Taking out one travel insurance policy for the entire family can be cheaper and more convenient, plus kids are usually free. Enter the age of everyone travelling to compare quotes from 16
brands.
Family travel insurance just refers to a travel insurance policy that covers multiple people with kids. Typically this will be parents and children, but if you have a policy that covers a few adults plus a couple of kids, you might also consider it a family policy.
Family travel insurance policies are actually great, for a few reasons:
The same cover as individual plans: This includes delays and cancellations, medical emergencies, loss, damage or theft of belongings and more.
Free cover for children: Most insurers will cover dependant children for free, sometimes up to the age of 25. They'll normally need to live with you.
All-in-one policy: For claims, you have one central contact point rather than having to rifle through loads of paperwork to find the insurance details for the affected family member.
Cheaper cover for the adults: Travel insurance for multiple people (eg couples) tends to be cheaper than 2 individual policies, which is nice!
Taking out a single travel insurance policy for the entire family is usually a cheaper and more convenient option. The only thing you need to consider is benefit limits. If you're worried it's not enough, look at insurers such as Cover-More and SCTI. They often let you choose your limits.
Family travel insurance plans offer the same sort of cover and benefits as standard travel insurance plans. The difference is that the protection and benefits apply to the whole family rather than just to a single person. It can cover
Medical expenses
Emergency dental care
Luggage and personal belongingsPersonal liability (e.g legal cover if you injure someone)
Accidental death or disability
Excess on a rental vehicle
Delays and cancellations
Family emergency (e.g if family member becomes seriously ill and you need to fly home)
Downsides of family health insurance
Honestly, there aren't really any downsides of getting a family travel insurance policy. They're cheaper and easier than individual policies, which is a rare combination. If we're being super critical, here's are some of the only things to think about:
Credit card travel insurance: If you have a credit card that offers free travel insurance, it might be enough to cover you. However, it may not cover your entire family and it may not be very comprehensive, so it's important to make sure it's enough.
Pre-existing conditions: You'll need to declare any pre-existing conditions for your entire traveling party when you take out your travel insurance. Most pre-existing conditions are quick and easy to cover, but it's really important to make sure they're all included, so you don't risk any exclusions when you claim.
Travelling without any insurance: Don't do it. Especially with kiddos in tow, it's not worth it. Travel insurance isn't that expensive when you consider the potential impact of a big medical bill, or a bad flight delay.
Which insurers let you take dependants for free?
Most insurers will let your dependants go free. The following table shows which brands will cover your dependants for free, how many dependants they will allow and what their definition of a dependant is.
Accompanied Children means Your children or grandchildren who are identified on the Certificate of Insurance and travelling with You on the Journey, provided they are not in full-time employment, they are financially dependent on You and they are under the age of 21 years.
Means your children or grandchildren not in full-time employment who are under the age of 18 and travelling with you on the journey and are named on the certificate of insurance.
Your financially dependent children or grandchildren (including fostered, or adopted children or grandchildren) who are under 18 years of age and who are named on the policy schedule.
"Accompanied Children" means Your children or grandchildren who are identified on the Certificate of Insurance and travelling with You on the Journey, provided they are not in full-time employment, they are financially dependent on You and they are under the age of 21 years.
A dependent child may be one of the following: your child, stepchild, niece, nephew, grandchild or foster child. They must be under 21 years old. If they're 18 or over, they must be unmarried, not be in full-time employment, and be financially dependent on at least one insured adult.
Dependant means Your child or grandchild (including fostered or adopted child or grandchild) not in full-time employment who are under the age of 18 at the date of policy issue, travelling with You on the majority of the Trip, and listed as covered on Your Certificate of Insurance.
Means your children, stepchildren, grandchildren, foster children, and children for whom you are the legal guardian, who are travelling with you on the same itinerary for the entire duration of your trip and at the time the Certificate of Insurance is issued are:- under 25 years of age, and - working less than 30 hours per week.
"Accompanied Children" means Your children or grandchildren who are identified on the Certificate of Insurance and travelling with You on the Journey, provided they are not in full-time employment, they are financially dependent on You and they are under the age of 21 years.
Any unmarried child or children up to and including 18 years of age; and/or
Your dependent child or dependent children aged over 18 years of age and up to and including 24 years of age, while they are full-time students at an accredited institution of higher learning and primarily dependent upon you for maintenance and support.
Means your children or grandchildren not in full-time employment who are under the age of 21 at the date of policy issue, travelling with you on the majority of the trip and listed as covered on your certificate of insurance.
Means your children or grandchildren accompanying you on the journey who are not in full-time employment and who are under the age of 21 at the time of issue of your certificate of insurance.
Note: This information was last updated August 2023
What levels of family travel insurance can you choose?
Basic family travel insurance
You can't rely on Medicare in most foreign countries, so you'll need a back-up plan. That's pretty much what basic travel insurance policy is – your medical insurance for overseas visits. Most policies will offer unlimited emergency medical assistance and unlimited emergency medical and hospital expenses for every family member listed on your policy. You may also get some money towards emergency dental expenses as well as some personal liability insurance, which will cover you if you damage something or injure someone.
A basic policy will not usually cover you for anything else. So if an airline loses your luggage, a cyclone at your destination causes you to cancel your trip or a thief makes off with your wallet, credit cards and passport, you'll be out of luck.
Comprehensive family travel insurance
A comprehensive policy will include the same (or better) medical cover as a basic policy, but it also covers you for a much wider range of situations including:
Trip cancellation. This will pay you back if you have to cancel your trip because of something unexpected and you're unable to get a refund on tickets and other bookings.
Lost, stolen or damaged property. This helps out if your personal belongings, including luggage, personal documents (like your passport), credit cards and even money are lost, stolen or damaged.
Travel and luggage delay. This pays you back for unexpected expenses related to a delayed flight or luggage that gets to you late.
Rental car excess. This helps you pay the often-expensive rental car excess that you're responsible for under most rental car insurance policies.
Disability, death and loss of income. This covers you for expenses back home if an injury overseas disables you or keeps you from working (or pays your family if you die).
Each insurer treats these a little differently and may offer a few additional forms of cover, so check with a few to see what they offer and what the benefit limits are.
Common questions about family travel insurance
Yes. Most comprehensive travel insurance policies cover COVID-related expenses now including medical and trip cancellation or rearrangement costs.
Yes. Many travel insurers have no limit on how many people can be on a single policy.
Yes. Most insurers do not impose a minimum age limit on the people that can be covered on your policy, but it's a good idea to check with insurer first to confirm this.
While travel insurance often does not always automatically cover snow sport activities, policies will allow you to add them as extras for your family the same way as individual cover.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 646 Finder guides across topics including:
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification. See full bio
Hi there. Do you offer travel insurance cover for a Sleep Apnoea machine please? Thank you
Finder
GaryJuly 31, 2023Finder
Hi Susan,
Finder doesn’t offer travel insurance – we only compare. However, you may be able to get covered for your sleep apnoea machine if its lost or stolen on your trip. Just let the insurer know you want the machine covered in your policy.
Thanks,
Gary
LindaAugust 17, 2014
Do you cover younger people – my daughter is early 40’s and I wondered if she would be eligible.
Finder
RichardAugust 18, 2014Finder
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question.
You wouldn’t be able to cover your daughter as a child, most insurers have a cut-off of around 21. However, you can still get a family policy. If you fill out the travel insurance quote form, you will be able to get an estimate for cover and then choose a policy that is suitable for you.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
LindaAugust 19, 2014
Sorry I must not have made my question clear. I am not travelling with my daughter. She is going to Fiji with her husband in April for her honeymoon. As a senior I have used Cota travel insurance. I was asking the question. Does Cota cover people who are under 50 – she is 41.
Finder
RichardAugust 19, 2014Finder
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question and sorry for the confusion. No, your daughter will need to purchase her own policy.
why is there a sub-section on life insurance? Is this a typo?
Regards
John
Finder
WilliamJanuary 29, 2014Finder
Hi John,
Thank you for your comment. This is indeed a typo and has been amended. Thank-you so much for pointing this out for our editorial team. We pride ourselves on constantly reviewing and improving content on the Finder site but mistakes can still happen!
Thanks again and all the best.
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Hi there. Do you offer travel insurance cover for a Sleep Apnoea machine please? Thank you
Hi Susan,
Finder doesn’t offer travel insurance – we only compare. However, you may be able to get covered for your sleep apnoea machine if its lost or stolen on your trip. Just let the insurer know you want the machine covered in your policy.
Thanks,
Gary
Do you cover younger people – my daughter is early 40’s and I wondered if she would be eligible.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question.
You wouldn’t be able to cover your daughter as a child, most insurers have a cut-off of around 21. However, you can still get a family policy. If you fill out the travel insurance quote form, you will be able to get an estimate for cover and then choose a policy that is suitable for you.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Sorry I must not have made my question clear. I am not travelling with my daughter. She is going to Fiji with her husband in April for her honeymoon. As a senior I have used Cota travel insurance. I was asking the question. Does Cota cover people who are under 50 – she is 41.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your question and sorry for the confusion. No, your daughter will need to purchase her own policy.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Hi, in the page:
https://www.finder.com.au/travel-insurance/family-travel-insurance
why is there a sub-section on life insurance? Is this a typo?
Regards
John
Hi John,
Thank you for your comment. This is indeed a typo and has been amended. Thank-you so much for pointing this out for our editorial team. We pride ourselves on constantly reviewing and improving content on the Finder site but mistakes can still happen!
Thanks again and all the best.