planning
Travel Insurance Calculator
Insurance quotes vary wildly, so it helps to know roughly what your trip should cost to cover before you start comparing. This gives a range and the cover levels worth checking.
Your cover
budget for
£19 to £34
per person, single trip
Check the policy covers
- Emergency medical of at least 2 million pounds, 5 million for the USA
- Repatriation and a 24 hour assistance line you can actually call
- Cancellation up to the full value of the flights and prepaid beds
- Baggage and a separate single item limit that covers your phone or camera
- Any activity you plan: trekking above 2,500 metres, scooters, diving and skiing are usually extra
- An excess you could pay today without borrowing
What actually drives the price
Four things: your age, whether the trip includes the USA, how long you are away and what you plan to do. A seventy year old pays roughly four times what a twenty five year old pays for the same fortnight, and adding the United States can triple a European price because of hospital costs.
Longer trips get cheaper per day. A four month backpacking policy rarely costs four times a one month one, which is why long trip cover is better value than a string of single trip policies.
The cheapest policy is usually the wrong one
Compare the excess and the medical limit before the headline price. A policy that is eight pounds cheaper with a three hundred pound excess costs you money the first time a bag goes missing. Read the activity list too, since a day of paragliding is not covered by a standard holiday policy.
Add the figure into the travel budget calculator, and see where insurance sits among the other pre trip costs in the planning guide.
Questions people ask
+How much does travel insurance cost?
A two week European trip for a healthy person under thirty is usually 12 to 25 pounds. Worldwide cover including the USA for the same trip is 35 to 70. Age and declared conditions move the price more than anything else.
+Is annual multi trip cover cheaper?
If you take three or more trips a year, almost always. Check the maximum single trip length, which is often 31 days, and whether it covers the regions you actually visit.
+Does a scooter accident count?
Only if you hold the correct licence for that vehicle in that country and wear a helmet. Scooter injuries in Southeast Asia are the most common large claim and the most commonly refused one.
+When should I buy?
The day you book anything non refundable. Cancellation cover is the half of the policy people forget, and it only exists from the day the policy starts.
+Is this a quote?
No. It is a planning estimate built from typical market pricing so you can spot a bad quote. Buy from a regulated insurer and read the exclusions.