Travel Insurance: When You Need It and What to Check First

When do you actually need it?

Almost always for international trips. Specifically, buy it when:

  • You're travelling outside your home country. Your domestic health cover usually stops at the border. For US travellers especially, a hospital stay abroad can run into tens of thousands of dollars — travel medical cover is non-negotiable.
  • You've prepaid a lot. Expensive flights, hotels, or tours you can't easily refund? Cancellation cover protects that investment.
  • You're doing anything adventurous. Skiing, scuba diving, hiking at altitude — standard policies often exclude these unless you add them on.
  • You're travelling in storm season or to regions with volatile weather. Trip interruption cover is worth it.

When might you skip it? A cheap domestic weekend trip where everything is refundable and you're covered by your normal health insurance — the risk is low enough that many people self-insure. Even then, a basic policy is often so cheap it's hardly worth the gamble.

A note for UK travellers: the GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) gives you access to state healthcare in the EU at the same cost as locals — but it's not a substitute for travel insurance. It doesn't cover private treatment, medical repatriation, or non-medical costs like cancellation.

What to check before you buy

1. Medical coverage limits
This is the big one. Look for at least $100,000 in medical cover for international travel — many experienced travellers prefer $250,000 or more for destinations like the US, where healthcare is extraordinarily expensive. Check that emergency medical evacuation and repatriation is included: getting you home on a medical flight can cost $50,000 or more on its own.

2. What's covered for cancellation — and why
"Cancel for any reason" sounds great but costs extra and usually only refunds 50–75% of your costs. Standard cancellation cover pays out for listed reasons: illness, injury, death in the family, jury duty, severe weather. Read the list of covered reasons — it matters more than the headline.

3. Pre-existing conditions
Many policies exclude pre-existing medical conditions unless you buy the policy within a short window (often 14–21 days) of your first trip payment, which can trigger a waiver. If you have a condition, this timing detail is crucial — don't leave it to the last minute.

4. Exclusions that surprise people

  • Alcohol-related incidents (a big one — plenty of claims get denied here)
  • Adventure sports without the right add-on
  • Travelling against official government advice
  • Unattended belongings (leaving your bag on the beach while you swim)

5. The excess / deductible
Cheaper policies often come with higher excesses. A £250 excess on a £300 claim means you're effectively uninsured for small stuff — fine if you're buying catastrophe protection, bad if you expect to make small claims.

6. Single trip vs. annual cover
Travel more than two or three times a year? An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than buying per trip — and you can't forget to buy it.

When to buy it

Buy as soon as you've booked. Cancellation cover only protects bookings made after you buy the policy, so buying the week before you fly leaves all your earlier payments uncovered.

The bottom line

Travel insurance is catastrophe protection: you're buying it for the hospital bill, the cancelled £3,000 holiday, the emergency flight home — not the lost sunglasses. Check the medical limit, the cancellation reasons, and the exclusions, buy it when you book, and then forget about it and enjoy the trip. That's what it's for.

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