On almost all websites in which a consumer purchases a travel trip through an airline or on a cruise, that consumer is offered the option of purchasing travel insurance for that trip, of which, the price of that insurance is often a very small subset of the price of the trip, itself. However, before checking the mark, so as to take that insurance, which perhaps people have been trained to believe is a good thing, it is actually far better to think all of this through more carefully.
The very first hint that travel insurance is and must be a rip off, is the fact that the premium for that insurance is typically only 5-7% of the price of the trip, which seems rather low and therefore affordable; in addition to the salient fact that the website makes it an integral part of their "service" to provide that option of travel insurance, as opposed to simply allowing the consumer to go to a third party of their choice, in order to make their own informed decision about the appropriateness of getting travel insurance. In other words, there are already third party choices for travel insurance available for consumers to avail themselves of, that probably offer a better deal to consumers for that choice, as opposed to the default travel insurance provided on travel sites, which in all probability is there to increase the profit of that travel site; for why else would they offer it, other than to increase their profitability?
Another big factor when it comes to travel insurance is that airlines and cruise ships, have their own terms and conditions, that are required by law, because they are regulated, for the protection of consumers in regards to inclement weather, delays, and cancelations. Additionally, most credit cards also have consumer protections for their users when it comes to trips purchased using those credit cards, and unforeseen events, that preclude a client from traveling on their trip for various reasons, may indeed be covered, so then, a prudent consumer makes it their point to actually understand those benefits of their credit card, along with the guarantees offered by the airline or cruise ship. The reason that this is of such importance, is that paying for travel insurance in which all the consumer is doing is being redundant to what is already covered by the airline or cruise ship or by their credit card is simply a waste of money. Additionally, paying for trip insurance without understanding the terms and conditions of that insurance, is imprudent, which signifies that a engaged consumer must actually read the terms and conditions of that trip insurance and then understand those conditions, before the purchasing of it. The fact that those terms and conditions are in small print and are also several pages long, and therefore the comprehending of such appears to be a daunting task, should be a very valuable clue that such insurance is not going to fulfill the promise that the consumer is expecting.
In short, websites offer travel insurance, not as a benefit for the consumer, though, it is possible for some consumers to benefit from such; but, such is really being offered because in actuality travel insurance is of benefit to those travel sites, because those fees help their profitability, and uninformed consumers that pay for travel insurance typically are being ripped off.