This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Travelers with a big trip coming up usually follow the news carefully, nervous about unforeseen events, like a terrorist attack, that might cause a postponement. That is probably the case in recent days for European-bound travelers after a shooting on Paris' Champs-Élysées.

In the case of increased terrorist threats, what coverage is available for those who bought travel insurance should they decide to postpone their vacation?

Squaremouth, a travel-insurance comparison website, said in a news release that most companies include terrorist attacks in their policies, but that specific conditions must be met to cover a cancellation.

These include:

• The U.S. State Department must declare the attack as terrorism.

• Most companies require the attack to occur within 50 to 100 miles of the traveler's destination.

• Most policies require the attack to occur within seven to 30 days of the traveler's departure date.

• Travelers insurance is meant to cover unforeseen events, meaning that once an event occurs, it is too late to purchase a policy or any type of travel insurance coverage related to it.