Europe Travel Insurance: What to Know
Travel insurance is an important financial protection for any trip to Europe.
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Europe is a popular travel destination for Americans — 20.2 million of us crossed the pond for business and leisure in 2023.1 When you add up airfare, accommodations, attractions, and tours, you could easily spend thousands of dollars on a European vacation.
Europe travel insurance can protect your financial investment in your trip. And, depending on where you’re going and how long you plan to stay, you might have to buy at least travel medical insurance to meet visa requirements.
What is Europe travel insurance?
Europe travel insurance is a type of insurance policy that covers certain emergency expenses while you’re traveling in the European Union. You can use it for financial protection whether you’re traveling on business, vacationing, or visiting family.
Travel insurance plans generally have three coverage components: emergency medical care; trip cancellation, interruption, or delay; and baggage benefits.2
What Europe travel insurance covers
A comprehensive travel insurance plan for a European trip typically covers unexpected events that could cause the cancellation or disruption of your trip. For example, if you break a leg the week before your planned hiking trip to the Alps, your Europe travel insurance would reimburse you for the prepaid, non-refundable costs of your trip.
Here’s what travel insurance commonly covers:
Trip cancellation: This coverage kicks in if a covered event forces you to cancel your trip before it starts.
Trip interruption: If a covered event forces you to end your trip early, this coverage would reimburse you.
Trip delay: If something goes awry that forces you to miss a flight or ground connection, trip delay can help pay for the unexpected costs of getting back on schedule.
Emergency medical: Since U.S. health plans don’t pay for care outside the country, this coverage can help pay for emergency medical services if you fall ill or get injured while traveling. Some policies also include 24/7 support.
Medical evacuation: If you need transportation to a medical facility for care, or if an injury or illness forces you to return home early, medical evacuation coverage assists with transportation costs.
Baggage loss or delay: Replacing essential items can be costly when your luggage is lost or delayed. This coverage reimburses you up to your policy limits for lost or delayed bags.
What Europe travel insurance won’t cover
Just like other types of insurance, travel insurance has certain exclusions — things that it won’t pay for. A Europe travel insurance policy generally won’t cover:
Optional coverages for Europe travel insurance
Some travel insurance companies offer optional coverages that you can add to your standard policy for an additional cost. These insurance riders can help you fill coverage gaps like the pre-existing conditions exclusion. Here are some common travel insurance add-ons to consider for your Europe trip:
Cancel for any reason
The trip cancellation coverage portion of your Europe travel insurance plan will specify the reasons you can cancel and get 100% reimbursed. For all other reasons your policy doesn’t name, you can buy cancel-for-any-reason insurance. This coverage doesn’t reimburse you for 100% of your loss.
Pre-existing medical condition waiver
If you qualify for this waiver, your upgraded insurance policy will cover certain medical conditions that you may have had prior to traveling. You’ll need to meet requirements to get a pre-existing medical condition waiver, though, such as buying your policy no more than 14 or 15 days after making the initial payment on your trip.
Pet care benefit
Traveling with your pet in Europe can be a special experience for you both. This add-on protects your furry traveling companion if it gets sick or injured while on your trip. This coverage can also pay kenneling costs if an unexpected delay means you get home later than you planned.
Adventure activities
Most travel insurance policies won’t pay for injuries you incur while doing something high-risk, like skydiving or bungee jumping. But if adventurous fun is on your itinerary, this coverage can pay for any injuries you might sustain while engaging in a high-risk activity.
How much does Europe travel insurance cost?
Generally, travel insurance will cost around 4% to 8% of the total cost of your Europe trip.4 Of course, your actual cost for travel insurance could be more or less, based on a number of factors, including your age, your overall health, where you’re going, how long you’ll be there, and any add-on coverages you choose.
What’s the Schengen Area?
The Schengen Area is a coalition of 29 European countries that issue a special visa, known as the Schengen visa, to visitors from certain countries or people who visit the area for more than 90 days.
These countries don’t control their internal borders, so many visitors don’t need a visa to travel from one country to another — from Germany to Poland, for example. But people from certain countries will need one, and to get a Schengen visa, they must buy travel medical insurance.
As a citizen of the United States, you won’t need a Schengen visa to travel in Europe unless you plan to stay longer than 90 days.5 And in that case, Schengen visa rules require you to buy medical insurance while you travel in the area.
Europe travel insurance FAQs
Traveling to Europe can be exciting, and buying travel insurance before you go may give you peace of mind that your investment is protected. Here are some additional things to know about Europe travel insurance.
Why do you need travel insurance in countries with universal healthcare?
Countries that have universal healthcare make it available to citizens of that country, and sometimes to permanent residents. It doesn’t cover visitors. If you need medical care while traveling in a country with universal healthcare, you’ll be responsible for any bills — unless you have a travel medical insurance policy.
Does American health insurance work in Europe?
Even if you have excellent health insurance in the United States, it won’t pay for medical care outside the country. U.S. health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, doesn’t apply in Europe or elsewhere in the world.
Do you need travel insurance for a Schengen visa?
As a U.S. citizen, you won’t need a Schengen visa to travel to Europe — unless you plan to stay longer than 90 days. For longer trips, you’ll need a Schengen visa, even if you’re from the United States. And you’ll need to buy travel medical insurance in order to get a Schengen visa. But even if you’re not required to buy it, travel insurance is a good idea to protect your financial investment in your trip.
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