Pickle ahead!

Question: We are planning a Mediterranean cruise and can’t seem to find any kind of trip-cancellation insurance only. All insurance seems to be packages, which include medical insurance. We don’t need such an extensive package. Do we have to buy the whole package just to get this coverage?

Norman Brenner

Los Angeles

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Answer: This is a bit like asking whether you have to buy the whole burger just to get the pickle. The answer, generally, is yes, but having the whole package may keep you out of a pickle.

Before you pull out your credit card and buy that comprehensive coverage package (you can comparison shop at such sites as www.insuremytrip.com, www.square mouth.com and www.quotewright.com), consider how risk-averse you are and whether having that insurance will provide the peace of mind that’s like a gift from the don’t-worry-be-happy gods.

If you’re a risk-taker, maybe you don’t want that insurance, says Dayana Yochim, a consumer finance expert at the Motley Fool, a financial news and advice company. “Does it financially make more sense to self-insure?” asks Yochim, who says she’s not a big fan of travel insurance. Trip insurance, she adds, can cost as much as 5% to 8% of the trip cost, “which is not an insignificant amount.”

Sometimes, credit cards can provide protection from travel providers’ default (think Aloha Airlines and ATA) and your homeowner’s or medical insurance may offer other protections.

But not always.

And that’s where my stomach starts knotting.

“I don’t want people to spend money for things they may not want or need,” says Jim Grace, president and chief executive of InsureMyTrip.com. But, he adds, there are “risks associated with travel, and it’s wise to know what you’re up against.”

Like airlines that go out of business. Or bags that get lost. Or illnesses that come at you from nowhere.

The coverages of a comprehensive policy “really fill in the gaps left by those other insurances,” says Dan McGinnity, vice president of AIG Travel Guard insurance.

Minding the gap will cost you some bucks, so be sure it’s money well spent.

Jay Rein, president and chief executive of Travelworm, an online travel agency that specializes in selling leisure and casino resort vacations, says you should make sure that whatever you buy says “insurance.”

“Look for who the underwriter is,” he says, “whom would you work with if there’s a problem.” You should feel secure when you see the name, not alarmed that you’ve never heard of the organization.

Also, he adds, “is the policy giving you an 800 number and an international access number?”

And all the experts insist that you read the fine print. Yes, I know. It’s almost as dull as the topic of insurance itself. But you need to know what is and is not covered. The best time to find that you’re not covered for a motorcycle or scuba accident -- common exclusions -- is not while you’re waiting for the ambulance.

You have to protect yourself. Or, as the pickle said to the ketchup, make sure you cover those buns.

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travel@latimes.com