A cruise holiday may seem like one of the safest ways to travel. After all, you are on a large, purpose built liner surrounded only by fellow holidaymakers, and it may be tempting to skip on getting cruise travel insurance. But this would be a grave mistake – there is plenty that can go wrong on a cruise holiday, and in some cases (such as medical emergencies) it is no exaggeration to say that cruise insurance can mean the difference between life and death. Here are five reasons to get insured before you go…

You have a medical emergency…

With Americans trailing the rest of the world in annual number of vacation days, a recent survey conducted on behalf of AIG Travel Guard, one of the nation’s leading providers of travel insurance and assistance plans, sought to find out if Americans work too hard. The survey indicated that despite dreams of long vacations, Americans are cutting short their vacation days and canceling or postponing trips.

A recent nationwide survey of 735 American travelers, conducted by Ruf Strategic Solutions on behalf of AIG Travel Guard, found that 33 percent of those polled said that they end up not using two or more vacation days each year. Some 13 percent of those polled said they have been forced to cancel or postpone a scheduled trip last year due to a work related conflict.

Despite a weakened economy, a challenging airline industry, and sky rocketing fuel prices, Americans aren’t giving up their summer vacation plans, travel industry experts observe; but they are scaling back.

Jim Grace, President and CEO of InsureMyTrip.com, the leading online travel insurance comparison site, agrees. “At InsureMyTrip.com, we are seeing noticeable changes in the trips our customers are taking. This time last year we provided critical insurance protection for a tremendous amount of vacations to the Caribbean, Europe, and elsewhere overseas. The summer of 2008 however, seems to be about vacationing closer to home.”

Michelle Reesman, RN, Executive Director, Passport Health Colorado, says far too many international travelers, from business travelers to the more adventurous types, leave home without taking the basic steps she suggests below. “People need to put the same kind of preparation into their health as they do into their destination choice, passport acquisition or flight [...]

How many times have you decided that travel insurance is not a mandatory expense for your vacation? And how many times did you actually travel outside the country without it? I must admit that I have done this on several occasions myself in order to “save a few bucks” from the cost of my trip. [...]