Best Family Travel Insurance

Some family travel insurance policies cover children and other travel companions.

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Updated · 3 min read
Profile photo of Sam Kemmis
Written by Sam Kemmis
Senior Writer
Profile photo of Chris Burkhardt
Edited by Chris Burkhardt
Assistant Assigning Editor
Fact Checked
Profile photo of Carissa Rawson
Co-written by Carissa Rawson

Even the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. This possibility doubles (or even triples) when traveling with a family, which can mean that purchasing family travel insurance may make sense for you.

This type of insurance will cover you and your loved ones if you miss your flight, your partner gets food poisoning, your children’s bags are lost and more. Here are the best family travel insurance plans and the factors we considered, and tips on choosing the best plan for you.

Travel insurance company factors we considered

We used the following criteria when choosing which travel insurance companies are best:

  • Cost. Cost can play a huge factor in choosing a travel insurance plan, especially when you’re traveling with multiple people. We compared costs for basic policies to choose the most affordable options. 

  • Types of coverage. There is a wide variety of coverage options for insurance, including medical coverage and trip protection benefits. We chose those with the widest range of inclusions. 

  • Coverage amounts. Many policies offer a variable level of coverage; more expensive policies can include higher policy limits, though this isn’t always the case. 

  • Customizability. Different travelers have different types of needs, which means that we focused on policies that offer customizability as part of their benefits. 

An overview of the best travel insurance for families

To determine the best travel insurance for a family, we compared the price and benefits across multiple insurance companies for a sample trip taken by a family of three from New Hampshire — a 39-year-old father, 33-year-old mother and 3-year-old child. They are traveling to Germany during the winter and estimate a total trip cost of $12,000.

Overall, the average cost of a plan came out to $257.78, though one plan priced out far below the rest.

Basic coverage cost

Recommended for

Allianz Travel

$453.

Those with pre-existing conditions.

World Nomads

$235.95.

Low-cost insurance with good trip protection and emergency medical.

AXA

$332.

Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance.

IMG

$24.08.

Lowest cost with both emergency medical and trip protection.

Tin Leg

$243.85.

Excellent trip protection benefits.

Top options for travel insurance for a family

Here's a closer look at our top five recommendations for travel insurance for families.

Allianz Travel

What makes Allianz travel insurance great for families:

  • Family travel medical insurance that includes coverage for pre-existing conditions. 

  • Customizability includes rental car insurance and Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance. 

  • Provides up to $1,000 per person for lost baggage. 

Here’s a snippet from our Allianz Travel insurance review:

“OneTrip Prime provides all the benefits of the Basic plan but with higher limits, a few extra coverage areas and complimentary coverage for children 17 and under when traveling with a parent or grandparent.”

The complimentary coverage is useful, especially for families with multiple kids.

World Nomads

What makes World Nomads great for families:

  • Lower-than-average cost. 

  • Includes adventure sports and activities.

  • Provides $25,000 non-medical emergency transportation. 

World Nomads is a great fit for particularly adventurous families, as its plans include coverage for over 200 activities. So if you're taking the kids skiing this winter or are planning to backpack the Colorado Trail next summer, this might be a good choice.

AXA

What makes AXA great for families:

  • Covers 100% of trip cost for interruption or cancellation for covered reasons. 

  • Provides $100 per person, per day for trip delay.

  • Includes $100 in coverage for airline reissue or cancellation fees. 

Having kids invites a lot of unpredictability for trip planning. Will your oldest bring home a virus from day care? Will your baby suddenly enter a difficult sleep regression that renders you exhausted? Having 100% coverage for trip cancellation can bring families peace of mind when putting big trip deposits down.

IMG

What makes IMG great for families:

  • Hundreds of dollars cheaper than the other options. 

  • $0 deductible for medical insurance. 

  • Up to $5,000 for trip interruption. 

Here’s a snippet from our IMG review:

“Some policies provide emergency medical evacuation coverage, while others skip this benefit entirely. This benefit may be more important to you if you travel to a remote location or engage in physical activity such as trekking.

More comprehensive plans may include other benefits such as assistance with acquiring a new passport, reimbursing reward mile redeposit fees or coverage for pre-existing conditions. If these are something you’re interested in, be sure to check that your policy includes these options.”

Tin Leg

What makes Tin Leg great:

  • Lower-than-average cost.

  • 150% reimbursed for trip interruption. 

  • Customizability, including coverage for pre-existing conditions. 

We like Tin Leg for its affordability. You can pocket the saved cash for more ice cream stops on your trip.

Additional resources for family travel insurance shoppers

Interested in learning more about travel insurance, including annual family travel insurance and methods to make travel insurance less expensive? Start here.

Frequently asked questions

If you’re traveling with family and would like to make sure they’re insured, you can choose to include them in your insurance plan. Most companies will allow you to select the number of travelers in your group when generating a quote.

The definition for immediate family is going to vary based on your insurance provider. Generally speaking, you can expect that your spouse, children, parents, grandparents, in-laws, aunts and uncles all count as immediate family.

Cards for Travel Insurance from our Partners
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-10x

Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
5.0
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-5x

5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

60,000 Points + $300 Travel Credit

Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

on Chase's website

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
4.2
NerdWallet Rating
Rewards rate

1x-2x

Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

Points

Intro offer

50,000

Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Points
See more cards
Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.