Travel insurance gives travelers coverage for unforeseen problems, from a cancelled flight to a serious illness—or in rare cases, even an act of terrorism or the financial default of a travel supplier. If an illness, accident, or other covered unforeseen circumstance forces a traveler to cancel or interrupt their plans, they face two major financial losses—money invested in nonrefundable pre-payments, and medical expenses that in many instances may not be covered by health insurance.

We recommend getting good vacation insurance which will provide medical coverage, airline cancellation/delay protection, and trip cancellation refund (in the event of natural disaster or personal emergency).

Compare products from a variety of insurers at www.insuremytrip.com. You can plug in your trip information and get price quotes from more than a dozen different insurance providers, along with a chart showing key differences between plans - such as the amount of coverage you get for a medical evacuation, whether you're insured if the trip is unexpectedly canceled, and what kind of terrorist incident would allow you to cancel and get your money back.

We also recommend that if you are travelling to Kenya, become a member of the Flying Doctor Service. Flying Doctor currently has over 32,000 subscribing members. Their internet address is www.http://www.amref.org/index.asp?PageID=37.