What travel insurance is best for a family holiday?
What travel insurance is best for a family holiday?
Family travel insurance covers all family members travelling under a single policy. It considers the cost of medical treatment in the destination country and the length of the trip, and includes not only medical expenses but also baggage, travel disruption and personal liability cover. Three factors mainly determine which policy is right for your family: where you are travelling, how long you are going for and what activities you plan to enjoy.
When planning a family holiday, insurance often takes a back seat. Flight tickets and hotel bookings come first, and insurance is only considered afterwards. Yet travelling with a family involves more risks than travelling alone. Children can fall ill more easily in an unfamiliar environment, unexpected situations are more likely to arise, and when something happens, you need to look after several people at once.
Let’s look at what to consider so that your family holiday goes smoothly and worry-free.
What to consider when choosing travel insurance for your family
Your destination, the length of your trip and your planned activities all directly affect the level of cover you need and which additional protections may be necessary.
How much cover do you need? It depends on where you are going
Your cover should reflect the actual cost of medical treatment in your destination country and the value of your belongings, rather than simply being a large number. In countries where healthcare is expensive, such as the United States, a single day in hospital can cost thousands of euros, while prices in some European countries are considerably lower.
Travel insurance policies available in Estonia generally cover emergency medical treatment abroad up to the sum insured. This includes transport to hospital and the cost of an early return home if illness or injury forces you to cut your trip short.
Smaller, everyday expenses, such as over-the-counter medication, phone calls to medical facilities or repairs to damaged glasses and dental prostheses, are also usually covered in the event of an insured incident. If your family chooses to use the public healthcare system of the destination country instead of a private clinic, several insurers also pay an additional daily allowance.
Always check the exact limits in the policy terms before you travel, as they can vary considerably between insurers.
How long is your trip?
The insurance period should match the actual length of your trip. It is also worth taking out insurance well before departure, in case you must cancel the trip due to unexpected illness or another covered reason.
If your return journey is delayed for reasons beyond your control, such as flight delays or cancellations caused by bad weather, several insurers extend the insurance period by up to three days at no extra cost.
This small detail can make a big difference. If your journey home is delayed by flight disruptions, you will not suddenly find yourselves without cover at the very moment you need it most.
What will you be doing on your holiday?
A relaxing beach holiday and an active skiing or hiking trip call for different cover. Standard travel insurance does not usually cover accidents related to extreme sports, or to professional sports training and competitions, unless this has been specifically agreed in the policy.
If your holiday includes skiing, mountain hiking or other active pursuits, check in advance whether your standard policy covers them or whether you need additional protection.
What does family travel insurance cover?
Good family travel insurance covers four key areas: medical expenses in the event of illness or accident, loss of or damage to baggage, trip cancellation or interruption, and personal liability if a family member accidentally causes damage to someone else.
Baggage cover: if your luggage is delayed or lost
Baggage cover generally includes delays of more than two hours, as well as damage to or loss of luggage.
Valuable items such as mobile phones and laptops are usually covered only in cases of burglary, robbery or road traffic accidents, and compensation is generally limited to no more than half of the sum insured.
Travel disruption cover
Trip cancellation cover applies in situations such as serious illness, the death of a close relative or stolen travel documents.
Trip interruption cover applies when a journey that has already begun has to be cut short due to illness, injury or stolen documents.
Personal liability cover
Personal liability insurance is something many travelers overlook.
If you or a family member accidentally causes damage to someone else while travelling, for example by breaking something in a hotel room, the insurance can cover the damage, the third party’s medical expenses and even legal costs, provided these have been agreed with the insurer in advance.
Insurers differ mainly in their limits and exclusions, so it is always worth reading the policy terms before you travel rather than assuming that all policies offer the same protection.
What additional cover should you consider?
If you travel with your family by car, standard travel insurance does not cover damage caused to or sustained by the vehicle. For this you need separate motor third-party liability insurance and, if you wish, comprehensive car insurance (CASCO).
The personal liability section of travel insurance applies only to non-motorized devices and electric mobility devices with a maximum speed of 25 km/h, such as a regular bicycle. It does not cover cars or other faster vehicles.
CASCO is also worth considering for a car trip. If you cause an accident abroad, the cost of repairing a vehicle in another country can quickly become high.
If your active holiday includes extreme sports, look into separate extreme sports insurance.
Are there special travel insurance conditions for children?
Travel insurance policies generally do not distinguish between children and adults when it comes to the scope of cover. All family members included in the policy receive the same protection.
There is, however, one particularly important situation. If children are left abroad without adult supervision because a parent falls ill, is injured or passes away, the costs of looking after the children and arranging their return home are covered separately.
If you ever wonder whether travel insurance is necessary and think that nothing is likely to happen, this is exactly the kind of situation that shows why it matters. Good insurance also considers what happens to your children if you, as a parent, suddenly need help yourself.
It is also important not to confuse travel insurance with the European Health Insurance Card. The card gives you access to public healthcare services within the European Union, but it does not cover private medical treatment, repatriation or trip interruption. These are the expenses that travel insurance is designed to cover.
What should you check before travelling with children?
Children must always have a valid ID card or passport when travelling. Depending on the destination, an ID card alone may be sufficient in some countries, particularly within the European Union.
If a child is travelling with only one parent, a grandparent or another adult who is not their legal guardian, border authorities may ask for written parental consent. This can also apply when travelling within the European Union.
You can find more detailed information about which documents are required and when, along with sample consent forms, on the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Reisi Targalt (Travel Smart) website.
How does Balcia family travel insurance work?
Balcia travel insurance combines medical expenses cover, personal accident insurance, personal liability, baggage insurance, and trip cancellation and interruption cover in a single policy that applies to all family members included in it.
If you need medical assistance while travelling and cannot continue your journey as a result, notify us as soon as possible. We will cover your medical expenses and, if necessary, the cost of returning home. We will also reimburse eligible costs resulting from trip cancellation.
You can submit a claim 24/7.
A family holiday should be about spending quality time together, not worrying about what might go wrong. The right travel insurance makes that worry unnecessary!