Travel insurance

Does it make sense?

Of course it does. If you don't need to use it, so much the better.

Most airlines offer travel insurance as part of their package, and in the past that's what I always bought. The collapse of WOW Airlines taught me that that's not always a great thing.

The answer to whether a particular travel insurance meets your (potential) needs lies in the very boring, very tedious advice of reading those fine-print rules and restrictions.

Some airlines restrict insurance to citizens of that country. Living in the U.S., my flights from Detroit or Toledo may be eligible, but trips from Toronto are not. And "acts of God," like a pandemic, are rarely covered by anyone.

Tips and cautions

• Trip insurance is affordable - $35 to $100 per trip, in my experience

• "Your" airline may require you to reside in the county of departure. For example, if you live in the U.S. but fly out of Toronto, you may not be able to get trip insurance from the airline

• Consider third-party trip insurance, but read the terms carefully. What does it cover? If you get deathly ill just before your trip, is that covered? What if your trip companion dies or gets ill - even if that trip cancellation is covered, are you still expected to go?

• How are "acts of God" defined? What about, oh let's just say, a pandemic? What about a storm? How far from the airport does the storm need to be?