I never gave travel insurance much of a thought, but I mostly hang around my own country. However, when my physician was preparing to move from Alaska to Oregon, she and her husband set off on a four-month hiking trip to Asia to mark their new beginning. The very first week of their trip, her husband took a nasty fall off a mountain. He eventually got himself a new hip and some plates to hold some central pieces together, as well as several months of rehab. The entire bill, including helicopter rides to hospitals and first class airfare back to the US was covered. If I ever go abroad, I do believe I'll purchase travel insurance