Family travel insurance quotes
Ensure your holiday runs smoothly with the right family travel insurance policy. Find out what’s covered and what to look out for, and start saving today with Uswitch.
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Tesco InsuranceWhat is family travel insurance and how does it work?
Family travel insurance is a way of insuring multiple people under the same policy. Typically, it covers two adults who are living at the same address and their children.
Most providers offer family policies as either single-trip travel insurance, if you need it for one holiday, or as an annual policy, if you’re planning on taking multiple trips in a year.
Getting family travel insurance can save you time and money, taking away the need to buy multiple separate policies.
However, it can usually only be used for children who are under 18 (or 23 if they’re in full-time education). So, it’s worth checking your provider’s specific terms before you go ahead with your purchase.
Can I travel alone on a family travel insurance policy?
Whether you can travel alone on a family insurance policy will depend on which provider you choose and the terms of your specific policy.
It’s likely that if you have multi-trip travel insurance, your insurer will allow one of the adults to travel alone. However, it rarely covers children travelling alone, even if they’re old enough to do so.
Whether you have single-trip or multi-trip cover, it’s important to thoroughly check your policy documents for an independent travel clause. That way, you won’t get caught out when you go to make a claim.
If you can travel alone on your policy, the individual limit on your family travel insurance still applies. So, if you fall ill or lose your luggage, you’ll be able to claim up to the amount stated in your policy terms.
What does family travel insurance cover?
While the specific details differ between insurers, most family travel insurance policies tend to cover the following:
- Emergency medical expenses & repatriation
This includes the cost of treatment and hospital stays, as well as your family’s return fare to the UK if medically necessary.
- Cancellation/curtailment
Covers any pre-paid travel and accommodation costs if your trip is cancelled or cut short due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or bereavement.
- Baggage and possessions cover
For if your luggage or personal belongings are lost, stolen, or damaged. However, most policies have both a single-item and total policy limit.
- Personal liability
Covers any legal expenses you incur if you accidentally injure someone or damage their property while you’re on holiday.
- Delayed/missed departure
If you need to book extra travel or accommodation because your flight was delayed or cancelled. Usually, this applies to specific events such as severe weather or strikes.
- Undeclared medical conditions
If you fail to declare a pre-existing medical condition, you likely won’t be covered if you need to make a claim in relation to it.
- Reckless behaviour
Costs related to injuries sustained while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Engaging in other illegal or malicious activities will also invalidate your claim.
- High-risk activities
Unless you have a specific adventure sports add-on, activities such as skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping, or white-water rafting won’t be covered.
- Travelling against FCDO advice
If the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against travelling to a certain country and you still decide to go, your insurer won’t accept any claims you make.
- Unattended belongings
While theft of personal belongings is covered by most policies, the exception is if you leave your items unsupervised or in an unsecure location.
Is annual family travel insurance better than a single trip policy?
There’s no definitive answer, and it’s always worth comparing prices to see which option works out best. Which is best comes down to your family’s needs and the amount you plan on travelling.
Both annual and single-trip policies have their advantages. Here's when you might consider each policy type:
| Single trip policy | Annual policy |
|---|---|
| You only plan on taking one holiday within a 12-month period | You like to travel spontaneously or know you’ll be taking more than one trip in a year |
| You or one of your family members has a pre-existing medical condition that could make getting annual cover difficult | You want the convenience of not having to take out a new policy for each trip |
| You’re planning on taking a longer trip or need coverage for specific activities, like skiing | Your family travels often enough to make multi-trip cover cost effective |
| You’d like to compare quotes and take out a new policy each time you travel as a group | You don’t mind that your policy may have a shorter trip duration limit (usually 31 days) |
How can I get cheaper family travel insurance?
Compare quotes
Comparing quotes allows you to see the best deals side-by-side and find the quote that's best for your family.
Adjust your excess
A higher excess usually means a cheaper premium. However, you'll need to pay this towards any claims, so make sure it's set to an amount you could afford.
Choose the right policy type
Worldwide cover tends to cost more, especially if it includes cover for the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. If you don't need cover for these places, it's worth limiting what areas your policy covers.
Avoid policy add-ons you don't need
It's always worth checking what your policy covers before including any optional extras.
"A family travel insurance policy is designed for convenience, but the term 'family' isn't universal. Some providers only cover children under 18, while others extend this for those in full-time education. Always check the policy's specific definition of a dependent child, particularly if your children are near or over 18, to ensure everyone has valid cover for the trip."
Can children over 18 be included on a family policy?
For most family travel insurance policies, the age limit for children is 18 years old. However, some providers allow family members up to 21, or even 23, to be added if they’re still in full-time education.
If your child is over your policy’s age limit, they’ll need to take out an individual adult travel insurance instead.
You still have the option of taking out a group travel insurance policy, which may be worth it if multiple family members over the age of 18 are travelling together. However, it’s worth comparing group and individual policies to see which cover type works out cheapest overall.
What about pre-existing medical conditions on a family policy?
If you’re taking out family travel insurance, it’s vital you declare any pre-existing medical conditions for every family member. If you don’t, you risk invalidating future claims.
Most providers consider a pre-existing medical condition to be any illness or injury you’ve received a diagnosis, treatment, or medication for.
If one of your family members has a pre-existing medical condition, it’ll likely increase the price of the overall policy. However, declaring is crucial to ensure your cover is valid.
If you struggle to find suitable travel insurance for pre-existing conditions, the MoneyHelper travel insurance directory might be able to help.
What if a trip is cancelled due to a family member being ill?
The majority of family travel insurance policies tend to cover cancellation costs for unforeseen reasons such as illness. So, if someone in your family falls ill or is injured, or if a close relative dies, you’ll be able to make a claim.
The exact definition of a ‘close relative’ will be defined in your policy terms. However, it usually refers to a parent, grandparent, child, or sibling.
It doesn’t matter whether the close family member is named on the policy or not, as long as it results in the policyholder having to cancel.
This type of cover tends to have specific conditions depending on your provider. So, it’s always worth having a thorough read through of your policy documents to see what circumstances you’re covered for.
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