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When traveling with a companion, be it a spouse, relative or friend, it is important that you both have travel insurance.
This is especially important for expensive vacations where you risk losing large non-refundable down payments and also for trips abroad where travel medical insurance is essential. Lost baggage, medical emergencies, and trip cancellations don’t just target one traveler in a group.
“While it is not mandatory to insure every traveler during your vacation, it is highly recommended,” says Carol Mueller, spokesperson for Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. “No one can predict what may happen or to whom it will happen during the trip, so it is important that you and your travel companions are covered by a comprehensive travel insurance plan for every vacation.”
“Assuring every traveler ensures that your vacation is safe, hassle-free and that everyone is taken care of, no matter who is faced with the emergency while traveling,” Mueller said.
What if only one person has a travel problem?
If a traveler in a group doesn’t have travel insurance, they could end up with a big bill if other members of their party have travel issues. For example, if you have travel insurance and need to cancel the trip due to a policy illness, you will be reimbursed. But if your travel companion does not want to continue on their own and lacks insurance, they will still have to pay for the trip, notes Daniel Durazo, spokesperson for Allianz Global Assistance, a travel insurance provider.
Another common scenario is where two travelers are involved in a car accident while they are away and both are in need of medical attention. “The insured traveler can see their guaranteed medical bills, so they don’t have to pay out of pocket,” says Durazo. “The uninsured traveler will likely have to pay out of pocket at the time the service is provided, as many foreign health facilities do not accept domestic health insurance plans.”
Depending on the severity of the accident, medical treatments and emergency medical evacuations can run into the thousands of dollars and uninsured travelers may have to scramble to find a way to pay those bills, says Durazo.
Policies for multiple travelers
“It is important that each person’s name appears on the travel insurance policy so that there is no question of who is covered in the event of an unforeseen situation,” explains Durazo.
In some cases, travelers on the same trip will need separate policies. “Travel companions who live in different states may need to purchase different policies because travel insurance products may vary from state to state,” he says. Separate departure locations with different flight costs may also require separate policies.
Special considerations when traveling with children
You can usually add children under the age of 18 to a travel insurance policy at no additional cost, if the children are traveling with a parent or grandparent.
Travel plans such as OneTrip Prime and OneTrip Premier from Allianz, and ExactCare from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, cover children at no additional cost.
If your family travels frequently, consider an annual travel insurance plan. You can cover multiple trips with a single annual policy, so you don’t have to buy travel insurance multiple times a year. An annual plan can offer great convenience and cost savings, explains Durazo.
Annual travel insurance plans cover all the basics of a single plan, such as trip cancellation, medical expenses, emergency transportation, and lost and delayed baggage. The options include:
- AIG Travel Guard Annual Package
- Allianz AllTrips
- April International multi-trip packages
- RoamRight multi-trip plan
- Trawick International Safe Travels Annual
- USI Affinity Voyager Annual
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