Travel insurance

I have never used Travel insurance before, but as I get older I get more paranoid about things so I am looking into it for our next trip to Japan.

What companies can I trust?

You can try insuremytrip.com to compare various policies if you are in the US.

As someone who just two weeks ago experienced an accident while visiting Japan, I certainly appreciate that I took out trip insurance although I haven't had time to file my claim.

My advice is to read all the small print and make sure to take out a large enough amount to cover your possible losses - I didn't ):

Oh no! I hope everything is ok. This is exactly why I am considering travel insurance this time... while I don't expect anything to happen, there is always the possibility.

Here in Spain virtually all travel agencies have agreements with major insurance companies to provide travel insurance for a fee, so maybe you can start by asking agencies. In my case, I paid about 40 US dollars for insurance for my 14-day trip to Japan last October (including compensation for loss/delay of luggage, compensation for flight delays, medical assistance, hospitalisation up to 15 days).

Just be sure to know precisely what your policy will and what will not cover, and make sure that you understand well the procedure to claim your ensurance in case you have to. Most often you will have to pay in advance for the service you require and then you will have to inform the company so that they give your money back.

I hope this helps, and I hope you don't have to use your insurance after all!

Robyn - I slipped down one step on my first day in Hakone and ended up with a badly sprained ankle and fractured 5th metatarsal. I ended up going home to NY two days later. I did pay for everything up front and hopefully will collect from my insurance - it's a long story.....

I must say that everyone is Japan was absolutely wonderful to me.....

So now I definitely recommend insurance as who knows what may happen......

Also if you are taking a tour, I have read it is better to get the insurance from a different company in case the tour co. goes bankrupt.

Enjoy Japan!