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Important information

All insurance products exclude cover for known events. If you are buying travel insurance to cover a known event such as the recent wildfires in Greece and other parts of Europe, you will not be covered if they are already known at the time of purchase.

If you travel against the advice of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) or fail to comply with your destination's entry requirements, you won't be covered by any travel insurance you buy.

Do I need travel insurance?

While travel insurance isn’t mandatory in most countries, it's important to consider buying a policy before you travel to cover for things like medical treatment, emergencies and travel disruption.

The cost of medical treatment abroad can be high, even with a GHIC. Here are 2 examples shared by the Association of British Insurers (ABI):

A traveller had a fall while in Spain. The cost of medical treatment and emergency medical repatriation back to the UK was a massive £124,000.
A traveller contracted Covid in Cyprus. The cost of treating them and bringing them back to the UK was £70,000.

It’s best to get travel insurance whenever you book a trip away, whether it's a weekend away in Euope, a 2-week family holiday or backpacking for 6 months.

Try to buy it as soon as you book your holiday to make sure you’re covered in case you need to cancel before leaving. This should ensure any part of your trip you’ve already paid for is covered. If you’ve left it a bit late, you can buy travel insurance right up until the day before you travel.

It’s a good idea to check you don’t already have travel insurance before buying a policy. You might have it as part of your trip when you booked, or it might be an added extra with a bank account.

Accidentally having 2 travel insurance policies can cause problems if you need to claim, as you might find each policy only pays a portion of the claim. This comes with the admin headache of making 2 separate claims.

If you’re going on a package holiday with ATOL protection, you may wonder if you need travel insurance. While ATOL protection can help if your airline goes bust, that’s the only scenario it covers, and travel insurance protects you in many other ways.

How do I compare travel insurance?

Getting a quote only takes 2 minutes. If you’ve used us before it’s even quicker – just sign in and check your details are up to date before getting a quote.

To get started,we'll need a few details such as:

If you need single trip, annual multi-trip or backpacker cover
Where you’re travelling to
The start and return date of your trip
Details about you and others travelling with you
If you or anyone travelling with you have any pre-existing medical conditions
If you want any policy add-ons like gadget, cruise, winter sports or business

We’ll compare up to 39 travel insurance companies to help you find the right policy at the right price. You’ll also see ratings from the independent financial researcher, Defaqto, next to each company.

What does travel insurance cover?

Exactly what’s covered by travel insurance varies between providers, so check the details of your policy carefully before buying.

What’s usually covered

Emergency medical treatment: This covers you or anyone on the policy if you fall ill on holiday and need medical assistance, and for any expenses you might have to pay too. This should include if you get Covid-19 while abroad, as long as you’re travelling in line with FCDO advice, but check your policy details to be sure.
Cancellation cover: This should cover your costs if your flight or accommodation is cancelled. It's safest to get a policy with enough cover to pay for the entire cost of your trip. Cancellation cover starts the moment you buy the policy, and lasts until the moment you depart.
Possessions and baggage cover: This usually covers theft, accidental damage or loss of any personal possessions or baggage on your trip. The amount of protection you get depends on the policy you choose, as does the amount of cash that's covered.

What’s usually not covered

Travelling against FCDO advice: If you buy your policy when the FCDO advises against all non-essential travel to your destination, you aren't covered. If you bought your insurance policy a few weeks or months before and the advice on travel to the destination changes, you might still be covered.
Failure to declare any pre-existing medical conditions: If you have a medical condition, you should get a pre-existing medical quote to make sure you're covered on your trip.
Incidents involving alcohol or drugs.
Waiting too long to report an incident: You usually need to declare any lost or stolen personal possessions within 24 hours, but this should be detailed in the policy.
A trip that’s already started: If you're already on holiday and are outside the UK, we can’t help you get a new policy or extend one you already have.
Cancelling your trip due to catching Covid-19: You often can’t claim on your travel insurance if you catch Covid and have to cancel your trip. But check the policy wording carefully when buying for the exact details.
Changing your mind: Deciding you don’t want to travel isn’t covered by travel insurance. Cancellation cover only protects against things that are out of your control and listed in the policy details.

We compare 39 trusted travel insurance companies to find you our best deals

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What type of travel insurance do I need?

There are several types of holiday insurance, each designed to suit a different type of trip. They include:

Backpacker travel insurance: If you’re travelling through multiple countries on a longer trip, this is likely to be the cover you need. These policies cover you for between 1 and 18 months and may be ideal for gap year travel.
Business travel insurance: This is an add-on to a standard travel insurance policy. It covers your laptop and other business equipment while abroad, as well as any company money that’s lost or stolen.

Single trip travel insurance: This is useful if you’re planning a short city break or your annual family holiday as it covers you for 1 trip to a single destination. These policies tend not to cover pre-existing medical conditions or ski cover as standard.
Annual multi-trip travel insurance: This might work out more cost-effective for people who make multiple trips in a 12-month period, both in the UK and abroad. It usually covers you for an unlimited number of trips in a year. Most travel insurance companies limit each trip to 31 days. But some companies might let you extend this to 60 or even 90 days, so it’s worth checking before buying.

Why use Confused.com?

We're regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as are all of the travel insurance companies we work with. This means you can be certain that we do things the right way for you, following strict guidelines.
We're 100% independent. This means we're not owned by any insurance company, so the prices you see are the best available based on your information, not who they're from.

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How much is travel insurance?

You can get travel insurance from £6.00* when you compare policies. The exact price of your policy depends on factors including:

Where you’re going
How much cover you want
How many of you are travelling
Whether you have any existing medical conditions
Whether you want additional cover - for example, whether you want any add-ons, like, ski, adventure sports, or business cover

When you get a quote, we’ll give you the option of adding extras to your policy, which is likely to increase the price. So it’s worth comparing how much it goes up for each provider.

*The cheapest policy for a European trip based on 1 adult aged 30, with no previous medical conditions travelling for 1 week. Correct as of August 2023.

What our travel insurance expert says

"Make sure you buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your trip as it doesn’t just cover you while you’re away. Buying early means you're covered for cancellations leading up to your trip, giving you peace of mind prior to your holiday. "

Matthew Harwood Home & lifestyle insurance expert

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How to get cheaper travel insurance

There are a few things you can think about if you’re looking for cheaper travel insurance:

Choose the right type of travel insurance: If you don’t travel often, single trip travel insurance might be best. If you travel regularly throughout the year, an annual multi-trip policy could be more cost-effective overall.
Consider family or group travel insurance: If you’re travelling with family or friends, you might benefit from family or group travel insurance, instead of buying multiple individual policies.
Get the cover you need: Consider specialist cover like winter sports or cruise cover if you’re doing those activities. This ensures you don’t invalidate your travel insurance and make it useless if you need to claim. But consider other optional extras carefully to avoid over-insuring and paying more than you need to.
Compare quotes: When you know exactly what cover you need, shop around and compare quotes to get that cover for the best price possible.

What additional cover can I get?

When you're getting a quote, you can choose to add on extra cover for:

Winter sports if you plan to ski or snowboard while away: Standard travel insurance doesn't normally cover this as there are additional risks involved. But it could cover you if the piste is closed due to bad weather or lack of snow, for example.
Gadgets: You could get up to £1,000 of cover towards the cost of replacing your laptop, phone and other gadgets if they're lost, stolen or damaged while on holiday.
Cruises: With cruise cover included, you should also be insured for cabin confinement, missed ports, emergency transport to hospital and unused excursions.
Business: Offers extra cover that’s specifically suited for business trips. It covers things like laptops, business phones, alternative travel arrangements, and golf clubs.

Depending on the type of holiday you’re planning and who you get your insurance with, you might also be able to include:

Water sports like scuba diving, snorkelling, surfing and swimming: Some policies already cover this. But for more adventurous water sports like jet skiing, extra cover could help with medical expenses and damage to your equipment.
Passports: Passport cover usually pays the cost of a replacement passport if yours is lost or stolen. If not, you might be able to claim for the cost of getting an emergency travel document to get you to your destination.
Travel disruption: Cover for travel disruption protects you if your holiday is delayed or cut short. This add-on might also cover transport and accommodation costs while your trip is delayed.
Hazardous activities like hot air ballooning: Some insurers offer this cover as an add-on, but certain high-risk activities might be excluded altogether. Check the policy wording when looking at your quote so you know exactly what activities are covered.
Delays: This add-on helps with transport and accommodation if your flight is delayed and you’re unable to get delayed flight compensation.
Repatriation, also known as return travel to your home country: This covers you if you fall ill on holiday and need to be flown home for treatment. Check the level of cover you get for this, as some providers might let you enhance how much you’re covered for.
Personal liability: This protects you in case you injure someone else or damage someone else’s property while on holiday. The amount of cover you get is likely to vary between providers, so compare how much cover you get for the price.

Can I get travel insurance if I have a serious, pre-existing medical condition?

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you can still use our site to get a quote. Some insurers might not cover you if you already have a serious medical condition, or if you have several conditions. Others might only offer insurance at a much higher price.

A pre-existing medical condition is an illness or condition you know about before you buy your travel insurance policy. These conditions include:

Diabetes
Cancer
Stroke
Serious heart conditions
Respiratory conditions
Terminal illnesses

You must tell your insurer about any health issues to make sure they can cover you. If you don’t and need to make a claim, there’s a risk it could be rejected. If in doubt, contact the insurer before buying.

If you can’t find suitable cover, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has set up a directory of insurers who cover customers with pre-existing medical conditions through their brand MoneyHelper.

You can find the directory of insurers on the MoneyHelper website or you can phone MaPS for free, impartial advice on 0800 138 7777.

What are the different types of travel insurance?

Family travel insurance

means you can get one policy that covers everyone, rather than buying individual policies.

European travel insurance

it will cover you for any holidays that you've got planned in Europe this year.

Long stay travel insurance

is the perfect policy for those who plan to travel for an extended period.

Over 50's travel insurance

allows you to easily get a quote for travellers over the age of 50.

Worldwide travel insurance

will cover you for travel to multiple locations around the world.

Activity travel insurance

will cover you if you’re planning an action-filled sports trip.

Pregnancy travel insurance

helps provide peace of mind for any unexpected problems while away.

Ski travel insurance

is a specialist winter sports policy that covers you against slope injuries.

Need more help?

Has Brexit affected travel insurance?

Since the UK left the EU in 2020, you need to have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). This makes sure you’ve got the right amount of medical cover for your holiday and gives you access to low-cost or free state healthcare in the EU. The GHIC also covers pre-existing medical conditions.

The EHIC or GHIC aren’t replacements for travel insurance, though. You need a valid policy to cover you for replacing stolen property or if you need emergency services such as mountain rescue.

We recommend checking your policy documents or speaking with your insurer before you travel.

Other things you need to consider include:

Having at least 6 months left on your passport before its expiry date
Checking if you need an international driving permit.

Making sure you have everything you need to travel over the border of the country that you’re visiting. If you can’t show that you meet all immigration rules, you could be refused entry. For more information, visit Brexit advice on GOV.UK.

How do I make a claim on my travel insurance?

Get in touch with your travel insurance provider as soon as possible. If you have your policy details to hand, you could contact them while you’re still on holiday. They might send you a claim form, or ask you questions over the phone. They should be able to guide you through their process from there.

Make sure you keep any relevant documents to hand:

Receipts
Photographs
Correspondence
Crime reference number, if the police were involved

Travel insurance guides

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Entry requirements for travelling abroad

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Flight delay compensation

If your flight is delayed for a prolonged period, here's what you could be entitled to.

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Emergency travel documents

Losing your passport or having it stolen is a nightmare scenario. As well as enabling you to travel freely, your passport is also a recognised proof of identity.

Page last reviewed: 17 August 2023

Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood

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Travel insurance

Compare travel insurance quotes from £6.00*

We compare up to 39 trusted travel insurance companies¹

Protects you from unexpected costs while travelling

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