Travel insurance guides

Answers to the questions people actually ask before buying, and after something goes wrong. New to the topic? Start with our complete beginner's guide.

All guides

What does travel insurance cover? A benefit-by-benefit guide What travel insurance normally covers, from cancellation and medical bills to evacuation, baggage and delays, plus what it leaves out and how limits work. 5 min read → How much does travel insurance cost? Travel insurance usually costs 4–10% of prepaid trip costs in the US market. See real benchmarks, what pushes prices up and how to pay less safely. 4 min read → Is travel insurance worth it? How to decide for your trip Travel insurance is not always worth buying. Use this simple test to weigh your prepaid costs, medical risk and existing cover before you spend money. 4 min read → How to choose travel insurance: a step-by-step method A seven-step way to choose travel insurance: map your risks, set sensible limits, compare like with like and read the clauses that decide claims. 4 min read → When should you buy travel insurance? The best time to buy travel insurance is soon after your first booking. See why timing affects cancellation cover, pre-existing conditions and upgrades. 3 min read → How to file a travel insurance claim that gets paid What to do when something goes wrong, which documents to collect for each type of claim, the deadlines to watch and how to challenge a refusal. 4 min read → Travel insurance exclusions: 10 clauses that catch people out The travel insurance exclusions most likely to affect a claim, including pre-existing conditions, scooters, alcohol, unattended bags and travel warnings. 4 min read → Credit card travel insurance: is it enough on its own? What credit card travel insurance usually includes, where it falls short and how to check whether your card can replace a separate travel policy. 3 min read → Which countries require travel insurance in 2026? Which countries require travel insurance in 2026, including Georgia, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Schengen visas, with minimums and which lists to stop trusting. 4 min read → Does travel insurance cover hurricanes and natural disasters? Whether travel insurance covers hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters depends mainly on when you buy. See the cutoff rules and what is paid for. 4 min read → Rental car insurance abroad: what you need and what you have How rental car insurance works abroad: collision waivers, card cover, travel policy add-ons, liability gaps and the countries where local rules can change things. 4 min read → Travel insurance certificates: how to read and use one for a visa What a travel insurance certificate should show, how to check it against visa or border rules, and how to avoid common mistakes that delay an application. 4 min read →

Where to start

If you're new to this, read in the order you'd make the decision. Begin with travel insurance explained, then decide whether you need it using is travel insurance worth it?. After that, what travel insurance covers and how to choose a policy will take you through to a confident purchase.

Already holding a policy? Skip ahead to common exclusions so you know where the limits are, and bookmark how to file a claim for later.

How we write these guides

Every guide lists the sources we checked, and we favor governments, regulators and legal texts over sales pages. Market figures, such as average costs, mostly come from comparison sites because that's who publishes them, so we name the source and treat the numbers as benchmarks. See our editorial policy for more.