Family Travel Insurance: The Complete Guide
A family plan is a regular travel insurance plan with everyone on it, and the rules that matter are the ones about children: who rides free, what happens when a child gets sick, and how to put a grandparent on the same policy. This guide covers the plans that cover children free, the situations families actually cancel for, how to buy in five steps, and the questions parents ask most.
What family travel insurance is
There is no separate family product. You enter every traveler on one quote, with their ages, and every plan comes back priced for the group. Each person gets the same benefits: 100 percent of their share of the trip cost back for a covered cancellation, emergency medical care up to the plan’s limit, the flight to a proper hospital and home, and delay and baggage benefits. The differences between plans for a family are the medical and evacuation limits, and whether children are charged for.
Plans that cover children free
On these plans a child 17 and under travels on the policy at no charge, which often makes a plan with high limits cheaper for a family of four than a basic plan that charges for everyone. The limits are from the insurers’ plan pages.
| Plan | Children | Emergency medical | Evacuation | Cancel For Any Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector Deluxe | 17 and under free | $250,000 | $500,000 | Upgrade, 75% |
| Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector Platinum | 17 and under free | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 75% |
| Travelex Ultimate | One child 17 and under free per adult | $250,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 75%, up to $7,500 |
| Travel Guard Deluxe | One child 17 and under free per paying adult | $150,000 | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, about 50%; not on the comparison |
| Travel Guard Preferred | One child 17 and under free per paying adult | $50,000 | $500,000 | Upgrade, about 50%; not on the comparison |
| Allianz OneTrip Prime | Children free | $50,000 | $500,000 | Upgrade, 80%; not on the comparison |
| Seven Corners Trip Protection Choice | Check the quote | $500,000 primary | $1,000,000 | Upgrade, 75% |
The comparison prices all of these for your family in about a minute. Read the total price, not the per-adult price; that is where the free-children rule shows.
The situations families cancel for
A family trip has more people who can get sick, more people at home who can need you, and a school calendar. Here is how the policy treats each.
| What happens | Does a family plan cover it? |
|---|---|
| A child gets sick the week before the trip | Yes. Sickness or injury of any insured traveler, confirmed by a doctor in writing, is a covered cancellation reason on nearly every plan. If the child stays home with one parent and the rest go, trip interruption or cancellation pays that share. |
| A grandparent who is not travelling is hospitalized | Yes. Illness, injury or death of a family member is covered whether or not they are on the trip, and family is defined broadly on every plan. |
| A child breaks an arm at the resort | Yes. Emergency medical pays the clinic and the hospital up to the plan limit; the child has the same limit as the adults. |
| The school year is extended into the trip | On some plans only, and usually only for the child’s own school. Check the covered reasons list if the trip is booked close to the end of the school year. |
| A parent’s employer cancels approved leave | On the plans that list it. Not on all. |
| The kids’ bags are delayed | Yes. Baggage delay pays for clothes and essentials for every insured traveler after the plan’s waiting period. |
| You change your mind about the trip | No, unless you added Cancel For Any Reason within the purchase window. |
The first row is the one we hear about most, and it is the one that paid for our own family. When my son came down with the flu a few days before a Christmas trip, the policy paid back the flights and the lodging in full, because a doctor had examined him and put it in writing. That last part is the whole rule.
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See plans & pricesAbout 60 seconds. Nothing to sign up for.How to buy family travel insurance in five steps
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Put everyone on one quote | Enter every traveler’s age and the total non-refundable trip cost. Every plan comes back priced for the whole family, and the plans that carry children free show it in the price. |
| 2. Set the two limits | Medical at $100,000 or more for a trip abroad ($250,000 for a cruise), evacuation at $250,000 or more. Children get the same limits as adults. |
| 3. Check the kids rule | Free children can make a plan with higher limits cheaper than a basic plan that charges for each child. Compare the total, not the per-person price. |
| 4. Buy within 14 days of the deposit | That adds the pre-existing condition waiver for every traveler, including a grandparent, and the option of Cancel For Any Reason. |
| 5. Add later payments as you make them | The flights booked in March, the excursions in June: add each one and the cancellation benefit grows with the trip. |
The two limits, for a family
Emergency medical: $100,000 or more for a trip outside the United States, and $250,000 or more for a cruise or a remote trip. A child in a foreign hospital costs what an adult does. Evacuation: $250,000 or more, $500,000 for a cruise. The travel medical guide and the evacuation guide explain both numbers.
What the plans say
Every plan on the comparison covers all the travelers on one policy and gives children the same medical and evacuation limits as adults. Children 17 and under are free on Travel Insured Deluxe and Platinum, one per adult on Travelex Ultimate and Travel Guard, and free on Allianz OneTrip Prime and Premier; most other plans price each child; the quote shows it. Sickness or injury of any insured traveler or family member, confirmed by a doctor, is a covered cancellation reason on nearly every plan. 53 of the 54 plans offer the pre-existing condition waiver when you buy within 14 days of your first trip payment, and it applies to every traveler on the policy.
Questions people also ask
Can I insure the whole family on one policy?
Yes. Every plan on the comparison covers all the travelers you enter on one policy, priced by age. There is no separate family product; a family plan is a regular plan with everyone on it, and on some plans the children ride free.
Which travel insurance plans cover children for free?
Travel Insured’s Worldwide Trip Protector Deluxe and Platinum cover children 17 and under free. Travelex Ultimate and Travel Guard’s plans cover one child 17 and under free per adult. Allianz OneTrip Prime and Premier cover children free. The rest price each child, usually at a low rate.
Does travel insurance cover cancelling because my child is sick?
Yes, on nearly every plan we compare, as long as a doctor examines the child and says in writing that they cannot travel. It also covers cancelling for the illness of a family member who is not travelling, such as a grandparent.
Do grandparents travelling with us need their own plan?
No. They go on the same policy, priced at their age, with the same limits as everyone else. The one thing to do for them is buy within 14 days of the deposit so the pre-existing condition waiver applies. The senior travel insurance guide covers the rest.
Does family travel insurance cover pregnancy?
Complications of pregnancy are usually treated as a sickness and covered for cancellation and medical care. A normal pregnancy or a routine delivery is not covered, and a few plans set a cut-off in the pregnancy after which they will not cover related claims; the policy document says which.
How much does family travel insurance cost?
The same 4 to 8 percent of the trip cost as any package plan, and less per person when the plan carries children free. A $8,000 trip for two adults and two children on a plan with free children is priced as if for two adults.
Related: trip cancellation guide · travel insurance for seniors · cruise travel insurance guide · Do I have to insure the full cost of my trip?
Plan facts on this page (children-free rules, medical and evacuation limits, Cancel For Any Reason terms, waiver windows) were checked against the insurers’ plan pages and the policy documents for the 54 plans on the CoverTrip comparison on 12 and 13 September 2026.
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Damian TysdalDamian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip and a licensed travel insurance agent since 2006. He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006. About CoverTrip.