Understanding international travel insurance is, undoubtedly, a daunting task. If you are on your first trip to Africa, Asia, Mexico or anywhere else, there is so much excitement running through your mind, but with that excitement, you need to also make sure you don't look past the need for international travel insurance. For what will cost only a small fraction of your entire trip, you can safely set aside your worries to "what if" questions.

Not to scare you, but if you forget about Africa travel insurance or Asia travel insurance for your trip, you could very well find yourself spending your retirement fund on an uncovered medical emergency. A little less intense -- you may need to recoup losses or damage to your baggage with no repayment from your airline if you don't book international travel insurance.

Get an international travel insurance plan that fits your needs and you can set aside any fears that the above may bring.

A few tips to think about:

1) Many times, you already have some type of international travel insurance. Whether it is through your current health insurance or through your credit card provider, you possibly have some basic coverage. Call up these companies to find out the specifics. Often times, health insurance only covers domestic travel. Therefore, sickness in Indonesia is covered by you, and only you. Some credit cards claim to cover international travel insurance, but, again, find out the details. Most of the time, there are many loopholes and forms to fill out that mean that you are out of luck when you go to claim.

2) Make sure you pay attention to the details of each plan. Just like with step 1, there is a lot of fine print you need to understand. Find out what forms you will need to fill out (if any), in case of emergency and find out what each benefit really means. Also, find out if your international travel insurance is primary or secondary. Primary covers all costs without looping in other means of insurance (health, auto, etc), while secondary takes a back seat to your other insurance and picks up what isn't picked up by your other insurance. Secondary is, obviously, less valuable to you.

3) Keep your international travel insurance numbers handy. What good is your insurance if you don't know who to call or how to call? I  would highly recommend you get an unlocked cell phone or international cell phone so that you can make calls from any country.

Get more advice on international travel insurance to help you with your next trip!