How To Choose the Right Travel Insurance for Family Vacations  

Planning a family trip? The right travel insurance can be a safety net for unexpected events like medical emergencies, trip cancellations, or lost luggage. 

Family travel insurance provides coverage for your family members during a trip. It gives you financial protection if something goes wrong — and peace of mind that you’re covered when it does. 

Here’s what you need to know about choosing the right travel insurance plan for your family.

Why Families Need Travel Insurance

Travel insurance protects you from unexpected costs like canceled flights, missed connections, or lost baggage.

It also protects you by providing medical and emergency services. If you have to visit a local hospital or need an emergency evacuation, travel insurance will cover the costs.

Let’s say you go to Tokyo and one of your kids contracts food poisoning. If you go to the doctor, your policy could cover the medical visit, saving you from out-of-pocket expenses.

Travel insurance is all about preparing for the unexpected, so you can have the peace of mind to enjoy your vacation.

READ MORE: Family Travel Planning Tips for Unforgettable Vacations

Key Features To Look for in Family Travel Insurance

When shopping for a family travel insurance plan, you want to make sure it gives you comprehensive protection during an emergency. 

Here are a few key features to look for.

Medical coverage for all ages

Look for policies that include medical coverage for:

• Hospital visits
• Emergency treatments
• Urgent care for children
• Medical evacuation
• Dental emergencies 
• Prescriptions

While in Tokyo, you plan to take your kids to Disneyland. Your daughter comes down with a fever so you take her to the emergency room. Your policy can cover the visit to the ER and any treatment she receives.

Trip cancellation and delay benefits

A sudden illness, emergency, or weather event might force you to cancel a trip or cut it short. You want a policy that will reimburse you for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses, including: 

• Flights
• Hotel reservations 
• Pre-planned activities or excursions

Let’s say you bought park passes to Disneyland before you left for Tokyo. But due to your daughter’s sudden illness, you weren’t able to use them. Your travel insurance policy will reimburse you for the cost of the tickets and any other prepaid excursions you missed.

However, standard policies don’t cover personal decisions to cancel a trip — such as changing your mind or if you have a conflict at work. Adding cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage gives you flexibility.

READ MORE: Which Situations Are Covered by Trip Cancellation Insurance?

Baggage and personal belongings coverage

Baggage insurance will compensate you if your belongings are lost, stolen, or delayed. This includes essentials like clothes, baby gear, and hygiene products.

Let’s say you had a connecting flight but there was a delay and you missed your connection. You got to your final destination, but your luggage and stroller didn’t. So you temporarily rent one until your luggage arrives. 

Your travel insurance policy would reimburse you for your rental.

Most policies limit coverage for expensive electronics or adventure gear. Read the coverage limits to see what’s covered and take an inventory of any high-value items before you go on your trip.

Customizing Policies for Family Needs

Depending on your travel plans, you may need to customize the policy to meet your family’s specific needs. Here are a few ways you can do that.

Add coverage for adventure activities

If you plan on engaging in high-risk activities, like skiing or zip lining, you won’t be covered under a standard policy. But you can add extra coverage or upgrade your plan.

Here’s an example: Medical coverage under a standard travel insurance policy will cover you if you need to go to the hospital but it won’t cover you if you break a leg skiing. Many policies exclude high-risk activities, which means if you’re injured doing something that isn’t covered, you won’t be reimbursed for it.

Here’s what high-risk coverage includes:

• Medical treatment for injuries
• Search and rescue
• Emergency medical evacuation
• Lost or damaged equipment
• Trip interruption due to an injury sustained during a high-risk activity

World Nomads is one insurer that specializes in coverage for adventure activities. The Explorer Plan covers high-risk activities like skiing, while the Epic Plan covers extremely high-risk activities like rock climbing.

Include pre-existing conditions

Pre-existing conditions are often excluded under standard travel insurance policies. These include:

• Chronic conditions
• Heart issues
• Respiratory issues
• Autoimmune diseases
• Mental health
• Neurological disorders
• Cancer
• Pregnancy
• Gastrointestinal issues

If anyone in your family has a pre-existing condition, you want to ensure they’re covered. You can do this by adding extra coverage to your policy and completing a waiver. Usually, this has to be done within two or three weeks of booking your trip.

Comparing Family Travel Insurance Providers

Shop around to find the best coverage for a competitive price. Insurance coverage and premiums vary based on factors like:

• Where you’re going
• When you’re traveling
• How many people you’re traveling with
• The ages of those you’re traveling with
• How much your trip cost
• What you paid for in advance
• The type of coverage you need 

You can use an online tool like SquareMouth or VisitorsCoverage to compare coverage limits, premium costs, and deductibles across providers. 

Once you know what kind of policy you need, compare providers and premiums.

Weigh premiums against benefits

Your level of coverage will depend on your family’s needs. If you’re traveling within the U.S., you likely won’t need medical coverage if you already have health insurance. If you’re traveling to a remote area overseas, you’ll want medical and emergency evacuation coverage.

Take note of the deductible and any copayments. See what you’ll pay out of pocket before your coverage applies. While lower deductibles can reduce upfront costs, they may increase premiums.

Get a quote for all members of your family, including add-ons for things like adventure activities. Compare that to the cost of your trip and estimate any potential out-of-pocket expenses. Consider higher limits for remote or high-risk trips.

Look for family bundles to reduce the individual premium cost for members of your group.

Check to see who’s covered and what’s excluded

Some insurance providers have specific plans for families while others offer general group coverage. Confirm that all family members, including children and grandparents, are covered under your policy. 

For example, Allianz Travel Insurance offers bundled family plans that often include discounts for children or additional family members. 

And Travel Guard allows you to designate someone as a member of your family whether they’re a blood relative or not.

World Nomads allows parents to claim up to seven dependent children under the age of 25 under their insurance policy. Other policies may only include one or two children per adult, or may only go up to age 17. 

If you consider your pets members of your family, some insurers offer bundled policies for them, too. Travel Guard offers a pet bundle add-on in case there are travel interruptions or delays that could affect any pets you’re traveling with.

Keep in mind that many standard trip insurance policies have exclusions. Medical coverage, for example, may exclude pre-existing conditions. If you need to cover a pre-existing condition, see if there’s a waiver to cover it. 

Some providers require you to purchase insurance within 10–21 days of booking to qualify for a waiver. Make sure you get this coverage sooner rather than later.

Best family-friendly insurance options

Here’s how three of the most popular providers for family travel insurance compare: 

	Allianz Travel Insurance	Travel Guard	World Nomads
Medical coverage	Up to $75,000	Up to $100,000	Up to $250,000
Trip cancellation, interruptions, or delays	Up to $300,000	Up to 150% of trip cost	Up to $15,000
Baggage protection	Up to $2,000	Up to $2,500	Up to $3,000
Multigenerational coverage	Children age 17 and under included at no extra cost when they’re traveling with a parent or grandparent	1 child age 17 or under included in the rates for each paying adult when they’re traveling with (and related to) the primary adult named on the policy	1-2 adult travelers, and up to 7 dependent children under age 25 can be included in a single policy
Add-ons	CFAR; pre-existing medical waiver	CFAR; pre-existing medical waiver; adventure activities; pet coverage	CFAR; pre-existing medical waiver; adventure activities

Evaluate customer reviews and support 

You want to buy a policy from a company that offers 24/7 travel assistance and has a good reputation for processing claims. 

Read reviews from past customers. See what kinds of experiences they had and any issues they’ve come across.

FAQs About Family Travel Insurance

Are there policies that cover grandparents traveling with grandchildren?

Yes, some providers like Travel Guard offer multigenerational travel insurance plans that cover grandparents traveling with grandchildren. 

These plans may come with higher medical coverage to account for the higher risk of traveling with the elderly. 

How can I save on family travel insurance without compromising coverage?

Look for bundled family plans. Some insurers offer discounts for groups. Compare the needs of your family with different coverage options and find the one that makes sense for you.

Can I add a new family member to my policy after booking?

Some policies may allow you to add new family members to your policy after booking but this isn’t typically the case. You can purchase a separate policy for additional family members instead.

What’s the ideal coverage amount for international family trips?

For international travel, choose $100,000+ in medical coverage. In expensive countries like Switzerland, aim for $250,000. 

Look for trip cancellation coverage that equals the prepaid, nonrefundable portions of your trip. For each person traveling with your family, look for $1,500 to $3,000 in coverage.

TL;DR: Does Your Family Need Travel Insurance?

Travel insurance covers unplanned medical bills, cancellations, or other interruptions to your trip. Choosing the right plan for your family will prepare you for the worst-case scenario. 

Get at least $100k in medical coverage for international trips, make sure everyone's covered (including the kids), and don't forget trip cancellation for those nonrefundable bookings. Adventure activities usually need extra coverage.

And don't skimp on coverage to save a few bucks. Your credit card's insurance probably isn't enough for big trips abroad, so shop around on comparison sites for the right coverage. The ideal policy has affordable premiums and comprehensive coverage that will protect your family wherever you go!

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