How to
Travel Insurance: Do You Need It, and What to Get
Travel insurance is cheap until you need it, then priceless. How to decide if you need cover, what it should include, and how to compare plans.
Published February 7, 2026 · AI-assisted editorial
Travel insurance is one of those purchases you resent until the day you are very glad you made it. A cancelled trip, a hospital visit abroad, or a stolen bag can cost more than the holiday itself — and that is exactly what cover is for.
Do you actually need it?
Run your trip through a simple test: if a 4,000 dollar cancellation or a 20,000 dollar emergency-room bill abroad would genuinely hurt, you need insurance. International trips with non-refundable bookings or any medical exposure almost always justify it; a short domestic hop with full-cancel hotels and existing health cover may not.
What good cover includes
- Emergency medical and evacuation — the big one for international travel.
- Trip cancellation and interruption — for the non-refundable parts.
- Baggage and delay — useful, rarely the deciding factor.
How to compare
SafetyWing offers subscription-style cover that suits long trips and nomads — pay monthly, cancel anytime. Ekta provides flexible single-trip policies with solid medical limits. Compare the medical limit, the deductible, and the activities covered — not just the headline price. You can weigh the options on our insurance hub.
Buy it early
Cancellation cover only protects what happens after you buy, so purchase soon after booking the trip — not the week before you fly.
What we are watching
Travelers are buying cover more deliberately as medical costs abroad rise and trips get more expensive to cancel. Flexible, subscription-style policies are making it easier for frequent and long-term travelers to stay covered year-round.