The biggest nightmare any traveler could face is an impending trip cut short or canceled due to no fault of the traveler. Chances are you already paid for the whole trip — flights, hotels, restaurant reservations — but most travelers salvage trips by purchasing travel insurance after booking.

The problem with travel insurance, says Stan Sandberg, founder, travelinsurance.com, is a lack of clear messaging surrounding it. Oftentimes, travel insurance is thrown up as an arbitrary option at the end of the booking process. Travelers are given the option to opt in to travel insurance without really understanding what it is good for.

As a result of this minimal exposure, customers were left skeptical.

Travelinsurance.com is a rate comparison site above all else, similar in vein to kayak.com or hotels.com. It has been the mission of Sandberg since the site was founded to make more people aware of the importance of travel insurance.

Travel insurance is what it sounds like. If something goes wrong before or during a trip, costs to the travel are nullified. According to Sandberg, there are two primary benefits for travelers purchasing travel insurance.

The first benefit is cancellation and interruption insurance. If something happens that will cause the cancellation of the trip, the traveler is protected. Sickness, injuries, death, bad weather and more are usually covered under this type of insurance. The same is true for variables that occur during the trip itself.

Emergency travel medical insurance and evacuation insurance keeps travelers safe in case of emergencies. Many travelers think their credit cards have travel insurance, but, according to Sandberg, the holes in these policies can be too great to rely on. The standard coverage that comes with travel insurance covers $50,000 in medical expenses, Sandberg said.

“It protects your wallet if you find yourself in a situation outside of your control,” Sandberg said. Disruptions and unforeseen circumstances will happen, but having travel insurance minimizes losses and makes those disruptions less disastrous.

A big misconception surrounding travel insurance is the price point. According to Sandberg, many people consider the insurance to be costly and unnecessary. The cost for a policy usually runs travelers about 2 to 3 percent of the total itinerary cost.

“I think people are often surprised at how affordable it is,” Sandberg said.

Travelers who should be especially alert to the importance of travel insurance include those traveling with children, people traveling for adventure and people traveling with older company.

Another big myth Sandberg comes into contact with regularly is the belief an initial pass on the insurance means travelers cannot purchase it in the future. Travelers can purchase travel insurance at any point before departure, but coverage only applies to things that happen after coverage is purchased.

Although Sandberg would likely recommend travel insurance on every trip, the need becomes especially apparent in different seasons for different destinations. From August through September, Sandberg recommends insurance for those traveling to hurricane-prone destinations.

The Caribbean, Bahamas and similar destinations can be the site of an upended trip in the event of a hurricane. Similarly, in the winter, Sandberg recommends insuring travel to places prone to bad snowstorms.