Many travelers assume their insurance covers them abroad, or that their destination's healthcare will. Both are mostly untrue for Americans. Here are the facts on a subject nobody enjoys: what basic coverage actually protects, why evacuation is the real financial risk, and the two-week deadline that decides whether you get the coverage you want — or lose the option entirely..

The moment you hand a server a printed card, the conversation changes. Not because of the paper — because of what it communicates before a single word is spoken. Why translation apps fall short for celiac travelers abroad, and what your card actually needs to say.

The reservation is made, the restaurant is vetted, the server arrives. What you say in the next sixty seconds determines whether the preparation you did before the trip actually reaches the kitchen. Here’s what to say.