Travel insurance, explained without the sales pitch.
Independent research on UK travel insurance: how single-trip and annual multi-trip policies differ, what cover actually includes, why a GHIC is not a substitute for insurance, how to declare medical conditions, and what drives the price.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- What it is: cover for the financial cost of things going wrong before or during a trip — emergency medical treatment, cancellation, lost baggage and getting you home.
- Single vs annual: a single-trip policy covers one journey; an annual multi-trip policy covers all trips in a year and usually works out cheaper from two or three trips upwards.
- GHIC is not enough: a GHIC only helps with state healthcare in the EU — it does not cover repatriation, cancellation or private treatment, so insurance is still needed.
- Declare your health: existing medical conditions must be declared honestly, or a related claim can be refused.
What drives a travel insurance premium
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Age of travellers | Premiums rise with age, particularly past retirement, reflecting medical risk |
| Destination & region | Europe is cheapest; worldwide costs more, and worldwide including the USA, Canada and Caribbean is the most expensive due to high medical costs |
| Trip length | Longer trips cost more; most policies cap a single trip (often around 31 days) unless extended |
| Medical conditions | Declared conditions can raise the price or need a specialist insurer, but allow a valid claim |
| Cover level & excess | Higher medical, cancellation and baggage limits cost more; a higher excess lowers the premium |
| Add-ons | Winter sports, cruise cover and gadget or business cover are usually extra |
Indicative drivers for orientation only — your actual premium is set by the insurer’s underwriting. Not a quote.
What our travel insurance section covers
We are building plain-English, data-led guides across the questions UK travellers actually ask, including:
- Emergency medical treatment and hospital costs abroad
- Repatriation — the cost of getting you home safely if you are seriously ill or injured
- Cancellation and cutting a trip short for covered reasons
- Lost, stolen or delayed baggage and personal belongings
- Single-trip versus annual multi-trip: which works out cheaper
- Europe, worldwide and worldwide-including-USA cover regions
- Declaring pre-existing medical conditions correctly
- Winter sports, cruise and other common add-ons
A GHIC (the successor to the EHIC) gives access to state-provided healthcare in the EU at the same cost as a local resident, but it is not travel insurance: it does not cover repatriation, private treatment, cancellation or lost baggage, and it offers nothing outside the EU. Travel insurance and a GHIC are designed to work together, not as alternatives.
New guides appear in this section as they publish. For an overview of how the cover lines compare, see the home page overview.
Travel insurance FAQs
Information only — not financial advice. My Insurance Expert is not an FCA-authorised intermediary and does not arrange or sell policies. Last updated: 2026-06-13