Annual travel insurance

To get an accurate annual travel insurance quote, you’ll need to provide a few key details about yourself and your travel plans. Having this information ready helps ensure your quote is both accurate and valid.

Personal details

• Age and date of birth: One of the biggest factors affecting price and eligibility

• Number of travellers: Whether it’s an individual, couple or family policy

• UK residency status: Most insurers require you to be a UK resident

Travel plans

Where you plan to travel, such as:

• UK only

• Europe

• Worldwide (excluding USA/Canada/Caribbean/Mexico)

• Worldwide (including these regions)

Trip frequency: How often you expect to travel over the year

Typical trip length: To ensure it fits within the policy’s per-trip limit (e.g. 31 days)

Medical information

• Pre-existing medical conditions: Any conditions you’ve had, even if well controlled

• Medications or recent treatment: You may be asked follow-up questions during screening

• Changes in health: Some insurers may ask about recent diagnoses or pending tests

Lifestyle & optional cover

• Planned activities: Such as winter sports, cruises or adventure activities

• Valuable items: Gadgets or high-value belongings you may want to insure

• Excess level: The amount you’re willing to pay towards a claim

Your annual travel insurance starts on the date you choose when buying the policy – this is when your 12-month cover period begins. You can choose:

• Immediate start: Your cover begins as soon as you buy the policy

• Future start date: You can choose a later date (e.g. just before your first planned trip)

Remember, cancellation cover usually starts from the policy start date, not your travel date. This means if you buy cover early (ideally ASAB – as soon as you book), you’re protected if you need to cancel before you travel. If you delay buying insurance, you won’t be covered for any cancellations that happen before your policy begins.

You can book trips before or after your policy starts. For annual policies, any trips taken within the 12-month period are covered, as long as they meet the per-trip duration limit (typically around 31 days).

Which activities are included in your annual travel policy will depend on your provider. You will usually need to add-on extra cover or take out a sports travel insurance policy if you plan to do any higher-risk activities such as:

• Cruising

• Skiing, snowboarding or other winter sports

• Scuba diving

• Hikingat high altitude or using specialist equipment

• Rock climbing

• Quad biking

Annual travel insurance can cover a range of travellers, from individuals to families or groups, but eligibility depends on age, residency, and the type of policy you choose. You can pick from:

• Individual policies: Cover a single traveller, usually from age 18 upwards (some insurers offer policies for younger adults).

• Couple or joint policies: Cover two adults living at the same address – ideal if you and your partner travel regularly.

• Family policies: Include parents and dependent children living at the same address, often up to a set age (e.g. 18 or 21 if in full-time education).

• Group policies: Designed for more than two travellers who frequently travel together; usually need to book and travel at the same time.

There are usually a few eligibility requirements, including:

• Age limits: Many insurers set upper age limits, often around 75–80, though some specialist providers cover older travellers.

• Residency: Most annual policies require all travellers to be UK residents.

• Health declarations: Any pre-existing medical conditions must be declared to ensure cover is valid.

The excess on your annual travel policy is the amount you volunteer to pay for each claim you make. Usually the higher the excess, the cheaper your premium price, but you need to make sure you can pay the excess amount in the event of any claims.

Yes – having a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or the older European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not replace travel insurance.

While a GHIC/EHIC can cover you for necessary state healthcare if you have a medical emergency in the EU, it has important limitations:

• Private medical treatment: GHIC/EHIC generally doesn’t cover private hospitals or clinics

• Medical repatriation: It won’t pay to bring you back to the UK if you need ongoing care

• Other travel risks: Cancellation, lost baggage, personal liability, and other common travel mishaps aren’t covered

Essentially, even with a GHIC or EHIC, full travel insurance – whether annual multi-trip or single-trip – is essential to protect your health, finances, and peace of mind while travelling.

Whether annual travel insurance policies auto-renew depends on the provider. Some annual travel insurance policies do auto-renew, meaning your cover will automatically continue for another 12 months and your payment method will be charged. Others expire at the end of the policy period and require you to manually renew.

You should check if your policy renews automatically or needs manual renewal. Auto-renewed policies may be more expensive, so compare prices before letting it renew automatically.

To make a claim on your travel insurance, you need to report incidents to your insurer as soon as possible. If something is stolen, report it to the local police within 24 hours and get a report. Keep records of what has happened, including photos or videos and the contact details of anyone involved.

Read our guide to making a successful travel insurance claim.

Travel insurance is closely linked to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice. If the FCDO advises against travel to a country, your policy may not cover any trips to that destination.

However, if you already have a trip booked to that destination before the FCDO advises against travel, check your policy to see if you are covered as policies vary.

If you take two or more trips a year, annual travel insurance can often be cheaper than buying separate single-trip policies. It also saves you the hassle of arranging cover every time you travel.

However, if you only go away once a year, or you're taking one long holiday, a single-trip policy may be better value.

Before buying, compare the cost of both options and check the cover limits, including the maximum trip length, destination restrictions and any exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions or activities such as winter sports.

The maximum trip length depends on your insurer and policy. Many annual travel insurance policies cover trips of up to 31 days, although some can extend this to 45 or 60 days for an extra cost.

If you're planning a longer holiday, check your policy carefully. Some insurers let you pay extra to extend the maximum trip length, while others may require you to buy a separate single-trip policy.

Travelling for longer than your policy allows could leave you without cover if you need to make a claim.

Choose a destination area that covers everywhere you plan to travel over the next 12 months. Most insurers offer Europe and worldwide policies, with some worldwide policies excluding the USA, Canada and the Caribbean because medical costs there are much higher.

If you're only planning European holidays, European cover is usually the cheapest option. If you may travel further afield, a worldwide policy could save you having to upgrade later. Always check that every country you plan to visit is included before you travel.