On Monday, you’re in Miami. On Wednesday, you’re in Washington, D.C. And next week, you’re jetting off to Argentina to meet with staff in the new Buenos Aires office. You’re a frequent business traveler. And that means you need travel insurance.

“Wait,” you say. “Why should I buy travel insurance? I’m not paying for these trips out of pocket — the company covers all my expenses.”

Even if that’s true for routine business travel, what happens when a trip turns out not to be routine? That’s when insurance can save the day. The best travel insurance for business is an annual plan like the AllTrips Executive Plan, which protects you for business and leisure trips, domestic and international, in a 365-day span. It’s affordable, too — get a quote!

To find out if you need travel insurance to cover your business trips, consider these four questions.

1. How does your employer define its “duty of care” for business travelers?

“Duty of care” means your employer has a certain obligation to protect the health, safety and security of its employees, especially when they’re traveling for business.¹ But in the United States, there’s no law that clearly defines private employers’ duty of care toward their employees.² As a frequent business traveler, you need to find out what your company’s policy is — or if it even has a policy! If you should become seriously ill or injured while traveling, for instance, would your company pay for your care, or offer you any compensation?

If the answer is no or that depends, then you definitely need travel insurance. The AllTrips Executive Plan includes up to $250,000 in emergency medical transportation benefits, which can provide reimbursement for medically necessary transportation to the nearest hospital or appropriate facility following a covered illness or injury. It also includes up to $50,000 in emergency medical benefits, which can provide benefits for losses due to covered medical and dental emergencies that occur during your trip (with no deductible), and up to $50,000 in travel accident coverage, which gives you a cash payment for covered losses as a result of a covered travel accident.

2. How generous (or stingy) is your company’s business travel policy?

Some companies offer perfectly reasonable, or even generous, travel reimbursement. They’ll upgrade you to first class, let you pocket your excess per diem, and trust you to manage your business travel expenses responsibly.

And then… there are the rest. Some companies expect employees to spend the barest minimum possible when traveling, even if that means sharing a hotel room, taking a 5 a.m. flight or sleeping in the office. (Yes, seriously.) If something goes awry on your trip, those companies may expect you to cover extra expenses yourself.

A robust travel insurance plan can protect you in case of covered travel mishaps. For instance:

• Your evening flight gets canceled, so you have to wait for an early-morning flight. Your company says it’ll only pay for a cheap hotel and fast food; but your AllTrips Executive Plan includes up to $200 per day in travel delay benefits to reimburse reasonable expenses for meals, accommodation and transportation.
• The airline loses your suitcase, leaving you without the clothes you need for a conference. The AllTrips Executive Plan’s baggage delay benefits can reimburse you for or reasonable essential items up to $1,000 until your bag arrives.
• You scrape your rental car while exiting a tight parking space. Your company might expect you to file a claim with your own insurance company, which can hit your wallet hard. The AllTrips Executive Plan includes the Rental Car Damage Protector, which can cover costs up to $45,000 if a car you're renting is stolen or is damaged in a covered accident or while it's left unattended (not available to residents of all states).

3. Do you often travel with crucial business equipment?

You’re on your way to the biggest trade show of the year, and in your checked luggage is everything you need: the company’s pop-up display, tablets and business-card scanner. When you spot your bags on the airport carousel, your heart sinks: the case for the electronic equipment is ripped. Two of the tablets are broken.

Luckily, the AllTrips Executive plan includes up to $1,000 in business equipment coverage and up to $1,000 in business equipment rental coverage. So if your gear is lost/stolen, damaged or delayed by an airline or other carriers, your insurance can reimburse reasonable costs for equipment rental, replacement and/or repair.

Read more: How to Protect Your Tech While Traveling

4. Do you ever combine business with leisure travel?

Frequent business travel is grueling. One sure way to recharge is adding a few vacation days to the end of the trip, when you actually have time to explore and enjoy your destination. Some 37 percent of North American business travelers have extended a work trip to include leisure, one recent survey found.³

However, any protections your employer offers for business travel probably won’t carry over to your vacation time. The AllTrips Executive Plan ­— or any annual travel insurance plan from Allianz Global Assistance — can protect you all year long, wherever you may roam.

Related Articles

• Business Travel Packing Checklist
• When to Fly First Class
• Tips for Traveling with Coworkers