You can buy many life insurance and property-casualty insurance products without help from an agent. Typically potential policyholders will be contacted by mail, or they can call a toll-free number to apply for a product. The advantage of this type of distribution system is that expenses are usually much lower because there are no agent commissions to be paid. These savings can be passed onto the consumer through lower premiums. The main disadvantage is that the policyholder does not receive as much, or sometimes any, personal service either when buying a product or filing a claim.

Travel insurance gives travelers coverage for unforeseen problems, from a cancelled flight to a serious illness-or in rare cases, even an act of terrorism or the financial default of a travel supplier. If an illness, accident, or other covered unforeseen circumstance forces a traveler to cancel or interrupt their plans, they face two major financial losses-money invested in nonrefundable pre-payments, and medical expenses that in many instances may not be covered by health insurance.