I suppose every company selling this type of insurance has their own terms and consitions, but generally speaking what types of trip cancellations are covered/not covered? For example, if a trip is cancelled due to a death in the family (not one of the travelers, of course), will the insurance take effect?
My mom and dad were going to cruise to Hawaii, but my dad died about a week before they were to go. Mom got back something like 90% of their fares. Obviously she didn’t go. I don’t know whether she was insured thru the cruise line or her travel agent.
The ones I have used previously (provided mainly through travel agents) had provisions for the death of a family member, but it defined how close a member it had to be, so you need to read the fine print.
I would contact a few travel agents, or travel insurance companies directly, and find out what is and isn’t covered so you know what you buying before you need it.