideways.

Over the years, Allianz has also covered:

• Last-minute flight cancellations

• Unexpected trip changes

And they’ve consistently come through.

Now… could I be overinsured?

Between:

• Allianz

• Global Rescue

• Premium credit cards (Amex, Chase, Citi all offer some coverage)

Yeah… probably.

But I look at it this way:
I travel often. I don’t want to think twice when something goes wrong.

So… is travel insurance worth it?

Honestly—it’s a silly question.

If you travel once a year? Maybe.
If you travel frequently or internationally?

It’s not an expense.
It’s part of the trip.

Curious where others land on this—are you rolling the dice or playing it safe?

As I post this ...another thought.  This past week, I did a 2,000 + mile trip , CVMA related.  Do I worry?  Nope.  Credit cards in the wallet.  Handgun on my hip.   Thorough insurance for my bike.  And the icing on the cake?  I've got AAA Premier RV coverage.  They will tow me up to 200 miles.  I've used this on previous trips over the years.  I had a fuel isue last week and  thought I'd be stuck in Tombstone with a bike down for the count, but also knew worst case a call to AAA would get my bike to a dealer in Tucson for a fix if needed.   Hell, who knows what addtional costs would be covered under this massive umbrella (room costs, food, etc)?

Peace of Mind