Did You Know: Get discounts on future travels. Bookmark our guide to AARP travel discounts for seniors, which features a variety of deals on hotels, cruises, and car rentals.
The Senior List is compensated when you click on the provider links listed on this page. This compensation does not impact our ratings or reviews. Click here to learn more about our editorial review process and click here to learn more about how we are compensated.
Whether you’re planning a domestic or international trip, accidents and unexpected financial losses can happen. This is why it’s important to have travel insurance.
To help you find the best options, we looked into travel insurance companies that offer emergency medical, baggage loss, trip delay, and other coverage benefits for travelers, including those with preexisting health conditions.
Did You Know: Get discounts on future travels. Bookmark our guide to AARP travel discounts for seniors, which features a variety of deals on hotels, cruises, and car rentals.
When evaluating the best travel insurance providers for seniors, we looked for the following:
| Provider | Age limit | Prices | Coverage | Pre-existing condition coverage | COVID-19 coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz | 99 | Excellent | Excellent | Yes | Yes |
| John Hancock | 69 | Good | Excellent | Yes | Yes |
| Travel Guard | None | Excellent | Excellent | Yes | Yes |
| Nationwide | 70 | Good | Good | Yes | Yes |
| World Nomads | 70 | Excellent | Excellent | On some plans | Yes |
Allianz is one of the leading travel insurance providers; it’s been around since 1890. With outstanding customer service and a variety of both single-trip and multi-trip travel insurance plans, Allianz Travel is a great option for seniors who are planning an upcoming trip to a remote destination and need affordable coverage.
If you’re a 65-year-old planning a solo month-long trip to Barbados on an estimated trip budget of $15,000, then we’d recommend the basic OneTrip Premier plan. This plan covers travel delay, baggage loss/damage, emergency medical costs, and other types of supplementary coverage valued at up to $1 million. This plan starts at $1,525 and can give you added peace of mind. As a plus, it already includes epidemic coverage, which will cover you for certain losses related to COVID-19.
With this plan, you can also add supplementary coverage, such as the rental car damage protector benefit, which protects your rental car with collision and loss damage coverage for $11 per day. If you have an off-roading excursion and end up in a minor car accident, this benefit will cover you. The OneTrip Premier plan is also perfect for seniors who may have preexisting health conditions. For example, if you need to cancel your trip due to a preexisting health condition, this plan would be able to cover it.
Obtaining a quote was very easy; I was able to get an instant online quote with side-by-side plan options ranging from OneTrip Premier and OneTrip Prime, which was slightly less expensive. I simply entered my travel destination, the days I would be traveling, and my estimated budget, and I was given two plan options that might be right for my travel needs.
In addition to life insurance, John Hancock also offers affordably priced travel insurance plans for seniors. One of the standout features of this insurance provider is that they offer a CFAR benefit, which might be a good option for seniors who may need to cancel a trip due to medical concerns.
Each plan also features 24/7 assistance, trip cancellation, airline ticket change fee, terror attack coverage, emergency accident and sickness medical, and other add-on benefits that you can add to an existing Bronze, Silver, or Gold plan. I’d recommend the Silver plan, which offers better value and benefits to protect your trip and cover any emergency medical expenses. With a budget of $10,000, I was given three plan options starting at $765. The Silver plan was just a few dollars more at $791, with the option of adding the CFAR benefit for a 50 percent premium increase.
Still, the overall price is still budget-friendly, and I was pleased with the high coverage amounts for the primary medical accident and sickness medical expense benefits, with a maximum amount of $100,000. Plus, in the event that I need to be airlifted or evacuated if something went awry on my trip, I’d have up to $500,000 in coverage for the emergency medical evacuation benefit. Additionally, obtaining a free online quote was simple and fast. All I had to do was input my trip destination, the number of travelers, and my budget, and I was given three affordable plans to choose from. I appreciated the fact that John Hancock separates plans based on tier, rather than bombarding travelers with a bunch of plans.
Travel Guard by AIG offers comprehensive travel insurance plans for brief or prolonged trips for multiple travelers. Some of their standout features include the wide range of optional coverage benefits, such as the lodging expense benefit, which covers up to $500 per person in lodging expenses, and the preexisting medical condition waiver, which gives seniors with preexisting medical conditions the opportunity to be covered for certain medical issues. In general, AIG is great for those who are looking into annual travel insurance coverage with larger coverage amounts.
If you make frequent trips throughout the year, then you’ll want to take advantage of the Travel Guard Annual Plan to get the most value and protection. This annual plan offers year-round coverage and gives you coverage for a number of concerns. These include standard coverage benefits for trip delay, trip interruption, baggage losses, and other items. Similar to other providers, Travel Guard’s Annual Plan offers security evacuation with coverage amounts of up to $100,000 if you’re concerned that you may need to be evacuated due to a security threat or natural disaster during the trip.
In terms of online quotes, I was able to get an instant Annual Plan quote. All I had to do was enter my state of residence, my trip start date, and the number of travelers. Compared to other providers, I was surprised at how affordable the rate for this annual plan was. When I entered my information, I was given the option of the Travel Guard Annual Travel Plan starting at $518, based on my unique answers. Purchasing a policy can be done online, or you can speak to a representative over the phone. You simply need to be a U.S. resident at the time of purchase, as well as when you begin your trip, and purchase the policy no later than 24 hours prior to departing.
Nationwide is one of the few travel insurance providers that offer a specialized cruise insurance plan. This might be of interest if you’re a senior who enjoys luxury cruises and wants protection and peace of mind while traveling. Along with comprehensive coverage for both single-trip and annual-trip plans, Nationwide offers flexible and affordable plans that might work for you.
If you do decide to get cruise insurance through Nationwide, you’ll have the option of choosing from three plans: Universal Cruise, Choice Cruise, and Luxury Cruise. I’d recommend considering the Choice Cruise plan if you’re a senior who wants a higher level of coverage for a better value. This plan might be helpful for you if you’re concerned about financial losses due to itinerary changes or a medical illness. Fortunately, the Choice Cruise plan provides emergency medical evacuation coverage of up to $100,000. If things happen and you need to cancel for any reason, then that benefit can be added on at an additional cost, pending eligibility.
I was able to get a quote in less than five minutes online. First, Nationwide asked me whether I was looking to travel by cruise or planning to take a short or extended trip throughout the year. I chose the cruise option and specified the cruise line I aimed to take. From there, I entered my destination, dates of travel, total trip cost, and initial and final trip payment dates. I was then presented with two options: a Choice Cruise plan for $1,071 and a Luxury Cruise plan for $1,316. I appreciated the fact that Nationwide has streamlined their quote process.
Pro Tip: Planning a cruise? Then check out our guide to the best cruise lines for seniors.
World Nomads offers the best travel insurance for frequent travelers and seniors who may enjoy high-risk activities such as surfing or snowboarding. World Nomads was established in 2002 and provides flexible travel insurance, safety advice, and travel trips. Overall, travel insurance through World Nomads is great for anyone who is looking for coverage for adventure sports and activities, as this provider covers more than 200 air, water, and snow activities.
For the most affordable rates, I’d recommend choosing the Standard plan, which will vary in price depending on your age, destination, and other criteria. With this plan, you get the special adventure sports and activities benefits coverage while traveling overseas or 100 miles away from your home. This plan also includes high coverage benefits for emergency evacuation, repatriation of remains, and other aspects important to traveling. The only downsides to this plan are that preexisting health conditions are not covered and that trip cancellation coverage is capped at $2,500. If you were to choose the second-tier plan, the Explorer plan, it would cover you for up to $10,000.
Getting a quote was easy. I entered travel details, such as my destination, dates of my upcoming trip, the number of travelers, ages, and my residence. I was given two plan options: the Standard plan at $243.52 and the Explorer plan at $426.92, with a comprehensive breakdown of coverage for both. Overall, I was pleased with the side-by-side comparison and was able to see that both plans offered emergency accident and sickness medical expense coverage of up to $100,000.
When it comes to choosing the best travel insurance, it’s important to look into whether emergency medical expenses are covered, whether preexisting conditions are considered, and how high the coverage amounts will be. You might also want to look at your budget and figure out how frequently you plan to travel.
If you’re hoping to do a quick trip, then it might not make sense to buy an annual travel insurance plan. If you’re hoping to save money and find an affordable travel insurance policy that covers the bare minimum, such as travel delay and trip cancellation, you can focus your attention on single-trip plans.
Medigap is supplemental insurance that offers additional coverage for the “gaps” in Original Medicare. If you’re traveling abroad, you might want to review your Medigap policy to see if you can receive certain coverage for emergency health care services outside of the U.S.
In general, standard Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency health care coverage when you’re traveling outside of the U.S. If you purchased previously available plans such as Medigap E, H, I, and J, keep in mind that they might also provide supplementary foreign travel emergency health care coverage outside the U.S.
If you have qualifying Medigap plans, they might pay 80 percent of the charges for medically necessary emergency care outside of the U.S.
Pro Tip: To learn more about Medicare Supplement Insurance, read our guide, What Is Medigap, in addition to our picks for this year’s Best Medigap.
Some credit cards may offer both travel rewards incentives in addition to travel insurance. For instance, some credit cards offer different types of travel insurance benefits, such as coverage for trip cancellation and rental car coverage, as well as reimbursement for lodging expenses. For example, a Capital One credit card offers benefits such as travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and an auto rental collision damage waiver.
If you lose your luggage during your travels, your Capital One credit card can cover up to $3,000 worth of lost or stolen luggage if you end up charging your carrier ticket with Capital One’s Visa Signature card. To find out what current benefits or additional coverage you can receive, contact your credit card company for more information.
Traveling can be a fun adventure, but having the right travel insurance and coverage can make it even more enjoyable and stress-free. If you’re planning a trip, it’s important to figure out your budget, itinerary, modes of transportation, and the types of coverage you need.
If you are over the age of 65 and have preexisting health conditions, you might want to get a travel insurance policy that offers coverage for individuals with preexisting health conditions. If you’re a frequent traveler concerned about possible medical emergencies or car collisions, then you might want to look into travel insurance where you can add this type of coverage.
If you’re over 75, you might want to look into purchasing a travel insurance plan through Allianz Travel. They have several affordable plans with high benefit limits whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally.
Yes, seniors can get travel insurance, but premiums may be higher as risk and liability increase.
Currently, AARP does not offer travel medical insurance
Most travel insurance providers have updated their guidelines and policies to include COVID-19 coverage. For instance, if you need to cancel your trip and quarantine as a result of a positive COVID-19 test, depending on the travel insurance policy you purchased from your provider, they might be able to cover cancellation costs. Check with your provider first.
The average cost of travel insurance varies, but in general, it can range from $150 to more than $2,000, depending on the type of coverage and plan you seek.
The cost for travel medical insurance varies from provider to provider. On average, it can cost about $100 to $200 for large coverage amounts, depending on the provider and plan you choose.
