What Does Travel Insurance Cover? A Plain Guide to Choosing a Policy
The main types of travel insurance cover, the exclusions that matter most, and a simple way to compare policies before you buy.
The short answer: a comprehensive travel insurance policy usually covers emergency medical treatment abroad, medical evacuation, trip cancellation and interruption, travel delays, and lost or delayed baggage. The most important part for international travel is emergency medical and evacuation cover, because your home health plan may pay little or nothing abroad. What a policy excludes matters as much as what it includes, so read the exclusions before you buy.
The main types of cover
| Cover | What it pays for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical | Hospital and doctor costs for sudden illness or injury abroad | Care abroad can be very expensive and may require payment upfront |
| Medical evacuation and repatriation | Transport to adequate care or back home | Air ambulance costs can be very high |
| Trip cancellation | Prepaid, nonrefundable costs if you cancel for a covered reason | Protects money you have already spent |
| Trip interruption | Unused costs and extra travel if you must cut a trip short | Covers the cost of getting home early |
| Travel delay | Meals and accommodation during long covered delays | Softens the cost of missed connections |
| Baggage loss or delay | Replacement of essentials and lost belongings, up to limits | Helps when bags go missing |
What travel insurance often does not cover
Exclusions vary by insurer and policy, but these are common:
- Pre existing medical conditions, unless declared and accepted, or covered by a waiver.
- Cancelling because you changed your mind, unless you buy an optional "cancel for any reason" upgrade.
- High risk activities, such as some adventure sports, unless added to the policy.
- Incidents involving alcohol or drugs.
- Travel against official government advice to a destination.
- Known events, such as a storm or strike announced before you bought the policy.
Check your existing cover first
Before you buy, check what you already have:
- Health insurance. Ask your insurer whether it covers emergency care abroad and evacuation. US travelers should note that Medicare generally does not cover health care outside the US, with limited exceptions.
- Credit cards. Some premium cards include trip cancellation, delay or baggage cover when you pay for the trip with the card. Read the benefit terms for limits and conditions.
- Government health cards. Some agreements between countries provide limited public health care for visitors, but they do not replace travel insurance or cover evacuation.
How to compare policies
- Confirm the medical and evacuation limits are high enough for your destination.
- Read the list of covered reasons for cancellation.
- Check how pre existing conditions are handled.
- Make sure your activities are covered.
- Check the excess or deductible on each type of claim.
- Note the 24 hour emergency assistance number and save it in your phone.
Buy your policy soon after booking. Cancellation cover usually only protects you against events that happen after the policy starts. Insurance is one of the steps in our international travel checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Is travel insurance worth it for a short trip?
For international trips, emergency medical and evacuation cover is valuable even for short stays, because a single hospital visit abroad can cost more than the policy. For short domestic trips with refundable bookings, you may need less cover.
When should I buy travel insurance?
Soon after you make your first nonrefundable payment. Some benefits, such as cover for certain pre existing conditions, are only available if you buy within a set number of days of your first payment.
Does travel insurance cover flight cancellations by the airline?
Many policies cover additional costs caused by covered delays or cancellations, but your first step is the airline, which may owe you a refund, rebooking or compensation under its own policies or local passenger rights rules.
Sources
- US Department of State, insurance coverage overseas: travel.state.gov
- Medicare.gov, travel outside the US: medicare.gov