Travel Insurance Estimator
Estimate travel insurance cost from trip price, duration, traveler age, and destination.
Returns basic, standard, and comprehensive plan ranges.
Travel insurance protects against financial losses from unexpected events before and during a trip — including trip cancellation, medical emergencies abroad, baggage loss, and travel delays. The cost of a policy depends on your age, trip cost, destination, and coverage level.
Standard pricing formula: Policy Premium = Trip Cost × Coverage Rate
Where Coverage Rate typically ranges from 4% to 12% of total prepaid, non-refundable trip costs.
Medical evacuation benchmark: Evacuation Cost (uninsured) = $50,000–$250,000 depending on destination and condition. Insurance typically provides $250,000–$1,000,000 in evacuation coverage for a $200–$500 premium.
What each variable means:
- Trip Cost — total prepaid, non-refundable expenses: flights, hotels, tours, cruise fare.
- Coverage Rate — the percentage premium relative to trip cost. Factors: traveler age, destination risk, policy type (basic vs. CFAR).
- Age loading — premiums increase significantly for travelers 60+, as medical claims are statistically more frequent and expensive.
- CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason) — an upgrade that raises premiums by 40–60% but allows cancellation for any reason with 50–75% reimbursement.
Coverage types and typical cost ranges:
| Coverage Type | Typical Cost vs. Trip |
|---|---|
| Basic trip cancellation only | 1–3% |
| Comprehensive (cancel + medical) | 4–8% |
| CFAR upgrade added | 7–12% |
| Senior traveler (65+) comprehensive | 8–14% |
When travel insurance is most valuable:
- International travel (your domestic health insurance typically does not apply abroad)
- Cruises (missed port departures and medical evacuations at sea are extremely expensive)
- Adventure travel (skiing, hiking, scuba — many standard policies exclude these)
- Trips booked far in advance where illness or emergency is more likely over a longer window
Worked example: A couple, both age 58, books a 14-day European river cruise costing $12,000 total (non-refundable).
Basic policy rate at age 58: ~7% of trip cost Premium = $12,000 × 0.07 = $840 for the couple
Adding CFAR (+50% of base): $840 × 1.50 = $1,260 total
The cruise line’s own cancellation fee up to 90 days out: 25–100% of cruise cost = up to $12,000 at risk without insurance vs. $840–$1,260 with full coverage.