Best International Travel Insurance 2024: Your Ultimate Guide to Safe and Secure Adventures Abroad
11 min readBest International Travel Insurance 2024: Your Ultimate Guide to Safe and Secure Adventures Abroad
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If you’re planning your next vacation or trip out of the country, be sure to factor in travel insurance. Unexpected medical emergencies when traveling can drain your bank account, especially when you’re traveling internationally. The best travel insurance companies for international travel can step in to provide you with peace of mind and financial protection while you’re abroad.
Best International Travel Insurance of 2024 Summary
- Best overall: Allianz Travel Insurance
- Best for exotic travel: World Nomads Travel Insurance
- Best for trip interruption coverage: C&F Travel Insured
- Best for medical-only coverage: GeoBlue Travel Insurance
- Best for families: Travelex Travel Insurance
- Best for long-term travel: Seven Corners Travel Insurance
Top International Travel Insurance Companies Comparison
As a general rule, the most important coverage to have in a foreign country is travel medical insurance, as most U.S. health insurance policies don’t cover you while you’re abroad. Without travel medical coverage, a medical emergency in a foreign country can cost you. You’ll want trip cancellation and interruption coverage if your trip is particularly expensive. And if you’re traveling for an extended period of time, you’ll want to ensure that your policy is extendable.
Here are our picks for the best travel insurance companies for international travel.
Best International Travel Insurance Overall
Allianz Travel Insurance
Allianz offers the ultimate customizable coverage for international trips, whether you’re a frequent jetsetter or an occasional traveler. You can choose from an a la carte of single or multi-trip plans, as well as add-ons, including rental car damage, cancel for any reason (CFAR), adventure sport, and business travel coverage. And with affordable pricing compared to competitors, Allianz is a budget-friendly choice for your international travel insurance needs.
The icing on the cake is Allyz TravelSmart, Allianz’s highly-rated mobile app, which has an average rating of 4.4 out of five stars on the Google Play store across over 2,600 reviews and 4.8 out of five stars from over 22,000 reviews on the Apple app store. So, you can rest easy knowing that you can access your policy and file claims anywhere in the world without a hassle.
Read our Allianz travel insurance review.
Best International Travel Insurance for Exotic Trips
World Nomads Travel Insurance
World Nomads offers coverage for over 300 adventure activities and sports, so you can focus on the adventure without worrying about gaps in your coverage. Both its Standard and Explorer plans cover a wide array of sports. Most activities will be covered under the Standard plan, but extreme sports like skydiving and scuba diving below 165 feet are only covered in the Explorer plan.
Another added benefit of the World Nomads plan is that plans are available after departure. Though if you purchase a plan after you leave for your trip, you’ll have to wait 72 days before your coverage kicks in.
World Nomads offers 24/7 assistance, so you can confidently travel abroad, knowing that help is just a phone call away.
Read our World Nomads travel insurance review.
Best International Travel Insurance for Trip Interruption
C&F Travel Insured
C&F offers 100% coverage for trip cancellation, up to 150% for trip interruption, and reimbursement for up to 75% of your non-refundable travel costs with select plans. This means you don’t have to worry about losing your hard-earned money on non-refundable travel costs if your trip ends prematurely.
Travel Insured also stands out for its extensive “reasons for cancellation” coverage. Unlike many insurers, the company covers hurricane warnings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Read our C&F Travel Insured review.
Best International Travel Insurance for Medical Coverage
GeoBlue Travel Insurance
GeoBlue offers policies that covers emergency medical treatments when you’re abroad. While GeoBlue lacks trip cancellation coverage, that allows it to charge lower premiums than the other companies on this list.
GeoBlue plans can cover medical expenses up to $1 million with several multi-trip annual plans available. It offers coinsurance plans for trips within the U.S. and 100% coverage for international trips. It also has a network of clinics in 180 countries, streamlining the claims process. It’s worth noting that coverage for pre-existing conditions comes with additional costs.
Read our GeoBlue travel insurance review.
Best International Travel Insurance for Family Coverage
Travelex Travel Insurance
Travelex offers coverage for your whole crew, perfect for when you’re planning a family trip. Its family plan insures all your children 17 and under at no additional cost. The travel insurance provider also offers add-ons like adventure sports and car rental collision coverage to protect your family under any circumstance.
Got pets? With Travelex’s Travel Select plan, you can also get coverage for your furry friend’s emergency medical and transportation expenses.
Read our Travelex travel insurance review.
Best International Travel Insurance for Long Trips
Seven Corners Travel Insurance
Seven Corners offers specialized coverage that the standard short-term travel insurance policy won’t provide, which is helpful if you’re embarking on a long-term trip. You can choose from several plans, including the Annual Multi-Trip plan, which provides medical coverage for multiple international trips for up to 364 days. This policy also offers COVID-19 medical and evacuation coverage up to $1 million.
You also get the added benefit of incidental expense coverage. This policy will cover remote health-related services and information, treatment of injury or illness, and live consultations via telecommunication.
Read our Seven Corners travel insurance review.
How to Find the Right International Travel Insurance Company
Different travelers and trips require different types of insurance coverage. So, consider these tips if you’re in the market to insure your trip.
Determine your needs
Your needs for travel insurance will depend on the type of trip you’re taking. You’ll need to consider your destination and what you’ll be doing there, either business, leisure, or adventure traveling. Policies covering adventure sports and activities will cost more. Longer, more expensive trips will also cost more.
Research the reputation of the company
When researching a company, you’ll want to closely review the description of services. You’ll want to see how claims are handled, any exceptions, and limitations.
You’ll also want to look at the company’s customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, BBB, and Squaremouth, as this will provide insight on the quality of customer service and the claims process. You should also take note of whether companies respond to customer reviews.
Compare prices
You can get quotes through a company’s website or travel insurance aggregators like InsureMyTrip and VisitorsCoverage. You’ll need to be prepared to provide the following information about your trip:
- Trip destination(s)
- Travel dates
- Number of travelers
- Traveler(s) age/birthday
- State of residence
- Total trip cost
For companies that offer travel medical insurance, you’ll also want to play around with the deductible options, as they can affect your policy premium.
Understanding International Travel Insurance Coverage Options
Travel insurance can be confusing, but we’re here to simplify it for you. We’ll break down the industry’s jargon to help you understand what travel insurance covers to help you decide what your policy needs. Bear in mind that exclusions and limitations for your age and destination may apply.
| Travel insurance coverage type | What is it? |
| Medical coverage | Coverage for medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, and repatriation of remains |
| Trip cancellation and interruption coverage | Reimburses you for non-refundable prepaid expenses if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip due to a covered event |
| Baggage coverage | Coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged personal items during your trip |
| Travel delay coverage | Compensates you for expenses related to trip delays such as meals, lodging, and other accommodations |
| Emergency assistance services | Get 24/7 emergency assistance services like medical and travel assistance or concierge services |
Pre-existing medical conditions coverage | Medical coverage for conditions diagnosed before you purchased your policy |
Hazardous activities coverage | Coverage for high risk activities like extreme sports or adventure activities |
Coverage limits | The amount of coverage you’ll receive for each category in your policy |
Deductible | How much you’ll pay before you receive compensation for your claim |
Finding the Best Price for International Travel Insurance
Your policy cost will depend on several factors, such as the length of your trip, destination, coverage limits, and age. Typically, a comprehensive policy includes travel cancellation coverage costs between 5% and 10% of your total trip cost.
If you’re planning an international trip that costs $4,500, you can expect to pay anywhere from $225 to $450 for your policy. Comparing quotes from multiple providers can help you find the cheapest travel insurance that still meets your needs.
You can use insurance aggregators like Squaremouth, InsureMyTrip, or VisitorsCoverage to directly compare rates.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed International Travel Insurance Companies
We ranked and assigned superlatives to the best travel insurance companies based on several key factors, including:
- Policy types: We analyzed company offerings such as coverage levels, exclusions, and policy upgrades, taking note of providers that offer a range of travel-related issues beyond the standard coverages.
- Affordability: We recognize that cheap premiums don’t necessarily equate to sufficient coverage. So, we seek providers that offer competitive rates with comprehensive policies and quality customer service. We also call out any discounts or special offers available.
- Flexibility: Travel insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all. We highlight providers that offer a wide array of coverage options, including single-trip, multi-trip, and long-term policies.
- Claims handling: The claims process should be pain-free for policyholders. We seek providers that offer a streamlined process via online claims filing and a track record of handling claims fairly and efficiently.
- Quality customer service: Good customer service is as important as affordability and flexibility. We highlight companies that offer 24/7 assistance and have a strong record of customer service responsiveness.
We consult user feedback and reviews to determine how each company fares in each category. We also check the provider’s financial rating and volume of complaints via third-party rating agencies.
Read more about how Business Insider rates travel insurance.
International Travel Insurance FAQ
The best insurance policy depends on your individual situation, including your destination and budget. However, popular options include Allianz Travel Insurance, World Nomads, and Travel Guard.
International health insurance and travel insurance serve different purposes. While both may cover medical expenses, international health insurance provides long-term health insurance for working abroad. Meanwhile, travel insurance offers short-term coverage for the duration of your trip.
Yes, you can travel to multiple countries under one travel insurance policy, but you should tell your insurance provider about your travel plans as it may change your premiums.
Travel insurance is worth the price for international travel because they’re generally more expensive, so you have more to lose. Additionally, your regular health insurance won’t cover you in other countries, so without travel insurance, you’ll end up paying out of pocket for any emergency medical care you receive out of the US.
You should purchase travel insurance as soon as possible after making payment on your trip. This makes you eligible for add-ons like coverage for pre-existing conditions and CFAR. It also mitigates the chance of any losses in the days leading up to your trip.
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