If You Travel Overseas
By Amy Feldman

(MONEY Magazine) – CHECK OUT THE TRAVEL WARNINGS ONLINE from both the U.S. Department of State (www.state.gov) and the U.K.'s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk). You should know the official U.S. position, but the British site is more plainspoken.

MAKE COPIES OF THE FIRST TWO PAGES OF YOUR PASSPORT. Carry one with you, separate from your passport, and leave one or two with relatives or friends you could contact easily. Also give your emergency contacts copies of your itinerary and notify them if you make changes en route.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO A REMOTE AREA, make sure you have medical-evacuation insurance. Being flown out of, say, a trek camp in Nepal can easily cost $10,000 or more. (Also see what benefits are offered by your credit-card company.)

CHECK THE LATEST ADVISORIES from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/travel).

IF YOU'RE A RETIREE, remember that Medicare does not cover health care outside the U.S. and its territories.

CANCELLATION COVERAGE may make sense if you've paid a lot of money up front or you're worried that a health or family problem might require you to call off your trip.

MAJOR TRIP INSURERS include AccessAmerica (800-284-8300; www.accessamerica.com), CSA Travel Protection (800-348-9505; www.csatravelprotection.com) and Travel Guard International (800-826-4919; www .travelguard.com). Compare policies at InsureMyTrip.com. --AMY FELDMAN