Traveling the world can provide memorable experiences. You can check off items on your bucket list, travel with the people you love and meet great people along the way. But some people endure an illness or accident during their travels. These incidents can result in higher expenses that make it more difficult to travel in the future. Some travelers get a policy from one of the best travel health insurance providers to financially protect themselves from those types of scenarios.
Quick Look: Best Travel Health Insurance:
- Best for Families: Allianz Global Assistance
- Best for Adventurers: World Nomads
- Best for Expatriates: HTH Worldwide
- Best for Long Trips: RoamRight
- Best for International College Students: Trawick International
Best Travel Health Insurance Providers
A travel health insurance plan can put you at ease on your travels. While it can feel overwhelming to browse through many insurance policies, this streamlined list can simplify your search for the right policy.
1. Best for Families: Allianz Global Assistance
- Best For:Epidemic endorsement coverageRating:
Allianz Global Assistance offers great coverage on its medical travel insurance plans. You can get up to $500,000 in emergency medical transportation and choose from various plans. Allianz Global Assistance also covers nonmedical expenses and has 24/7 customer support. The company serves over 70 million customers, with plans starting as low as $27. These plans will get more expensive as you add coverage, but the starter rate is reasonable.
| Pros | Cons |
| Some plans include complementary coverage for your child if they are younger than 18. Up to $5,000 trip cancellation for the most affordable plan and $100,000 for the highest plan $500,000 emergency medical transportation for the OneTrip Prime Plan | Expensive policies No protection for activities involving higher risk such as skydiving Can take a while to receive a refund or compensation if you file a claim |
2. Best for Adventurers: World Nomads
- Best For:Travel medical insuranceRating:
World Nomads offers simple, flexible coverage options to travels in more than 130 countries. Choose from either the Standard Plan or the Explorer Plan. Protections include emergency accident and sickness medical expense (including dental) coverage, emergency evacuation coverage, repatriation of remains coverage, accidental death and dismemberment, lost or stolen goods coverage and trip cancellation or interruption reimbursement.
World Nomads also offers 24-hour travel assistance services.
World Nomads offers coverage for over 200 adventure activities that most insurance providers won’t touch. The company was founded in 2002 and is more flexible than most insurance companies. You can adjust your coverage while on vacation if you want to extend your stay and stay protected in case of an emergency.
| Pros | Cons |
| A policyholder can buy more coverage if they plan to travel longer than anticipated Coverage for over 200 adventure activities $500,000 emergency evacuation insurance for the Explorer Plan | Some reviewers mentioned issues with the website’s functionality Issues with fine print for some policyholders No annual plan option |
3. Best for Expatriates: HTH Worldwide
If you need health insurance for international travel, HTH Worldwide is a useful insurance company to consider. The company includes expatriate coverage and doesn’t have people jump through hoops to get an insurance policy. HTH Worldwide has a network of physicians spread across more than 180 countries.
| Pros | Cons |
| Separate plans for missionaries, students and maritime crew members Quick and easy process for getting an insurance policy Expatriate coverage included | Death benefit is only for accidental death within the first 24 hours of travel You may need an existing primary health plan before obtaining certain policies Baggage delay coverage requires a 12-hour delay |
4. Best for Long Trips: RoamRight
- Rating:
RoamRight offers overseas health insurance policies for long-distance trips, but you can also secure a policy for a nearby getaway. The insurer provides trip cancellation coverage which you can use for nonhealth-related events. If you also need baggage and rental car coverage, RoamRight can help.
| Pros | Cons |
| 24/7 customer support Fast, paperless claims Coverage for trips lasting up to 180 days | Higher premiums than other policies A reviewer mentioned not being able to purchase a policy because it was too close to the trip’s start date It can take some time to receive a refund from a claim |
5. Best for International College Students: Trawick International
If you are an international college student, Trawick International is one of the best international travel insurance providers to consider. Even if you are out of school, the insurer offers several packages. You can get the “cancel for any reason” add-on for extra protection. You can also use Trawick International for cruise and adventure travel insurance.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy24/7 customer service Special insurance plan for international college students | Can take a while to receive money from a claimWebsite does not let you compare different types of plansCancel for any reason is an expensive add-on for a policy |
What is Travel Health Insurance?
Travel health insurance is a policy that adds extra layers of financial protection to your traveling plans. It’s hard to anticipate travel cancellations, flight delays and health issues, but they can happen. A travel health insurance policy reimburses you if something goes wrong that is covered in the policy. Travelers can use add-ons to get additional protections or select from the cheapest travel insurance plans available to get basic safeguards.
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Factors to Consider
Health insurance plans can give you greater peace of mind when you map out your travel destinations. Before you get an insurance policy, you should consider these factors.
Premiums
Most people do not end up filing claims for their policies, but policyholders still owe the premium. While there’s more to the best travel health insurance plans than the premium, it is an investment. You should look at the policy’s protections and fine print to decide whether the premium is reasonable.
Coverage
If you have to file a claim, your coverage impacts how much you can receive and whether the incident is covered in the policy. You might have to pay extra for suitable coverage and a higher reimbursement, but it is something to review before committing to a policy.
Special Perks
Some insurance companies cater to international students, while others have special rates for other groups. If you served in the military, you might find better policies if you look at USAA travel insurance plans. A USAA travel insurance plan includes a discount for military members. While this isn’t a make-or-break component of an insurance policy, a nice bonus or perk can help.
How Many People Need Coverage?
Some insurance companies let you add children younger than 18 to the policy without any extra cost. You might get a better deal if you have multiple people on the policy, and some companies offer better prices than others if multiple people need coverage.
Your Lifestyle
Some insurance providers will reject your application if you engage in risky activities like skydiving. If you plan on doing adventurous activities, you may have to narrow your search to insurance providers who have coverage for your activities.
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost?
Travel insurance costs vary based on the insurer and the type of coverage you want. Adding more coverage to your plan will increase the premium payments, but most companies have affordable starter plans. You may have to pay 5% to 10% of your trip’s total cost for an insurance policy.
Protect Yourself While Hoping for the Best
An insurance policy provides greater peace of mind in case something happens. You can enjoy your vacation while knowing you have the coverage you need. Most people don’t file claims on their insurance, but something can happen. Make sure you have the protection you need so you can get reimbursed if something happens during your travels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the best travel insurance?
Several insurers offer good travel insurance, but the best travel insurance depends on what you want. Looking at several insurers and comparing plans will help you find the right choice for you.
Can I get travel insurance for medical only?
You can get travel insurance for medical only. Some insurers offer this plan for their customers.
Why is travel health insurance so cheap?
Travel health insurance is cheap because the coverage doesn’t last as long as a term-life or whole life insurance plan. These plans also have lower coverage and fewer services than the more expensive policies.