5 ON YOUR SIDE: Is travel insurance worth it?

Travel insurance can help cover some major trip problems but Consumer Reports says travelers should check the details before they buy.

Consumer Reports looked at what travel insurance may cover and what it may not, especially when trips are interrupted by illness, disasters or long travel delays. The report says flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises can quickly cost thousands of dollars.

“We were vacationing, my family and I, in Puerto Vallarta,” Mandy Trahan said.

Trahan said the trip to Mexico changed when cartel violence broke out, the city went into lockdown and the airport shut down. She said travelers rushed to find a way home and a place to stay.

“There was kind of a mad rush to try to find your way home, try to find accommodation,” Traha...