"International travel insurance" is a broad phrase for cover on a trip outside your home country. It helps to see it as two different jobs that are often sold together — protecting your health abroad, and protecting your money if the trip goes wrong. Knowing which one you actually need makes choosing a plan simple.
Travel medical insurance: protecting your health abroad
This is the part that matters most once you leave the US, because your own health plan may pay little or nothing overseas — see does your health insurance cover you abroad? A travel medical plan covers:
- Emergency medical treatment while you're abroad, up to a limit you choose.
- Emergency medical evacuation and repatriation — moving you to adequate care, or home, which is the single largest cost. See our evacuation guide.
- A 24/7 assistance line that can find a hospital and arrange payment where possible.
Trip protection: protecting your money
This side covers the prepaid, non-refundable cost of the trip when something covered goes wrong — cancellation before you leave, interruption once you've started, delays and baggage. It's sized to what you'd lose, not to your medical risk. Our overview of what travel insurance covers breaks these benefits down.
Which do you need?
- Short trip, little prepaid, but abroad: the medical and evacuation side is the priority.
- Expensive, heavily prepaid trip: you want trip protection too, often a comprehensive plan that includes both.
- Visiting the US from another country: that's visitor medical insurance — a different product; see our visitor insurance guide.
How to choose a limit — and when to buy
Pick a medical maximum big enough that a serious hospital stay plus an evacuation wouldn't exceed it, and size any trip-cost cover to your non-refundable total. Then buy early: the pre-existing condition waiver and Cancel For Any Reason are only available within a short window of your first trip payment. See when to buy.
Get a quote
Pick "Leaving the US", enter the travelers' ages, your dates and destination, and compare plans — you'll see the medical and trip-cost benefits side by side. Questions? Call Protect Travel at 877-720-6696 (Mon–Thu 9am–5pm, Fri 9am–1pm ET) or email info@protecttravel.com.
Get a quote from Protect Travel →
Terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See the plan details on our website before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What is international travel insurance?
It's cover for a trip outside your home country. In practice it comes in two shapes: travel medical insurance (emergency care and evacuation abroad) and trip protection (your prepaid, non-refundable costs). Many travelers want a bit of both.
Do I want travel medical or trip protection?
Travel medical matters most when the risk is a medical emergency abroad. Trip protection matters most when you've prepaid a lot you can't get back. For an overseas trip, the medical and evacuation side is usually the non-negotiable part.
How big should the medical limit be?
Big enough that a serious hospital stay and an evacuation home wouldn't exceed it. Limits in the hundreds of thousands are common for international trips; the right number depends on your destination and health.
When should I buy it?
As soon as you've made your first trip payment. Some benefits — the pre-existing condition waiver and Cancel For Any Reason — are only available within a short window of that first payment.
This guide is general information, not financial or insurance advice.
Terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See the plan details on our website before you buy.