Even the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. This possibility doubles (or even triples) when traveling with a family, which can mean that purchasing family travel insurance may make sense for you.
This type of insurance will cover you and your loved ones if you miss your flight, your partner gets food poisoning, your children’s bags are lost and more. Here are the best family travel insurance plans and the factors we considered, and tips on choosing the best plan for you.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
Travel insurance company factors we considered
We used the following criteria when choosing which travel insurance companies are best:
Cost. Cost can play a huge factor in choosing a travel insurance plan, especially when you’re traveling with multiple people. We compared costs for basic policies to choose the most affordable options.
Types of coverage. There is a wide variety of coverage options for insurance, including medical coverage and trip protection benefits. We chose those with the widest range of inclusions.
Coverage amounts. Many policies offer a variable level of coverage; more expensive policies can include higher policy limits, though this isn’t always the case.
Customizability. Different travelers have different types of needs, which means that we focused on policies that offer customizability as part of their benefits.
» Learn more: What does travel insurance cover?
An overview of the best travel insurance for families
To determine the best travel insurance for a family, we compared the price and benefits across multiple insurance companies for a sample trip taken by a family of three from New Hampshire — a 39-year-old father, 33-year-old mother and 3-year-old child. They are traveling to Germany during the winter and estimate a total trip cost of $12,000.
Overall, the average cost of a plan came out to $257.78, though one plan priced out far below the rest.
Basic coverage cost | Recommended for | |
|---|---|---|
Allianz Travel | $453. | Those with pre-existing conditions. |
World Nomads | $235.95. | Low-cost insurance with good trip protection and emergency medical. |
AXA | $332. | Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. |
IMG | $24.08. | Lowest cost with both emergency medical and trip protection. |
Tin Leg | $243.85. | Excellent trip protection benefits. |
Top options for travel insurance for a family
Here's a closer look at our top five recommendations for travel insurance for families.
Allianz Travel
What makes Allianz travel insurance great for families:
Family travel medical insurance that includes coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Customizability includes rental car insurance and Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance.
Provides up to $1,000 per person for lost baggage.
Here’s a snippet from our Allianz Travel insurance review:
“OneTrip Prime provides all the benefits of the Basic plan but with higher limits, a few extra coverage areas and complimentary coverage for children 17 and under when traveling with a parent or grandparent.”
The complimentary coverage is useful, especially for families with multiple kids.
» Learn more: Trip cancellation insurance explained
World Nomads
What makes World Nomads great for families:
Lower-than-average cost.
Includes adventure sports and activities.
Provides $25,000 non-medical emergency transportation.
World Nomads is a great fit for particularly adventurous families, as its plans include coverage for over 200 activities. So if you're taking the kids skiing this winter or are planning to backpack the Colorado Trail next summer, this might be a good choice.
» Learn more: Does travel insurance cover award flights?
AXA
What makes AXA great for families:
Covers 100% of trip cost for interruption or cancellation for covered reasons.
Provides $100 per person, per day for trip delay.
Includes $100 in coverage for airline reissue or cancellation fees.
Having kids invites a lot of unpredictability for trip planning. Will your oldest bring home a virus from day care? Will your baby suddenly enter a difficult sleep regression that renders you exhausted? Having 100% coverage for trip cancellation can bring families peace of mind when putting big trip deposits down.
IMG
What makes IMG great for families:
Hundreds of dollars cheaper than the other options.
$0 deductible for medical insurance.
Up to $5,000 for trip interruption.
Here’s a snippet from our IMG review:
“Some policies provide emergency medical evacuation coverage, while others skip this benefit entirely. This benefit may be more important to you if you travel to a remote location or engage in physical activity such as trekking.
More comprehensive plans may include other benefits such as assistance with acquiring a new passport, reimbursing reward mile redeposit fees or coverage for pre-existing conditions. If these are something you’re interested in, be sure to check that your policy includes these options.”
Tin Leg
What makes Tin Leg great:
Lower-than-average cost.
150% reimbursed for trip interruption.
Customizability, including coverage for pre-existing conditions.
We like Tin Leg for its affordability. You can pocket the saved cash for more ice cream stops on your trip.
Additional resources for family travel insurance shoppers
Interested in learning more about travel insurance, including annual family travel insurance and methods to make travel insurance less expensive? Start here.
How to find the right travel insurance for you
How annual or multi-trip travel insurance works
Do you need travel insurance in 2023?
10 credit cards that provide travel insurance
Frequently asked questions
Does travel insurance cover family members?
If you’re traveling with family and would like to make sure they’re insured, you can choose to include them in your insurance plan. Most companies will allow you to select the number of travelers in your group when generating a quote.
What is considered immediate family for travel insurance?
The definition for immediate family is going to vary based on your insurance provider. Generally speaking, you can expect that your spouse, children, parents, grandparents, in-laws, aunts and uncles all count as immediate family.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee:Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards:Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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