Summary: Direct travel insurance allows travelers to buy insurance directly from a travel insurance company rather than through a middleman. Buying insurance directly allows you to comparison shop, find the right coverage and even make claims directly to the insurance company.

Dear FreshTravels: It seems that each time I travel lately, I’m asked if I’d like to buy travel insurance. I don’t remember such direct questions about travel insurance being a regular occurrence until the last few years. I’ve seen that you can buy it directly from the company you book your travel plans through or from travel insurance companies offering the coverage. Can you give me the details? Ginger M. Dallas TX.

Dear Ginger: You’re absolutely right. As we travel more and our lives get more complex, the direct travel insurance business has grown. In years past, people only contemplated travel insurance for long trips abroad or to places with political climates that made it difficult to predict the likelihood of your holiday. But as times have changed, people have become more open to spending a bit of extra money to insure their vacations - even close to home.

I was surprised recently when my family was booking a trip to the beach, when we booked our condo the real estate agent offered to sell us travel insurance. I’ve grown used to being contacted by travel insurance companies after our trip is booked, but never such a grass roots campaign to get us to book travel insurance directly from a small town real estate agent. But the idea makes sense.

For years big travel operators have offered a variety of packages to insure against any problems with your trip. These companies new that claims were rare and that it was far more common for your travel to go just as planned. Companies like Disney, Liberty Travel and AAA have offered travel insurance directly to customers as part of their travel packages.

But what is “direct travel insurance”? These are stand alone insurance companies that sell policies directly to consumers without being attached to a travel provider. By selling insurance directly to travelers, stand alone companies can offer more competitive rates, broader coverage and greater options when it comes to insurance. The Internet has made buying this type of insurance much easier and the popularity and prominence are companies that sell direct travel insurance continues to grow.

Direct travel insurance companies have been operating in countries like the UK for years. With a population more likely to travel abroad, there is the appearance of more risk when booking a vacation. Whether this is perception or reality is hard to say, but travel insurance companies survive because of the perception or risk and are profitable because of the relatively low number of claims. Just like any other insurance company.

Direct travel insurance policies can vary a great deal and it’s worth reading the fine print before shelling out any of your hard earned money. The rates on this type of travel insurance are hard to compare because it’s difficult to see exactly what they cover and what percentage of your costs they’ll reimburse.

It’s also worth paying close attention to what might already be covered by another program or policy you subscribe to.

For example, many companies selling direct insurance cover the loss of your luggage. But what coverage is already included in the price of the ticket from the airline you’re flying? Is it worth paying for what is essentially double coverage as you travel from destination to destination? Many policies automatically cover cancellation costs for your entire trip. But make sure you’re not paying extra for this if you’re staying with friends or family. It wouldn’t make any sense to pay for rental coverage reimbursement for a vacation spent at a friend’s house.

Do you have car insurance on your personal vehicle? If so you might already be paying for coverage of rental vehicles.

If you book a trip using a credit card like American Express, some of your travel might already be insured.Your health insurance may already cover you for injuries without the need to buy direct travel insurance - but what if your trip is abroad?

These may seem like obvious examples, but they’re worth remembering when asking for an insurance quote and before you commit to any type of  travel insurance.

One of the most interesting direct travel insurance companies is World Nomads. The company is known for fast insurance quotes and flexible terms. Using their online portal you can buy or extend a policy (even while traveling) or file a travel insurance claim from the road. They’ve also got an interesting business model that contributes a portion of each sale to a philanthropic endeavor. What a great thing to hear when you’re buying direct travel insurance!

Direct Travel Insurance may be the way to go for you.