Five insurance tips for college students and parents

A decade ago, students heading back to college in the fall may have just shown up with an old TV, a couch they found on the side of a road and a suitcase. But these days dorm rooms contain more goodies than the local Best Buy. Combine this wealth of gadgets with open doors and the occasional party and it's no surprise that items tend to "walk away" from a dorm room easier than they would at home. The good news is that insuring the stuff your student takes to college is easy to do and pretty affordable, too.

As you send your son or daughter back to school with a U-Haul full of expensive items, it's a good time to make sure all of their items are covered. While most of the time these items are covered under the parent's homeowners insurance, to make sure our readers are not surprised if something does happen, we spoke to Sean Meehan, second VP of property strategy and design at Travelers Insurance -- also known internally as "Travelers' College Insurance Expert," via phone to find out more about what you need to know about insurance on campus.