What you should know about travel insurance after the Kim Kardashian robbery

The world is still abuzz after Kim Kardashian was robbed during her recent visit to Paris. The assailants reportedly snuck into her hotel in the middle of the night, restrained her, and walked away with more than $10 million in jewelry. Kardashian returned to New York City shaken, but unharmed.

Few of us own anything worth $10 million, but the prospect of getting robbed on vacation – or being the victim of any sort of crime – is still alarming and very real. In addition to the emotional toll, the financial loss can be costly, especially if your belongings aren’t insured.

The silver lining here is that you might already have an insurance policy that protects your stuff while traveling. Here’s a look at how common insurance policies have you covered on the road.

1. Homeowners insurance

Cost: Homeowners might pay $35 per month for every $100,000 of home value.

Homeowners insurance covers most of your personal possessions from loss or theft. We reached out to Allstate, who told us that many of their basic plans include coverage for personal possessions even when they’re located outside of the home.

“Say you have a $200,000 home, 60% of that policy would cover your stuff, so you’d have $120,000 worth of coverage on personal belongings stolen from your home,” says Justin Herndon, spokesperson for Allstate. “If you take your belongings off-premise, like on a trip, you get 10% of the coverage, or $12,000.”

In this scenario, the stuff in your suitcase would be insured up to $12,000, after you pay a deductible (which can be $1,000, depending on your policy). Even so, jewlery has an inside limit of $5,000, so if you had a pricey heirloom packed away, you probably want to consider extra coverage.

When it comes to expensive equipment or jewelry, Herndon suggests thinking about scheduled personal property coverage. This protects valuable items that are unique and need to be insured for their full value. “As long as you have your appraisal on the item, you can get coverage on the same day you’re leaving for a trip,” he says.

2. Renter’s insurance

Cost: According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the average renter’s insurance premium is $187 a year.

If you don’t own your home, renter’s insurance is a great way to protect the items in your house or apartment. Most plans are designed to cover fire, damage to furniture or clothing, and personal liability if another person gets injured in your home. This type of insurance also covers your personal belongings whether they’re in your home or traveling around the world with you.

But there’s one caveat: State Farm says renter’s insurance coverage is limited when your personal belongings are taken abroad. In fact, their plans will insure your belongings against loss or theft, but not against accidental loss while you’re traveling. In other words, if you drop your expensive ring down the drain at an island resort, you won’t get reimbursed for that.

Keep in mind that every renter’s insurance policy is different, so read the fine print on yours to see what is and isn’t covered. If you don’t feel like the coverage is adequate, most companies offer policy enhancements or add-ons that will provide extra insurance for more valuable items.

3. Travel insurance

Cost: Typically 4%-8% of your trip cost.

Many travel insurance policies include coverage for personal items if they’re lost or stolen while traveling. But don’t get too excited, the plans often limit how much is covered. “Plans usually insure personal items for $500 to 2,500 per person,” says Rachael Taft, spokesperson for Squaremouth, a site that compares travel plans from more than 21 insurance providers.

When it comes to expensive items like jewelry or electronics, there are limits on how much is covered, and it’s usually around $300 to $1,000. So you might want to look at more complete insurance options if the items in your luggage are expensive. “We usually recommend looking at your homeowners policy options if you have an expensive ring or something,” says Taft.

While theft is a concern, lost luggage can be an expensive mishap as well. Travel insurance will protect your stuff if an airline loses your luggage. If your bags get delayed, the majority of policies will provide a certain amount of money per day for incidentals.

Brittany is a writer at Yahoo Finance.

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