It’s probably the question we get most: What does travel insurance cover? (Followed closely by “How much does it cost?”)
We can’t think of a better question. Knowing what’s in your plan is key to making sure you’re protected against the unexpected, no matter where trip happens. It’s all about protecting your money, health, and belongings.
- Money: When you have to cancel your trip or a delay leads to another night in the hotel, your money is at risk. Travel insurance can help protect your hard-earned dollars against a range of unexpected events.
- Health: Even when we’re extra careful, injury and illness can happen. Travel insurance can cover medical expenses if you get hurt or sick during your trip.
- Belongings: Whether the airline lost your luggage, someone stole it, or your bags were damaged, travel insurance can help you replace those essential belongings that let you get on with your trip (fully clothed).
How this protection is delivered varies by plan. The list below is designed to give you an idea of the benefits included in travel insurance. However, it’s best to review your specific plan document to see how they would apply to you. Your plan document will be the ultimate source of truth for how your situation is covered.
Our list covers several benefits. Read through the entire thing or use the links below to jump to the sections that are most helpful to you:
- Trip cancellation
- Trip interruption
- Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR)
- Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR)
- Trip delay
- Cancelled flights
- Missed flights
- Flight changes
- Missed cruise or tour
- Hurricanes
- Medical expenses
- Pre-existing conditions
- COVID and other illnesses
- Emergency medical evacuations
- Pregnancy
- Outdoor and adventure activities
- Car rental
- Baggage and personal belongings
Does Travel Insurance Cover Trip Cancellation?
Yes. If you have to cancel your trip for a covered reason — something like a natural disaster or getting so sick before your trip that a doctor prohibits you from traveling — then most trip protection plans will reimburse you for your nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses.
The key terms here are “covered reason” and “nonrefundable, prepaid.” With travel insurance, a benefit must be triggered by a covered reason in order for you to be eligible for reimbursement or coverage. You’ll find a list of covered reasons in your plan document.
Nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses include the money you spent on things like hotels, airfare, cruise fare, or excursions that you won’t get back from anyone else if you cancel your trip. If, for example, your hotel offers a refund, those expenses won’t be insured, and you won’t be reimbursed by your travel insurance provider.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Trip Interruption?
Yes. If you have to interrupt your trip for a covered reason, most trip protection plans will reimburse you for the unused portions of your nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses. In this way, it’s similar to trip cancellation benefits.
Trip interruption includes situations such as ending your trip and returning home early, joining the trip late, or literally interrupting your trip somewhere in the middle and then rejoining it at a later date.
And like trip cancellation, trip interruption benefits must be triggered by a covered reason listed in your plan document in order to have a claim paid.
The trip interruption benefit may be included in some travel medical plans as well as trip protection coverage.
Can You Get Cancel for Any Reason Coverage with Travel Insurance?
Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage is an optional benefit you may be able to add to trip protection plans.
Like we said earlier, typical trip cancellation coverage can only reimburse you if you cancel for a covered reason such as a natural disaster or an illness that prevents you from traveling. If you cancel for a reason that is not covered in your plan, you won’t be reimbursed.
However, if you add CFAR, you can do just as the name implies — cancel for any reason, not just the ones listed in your plan. Maybe you’ve just changed your mind about taking a vacation. Or it could be that you’ve decided to attend a friend’s wedding instead.
CFAR gives you greater flexibility to change your travel arrangements without losing all of your prepaid expenses.
If you don’t opt into the CFAR benefit, then you are only covered for the reasons listed in the plan. But if you choose to add this benefit for an additional cost, you’ll get 75% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses back if you decide to cancel your vacation and attend your uncle’s hairdresser’s daughter’s graduation instead.
Can You Get Interruption for Any Reason Coverage with Travel Insurance?
Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR) coverage is very similar to CFAR in that you have the flexibility to change your travel plans for any reason you wish. In the case of IFAR, you can interrupt your trip for any reason, beyond the reasons listed in your plan document.
Perhaps your destination isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and you decide to move to the next stop on your itinerary early or even come home ahead of schedule. Simply changing your mind about being on the trip wouldn’t be covered by the standard trip protection benefit, but IFAR could reimburse you for the unused portions of your insured expenses.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Trip Delay?
Trip delay benefits reimburse you if, because of that covered delay, you have extra trip expenses.
You might have had an experience sometime when your return flight was delayed overnight. As a result, it’s possible you had to pay for another night in a hotel, extra meals that you hadn’t planned on, and another Uber ride or two.
In instances like this one, if the trip delay was triggered by a covered reason, travel insurance could cover the cost of the hotel, meals, and extra transportation.
Like many travel insurance benefits, trip delay has some specific requirements that need to be met before you can be reimbursed. This includes things like time limits — Seven Corners Trip Protection Basic requires that your delay be at least six consecutive hours, for example — and the triggering by a covered reason for the delay.
Requirements vary by plan, so check out your plan document before your trip starts so you understand how this benefit can help you.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Cancelled Flights?
When an airline cancels your flight, you likely have a few options. First, you could take the refund offered by the airline or rebook on a different flight. In these cases, your travel insurance would not provide a reimbursement of your flight but may cover expenses such as a hotel stay or meals if you are delayed and the reason for delay is a covered reason.
Alternatively, if the airline does not provide compensation or another flight, your travel insurance could cover the flight cancellation so that you do not lose money, provided the cancellation is due to a covered reason listed in the plan document.
The specific benefits that come into play depend on the situation, but it could include reimbursement for things such as a new flight, an additional hotel stay or meals, even clean underwear and a new toothbrush if it came to that.
Knowing if and how your plan covers a cancelled flight comes down to understanding the specific benefits of your plan and what the covered reasons are. The best way to get a full understanding is by talking to an agent before you travel.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Missed Flights?
The short (and, we admit, somewhat unsatisfying) answer is that it depends. If you missed your flight because you overslept, that would not be covered by travel insurance.
If, however, you missed a flight because of something unavoidable — a traffic accident on the way to the airport, the first of your connecting flights was delayed — then that’s a different story. Travel insurance might be able to help in situations such as these.
We recommend talking to an agent about your specific concerns and asking them how trip protection can help.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Flight Changes?
If you have to change your flight as part of a covered trip interruption, your travel insurance can reimburse you for the new flight.
Some plans allow you to cover up to 150% of your trip expenses as part of your trip interruption benefit. The extra percentage is because we know a new flight sometimes costs more than the one you originally booked.
Here’s an example. You’re on vacation in the Caribbean. While you’re there, a storm becomes a named hurricane, and your destination issues an evacuation order. As a result, you decide to end your trip and return home earlier than planned.
When you buy your new flight, it’s $200 more expensive than your original return flight. The trip interruption benefit, because it was triggered for a covered reason, could now cover the new flight, including at least some of the additional cost.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Missed Cruises or Tours?
The missed cruise or tour connection benefit can be found in most of Seven Corners’ trip protection plans, including Seven Corners Cruise Insurance.
Although it’s not the only covered scenario, this benefit is commonly used when a flight delay causes you to arrive late at your port of departure, so you miss boarding your cruise. Your travel insurance will then pay for you to catch up with the cruise ship, even if it has already left port.
In this type of situation, the flight delay must have lasted at least three consecutive hours. Other restrictions may apply, so be sure to review your plan document to understand what events are needed to trigger this coverage.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Hurricanes?
Yes, there are several benefits that may come into play in the event of a hurricane:
- Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption
- Optional CFAR
- Optional IFAR
- Trip Delay
- Missed Tour or Cruise Connection
Pay attention to the hurricane-related triggers for each of these benefits. For example, before the benefits can be covered, the storm must be a named hurricane, not just a really bad storm or a storm that might develop into a hurricane.
Other requirements apply, so familiarize yourself with this portion of your plan document if you’re traveling during hurricane season or to a destination known for frequent storms.
You might also find this blog about what you need to know about hurricanes and travel insurance helpful.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Medical Expenses?
This is a benefit that will cover you if you become sick or get hurt and need to see a doctor. Foreign healthcare can be expensive and cause unforeseen financial stress. With this coverage, you could be reimbursed for treatment you receive at a foreign medical facility.
Just as with trip cancellation and other benefits, there are exclusions that could impact reimbursement. For example, this benefit typically will not reimburse you for preventive care.
Read your plan document carefully before traveling to understand all the terms.
And before you write off this travel insurance as unnecessary because “I’m healthy” or “I’m always super careful,” remember that sometimes things happen beyond our control. Even healthy people get appendicitis. Even careful people can be in a car accident. Why leave something as important as your health up to chance?
Does Travel Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?
Some plans will cover pre-existing conditions, while others won’t. Similarly, some plans only cover emergency acute onset of those illnesses.
If pre-existing conditions are a concern for you, consider these factors before purchasing a travel insurance plan:
What is considered a pre-existing condition? How long you’ve had the condition, when it was diagnosed by a doctor, and any steps you've taken to manage the condition before traveling can all affect coverage of pre-existing conditions, if it is available on the plan.
Is there an exclusion period, or waiting period? Some plans will only provide coverage for pre-existing conditions if an acute onset of that condition occurs after a certain period of time following the start of your coverage.
Learn more about how Seven Corners’ plans define a pre-existing condition.
Does Travel Insurance Cover COVID & Other Illnesses?
Yes, all Seven Corners plans cover COVID and other illnesses. How it’s covered can vary by plan and your individual situation, though.
If you get sick during your trip and need to seek medical attention, your plan could pay the cost of your doctor's visit or hospital stay.
As a result of your illness, you might also need trip protection benefits, such as trip cancellation or trip delay.
For example, if you get sick before your trip and a doctor says it’s not safe for you to travel, you could be covered by the trip cancellation benefit and get your money back for nonrefundable, prepaid trip expenses.
Please review your plan document carefully to understand your plan’s benefits and exclusions, and contact one of our licensed travel insurance agents with any questions.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Medical Evacuations?
Thinking about getting stuck in a foreign country without adequate healthcare can be unsettling. If you get sick or hurt while traveling and your destination is unable to provide medically necessary care, the emergency medical evacuation benefit can pay for the transportation to get you someplace that can provide appropriate treatment.
The Seven Corners Assist team will arrange the medical evacuation for you, scheduling transportation and coordinating care with medical teams.
Watch how the emergency medical evacuation benefit saved Daniel and Felipe during their tour of Asia.
Will Travel Insurance Cover Pregnancy?
Travel insurance typically covers complications of pregnancy that occur during your trip. If complications require medical care, your plan may cover related expenses under the category of medical expense benefits.
There are also some trip protection benefits related to pregnancy complications. This includes trip cancellation benefits if you or your traveling companion have complications of pregnancy before your departure, and a doctor determines you cannot safely travel.
Trip interruption benefits may also come into play if you or your companion have complications of pregnancy and need to end your trip early.
Whether there is coverage for pregnancy, what type of coverage there is and how it works can vary greatly by plan, so please do your research or talk to an agent before choosing a plan.
It’s also important to note that a “regular” pregnancy when Mom and Baby are healthy is not covered by travel insurance.
Can You Get Outdoor & Adventure Activities Coverage?
One of the reasons you should be familiar with the requirements of any plan you purchase is to know what activities could be excluded from your coverage (more on that below).
For example, not all plans cover scuba diving, so if you get hurt on a dive during your Caribbean vacation, your medical expenses might not be covered.
Fortunately, you may be able to add Adventure Activities coverage to your plan for these situations. Ask about the availability of this optional benefit when you purchase your travel insurance.
What’s considered an adventure activity can vary by plan, but it often includes things like scuba diving, riding a moped or motorbike, and hot air ballooning.
Does Travel Insurance Cover a Car Rental?
Some trip protection plans include coverage for rental car collision damage, theft, vandalism, or other damage caused by events out of your control. Seven Corners Trip Protection USA offers it as an optional add-on benefit.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Baggage & Personal Belongings?
Yes, trip protection plans and some travel medical plans include coverage for personal belongings. This includes reimbursement to replace essential items if your luggage is lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen.
Let’s say the airline loses your luggage and can’t return it for a day or two. When you buy some clean clothes and toiletries so you can continue traveling, your travel insurance will pay you back for those items.
This is a prime example of why it’s important to keep your receipts when you travel. In order to be reimbursed, one of the things you’ll need to include with your claim is receipts or other proof of purchase.
What Is Not Covered by Travel Insurance?
What isn’t covered is referred to as an exclusion. Certain conditions or types of treatment might be excluded from your plan’s coverage. Benefits and exclusions might also be based on the situation and if certain events meet the requirements to trigger coverage.
Understanding exclusions is often where people get confused during the claims process. The best way to avoid this confusion is to read your plan document and talk to your travel insurance agent if you still have questions.
How to Buy Travel Insurance
Like we said (about a thousand times now), specific benefits and exclusions vary by plan. There are a few ways to make sure you’re getting the coverage you need.
First, we recommend talking to a licensed agent before you purchase a plan. Tell them what’s important to you, and they’ll recommend the best coverage for your trip and how the benefits work.
Second, you can review plan documents before you make a purchase. We list the documents for all our plans, divided by the specific plan and your state of residence, on our website. If you have questions after looking things over, that’s a great time to call or chat online with an agent.
You can find even more information about travel insurance with our ultimate guide. We explain how travel insurance works, when you should buy coverage and when your plan starts, how much it costs, and more, all so you can get on the road quicker, easier, and with more confidence that you'll be prepared when trip happens.
