Travel can mean encountering the unexpected, ranging from the inconvenient to truly serious. Travel protection plans offer comprehensive benefits to meet the challenges of travel and help you enjoy a worry-free trip.

If you're planning a cruise of the Caribbean, you might want to add "buy travel insurance" to the list of the things you need to do before departure.

Travel insurance-specifically trip cancellation insurance, emergency medical assistance and medical evacuation coverage-can protect the costly investment a major trip can involve. It also can ensure that you and your family get good medical care if you get sick or injured while you're away.

"I think the longer you book in advance and the more expensive your trip, the more you should consider buying travel insurance,". "If it's an expensive or once-in-a-lifetime trip, you should get travel insurance just in case the trip is canceled or something happens."

You also should consider coverage for a medical crisis. "If you're in a Caribbean country, they may not accept your local insurance card, and you could be forced to pony up a lot of money quickly-or risk not getting the kind of care and attention you need,".

It's estimates that a comprehensive travel insurance policy, including emergency medical coverage, will cost between 4 percent and 7 percent of the trip's total price. The cost can run closer to 12 percent for travelers 70 and older, Fodor's said.

Most comprehensive travel policies cover both trip cancellation and trip interruption. "If you're unable to go on your trip or you're on your trip and you have to return home-and it may cost you more to do that mid-trip-those expenses or lost amounts will be paid by the insurance company".

But consumers must be clear on what the triggers are, and that means they must read their policies and clarify issues before they buy.

Most policies have a list of reasons why you can cancel, such as you get sick or there's a death in the family, Ansell said. "But there are differences from one company's coverage to another, and some offer unique benefits-for example, if you have to cancel a trip for business reasons or if you're called for military duty,".

But some reasons people might want to cancel trips aren't covered.

"You're generally not covered if you suddenly change your mind and don't want to go,". "And some policies have pre-existing medical condition exclusions."

Many of the policies will reimburse travelers for expenses they incur if their trip is delayed and will cover the cost of damaged or lost luggage. But they generally don't cover changes in itinerary made by the cruise company-a frequent complaint of cruise-goers.

When buying coverage for a cruise, travelers should be aware that there are several options that provide varying degrees of protection.

Cruise lines and tour operators also may offer a comprehensive policy from a single insurer, but that policy may not have all the features of policies available through travel insurance brokers.

Emergency medical assistance can be included in comprehensive travel policies or purchased separately. Travelers typically are covered in case of illness or injury. But not all policies will cover a cancellation or a traveler's trip home to deal with the medical emergency of a non-traveling relative, for example, an ailing parent.

"If you're worried about that kind of a situation, you need to read the policy carefully or ask very specific questions upfront,".

The emergency medical coverage may or may not include emergency medical evacuation, which would ensure that an ailing traveler is flown quickly to the best care facility.