If you're planning a vacation somewhere - exotic of just across the country, you may be considering also paying for trip insurance as a protection from unexpected illness or just routing cancelled flights.

Don't shop price. This is one time when the cheapest policy might not be of much value.

Trip insurance may not cover you if a tour operator cancels or you decide at the last minute you really can't afford the trip.

While most comprehensive policies cover trip interruption due to delays, they differ in their definitions of how long the delay is when paying.

If you cancel due to sickness or death of a family member you'll discover that "family member" has different definitions among insurers.

There are websites that let you compare travel insurance policy quotes:

• www.insuremytrip.com
• www.quotewright.com
• www.squaremouth.com

...to find the best.