Health Insurance for Travel: Cover Explained

Health insurance for travel is the medical part of a travel insurance policy that can pay for emergency treatment, hospital stays and getting you home if you fall ill or are injured abroad. It is not the same as private medical insurance (PMI) you might hold at home, and it is not a substitute for the NHS in the UK or a state healthcare card overseas.

For UK travellers heading to Europe, a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives access to state-provided care in EU countries, but the NHS says a GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. Private cover can help pay for repatriation, private hospital bills, cancellation and costs that a state scheme will not cover.

Free Price Compare sources this explainer from NHS and NHS Business Services Authority guidance and current UK market pricing. We do not give medical advice: any health concern should go to your GP or NHS 111.

Last updated: September 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed September 2026

What medical costs does travel insurance actually cover abroad?

Travel insurance medical cover can pay for emergency treatment, hospital admission, ambulance transport and, where needed, medically supervised repatriation to the UK if you are taken ill or injured on a trip. It is emergency and unexpected cover, not funding for planned, routine or elective treatment you could arrange at home.

Typical medical benefits on a UK travel policy can include emergency in-patient and out-patient treatment, emergency dental for pain relief, and a 24-hour medical assistance line that liaises with hospitals abroad. Higher-tier plans usually carry larger medical and repatriation limits, which is why cover level matters more than the headline price. Common medical exclusions include treatment that could reasonably wait until you return, undeclared pre-existing conditions, and incidents linked to alcohol or drugs.

If you are comparing plans, read the emergency medical and repatriation limits first, then the excess. A low premium with a small medical limit can leave a serious shortfall if a hospital bill runs high. For a fuller checklist of what to weigh up, see our rundown of the most frequently asked travel insurance questions.

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Does a GHIC cover repatriation back to the UK?

A UK GHIC does not cover repatriation back to the UK. According to the NHS, the Global Health Insurance Card gives access to state-provided, medically necessary healthcare in EU countries on the same terms as a local resident, but it does not pay to fly you home.

Repatriation, an air ambulance, extended non-state hospital bills and getting a companion home with you all sit with private travel insurance, not the card. The NHS Business Services Authority states plainly that you should take out private travel insurance in addition to a UK GHIC or UK EHIC, and that the card is not a replacement for it.

The GHIC is free and lasts for up to 5 years, so it is worth holding for European trips alongside a policy. It is not valid outside participating countries, so for the USA, Canada, most of Asia and worldwide travel, private medical cover is needed for medical protection.

Are pre-existing conditions covered, and do I have to declare them?

Pre-existing conditions are usually only covered if you declare them, and most UK travel policies require you to. A pre-existing condition is a diagnosed illness or ongoing health issue you had before buying the policy, and insurers commonly ask about GP or hospital appointments in the past 6 to 24 months during the medical screening.

Failing to declare a condition can invalidate a claim, even one unrelated to that condition, so accuracy at the quote stage protects you. Declaring a well-managed condition often raises the premium modestly, while more serious conditions cost more and may need a specialist provider. As a rough guide, a healthy 50-year-old may see annual multi-trip cover priced lower for straightforward risk profiles, rising as conditions become more complex or harder to insure.

The Money and Pensions Service runs a directory of specialist providers for people who find cover hard to arrange with a medical history. If your travel insurance treats a condition as excluded, that exclusion applies only to claims arising from it, not to unrelated emergencies like a broken leg.

Figures are indicative and may change.

Heading abroad with a medical history?

Declaring conditions accurately keeps your claim valid and can still be affordable.

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How much does travel health insurance cost?

Travel insurance cost for a healthy UK adult typically varies from low daily amounts to a higher weekly total for European cover, depending on the policy and risk profile. Price is highly profile-sensitive, moving sharply with age, destination, trip length and any declared medical conditions.

Recent quotes illustrate the spread for a 7-day trip to Spain and for a family of four.

Figures are indicative and may change. Premium plans do not always cost the most, but they usually carry higher medical and repatriation limits, which is where the real protection sits. Destination is the biggest cost driver: the USA and Canada carry far higher medical costs than Europe, so worldwide-including-USA cover costs considerably more than European cover. Our switching and comparison strategies guide has more on cutting recurring costs.

See travel health insurance prices

How much medical cover is advisable for a trip abroad?

There is no single official minimum, but UK travel policies commonly offer emergency medical limits of £5 million to £10 million, and higher limits matter most for destinations with expensive private healthcare.

When choosing a limit, weigh the emergency medical figure, the repatriation cover and the excess together rather than the headline premium alone. For European trips specifically, our look at whether a European health insurance card is enough on its own explains why a card alone leaves gaps.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) publishes travel advice by country, and buying a policy that matches the FCDO guidance for your destination helps keep claims valid. Cover may be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice, depending on the policy wording.

Do visitors to the UK need travel insurance for medical care?

Visitors to the UK who are not ordinarily resident here should arrange travel insurance with medical cover, because NHS entitlement is limited for many overseas visitors. Emergency and immediately necessary treatment in A&E is not charged at the point of use, but subsequent hospital treatment, planned care and non-emergency services can be charged to overseas visitors.

For an American, Peruvian or other overseas visitor spending a few weeks or months in the UK, private travel or visitor medical insurance covers the treatment the NHS would bill for, plus repatriation to their home country if needed. Anyone visiting on a tourist visa for a longer stay, such as up to six months, should check that their policy covers the full trip length and any pre-existing conditions.

UK-issued travel policies usually require the policyholder to meet a UK residency condition before they can buy. Visitors coming from abroad therefore normally buy visitor or international medical cover from a provider in their own country or a specialist international insurer, rather than a standard UK travel policy.

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Are children covered on a family travel policy?

Children are usually covered on a family travel insurance policy, and many insurers include dependent children free or at a reduced rate when travelling with an insured adult. A family policy generally covers two adults and their children up to a stated age, or higher if the child is in full-time education.

Each child still needs their own GHIC for European trips, as the card is issued to individuals, not families. As with adults, any pre-existing condition affecting a child must be declared at the quote stage, and the same medical, repatriation and excess terms apply per person insured.

Check the policy wording for the child age limit and whether children must be travelling with the insuring adult for cover to apply. Single-parent family policies are widely available where only one adult travels with the children.

How travel medical cover differs from private medical insurance

Travel medical cover and private medical insurance (PMI) are different products that solve different problems. Travel medical cover is short-term, trip-based protection for emergency treatment abroad, while PMI is ongoing cover for private diagnosis and treatment of eligible conditions, usually in the UK.

PMI does not generally cover emergencies or A&E, which remain with the NHS, and it may exclude ongoing management of chronic conditions or pre-existing conditions depending on the underwriting terms. Travel insurance, by contrast, is built around unexpected emergencies while you are away from home. Both are regulated by the FCA, and reputable UK insurers are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

If you want cover that pays for private treatment year-round, that is PMI, not a travel policy. Free Price Compare provides whole-of-market comparison across the main UK health insurers, and you can weigh cover level, excess and underwriting side by side.

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Information correct as of 1 September 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).