We are traveling with a friend whose spouse is ill. There is some chance that we will have to cancel or postpone our trip. Any advice on purchasing travel insurance? Thanks.

A couple of suggestions: Type <travel insurance> into the search box at the top of the page, and previous posts will appear from the archives on the left-hand side of the page.

A website that allows comparison among plans is mytravelinsurance.com.

Dear Fran and Jim,
I'm sorry to hear about your friend. You may want to do some comparison shopping at www.insuremytrip.com.

On two occasions, I've purchased trip insurance through 2 difference insurers there. It turned out to be very valuable during a time when my mother was hospitalized, and I recouped my airfare to fly out on vacation when she was better.

Best Wishes,
BC

You may be limited in the kind of travel insurance you can get, as most insurers require you to purchase their product within a certain number of days after buying your tickets. Also, the illness of a friend might well not be covered in terms of trip cancellation. Read the fine print before you buy!

Thanks for the great recommendations.

I'm no expert, but in this case your coverage wouldn't kick in if your friend's spouse's health takes a bad turn, but perhaps there is coverage for you if your friend who is also your traveling companion has to cancel. That's a specific issue you might want to look into.

How ill is ill?
Perhaps the couple should not be travelling anywhere!
M
(MD ABIM, ABNM, ABR)