March 30, 2023
The 5 Best Family Travel Insurance Plans for 2023

The 5 Best Family Travel Insurance Plans for 2023

The best travel insurance plans can provide you with considerable peace of mind, but the real value comes into play when you wind up using your coverage. Hassles like flight delays, lost luggage and unexpected injuries can be stressful and traumatic, yet travel insurance can reimburse you for the financial costs associated with these mishaps.

If you are planning to travel with your entire family in tow, you already know that the stakes are higher and the potential for losses even greater. For example, you’ll want to make sure children traveling with you have travel medical insurance as well as coverage for trip cancellations and interruptions.

You’ll need to compare the best family travel insurance plans of 2023 if you want to find the right one for you and ensure each of your dependents is covered by your policy. U.S. News has compiled this guide to the best of the best when it comes to companies offering family travel insurance, since these top picks make it easy and affordable to add children to your plan. Consult the FAQ section at the bottom of this page for more information on family travel insurance coverages.

The Best Family Travel Insurance for 2023

Recommended plan: OneTrip Prime or OneTrip Premier

Pros:

  • Allianz offers single-trip travel insurance plans that include free coverage for children ages 17 and younger

  • Also offers annual travel insurance plans for families

Cons:

  • Not all plans cover kids for free

U.S. News recommends the OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier plans from Allianz for families who are planning trips with dependents younger than 18. These two plans provide free travel insurance coverage for children listed on the plan when traveling with a parent or grandparent.

The OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier plans from Allianz mostly differ in terms of the coverage limits that apply with each policy. For example, the Prime option comes with coverage up to $100,000 for trip cancellation and $150,000 for trip interruption, whereas the policy limits for these coverages are $200,000 and $300,000 respectively with the Premier plan.

Both of these single-trip plans also come with coverage for emergency medical expenses ($50,000 with OneTrip Prime and $75,000 with OneTrip Premier), emergency medical evacuation coverage, protection for lost or delayed baggage, trip delay insurance, and 24/7 travel assistance. Either plan can be customized with cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage, which reimburses up to 80% of prepaid travel expenses per covered traveler.

It’s worth noting that Allianz offers other travel insurance plans that cover children for an additional cost – including the company’s annual travel insurance plans.

Recommended plan: Travel Select

Pros:

  • Travel Select plan offers complimentary coverage for children 17 and younger

  • Primary coverage with no deductibles

Cons:

  • Plan with free coverage for kids only includes up to $50,000 in protection for emergency medical expenses (optional upgrade available)

  • Meager policy limits ($200) for delayed baggage and sporting equipment

The Travel Select plan from Travelex can be a solid option for families who want to ensure their entire crew has adequate travel insurance coverage. This plan offers primary coverage only with no deductibles required, and children 17 and younger are covered with no added cost.

This plan comes with trip cancellation protection worth up to 100% of prepaid travel expenses, as well as coverage worth up to 150% of prepaid travel expenses for trip interruption. Other notable benefits include up to $2,000 ($250 per day) in coverage for trip delays; $750 for missed connections; $50,000 for emergency medical and dental expenses; $500,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains; and $1,000 in insurance for baggage and personal effects.

The Travel Select plan from Travelex also comes with minimal coverage for baggage delays and sporting equipment delays. Several upgrades are also available, including cancel for any reason insurance, additional medical coverage, adventure sports coverage and car rental collision insurance.

Recommended plan: RoundTrip Choice

Pros:

  • Get coverage for up to 10 people in a single policy

  • Generous policy limits for emergency medical expenses and evacuation

Cons:

  • Kids aren’t covered for free

  • Emergency dental coverage is capped at $750

Seven Corners offers comprehensive travel insurance coverage that can apply to up to 10 individuals at once, including children and other dependents. U.S. News recommends the company’s RoundTrip Travel Protection plan for families since it includes a broad range of travel insurance protections with automatic coverage for COVID-19 included.

This plan is offered in two different tiers: RoundTrip Basic and RoundTrip Choice. The Roundtrip Choice plan comes with higher policy limits and more coverage overall, which is why it’s best for families who want the most robust travel insurance protection that money can buy.

Benefits that come with the RoundTrip Choice plan include trip cancellation coverage worth up to 100% of prepaid trip costs and trip interruption coverage up to 150%. It also affords trip delay coverage up to $2,000 ($250 per day); up to $1,500 in protection for missed tours or cruise connections ($250 per day); up to $500,000 in coverage for emergency medical expenses; and up to $1 million in protection for emergency evacuation.

Other coverages range from protection for baggage and baggage delays to accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) benefits. Several optional protections can also be purchased to customize this plan, including cancel for any reason insurance, rental car coverage, event ticket registration fee coverage, and insurance for sports equipment and rentals.

Recommended plan: Preferred Travel Insurance Plan

Pros:

  • AIG offers multiple travel insurance plans that include free coverage for one child age 17 or younger (with each paying adult relative on the plan)

  • Choose from three tiers of travel protection (Essential, Preferred or Deluxe) based on your needs

Cons:

  • Travel medical expense coverage is low ($15,000) with this provider’s Essential plan

  • Essential plan also has low limits for baggage delays ($200) and lost or stolen luggage ($750)

AIG Travel Guard offers three tiers of family travel insurance protection to choose from based on your budget and your needs. The Essential plan offers the lowest amount of coverage; a Preferred plan and more comprehensive Deluxe plan are also available. Plans from AIG Travel Guard include one child 17 or younger with each paid adult relative on the plan. This means a family of four could get complimentary travel insurance for two children provided all family members are listed on the enrollment form.

U.S. News recommends the Preferred plan from this provider, which is also the most popular policy AIG sells. The Preferred plan comes standard with up to 100% in coverage for trip cancellation; 150% in coverage for trip interruption; $1,000 in baggage insurance; $300 in protection for baggage delays; $50,000 in insurance for emergency medical expenses; and $500,000 in protection for medical evacuation.

Optional insurance can also be purchased for car rentals, lodging expenses and security evacuation with the Preferred plan.

Recommended plan: Explorer

Pros:

  • Includes coverage for up to seven children on a single policy

  • Provides coverage for more than 200 adventure activities and sports

Cons:

  • No free travel coverage for kids with paid adults

  • No option to customize coverage with CFAR protection

World Nomads makes it easy to purchase travel insurance coverage for parents and up to seven legal dependents who live in the same state. The company’s plans also include coverage for more than 200 adventure activities that families often participate in, including water activities like boating and kayaking, bicycle tours, hiking, climbing, and more.

The Explorer plan from World Nomads is the recommended option for families who want higher limits for trip cancellations and their travel gear. This plan comes with up to $100,000 in emergency medical insurance; $500,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation; $3,000 in insurance for lost baggage and belongings; and $10,000 in insurance for trip cancellation.

Other coverages that can be included in the plan are for trip interruptions, trip delays, baggage delays, rental cars, and accidental death and dismemberment. Nonmedical emergency transportation services and 24-hour travel assistance are also offered to consumers.

Family Travel Insurance: Coverages You’ll Need

As you compare the best travel insurance plans for families, you might be wondering which types of coverage are most important. Ultimately, that depends on the cost of your trip, where you’re traveling and the travel issues you worry about the most.

Frequent traveler Linda L. Adkins of Spokane, Washington, says she purchases travel insurance for every trip since her U.S.-based health insurance policy doesn’t apply when her family travels overseas. She worries not only about emergency medical expenses that could come into play, but also about the high costs of medical evacuation if a family member needs to be transported a long distance or even back to the U.S.

Adkins has also endured scenarios where her luggage was temporarily lost by an airline while traveling internationally, and she says her delayed baggage benefit was useful when it came to purchasing clothing and toiletries. “I spent almost $100 per day for three days in a row while we waited for our bags,” she says.

Adkins saved her receipts and received reimbursement through her travel insurance provider’s baggage delay benefit.

U.S. News recommends having the following types of coverage (at a minimum) in place for every trip with kids:

  • $50,000+ in primary insurance per traveler for emergency medical expenses
  • Coverage for COVID-19
  • $100,000+ in coverage for emergency medical evacuation
  • Adequate protection for trip delays and lost or delayed baggage

Family Travel Insurance FAQs

Credit card travel insurance can provide coverage for families, although the types and amounts of protection you receive can be limited. As an example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card comes with trip cancellation coverage for up to $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per covered trip, as well as lost luggage reimbursement worth up to $3,000 per passenger if the cardholder or an immediate family member has their luggage lost by a common carrier.

Fine print with the card also states that trip delay coverage can apply if common carrier travel gets delayed by more than six hours or requires an overnight stay, and that both the cardholder and their family members can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for incidental travel expenses including meals and lodging.

For credit card travel insurance to apply, the cardholder needs to pay for common carrier travel for all of their family members with the credit card in question. In other words, simply carrying a travel credit card with travel insurance benefits won’t be enough.

Travel insurance plans are built to cover every person listed on the application for coverage. This means you can apply for travel insurance as an individual or as a family who wants all members covered under a single plan.

That said, some travel insurance plans are superior for families since they offer free coverage for dependents. Others offer comprehensive travel insurance policies that provide broad coverage for groups up to 10 people.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Holly Johnson is an award-winning content creator who has been writing about travel insurance and travel for more than a decade. She has researched travel insurance options for her own vacations and family trips to more than 50 countries around the world, and she has experience navigating the claims and reimbursement process. In fact, she has successfully filed several travel insurance claims for trip delays and trip cancellations over the years. Johnson also works alongside her husband, Greg – who has been licensed to sell travel insurance in 50 states – in their family media business.

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