Any suggestions for trip insurance? We are leaving for Hong Kong and Mainland on Oct 24. Because we are travelling with my 80yr old mother-in-law, we are especially concerned with cancellation insurance, in case she (or any of us) becomes ill before or during the trip and need to get home.

How long before departure date do we need to buy the insurance?

We were looking at CSA on the insurance comparison website mentioned in another post. It seems the most reasonable. Has anyone used them?

Thanks for your help

I would consider travel insured for one big reason -- they don't define "travel companion" as someone you share a room with. Many of the others do which means that if your mother in law cancels and you are not sharing a room with her and you decide not to take the trip, your trip won't be paid for by the insurance company. It's something I'm very conscious of because I often travel with someone who I don't share a room with.

You can get it anytime before you leave. AccessAmerica has lots of plans, including some "last-minute" plans that don't include trip cancellation, and are significantly cheaper. That's what we've been using.

I haven't filed a claim, so I can't tell you how good/bad they are.

maybe kathie will chime in on this...she posted recently about evacuation insurance which was very reasonable and seems like a good idea also..

Just be careful because Acess America is one of the ones that defines travel companion as one whom you share a room with. That's why I stopped using it a few years ago. They may have changed but just make sure you read the fine print and the definitions.

A good site to price and compare policies is www.insuremytrip.com

Does she have any pre-existing medical conditions that may require her (or any of you) to cancel the trip? If so, make sure to purchase your insurance within X number of days (check the individual policies, it's usually 7-21 days but varies) of making your initial deposit so you can get the pre-existing medical condition waiver.