Family Travel Insurance

What is family travel insurance?

Family travel insurance just refers to a travel insurance policy that covers multiple people with kids. Typically this will be parents and children, but if you have a policy that covers a few adults plus a couple of kids, you might also consider it a family policy.

Family travel insurance policies are actually great, for a few reasons:

• The same cover as individual plans: This includes delays and cancellations, medical emergencies, loss, damage or theft of belongings and more.
• Free cover for children: Most insurers will cover dependant children for free, sometimes up to the age of 25. They'll normally need to live with you.
• All-in-one policy: For claims, you have one central contact point rather than having to rifle through loads of paperwork to find the insurance details for the affected family member.
• Cheaper cover for the adults: Travel insurance for multiple people (eg couples) tends to be cheaper than 2 individual policies, which is nice!

Our expert says

"Taking out a single travel insurance policy for the entire family is usually a cheaper and more convenient option. The only thing you need to consider is benefit limits. If you're worried it's not enough, look at insurers such as Cover-More and SCTI. They often let you choose your limits."

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

What's covered by family travel insurance?

Family travel insurance plans offer the same sort of cover and benefits as standard travel insurance plans. The difference is that the protection and benefits apply to the whole family rather than just to a single person. It can cover

• Medical expenses
• Emergency dental care
• Luggage and personal belongingsPersonal liability (e.g legal cover if you injure someone)
• Accidental death or disability
• Excess on a rental vehicle
• Delays and cancellations
• Family emergency (e.g if family member becomes seriously ill and you need to fly home)

Downsides of family health insurance

Honestly, there aren't really any downsides of getting a family travel insurance policy. They're cheaper and easier than individual policies, which is a rare combination. If we're being super critical, here's are some of the only things to think about:

• Credit card travel insurance: If you have a credit card that offers free travel insurance, it might be enough to cover you. However, it may not cover your entire family and it may not be very comprehensive, so it's important to make sure it's enough.
• Pre-existing conditions: You'll need to declare any pre-existing conditions for your entire traveling party when you take out your travel insurance. Most pre-existing conditions are quick and easy to cover, but it's really important to make sure they're all included, so you don't risk any exclusions when you claim.
• Travelling without any insurance: Don't do it. Especially with kiddos in tow, it's not worth it. Travel insurance isn't that expensive when you consider the potential impact of a big medical bill, or a bad flight delay.

Which insurers let you take dependants for free?

Most insurers will let your dependants go free. The following table shows which brands will cover your dependants for free, how many dependants they will allow and what their definition of a dependant is.

Brand	Maximum Age To Qualify	Conditions
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	18	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, not in full-time employment and travelling with policy holder for 100% of the journey.
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren where the policy holder is the legal guardian. The dependent, must be listed on the policy, not in full-time employment and travelling with policy holder for 100% of the trip itinerary.
	18	Insure4less doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 18 years at no additional cost. Your quote may vary, so you should generate a quote to find an estimated cost.
	18	Travel Insuranz doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 18 years at no additional cost. Your quote may vary, so you should generate a quote to find an estimated cost.
	17	Will cover children or grandchildren (including fostered or adopted children) who are financially dependent on policy holder.
	17	Will cover children or grandchildren (including fostered or adopted children) who are financially dependent on policy holder.
	25	Will cover children, stepchildren, foster children or grandchildren that are listed on policy, financially dependent on policy holder, not in full-time employment and travelling with policy holder for the entire trip.
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	20	Will cover children, stepchildren, foster children, and grandchildren who are unmarried, listed on the policy, financially dependent on policy holder and not in full-time employment.
	24	Will cover children, stepchildren, foster children, and grandchildren where the policy holder is the legal guardian. Dependents should be travelling with the policy holder on the same itinerary for the entire trip, must be listed on policy and working less than 30 hours per week.
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	24	Will cover children, stepchildren, foster children, and grandchildren where the policy holder is the legal guardian. Dependents should be travelling with the policy holder on the same itinerary for the entire trip, must be listed on policy and working less than 30 hours per week.
	17	Stella doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 17 years at a small additional cost - in our example quotes the extra cost was about $2 for the policy. Your quote may vary, so you should generate a quote to find an estimated cost.
	20	Will cover children, stepchildren, foster children, and grandchildren where the policy holder is the legal guardian. Dependents should be travelling with the policy holder on the same itinerary for the entire trip, must be listed on policy and working less than 30 hours per week.
	17	Travel Protect doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 17 years at a small additional cost - in our example quotes the extra cost was about $2 for the policy. Your quote may vary, so you should generate a quote to find an estimated cost.
	17	Wise and Silent doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 17 years at a small additional cost - in our example quotes the extra cost was about $2 for the policy. Your quote may vary, so you should generate a quote to find an estimated cost.
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	N/A	Only includes any accompanying infants under two years of age.
	20	Will cover children or grandchildren who are listed on policy, financially dependent on the policy holder, and not in full-time employment
	N/A	AllClear doesn't list many details of dependent coverage in the PDS, but we ran several quotes that covered people aged up to 17 years. We couldn't find any obvious discounts for dependents.

Note: This information was last updated December 2024

What levels of family travel insurance can you choose?

Basic family travel insurance

You can't rely on Medicare in most foreign countries, so you'll need a back-up plan. That's pretty much what basic travel insurance policy is – your medical insurance for overseas visits. Most policies will offer unlimited emergency medical assistance and unlimited emergency medical and hospital expenses for every family member listed on your policy. You may also get some money towards emergency dental expenses as well as some personal liability insurance, which will cover you if you damage something or injure someone.

A basic policy will not usually cover you for anything else. So if an airline loses your luggage, a cyclone at your destination causes you to cancel your trip or a thief makes off with your wallet, credit cards and passport, you'll be out of luck.

Comprehensive family travel insurance

A comprehensive policy will include the same (or better) medical cover as a basic policy, but it also covers you for a much wider range of situations including:

• Trip cancellation. This will pay you back if you have to cancel your trip because of something unexpected and you're unable to get a refund on tickets and other bookings.
• Lost, stolen or damaged property. This helps out if your personal belongings, including luggage, personal documents (like your passport), credit cards and even money are lost, stolen or damaged.
• Travel and luggage delay. This pays you back for unexpected expenses related to a delayed flight or luggage that gets to you late.
• Rental car excess. This helps you pay the often-expensive rental car excess that you're responsible for under most rental car insurance policies.
• Disability, death and loss of income. This covers you for expenses back home if an injury overseas disables you or keeps you from working (or pays your family if you die).

Each insurer treats these a little differently and may offer a few additional forms of cover, so check with a few to see what they offer and what the benefit limits are.

Common questions about family travel insurance

• Does family travel insurance cover COVID?

  Yes. Most comprehensive travel insurance policies cover COVID-related expenses now including medical and trip cancellation or rearrangement costs.

• Can I get travel insurance for a large family?

  Yes. Many travel insurers have no limit on how many people can be on a single policy.

• Can I get cover for infants?

  Yes. Most insurers do not impose a minimum age limit on the people that can be covered on your policy, but it's a good idea to check with insurer first to confirm this.

• Can you include your grandchild on a family travel insurance policy?

  Yes. You can add your grandchildren to your policy, usually for free.

• Does family travel insurance cover me for snow sports?

  While travel insurance often does not always automatically cover snow sport activities, policies will allow you to add them as extras for your family the same way as individual cover.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 622 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
• Managing the cost of living

Co-written by

Jessica Prasida

Travel Insurance Expert

Jessica Prasida brings a decade of experience in the travel industry, including over four years as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel. She holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Marketing from the University of Technology, Sydney, as well as a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification that complies with ASIC guidelines. An avid traveller herself, Jessica combines her professional expertise with a passion for ensuring safe and enjoyable journeys for all travellers. Jessica was a Travel Insurance Publisher at Finder from 2019 to 2024. See full bio