Best Travel Insurance | In-Depth Comparison of Companies

01/19/2018

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Imagine that you’re just about to leave on your dream vacation when all of a sudden you come down with a terrible flu. Your doctor tells you that you’re too sick to travel. If you didn’t purchase travel insurance, all would be lost.

But if you were smart and remembered to buy travel insurance? Well, you would be reimbursed for all of your expenses and you would be able to go on your dream trip once you recovered. Sounds like a much better scenario!

Of course, travel insurance doesn’t just ensure you are covered in case you can’t go on your trip. Some of the best travel insurance companies offer things like emergency travel health coverage that covers you in case you get into an accident or get sick while at your destination.

On this page:

Compare the Best Travel Insurance Policies
Top Travel Insurance Reviews
Why You Should Be Interested
What You Should Look For

They may also offer trip interruption insurance that helps you get home and rebook flights in case you’re sick or your plans are cut short because of something like a terrorist attack or a hurricane. Lose your luggage or have it delayed? Most travel insurance packages will give you a stipend to buy new clothes and necessities.

Convinced you need to get travel insurance? Here are some great policies to consider:

Compare the Best Travel Insurance Policies

Reviews of the Top Travel Insurance Policies

TravelInsurance.com Review

Sick of spending your time on various travel insurance websites trying to compare their prices and offerings to figure out which is the best deal? TravelInsurance.com is a travel insurance broker that allows you to compare the policies of top insurers. That makes choosing which travel insurance to buy a lot easier. All you have to do is enter your trip information, and you’ll quickly get quotes from different travel insurers. You can then compare the plans and prices and buy your travel coverage instantly.

TravelInsurance.com works with trusted travel insurance providers like Allianz, April, IMG, Travelex, Roam Right, and AIG Travel Guard.

It’s a great way to shop for some of the best travel insurance policies because it saves you time and helps you get the best deal. Having all the offers in one place allows you to easily compare them so that you can see what each offer entails and figure out which is best for your needs.

The one downside is that the site doesn’t have partnerships with all the travel insurance providers so you might still want to shop around and get quotes from other insurers so that you know you’re getting the best deal.

Travelex Insurance Services Review

Travellex Insurance has been protecting travelers for over 55 years. They offer customizable plans that you can choose between to get as much travel coverage as you need. They cover many normal reasons for cancelling a trip like health issues or a death in the family but also include business related cancelations. They also have plans that cover children under 17 for no additional cost.

If you get their Travel Select plan, they cover 100% of your trip’s cost if it’s cancelled and up to 150% of your trip if its interrupted. If your trip is delayed, they’ll give you $250 per day up to $750. They also offer up to $750 if you miss a connection and cover up to $1,000 if your baggage is lost. They cover $200 if your baggage is delayed. Their emergency medical and dental expenses go up to $50,000, but they offer up to $500,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. They also offer travel assistance. Are you adventurous? Their policy offers an upgrade if you plan on participating in adventure sports and an upgrade option that lets you cancel for any reason.

Their plan is very comprehensive and offers almost everything that you could possibly be looking for when shopping for travel insurance. The only drawbacks is that it could be more expensive than other options and might be more coverage than you need. How much you will pay for coverage will depend on your trip’s cost, your age, and health details.

Allianz Travel Insurance Review

Allianz Travel Insurance is an insurer that has plans that start as low as $17. How much you’ll actually pay will depend on things like the cost of your trip, what type of insurance you want, and your age and health situation. They are an extremely popular insurer and over 25 million people per year purchase one of their plans.

Their plan options include single trip plans and annual plans. They charge different amounts for travel within the US and internationally. They offer things like emergency medical transportation of up to $500,000, emergency medical benefits of up to $25,000, loss or damage of baggage coverage of up to $1,000, trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the cost of your trip, trip interruption insurance of up to 150% of the cost of your trip, missed connection coverage up to $800, travel delay coverage of $200 per day up to $800, baggage delay coverage of up to $300, change fee coverage of up to $250, and frequent traveler loyalty coverage of up to $250 to cover any frequent flyer mile redeposit fees if you cancel your trip.

Allianz also provides coverage to those with an existing medical condition, free coverage to kids under 17, and a 24-hour travel assistance hotline.

Allianz’s many travel options allow you to customize your plan to get the most complete coverage and to only get and pay for what you need.

AIG Travel Guard

AIG is a well-known insurance company that offers things like home and life insurance, but they also offer travel insurance. Their coverage is fairly popular and millions of travelers opt to use AIG Travel Guard each year. They have a number of different plan options to choose from so you can customize your plan to get exactly what you need.

Their plans includes things like trip cancellation insurance coverage of 100% of trip costs, trip interruption insurance up to $1,000 for return airfare, trip delay insurance of up to $1,000 or $200 per day, missed connection insurance of up to $500, baggage and personal effects coverage of up to $2,500, baggage delay insurance of up to $500, emergency medical coverage, emergency evacuation coverage of $1,000,000, and $50,000 in accidental death and dismemberment insurance.

They also offer a pre-existing medical condition waiver, travel assistance services, concierge services, identity theft assistance, $50 roadside assistance, and optional coverage like car rental collision coverage and the ability to cancel your trip for any reason.

AIG Travel Guard is a great option, but it doesn’t provide as much coverage for trip interruption as many other plans. Rather than reimbursing you the cost of your interrupted trip, it only provides you with up to $1,000 for a plane ticket home. That might not be enough to cover all your expenses related to going back home as you also might have expenses related to hotel room bookings.

Roam Right Travel Insurance Review

Roam Right Travel Insurance is a travel insurance company that is known for their excellent customer service. They offer a number of different comprehensive plans in order to ensure that you get the coverage you need.

They cover things like trip cancellation for health or work reasons up to the cost of the trip, trip interruption coverage of up to 150%, missed connection coverage of $750, trip delay coverage of $200 per day up to $1,500, emergency medical and accident of $50,000, dental coverage of up to $750, emergency accident and medical coverage of up to $50,000, emergency evacuation coverage of up to $1,000,000, luggage coverage of up to $2,500, baggage delay coverage of up to $500, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage of $25,000 or $100,000 if on an airplane.

They also allow you to cancel for work, cover pre-existing condition, and they don’t charge for one child under 18 for every adult who is traveling and insured.

Roam Right Travel Insurance offers a number of different annual and trip plans that allow you to customize your travel insurance to make sure you purchase exactly what you need.

World Nomads Travel Insurance Review

World Nomads bills itself as comprehensive travel insurance for those who are independent travelers. They provide greater flexibility and options compared to other travel insurance providers including allowing you to buy and extend your coverage even after you’ve left on your trip – which is usually not allowed. It was started by someone who took off on a multi-year travel adventure and became a nomad.

World Nomad offers coverage in 150 countries and works with various insurance underwriters. The policy for US residents includes things like emergency medical coverage up to $100,000, dental coverage, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, lost or stolen goods coverage, trip cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay coverage. They also offer things a 24-hour assistance number.

A unique thing about World Nomads is that they cover more activities than other types of travel insurance plans. In fact, they cover 150 travel activities such as bungee jumping, surfing, skiing, scuba diving, and other adventurous activities. Unsurprisingly, they are the number one choice for travel insurance for National Geographic Adventure and Lonely Planet. Another bonus is the fact that when you buy travel insurance from World Nomads, they make a donation to global community development projects. One downside is that it doesn’t cover people over 66.

Berkshire Hathaway ExactCare Travel Protection Review

Berkshire Hathaway is a popular insurance company that also provides travel insurance. They offer a number of different plans that allow you to customize the insurance that you need – whether you’re just looking for flight insurance of if you want a comprehensive plan including medical coverage.

Berkshire Hathaway provides travel coverage that could include trip cancellation of up to 100% of the cost of the trip (up to a maximum of $100,000), trip interruption insurance up to a maximum of 150% of the costs of the trip (up to a $150,000 max), trip delay coverage of $1,000 or $200 per day, missed connection benefits of up to $500, lost baggage benefits of $1,000 per trip, baggage delay coverage of $200 per trip, medical expenses coverage of up to $25,000, dental emergency coverage of up to $500, emergency evacuation coverage of up to $500,000, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage of up to $10,000.

They also offer the option of a pre-existing condition waiver, and coverage in case a travel operator goes out of business. Like many other insurers, they have 24-hour travel assistance.

While Berkshire Hathaway offers some unique coverage options, many of their other benefits are not as generous as other insurance plans. One big concern is the fact that they only offer lost baggage coverage of $1,000 per trip. That might not be enough to cover the costs of your lost items. However, if you have home or tenant insurance that coverage would likely cover your belongings and the $1,000 could go towards your deductible. Whether Berkshire Hathaway Insurance is right for you will depend on what your particular needs are.

April International Single Trip Economy Plan Review

April International is an international travel insurance company that offers a number of great options. They offer plans for people from around the world. One of their popular plans is their Single Trip Economy Plan. It’s aimed at travelers who go away 1 or 2 times per year and aren’t out of the country for longer than 60 consecutive days. While it has lower coverage limits than some of their other plans, it’s a cheaper policy and therefore perfect for budget conscious travelers.

The policy includes things like trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the cost of your trip, trip interruption coverage of up to 150% of the cost of your trip, emergency medical expenses of up to $50,000 that includes pre-existing conditions coverage, emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage of up to $250,000, baggage and personal effect coverage of up to $1,000, trip delay coverage of up to $100 per day or $750 maximum, baggage delay coverage of up to $100 per day or $300 maximum, and accidental death and dismemberment coverage of up to $25,000.

The plan also offers things like 24-hour customer service and travel assistance, concierge services, and assistance with things like identity theft, lost luggage tracking, airport security assistance and other things.

The plan is comprehensive and provides everything that you might need for a reasonable price, but you will get better benefits from other travel plans and companies. Whether the April International Single Trip Economy Plan is right for you will depend on your personal situation and travel plans.

Why You Should Be Interested in One of the Best Travel Insurance Plans

Flights and hotels are expensive and many reservations are non-refundable and non-transferable. Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why you might need to cancel your travel plans. From a death in the family, to floods or terrorist attacks at your destination, to just being required to work, there are all sorts of things that could put a wrench in your travel plans. Why worry about what could happen, when you can have the certainty of knowing that you’re covered no matter what happens?

Another great reason for getting travel insurance is that you could get sick or injured while on vacation. When we travel, many of us like to participate in fun activities like hiking, skiing, skydiving, or surfing. Unfortunately, those activities can be dangerous and you could get injured.

Even if you plan on spending the whole day around the pool, you still could get into an accident traveling from your hotel to the airport. If you are visiting a different country, your health coverage will likely not cover you and that could lead to big hospital bills. Avoid them by getting travel insurance! Just make sure if you’re an adventurous traveler that your policy covers the activities that you want to do.

The final reason to get travel insurance is that travel is unpredictable. Things will go wrong. Having one of the best travel insurance policies will go a long way if your flight is cancelled and you’re stranded at an airport. Your travel insurance will help you find a new flight, pay for it, and get a nice hotel to stay in if you need to spend the night. No trying to sleep on airport chairs for you!

Miss your connection? Some of the top travel insurance plans cover missed connections and help you rebook your flight, or get you to the next port of call or stop of your cruise ship or tour bus if you missed it.

Lose your baggage or passport? Your travel insurance will help you replace both and get essential items for your trip in the interim.

What Should You Look for in Travel Insurance?

When it comes to buying travel insurance, there are some important things to consider. The first thing that you might want to think about is how much coverage you might already have. Some medical plans offer coverage for international travel. However, that coverage might only be for certain countries or might only cover you up to a certain amount. Make sure to read the fine print so that you understand your policy and what you might need to supplement it.

Another thing to consider, is how much coverage your credit card might provide. Some credit cards offer travel coverage. If you purchased your flight and hotel accommodations with that card, it could protect parts of your trip. However, make sure to read the fine print so that you understand what conditions are related to that coverage.

Once you understand any policies that might already cover you, you’ll want to find the right policy to supplement it. Perhaps you need trip cancellation insurance, but not medical coverage or vice versa. Or maybe you’ll find out that even though you thought you were covered, you’re not.

Medical Coverage

Some travel insurance plans only cover trip cancellation and interruption issues. Many people believe that’s all they need since their health plans or travel credit cards are supposed to cover that. But that’s not always the case and that’s why medical insurance is so critical. The last thing you want is to end up with thousands of dollars in emergency medical bills.

When it comes to medical coverage, however, some companies offer more than others. Many will provide just $25,000 or $50,000 in medical coverage. Depending on your age, lifestyle, and pre-existing condition, this might be enough for you. However, you might need more than that. Make sure that you find a provider that offers you the right amount of coverage.

Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver

Got a pre-existing condition that’s stable and shouldn’t affect your travel? Many people struggle to get travel insurance because many providers don’t want to cover pre-existing conditions. However, if you do your homework you are likely to find a few of the best travel insurance providers who offer amazing coverage and will still protect you if you have a pre-existing condition at no extra cost.

Most waivers require that your condition be stable and a doctor says that you’re safe to travel so make sure to read the fine print!

Weather Coverage

Was your plane ever grounded because of a huge winter blizzard or a summer thunderstorm? If you have flight delay coverage, you’ll want to use your travel insurance in order to rebook and get a hotel. But, you might want to read the fine print first. That’s because many policies exclude weather coverage on their trip cancellation policies.

But, depending on when you’re traveling, weather might be the top reason for being stranded. You don’t want travel insurance that doesn’t come through for you when you need it. Similarly, some trip cancellation policies cover weather issues at your destination. If a hurricane has just swept through your dream resort or is about to hit it, you likely won’t want to visit it then.

Mechanical Breakdown Coverage

You’re sitting at the gate and ready to go when suddenly the captain gets on the loudspeaker and informs you that your flight is cancelled due to a mechanical breakdown. Mechanical breakdowns are a common reason why flights might be canceled. That’s why you need to make sure that it’s covered in your travel insurance policy. Despite the fact that it is common, not all travel policies protect you against mechanical breakdown.

Job Related Cancellation

You’ve got your bags packed, and your vacation has been booked for weeks. Then suddenly the boss calls you into his or her office and you’re informed that you have to stay home because you’ve just got a chance to pitch a major client. You’re excited about this amazing opportunity in your professional life – but you’re also worried about all the money you’re about to lose on those vacation plans. You need to get back to that resort someday!

That’s why you need to look for a travel insurance polciy that also covers job related trip cancellations. This is especially important if you’re an entrepreneur as something could easily come up to knock your trip plans off track. While not all travel insurance companies cover trip cancellations for this reason, if this sounds like something that would happen to you, make sure its included in the policy that you buy.

Coverage for Children

Remember when restaurants used to let kids eat for free if their parents dined there? Well, some travel insurance companies will automatically cover children under 17 or 18 at no extra cost. Why pay more if you don’t have to? If you’re getting a policy for yourself, you also need a policy for your kids, after all.

Terrorism

The world is a scary place. You might think that you’re traveling to a safe locale, but then a week before your trip takes off the newspapers are covered with reports of a big terrorist attack right where you were headed. You don’t want to travel if there’s any chance of another attack.

Luckily, some of the best travel insurance policies will cover trip cancellation costs if there has been a terrorist attack recently in the city that you’re headed to. Don’t think that terrorism is common enough to want to get it included in your travel insurance? Many companies offer this coverage for no extra cost – so why not go with a company that offers terrorism coverage over one that doesn’t? It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Cost of an Annual Plan

Do you travel often? If so, you might be better off purchasing an annual travel insurance plan. Many travel insurance providers offer heavily discounted annual plans to cover multiple trips. These plans are generally equivalent to the cost of a few trips and so are very much worthwhile if you often travel.

24/7 Assistance

Wouldn’t you love to have a personal concierge? Just imagine how great it would be to have someone who always had to answer the phone when you called and help you with things? 24/7 travel assistance is kind of like that. If you get injured, you can often call the travel insurance helpline and get routed to the nearest hospital.

Need to rebook your travel? You’ll be able to make one call and have them take care of it for you – no need to search online for the cheapest return tickets. When you’re traveling in a foreign country anything could go wrong and good travel insurance companies have amazing helpline numbers that you can access 24/7. Not sure what kind of services your travel insurance plan provides via their helpline? Be sure to ask. When things go the south, you’ll be glad you got a plan with great assistance.

Author: Jeff Gitlen

Jeff Gitlen writes about a wide range of finance topics including everything from student loans to credit cards to small business financing. Jeff's work has been featured on a number of sites including Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, Market Watch, and more.

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