As we enter in the summer months, agents will face more frequenttravel insurance requests and questions from customers as theyprepare for their summer getaways. Here are seven essential thingsto consider when selling travel insurance.

Know how many times and where your clients travel peryear. Each customer has different travel plans;knowing the frequency of travel and where in the world yourcustomer will be visiting will help determine the amount ofprotection needed for travel insurance.

Find out how many family members are going.Knowing this will be helpful in determining the amount ofprotection needed, especially if you are insuring a young marriedcouple on their honeymoon or a family of four with two smallchildren.

Ask whether or not the travelers have a summer/secondaryhome they visit frequently. In the event that afamily member should need emergency medical transportation, travelinsurance would respond, and this helps direct emergency servicesto one specific location. Also, this information will be helpfulfor you as the agent to understand all of your customers' insuranceneeds. For example, will they need rental insurance for summerproperties? Depending on what part of the world this vacation homeis located, a customer may need hurricane, earthquake, flood, orother natural disaster coverage.

Make sure travel Insurance is a year-roundpolicy. This is essential because customers may travelmany times throughout the year. Also, make sure that policiesprovide coverage for all resident family members andspouses/domestic partners.

Remind your customer that travel Insurance protectsagainst inclement weather/natural disasters, illness, and eventerrorist acts. In today's political climate and in theevent of a natural disaster, this will help put your customer atease when planning a vacation in a foreign country or in a part ofthe world prone to hurricanes, earthquakes, or other naturaldisasters.

Know if your client will be renting a car whiletraveling. Travel insurance can provide coverage forcollision and loss damage for customers' rental cars while onvacation.

Always provide your customer with a 24-hour hotline forassistance. This will be a great resource for yourcustomer while traveling. The hotline can assist in multilingualissues while traveling abroad. Many hotlines also provide aconcierge service to help with travel plans, finding golf teetimes, and other services for your customer.

Also, the 24-hour assistance will be beneficial to your customerand you since natural disasters, auto claims, or injuries canhappen at anytime, day or night, during a vacation. Thisaround-the-clock access will help your customers feel that theirinsurance needs are being met in a timely fashion, and it helpsgather pertinent claims information faster for you.