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Traveling as a family can be fun but also nerve-wracking, so the best way to minimize stress is by having family travel insurance. That way, you know everyone in the family will be covered if anything goes wrong.
Jetlag, changes in normal schedules, and different food than usual can all make kids (and parents!) more prone to getting sick, which is why having a family travel insurance plan is key. Some plans will automatically include children under 17 for free in your coverage. Others require you to add each family member individually, so make sure you double-check the fine print.
Best family travel insurance – plans & cost
If you plan on taking multiple trips as a family throughout the year, annual family travel insurance is a great way to get coverage and save money. Otherwise, single-trip family travel insurance should give you everything you need.
Keep reading to find out what the best travel insurance for a family is and compare family travel insurance quotes. Let’s get into it!
Best travel insurance for a family
To sum it up, these are the best family travel insurance companies:
- Travelex, the best affordable travel insurance for a family
- World Trips, the best family travel insurance for high coverage
- Allianz, a good family travel health insurance
- AIG Travel Guard, one of the travel insurance plans that include children for free
What is family travel insurance?
Family travel insurance is exactly what it sounds like: a travel insurance plan that covers family members, including children, who are traveling together. In fact, a family travel insurance plan is the cheapest and easiest way for parents and kids to all get coverage since you’re paying a single price instead of shelling out for separate plans for each person.
What is family travel insurance?
As with most other travel insurance policies, travel insurance plans for families include medical coverage, trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverage, baggage loss coverage, and COVID-19 coverage.
The cheapest travel insurance for family is usually family travel health insurance, which offers an excellent amount of medical coverage but often only provides limited, if any, trip coverage. As such, it’s a great idea to sort out your priorities (do you need baggage loss coverage or is just emergency medical coverage enough?) before you purchase a family travel insurance policy.
How much is family travel insurance?
The cost of travel insurance for families depends on the ages of people being covered, your travel destination, and your home country/state. The length and cost of your trip will also factor into the price of your travel insurance family plan.
I have used the example of a 5-person family (two 40-year-old parents and children aged 10, 8, and 5) who live in Pennsylvania and need travel insurance for Europe to generate quotes. The family is going to Spain for a week and their trip costs $5,000.
Price | $113 | $171 | $131 | $122 |
Emergency Medical | $50,000 | $100,000 | $50,000 | $15,000 |
Evacuation & Repatriation | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | $500,000 | $150,000 |
Trip Cancellation | 100% of $5,000* | 100% of $5,000* | $1,000 | 100% of $5,000* |
Trip Interruption | 150% of $5,000* | 150% of $5,000* | $1,500 | 100% of $5,000* |
Baggage Loss | $1,000 | $1,500 | $1,000 | $750 |
COVID-19 Coverage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Newborn Coverage | Yes | Yes | No (children must be at least one year old) | Yes |
BEST FAMILY TRAVEL INSURANCE |
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1. Travelex, the best affordable travel insurance for a family
If you need the cheapest travel insurance for the family, look no further than Travelex. Their Travel Select plan is the most affordable travel insurance plan for families of all the ones I compared since children ages 1 to 17 are included at no additional premium if traveling with one paying adult. Even better, the plan offers a good amount of coverage in all categories.
Features of this family international travel insurance include a $0 deductible for medical expenses and coverage for newborns. You’ll even enjoy coverage for sports equipment delays, so it’s the perfect family travel insurance for ski or surf trips.
If you need a higher amount of coverage, particularly for medical expenses, World Trips is a better option. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with travel insurance for families from Travelex.
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2. World Trips, the best family travel insurance for high coverage
As you can see in the comparison chart above, World Trips comes out on top as the best travel insurance for families in terms of medical coverage. The Atlas Journey Preferred plan offers the highest amount of coverage in all categories, as well as COVID-19 coverage and newborn coverage.
Even better, this family travel insurance plan offers a $0 deductible for medical expenses, which means 100% of medical expenses incurred will be covered by insurance. You can even choose to add Cancel for Any Reason insurance if you want coverage for just about any mishap.
One drawback is that this is the most expensive travel insurance family plan. If you want a better coverage-to-price ratio, Travelex is a great family holiday insurance to consider.
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3. Allianz, a good family travel health insurance
Allianz is a great option if you’re looking for family travel health insurance. The OneTrip Prime plan’s medical-related coverage is quite high and includes COVID-19 coverage and a $0 deductible for medical expenses. Besides children aged 17 and under are covered for free when traveling with a parent or grandparent.
Because this family travel insurance plan has rather low trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage, this plan is best suited for families who just need travel medical insurance and aren’t worried about trip-related coverage.
Also, keep in mind that this plan doesn’t offer coverage for newborns or children under a year old. If you’re a new parent, you’ll want to go with World Trips or Travelex instead.
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4. AIG Travel Guard, one of the travel insurance plans that include children for free
Another great family group travel insurance is AIG Travel Guard. Their Essential plan offers a fair amount of coverage in most categories for a pretty affordable price. You’ll also benefit from a $0 deductible for medical expenses and coverage for newborns. Besides, their plans include free coverage for one child aged 17 and under, who is traveling with and related to the primary adult listed on the policy.
This family travel insurance plan even includes perks like concierge services and luggage tracking if you’re looking for an extra level of security. Unfortunately, however, AIG’s family travel insurance policy offers the lowest amount of emergency medical expense and baggage loss coverage out of all the plans I compared.
For this reason, AIG’s travel insurance for families is best suited for those who don’t need much medical or baggage loss coverage.
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What is the best family travel insurance?
By now, you’ll know that the best family travel insurance overall is Travelex. Their coverage is great and it’s the most affordable travel insurance for families.
What is the best family travel insurance?
If you prefer to have higher coverage and don’t mind the price, World Trips is the family travel insurance plan to consider. You’ll get the highest amount of coverage in all categories so you can feel secure while you travel the world as a family.
What kind of travel insurance do families need?
Finally, here are the most important things to consider when shopping around for a family travel insurance plan.
Medical travel insurance for unexpected illness or injury
The best family travel insurance will include coverage for medical expenses that result from an emergency like an injury or illness. This is the most important aspect of insurance since it means you can avoid overwhelming medical bills when you finally get back home. Of course, be certain that you and your traveling family members are covered under this benefit.
Trip cancellation insurance for family trips
Trip cancellation is another thing to consider when purchasing a travel insurance plan for families. Trip cancellation is a lifesaver for things like unexpected illness, political strife, or natural disasters, reimbursing you for certain travel expenses in case you need to cancel your plans.
However, not everything is covered under a cancellation trip policy. If you want to be able to get a refund in any case, you can consider checking if the company offers Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance as an add-on.
Trip interruption insurance for going home early
Similarly, trip interruption will cover you and your children if the trip needs to be called off prematurely. For example, if you or anyone who’s traveling with you gets sick or injured unexpectedly and you need to return home early, you’ll be covered. This can also cover trip interruption for scenarios such as the death of a family member back home.
Some policies also cover work-related issues that interrupt your trip, reimbursing you for pre-paid travel expenses such as hotels and flights.
Baggage coverage for a family vacation
Lost, delayed, or damaged baggage can be a huge headache. Make sure your family travel insurance policy includes protection for you and traveling family members so you all can cover the costs of new clothes, personal care products, and toiletries.
Return of minor children
Lastly, return of minor children is something that is very specific to international travel insurance for families. If you fall ill and must stay in the hospital, your policy should cover the costs for your minor children (17 and under) to go back to your home country.
Be sure to check with your insurance provider since some companies require you to be hospitalized for a certain period of time (such as more than a week). Also, most companies will cover the costs for an attendant to accompany minor children as they return home.
I hope that you have a great time traveling with your family and that having family travel insurance makes planning a little easier. If you’ll be doing a road trip through the US, be sure to look into family travel insurance for the USA – domestic travel insurance works a little differently from international travel insurance.
Happy traveling!
