Travel Insurance

For trip planning context, see Trip & Itinerary Planning. For the FX cards whose travel insurance benefits stack with these, see Currency, FX & Banking.

Travel insurance has three orthogonal coverages, often confused: medical (you get sick / injured), trip cancellation/interruption (you lose pre-paid bookings), and baggage / personal property (your stuff). Different policies emphasize different ones — and your existing health insurance plus a premium credit card may already cover most of it.

Backpacker / digital-nomad medical

• ★ SafetyWing Nomad Insurance — paid (~$45 / 4 weeks for under-40 base tier); ★ for digital nomads — subscription model, auto-renews, covers home country for limited periods, $250k medical, $100k evacuation. Doesn't cover pre-existing or "leisure adventure" sports above a certain risk tier.
• ★ World Nomads — paid (varies); ★ for adventure sports — covers many activities (climbing, scuba, skydiving) other policies exclude. Trip-by-trip rather than subscription.
• Genki — paid (~€39+/month); EU-friendly nomad insurance; ★ short stays in home country covered.
• IMG Global / Patriot Travel — paid; longer-term expat-style.
• Atlas (WorldTrips) — paid; flexible duration.
• GeoBlue (BCBS partner, US) — for those wanting a US-network-flavored international plan.

Trip-cancellation / interruption (single-trip)

• Allianz Travel — paid; mainstream, US-strong; trip-protection emphasis.
• Travelex — paid; family-friendly.
• Travel Guard (AIG) — paid; older traveler-friendly.
• AAA Travel — paid; bundled with membership in the US.
• Squaremouth — comparison site; runs your trip details against 30+ insurers.
• InsureMyTrip — same; comparison site.

Annual / multi-trip

• Allianz Annual, AXA Schengen (★ Schengen-visa requirements), Trupanion / Battleface, Insure & Go (UK), Direct Travel (UK).

Adventure / extreme sport add-ons

• World Nomads — broadest baseline coverage.
• Global Rescue — paid (~$330/yr personal); ★ for evacuation from remote / war zones; mountain rescue, repatriation. Doesn't cover medical bills, only the rescue.
• Medjet — paid (~$330/yr); domestic + international medevac.
• Ripcord (Redpoint) — paid; rescue + medical bundle.

What your credit card may already cover

Premium cards have meaningful built-in travel insurance — read the certificate of insurance, not the marketing page.

• Chase Sapphire Preserve / Reserve / Sapphire Preferred — primary rental-car CDW (★), trip cancellation up to $10k, baggage delay, emergency evac.
• Amex Platinum — premium global assist hotline, evac, baggage; trip-cancel via the Platinum Travel Insurance terms.
• Capital One Venture X — trip cancellation, primary auto rental.
• Citi / Bilt / various airline cobrands — varies.

For many "small" trips (long weekend, a week in Europe), a Chase Sapphire Reserve plus a working OECD-country health insurance is enough.

Practical rules (2026)

• ★ Buy before you leave home country. Most policies won't cover you if purchased mid-trip.
• ★ Read the exclusions. Common ones: pre-existing conditions, "intoxication," extreme sports, war zones, civil unrest, "not following local advice," skiing off-piste, motorcycles >50cc, scuba >30m, riding a moped without a license.
• Keep all receipts. Medical claims need itemized bills + diagnosis; lost-baggage claims need the airline's PIR (Property Irregularity Report).
• 24-hour assistance line — note it on a card in your wallet, not just on your phone (which might be dead/lost).
• Pre-existing condition waivers typically require buying within 14–21 days of first deposit on the trip.
• Schengen-visa policies require €30,000 minimum medical + repatriation; not all policies meet this — check the certificate.
• EHIC / GHIC (UK / EU) — free; covers basic state healthcare in EU; doesn't replace travel insurance but reduces co-pays.

Pick this if…

• Default digital nomad / open-ended trip: SafetyWing.
• Adventure sports: World Nomads.
• Family / pre-paid trip in the US: Allianz or Travel Guard via Squaremouth comparison.
• You already have Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum: confirm the coverage details first; you may not need anything else for short trips.
• Remote / disaster / war-zone evacuation: Global Rescue or Medjet on top.
• Schengen visa application: AXA Schengen or any policy meeting €30k requirement.