What Does Travel Insurance Cover? (2024)

FAQs

What Does Travel Insurance Cover? ›

So, what does travel insurance cover? Here's the very short answer: Cancellations, medical expenses, evacuations, loss or delays, and 24/7 assistance. These are the 5 basic types of coverage provided with vacation insurance.

Comprehensive travel insurance

The comprehensive policy usually covers delays, cancellation due to sickness or death, lost luggage and some emergency medical costs.

Travel insurance provides financial protection if you face certain problems when you're travelling or on holiday. It covers a range of possibilities, from lost luggage to the cost of medical care if you become ill or have an accident.

Most travel insurance policies won't pay out if you're negligent while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and have an accident or have property stolen.

What does travel insurance cover? Policies vary, but most comprehensive travel insurance plans cover travel cancellation and interruption, baggage loss, medical care and emergency transportation.

By far, the most common and often most significant travel insurance claim is for medical emergencies. A sudden illness or injury during your trip can not only ruin your plans but also cause a severe financial strain.

Trip protection typically covers your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses if you have to cancel, delay or interrupt your trip. It can also include financial protection for your belongings if your luggage is lost, delayed, damaged or destroyed by a common carrier such as the airline.

Travel insurance compensates you for money you lose due to unforeseen events before and during your trip. Just as importantly, it can pay for emergency medical care and evacuation during your trip.

Cancellation cover is a common inclusion with most standard travel insurance policies, but you can take it out separately if it doesn't offer enough cover. Alternatively, if you only want cancellation cover to protect you against cancelled flights rather than baggage protection, you can get it for that.

The average cost of travel insurance is about 3% to 5% of a trip's total value, according to quotes gathered by our research team across different travel insurance providers for various traveler profiles.

When should I buy travel insurance? ›

In general, you can buy coverage any time before the date of your trip. That said, it's always best to buy coverage as soon as you make your reservations. The sooner you buy travel insurance, the sooner you'll be protected and the more benefits you may be eligible to receive.

When should you get trip cancellation and/or trip interruption insurance? If you would lose the money you paid for your flights, accommodations, rental car, or activities if you had to cancel or go home early, travel insurance that specifically includes trip cancellation and trip interruption is probably a good idea.

Emergency medical coverage is automatically included on all comprehensive travel insurance plans. This emergency medical coverage can work in conjunction with your health insurance, or in place of it, to help reimburse the cost of emergency medical care while traveling.

The benefit is designed to protect prepaid, nonrefundable reservations, including flights, hotel reservations and other bookings if the trip is canceled due to an extraordinary circ*mstance. Each policy will state exactly which events are considered valid reasons for cancellations.

Cancellation cover is a common inclusion with most standard travel insurance policies, but you can take it out separately if it doesn't offer enough cover. Alternatively, if you only want cancellation cover to protect you against cancelled flights rather than baggage protection, you can get it for that.

Does travel insurance cover cancellation due to illness? Travel insurance with Trip Cancellation coverage will cover you if you, a traveling companion or family member come down with an illness before your trip and an in-person visit to a doctor certifies that you're too sick to travel.

Travel medical insurance helps cover the cost of many emergency medical treatments during a trip. If you're traveling and have an unexpected illness, medical condition or injury that's covered by your travel medical insurance, you typically will be reimbursed up to the plan limits.

Comprehensive travel insurance typically covers canceled flights that delay your trip for at least 3–12 hours. If your flight is delayed more than 12 hours, you may even qualify for trip cancellation coverage, depending on your plan.