CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Whether you’re headed to the beach, the mountains or overseas, there’s one thing you don’t want to forget before your next trip: travel insurance.

Shauna McGallian and her husband love traveling, preferring destinations with water like rivers, lakes or oceans. But one trip from Corpus Christi to Seattle changed everything for them.

A snowstorm in Denver caused them to miss their connecting flight, and they didn’t have travel insurance at the time.

“I didn’t have travel insurance at the time. I opted out because I was like oh this is an easy flight,” McGallian said.

Now she’s a travel agent with one rule: no booking without travel insurance.

“You have to have it because I can give you a lot of stories of nightmares that have happened,” McGallian said.

So what exactly is travel insurance? It’s an add-on cost that covers the basics like medical care, lost luggage, missed flights and weather delays.

“Even if your hotel, flight is non refundable, your travel insurance will refund you for those things,” McGallian said.

Think of it like protection for your vacation investment.

“It’s like car insurance. It may not happen but you have that layer of protection incase something does,” McGallian said.

McGallian says buy it when you book because waiting could leave you uncovered. The cost is usually just 5 to 10 percent of your trip total, for the basic coverage.

For short, direct flights like from Corpus Christi to Houston, you can probably skip it.

“If something happens you’re still only four hours from home,” McGallian said.

But for longer trips, it’s peace of mind.

“There’s so much to see within the United States and outside the United States. Have fun, experience the world,” McGallian said.

Remember, basic travel insurance doesn’t cover a change of mind. There has to be a real reason, like illness, bad weather or an emergency for that coverage to kick in.

If you’d like help planning your next getaway or want to learn more about travel insurance options, you can contact Shauna McGallian, travel agent and owner of McGallian Adventures LLC, at 361-290-6772 or by email at Shauna@letsdoadventure.com. You can also check out her facbook page @ Mcgallian Adventures LLC.

For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.