UK travel insurance, explained
It's the one thing people skimp on and shouldn't. The big risk abroad isn't a lost bag — it's a medical bill and the flight home, which run into tens of thousands. Here's what UK travellers actually need, and the small print that decides whether a claim pays out.
In short
Do UK travellers really need travel insurance?
Yes — it's not optional cover. A GHIC card gives you state healthcare in the EU but won't pay for repatriation, private treatment or a missed flight home, which is where bills reach tens of thousands of pounds. A single-trip policy from around £10–20 covers medical, cancellation and baggage. Declare any pre-existing conditions and check the activity list before you buy, or a claim can be refused.
The short version
- A GHIC (or older EHIC) is not travel insurance — it covers EU state healthcare only, not repatriation, private care or cancellation.
- Medical and repatriation cover is the part that matters: aim for at least £2m medical in Europe and £5m+ for the US and long-haul.
- Single-trip suits one holiday; annual multi-trip usually pays off from about three trips a year.
- Declare pre-existing conditions honestly — an undeclared condition is the most common reason a claim is refused.
- Buy when you book, not at the airport: cancellation cover only protects you for the gap between booking and travelling.
A GHIC is not travel insurance
The free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) — successor to the EHIC — entitles you to state-provided healthcare in the EU on the same terms as a local. That's genuinely useful and worth carrying. But it stops well short of insurance: it doesn't cover private hospitals, it doesn't work outside the EU, and crucially it won't pay to fly you home if you're too ill to travel on your booked flight. Medical repatriation from somewhere like Spain can cost tens of thousands of pounds, and from the US far more. The GHIC and a proper policy do different jobs — you want both.
What cover actually matters
Ignore the long feature list and look at three numbers first. Emergency medical and repatriation is the one that can bankrupt you — aim for at least £2 million in Europe and £5 million or more for the US and other long-haul destinations. Cancellation should comfortably cover what your trip cost (flights plus any non-refundable hotel). Baggage and personal belongings matters least and often duplicates your home contents cover, so don't pay extra for a high limit you'll never use. A policy that's strong on medical and weak on baggage is the right shape.
Single-trip or annual multi-trip?
A single-trip policy covers one holiday and is cheapest if you travel rarely. An annual multi-trip policy covers every trip in a year up to a per-trip day limit (commonly 31 days) and works out cheaper from roughly three trips a year. If you do a couple of European breaks plus a longer summer holiday, the annual policy usually wins — just check the per-trip limit covers your longest stay, and that it includes the regions you'll visit.
The traps that stop a claim paying out
Three things refuse more claims than anything else. First, undeclared pre-existing conditions: insurers ask about your medical history for a reason, and a condition you didn't mention can void a related claim entirely — declare everything, even if it nudges the price up. Second, the activity list: standard policies exclude winter sports, scuba diving, and often mopeds and scooters (a very common holiday injury), so add the relevant pack if you'll do any of them. Third, the excess: a cheap policy with a £250 excess per claim can be worse value than a slightly dearer one at £50 — check it before price alone decides.
How to buy well
Compare on cover, not just headline price. A comparison site is the quickest way to line up policies side by side; sort by the medical and repatriation limits, read the excess and the activity exclusions, and only then look at cost. Buy as soon as your trip is booked so the cancellation cover is live, declare your medical history accurately, and save the policy number and the insurer's 24-hour emergency line to your phone before you fly. For the destination-specific risks — what's covered, local healthcare, the official safety advice — each of our country guides links through to the current GOV.UK travel advice.
Ready to compare cover?
Line policies up side by side and sort by the medical and repatriation limits — the cover that actually matters — rather than price alone.
Compare travel insuranceHow we know this
- GOV.UK — foreign travel insurance — what a policy should cover
- NHS — GHIC / EHIC — what the card does and doesn’t cover
- MoneyHelper — travel insurance — impartial guidance on choosing cover