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Have current events got you thinking twice about travelling?

The U.S. military action in Venezuela earlier this month was a massive geopolitical story, but it was also a major disruption on the travel front. Because of Venezuela's proximity to the Caribbean, hundreds of flights to and from popular getaway spots had to be cancelled during a peak vacation week. According to press reports, thousands of stranded travelers were left scrambling to rejigger their plans and pick up the costs of an extra long stay.

The chaos was a flashpoint that highlighted a broader vulnerability: From an America First foreign policy to sudden natural disasters and record-long government shutdowns, travelling feels less predictable.

So how do you protect yourself without staying home?

Travel insurance can cover the cost of vacation disruptions, but you need to understand what kind to get and when. (Squaremouth, an online travel insurance marketplace, had a 49% jump in quotes the weekend of the Venezuela raid compared with the previous weekend.)

A few must-knows:

•  Travel insurance is typically heavy on what’s known as exclusions, aka circumstances it won’t cover. Depending on the plan, these can include military activities, civil unrest, or terrorism (especially if you’re traveling somewhere where there’s a travel warning in place,) or a hurricane you know is coming to your area. Make sure you read the fine print and know exactly what you’re getting before you buy.

•  There are many different types of travel insurance. These include trip interruption policies, which cover delays and snags while you’re already on your trip, trip cancellation, which covers cancelling before you start your trip (like if you’ve decided to hold off on flying to the Caribbean,) or a more comprehensive policy that covers both.

•  The cost depends on the cost of your trip. A comprehensive policy can cost 4% to 10% of your non-refundable travel costs. So if you’re taking a $10,000 vacation, you might pay $400 to $1,000.

•  ‘Any Reason’ add-ons do exist: Reading the fine print and asking the right questions will avoid misunderstandings, but if you want your protection to be foolproof, you may be able to upgrade to include coverage that will apply no matter what. ‘Cancel for Any Reason’ and ‘Interruption for Any Reason’ coverage cost more (40% to 50% more in the case of CFAR) and usually reimburse only 50% to 75% of your travel costs, according to Squaremouth.

Related Reading

War, Booze and Mopeds: Travel Insurance Coverage Gaps That May Surprise You (CNBC)

Travel Nightmares: How Travel Insurance Can Help (Squaremouth)

Should You Buy Travel Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)

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