Our passion for travel doesn’t diminish with age. In fact, seniors currently represent the largest travel demographic and spend more on trips than any other age group, with many using their retirement to explore the world and create new memories.
While traveling later in life does come with added risk, both health-related and financially, there are ways for seniors to protect themselves financially if their trips take a turn for the worse. Travel insurance for seniors offers a range of benefits, including coverage for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost belongings.
Squaremouth analyzed data from thousands of senior travelers to uncover the most popular travel insurance providers and plans in 2024.
Best Senior Travel Insurance in 2024
- Best Overall Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Most Affordable Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Best Medical Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Best Cruise Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Best Travel Insurance for Seniors with Pre Existing Conditions
When it comes to travel insurance, seniors have plenty of options to choose from. Squaremouth reveals the most popular providers among older travelers.
- Best Overall Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Trawick International
- Consistently among the most popular providers on Squaremouth
- More than 10 policies to choose from
- Offer both Single Trip and Annual policies
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Senior travelers love Trawick International because their plans offer comprehensive coverage at competitive prices. Trawick’s medical plans include some of the more generous coverage limits, with some plans also providing coverage for Pre-Existing conditions. In addition, Trawick has a stellar reputation in the industry thanks to their customer service and efficient claims process.
- Generali Global Assistance
- Offer three comprehensive policies with varying degrees of coverage
- All policies offer at least $50,000 in Emergency Medical coverage
- Generous delay and baggage coverage
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Generali Global Assistance offers seniors three travel insurance options that were built to meet their diverse needs. Their Standard, Preferred and Premium plans all include coverage for common travel concerns. Generali’s plans include generous delay coverage, with travelers only having to be delayed three hours before coverage kicks in.
- Seven Corners
- Named ‘Best Value for Robust Coverage’ by Forbes
- Offers up to $1,000,000 in Emergency Medical coverage
- All plans receive at least an AM Best's Rating of A
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Seven Corners is popular among seniors travelers because they offer a wide-range of plans at budget-friendly price points. Seven Corners customers have the choice between comprehensive policies and plans that just include medical benefits. Travelers can also enhance certain plans with the Cancel For Any Reason upgrade and Pre-Existing Condition coverage.
- Most Affordable Travel Insurance for Seniors
- GeoBlue
- Average premium: $218
- Very generous “Money Back Guarantee” policy
- Limited baggage and Trip Interruption coverage
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GeoBlue is known for offering strong medical policies at very affordable prices. GeoBlue offers four travel medical policies on Squaremouth, consisting of two Single Trip policies, called Voyager, and two Annual policies, known as Trekker. Each plan comes with at least $50,000 in Emergency Medical coverage and at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage.
- Travel Insured International
- Average premium: $266
- Most affordable comprehensive policies for seniors
- Pre-Existing Condition coverage available with each plan
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Travel Insured offers seniors three strong comprehensive policies to choose from. Their most popular plan, Worldwide Trip Protector, includes $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage and $1,000,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage, which meets Squaremouth’s recommendations for older travelers. In addition, each plan comes with generous delay and luggage protection.
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
- Average premium: $291
- Known for their comprehensive and cruise specific policies
- All five plans hold an A+ rating from AM Best
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Nationwide’s travel insurance offerings are unique to the market. In addition to two comprehensive policies, dubbed Essential and Prime, they also offer three policies built specifically for cruisers. Their cost effective policies include coverage for common travel concerns, including medical emergencies, delays, and lost luggage.
- Best Medical Travel Insurance for Seniors
- Trawick International
- Policies with up to $250,000 in Emergency Medical coverage
- Up to $2,000,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage
- Pre-Existing Condition coverage available
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In addition to being a popular provider among seniors, Trawick is also known for their well-rounded medical policies. In fact, the provider offers some of the highest Medical Evacuation coverage found on Squaremouth. Senior travelers looking for a strong travel medical policy should consider Trawick’s Safe Travels First Class plan, as it offers extensive medical coverage along with protection for other common travel concerns.
- Generali Global Assistance
- Itinerary change benefits in case a travel supplier makes changes to your trip which force you to miss a prepaid activity or shore excursion
- Missed Connection coverage starts at up to $2,500 per person, taking effect after a 3 hour delay
- Financial Default and Employment Layoff are covered after a 14-day wait period
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Generali’s comprehensive travel insurance plans are some of the most popular for seniors on Squaremouth. While their Standard plan offers slightly less than ideal medical coverage for older travelers, both their Preferred and Premium policies offer plenty of financial protection in the event of medical emergencies. Each policy includes the Cancel for Medical Reasons benefit, providing protection for travelers that get sick or injured before departing for their trip.
- Seven Corners
- Offers cost-effective travel medical policies
- Plan with lowest coverage limits still offers adequate medical protection
- Pre-Existing Condition coverage available with most policies
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Seven Corners offers nine great policies on Squaremouth, most of which meet the minimum recommended coverage for seniors. One of their most popular plans, Trip Protection Basic, is a comprehensive policy with great medical benefits that are suitable for seniors traveling abroad. Those looking for additional coverage beyond what’s recommended should also consider their Trip Protection Elite plan, which offers up to $250,000 in Emergency Medical coverage.
- Best Cruise Insurance for Seniors
- Trawick International
- Multiple policies with $2,000,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage
- Coverage for off-shore excursions available
- Generous delay benefits for cruisers
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Trawick offers seniors cruisers multiple insurance options that provide great protection whether they’re on sea or land. Their Safe Travels First Class plan, for example, is a comprehensive policy that also meets Squaremouth’s recommendations for senior cruisers. In addition, it also includes coverage for delays and cancellations in the event issues arise leading up to the cruise.
- Seven Corners
- Optional Cancel For Any Reason and Interruption For Any Reason benefits
- Several plans with $1,000,000 Medical Evacuation coverage
- High coverage limits for Missed Connection, Delay, and Luggage benefits
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Seven Corners has cruise policies that will cover cruise cancellations, delays, and medical emergencies so you can leave shore safely. Seven Corners most popular policy on Squaremouth, Trip Protection Choice, is a great policy for senior cruisers as it offers incredibly generous medical protection with high evacuation coverage. Optional Cancel For Any Reason and Interruption For Any Reason benefits also give cruisers the option to cancel their cruise for an uncovered reason.
- Tin Leg
- Ranked ‘Best Value Travel Insurance Provider’ by USA Today
- Offer five plans that meet coverage recommendations for senior cruisers
- Policies received an AM Best's rating of A++
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Tin Leg designs their policies to meet the most common needs of travelers, including cruisers. All Tin Leg policies are comprehensive, and offer varying degrees of medical, delay, cancellation, and luggage coverage. Tin Leg’s popular Gold plan is a great option for senior cruisers, as it offers $500,000 in both Emergency Medical and Medical Evacuation coverage, exceeding our cruise policy recommendations.
- Best Travel Insurance for Seniors with Pre Existing Conditions
- Trawick International
- Offers Single Trip and Annual policies with Pre-Existing Condition coverage
- Coverage may vary depending on traveler age
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Trawick offers multiple policies to seniors with pre-existing conditions. Some policies have limits to which they will reimburse travelers for an unexpected recurrence of a pre-existing condition, ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, while others have requirements surrounding when a policy must be purchased for coverage to apply.
- IMG
- Offers four policies that cover pre-existing conditions
- Most plans are comprehensive, and meet Squaremouth’s recommendations for senior travelers
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While IMG was featured in Forbes for their Travel Delay benefits, their Pre-Existing Condition policies also are growing in popularity among older travelers. Four out of five of their policies on Squaremouth feature the options to add some form of coverage for pre-existing conditions. These plans also include coverage for other common travel concerns such as delays, cancellations, and luggage issues.
- Tin Leg
- All plans offer the option to add Pre-Existing Condition coverage
- Policies must be purchased 14-15 days after initial trip payment to be eligible
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Unlike many other providers on Squaremouth, all of Tin Leg’s policies can be upgraded to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Seniors that choose a Tin Leg policy must purchase their policy within 14-15 days of their trip deposit to be eligible for the upgrade.
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost for Seniors?
On average, comprehensive travel insurance premiums cost roughly 5-10% of a traveler’s total trip cost. For seniors, this equates to $422 so far this year. The cost of travel insurance is determined by a variety of factors, including trip cost and traveler age. Since seniors are older and typically spend more on their trips than other demographic groups, the premium is higher than average.
Most policies purchased by seniors on Squaremouth are comprehensive, and include coverage for medical emergencies, delays, cancellations, luggage issues, and more.
The cost of travel insurance for seniors increases further if they wish to cover a pre-existing medical condition. Under some policies, this coverage is included automatically if the policy is purchased within 10-15 days of the traveler’s initial trip payment. For seniors purchasing policies with Pre-Existing Condition coverage, the price of the premium increases more than 65% to $698. This cost, however, is likely a fraction of the cost of medical treatment for said condition if not covered.
When Should Seniors Purchase Travel Insurance?
As with any age group, seniors should purchase travel insurance as early as possible, especially if they have cancellation concerns going into their trip. In addition, this is especially true for those that wish to include time-sensitive benefits as part of their coverage, such as Pre-Existing Condition and Cancel For Any Reason.
Purchasing travel insurance early will also maximize coverage for travelers in the event a medical emergency, natural disaster, or other covered event happens leading up to a trip.
How Much Travel Medical Coverage is Recommended for Seniors?
Medical coverage can range drastically from one plan to the next. Given the importance of medical coverage for older travelers, it’s crucial to pay attention to coverage limits when comparing policies.
For senior travelers, we recommend having at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage and at least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage. This amount of coverage generally offers enough medical protection for most trips.
Does Medicare Cover International Trips?
No, Medicare does not typically cover international medical bills, which is why many seniors opt for travel insurance to cover overseas medical bills. With that said, Medicare may cover medical emergencies that happen on U.S. soil or in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The limitation to Medicare for international travelers highlights the importance of travel medical insurance for seniors.
Is There an Age Limit on Travel Insurance?
For the most part, travel insurance providers allow travelers of all ages to be covered by a policy. Providers that do enforce age restrictions will note them in their policy details if any apply. For example, a provider may state in their policy that they don’t cover seniors over the age of 100. With that said, most seniors should be able to find a policy regardless of their age.
What Benefits Does the Best Senior Travel Insurance Include?
Almost 40% of all travelers insured through Squaremouth are seniors. The stat highlights the value of trip protection for those traveling later in life. Seniors looking for the best coverage for their upcoming trip should consider a policy with the following benefits.
- Trip Cancellation: If a traveler gets injured or falls ill before a trip starts, Trip Cancellation can reimburse their trip costs if they choose to cancel their vacation and focus on recovery.
- Trip Interruption: Emergencies can happen when you are on vacation. Trip Interruption benefits can help you cover the costs of returning home early for a covered reason. Most plans offer coverage between 100% and 150% of the insured trip cost.
- Emergency Medical Coverage: With medical coverage through a travel insurance policy, travelers may be reimbursed for costs related to treatment overseas, such as hospital bills, x-rays, ambulance services, and lab costs.
- Medical Evacuation: In the event of a true medical emergency, a doctor may order a traveler to be transported to another medical facility or return home to receive treatment. Medical Evacuation insurance can cover these transportation costs, which can easily rise to tens of thousands of dollars.
- Travel Delay: If a traveler’s flight is delayed, the Travel Delay benefit will cover food and accommodation expenses throughout the duration of the delay. To be eligible, the delay must meet the minimum amount of time outlined in the policy details, typically 3-12 hours.
- Missed Connection: Airline and railway delays can happen at any time, causing travelers to miss their connecting flights. Missed Connection coverage can help reimburse travelers the costs to catch up to their trip and make it to their destination.
- Baggage Delay: Luggage can get lost anytime it’s checked, whether it is on an airplane or aboard a cruise ship. Baggage Delay benefits may help travelers pay for emergency replacement items, including clothes and personal items, if their bags are lost for an extended period of time.
- Cancel for Any Reason: Cancel For Any Reason benefits helps travelers recover a portion of their non-refundable costs if they decide not to go for most uncovered reasons. This can include anything from canceling due to a grandson’s birthday party to bad weather reports.
