What are today's consumers looking for in a travel insurance carrier? Travel guru, television personality and author Rick Steves offers the following insight for travelers who may need to purchase insurance before a trip:

1. Travel insurance can minimize the considerable financial risks of traveling.
2. Each traveler's potential loss varies depending on factors such as how much of the trip was prepaid, the refundability of their airfare, the traveler's health, the value of their luggage, where they're traveling, and what coverage they already have.
3. When purchasing coverage, travelers should consider five options: trip cancellation and interruption, medical, evacuation, baggage, and flight insurance.

"Travel insurance could come in handy if your trip is canceled or interrupted due to a medical emergency, a natural disaster, or another unforeseen event," writes Consumer Reports author Barbara Peterson. "Deciding whether you need it — and if so, what kind — means planning for the worst." Statista, the consumer marketing, analytics and media firm, recently gathered 2019 travel insurance carrier data related to such topics as policy features, ease of use, durability and customer support. The company compiled its results into rankings to determine the top travel insurers in the U.S. based on a rating scale of 1 to 10. The results of Statista's research is outlined in the slideshow above. See also:

• Top 5 mistakes travelers make when filing a travel insurance claim
• Top 10 destinations Americans cover with travel insurance
• 6 ways to keep bad weather from ruining your airline trip