When buying travel insurance, the devil is in the details. These pointers will help you tailor an insurance policy to meet your needs.

Domestic vs. International Travel

For travel within the United States, you are protected by your own medical insurance, so TCI is probably the only kind of policy you need to consider. International travelers are more likely to need medical coverage.

"The trend in the United States is for HMOs and PPOs to have limited coverage outside the country," Finkle says. "If something happens in a remote location, it"s more difficult to find care." Case in point: 26-year-old Rebecca Hagenson, who severely broke her ankle in 2005 while hiking in a northern Israel, and ended up at a hospital where no one spoke English. "The insurance company found a Hebrew speaker to communicate with the doctors," Hagenson says. Her policy from AIG Travel Guard cost $50 and covered her for up to $50,000. The plan paid for a necessary first-class flight home so Hagenson could keep her leg extended, as well as her surgery and most of her other medical expenses in the United States.

Family Travel

If you"re vacationing with children or aging parents, a family member"s illness could force you to cancel your trip or seek medical care overseas. Many insurance companies offer packages that allow kids to travel for free. Other plans allow you to customize your policy, selecting different coverage for each family member.

Senior Citizens

"Today"s seniors are a lot more active," Finkle says. "But they are also more at risk." Medicare provides no coverage outside of the United States, and even a Medicare supplement for foreign travel only provides partial coverage. Many seniors will need to purchase medical travel insurance and should expect to pay more than younger travelers.

Special Needs

People with disabilities won"t always find the same level of accessibility abroad as they have in the United States. Travel insurance providers can inform physically challenged travelers on the kinds of accommodation to anticipate in foreign countries, and can help provide access to items such as a wheel chair, medication, or breathing apparatus, if needed.

Adventure Travel Insurance

If getting caught in an avalanche in Nepal or getting swallowed by a monster wave in Tahiti sound like injuries that could actually happen to you, additional medical and evacuation insurance are probably a wise choice.

Most medical travel insurance covers soft adventure activities, such as scuba, skiing, biking, and trekking. But extreme sports, such as bungee jumping, mountain climbing, and even surfing are often excluded from insurance policies. Adrenaline junkies should look into insurance companies that offer riders for extreme sports or coverage for specific high-risk activities, such as the My Travel Guard plan, offered by AIG Travel Guard (travelguard.com), and IMG"s Patriot International plan (imglobal.com).

"Above and beyond insurance, medical evacuation coverage is a good idea for any trip that involves risk," says Fodor"s senior editor Doug Stallings. In medical emergencies, the insurance will provide transportation in a private jet to the nearest appropriate hospital, or back to the United States in some cases. With price tags for medical evacuation reaching anywhere from $15,000 to $75,000, these reasonably priced plans are well worth the investment. Reputable companies include MedjetAssist, (medjetassistance.com) and Air Ambulance Card (airambulancecard.com).