How Much Should Travel Insurance Cost? A 2025 Price Guide
If you’ve ever stared at a trip insurance quote and wondered how much should travel insurance cost, you’re not alone. The honest answer is that most travelers pay between 4% and 8% of their total prepaid, non-refundable trip cost — which usually lands somewhere between $150 and $400 for a typical one- to two-week trip. But that range stretches wide once age, destination, and coverage limits enter the picture.
There’s no single flat price, because travel insurance is priced the way airplane seats are: around risk. A 29-year-old heading to Portugal for a week pays less than a 67-year-old spending three weeks cruising the Mediterranean, even if the two trips cost the same. In this guide we’ll walk through real price ranges, the factors that move them, and the small choices that quietly knock $100 or more off a premium without thinning your coverage.
How Travel Insurance Is Priced: The 4%–8% Rule
Most comprehensive travel insurance plans are priced as a percentage of your total trip cost. The industry rule of thumb is that a standard, full-featured plan runs roughly 4% to 8% of the trip amount. If your flights, hotel, and tours add up to $5,000, expect a quote in the $200 to $400 range for a healthy adult under about 60.
Age is the biggest single variable, often weighing more than the destination. Insurers raise rates as travelers get older because older travelers file more medical and cancellation claims. The same $5,000 trip that costs $220 for a 35-year-old can run $450 or more for a 72-year-old, all else equal.
Here’s a quick look at what those rules of thumb produce in practice:
| Trip scenario | Trip cost | Typical premium | % of trip cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week in Mexico, age 34 | $2,500 | $110 – $200 | 4.5% – 8% |
| 2 weeks in Europe, age 55 | $5,000 | $250 – $400 | 5% – 8% |
| 1 month in Southeast Asia, age 28 | $3,000 | $120 – $210 | 4% – 7% |
| 10-day cruise, age 62 | $4,500 | $315 – $500 | 7% – 11% |
The pattern is consistent: the more you spend and the older you are, the more the premium climbs — and cruises, with their stricter cancellation and evacuation needs, push rates to the top of the range.
What Moves the Price Up or Down
Not every factor weighs the same. When you compare quotes side by side, these are the levers that matter most.
Trip cost. Because premiums are percentage-based, a higher trip total means a higher bill even if nothing else changes. This is also why you should only insure the true prepaid, non-refundable portion — not your entire vacation budget. Insuring money you could get back is paying for coverage you can’t use.
Traveler age. As noted, age is the heavyweight. Rates climb noticeably after 60 and again after 70. Some insurers cap the other factors and base nearly the entire quote on age once a traveler passes 75.
Destination. Traveling within the US costs more to insure than going abroad, purely because medical care in the US is expensive. A US resident traveling domestically can still see higher medical-reimbursement pricing than someone headed to Thailand, even though the international trip is longer.
Trip length. A 30-day itinerary price costs more than a 7-day trip, though not linearly. Longer trips raise the odds of something going wrong, so the per-day cost drifts upward slightly on extended journeys.
Coverage amounts. Raising your medical limit, evacuation benefit, or cancellation benefit pushes the quote higher. A plan with a $500,000 medical limit and $1 million in evacuation coverage costs more than one with a $100,000 medical cap.
Travel Insurance Cost by Destination
Where you go changes the math in two ways: the cost of healthcare at your destination and the likelihood of weather or strike disruptions. Here’s how that plays out for common routes in 2025.
- Europe and the UK. A US traveler insuring a one-week London or Paris trip can usually find medical-only plans for $20–$50 and full comprehensive plans around 5–7% of trip cost. If you need coverage specifically for a visa, our breakdown on how much travel insurance costs for a UK trip walks through the exact numbers.
- Schengen visa countries. Schengen visa applications require at least €30,000 in emergency medical coverage. Entry-level policies that satisfy the requirement start under $15 for short stays, but you should expect to pay a bit more for plans with higher limits and cancellation. See our guide on Schengen visa travel insurance costs for the full range.
- United States (for international visitors). Visiting the US is the most expensive scenario to insure, because an ER visit or hospital stay here can run tens of thousands of dollars. Policies with solid US medical coverage often run $80–$200 for a two-week trip, and it’s rare to find a genuinely adequate medical limit below that.
- Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Mid-range pricing, similar to Europe. Healthcare is good but not free for visitors, so medical limits of $100,000 or more are the sensible baseline.
How Age Changes Your Premium
Because age matters this much, it’s worth understanding what each life stage typically pays. These figures assume a $4,000, one-week international trip with comparable coverage.
- Under 30. The cheapest bracket. Most travelers here pay 3.5%–5% of trip cost, or roughly $140–$200. Young travelers rarely file medical claims, and insurers price accordingly.
- Ages 30–59. The broad middle. Expect 4%–7%, or about $180–$280. Differences between a 35-year-old and a 55-year-old in this range are modest for the same destination.
- Ages 60–69. The first real step up. Rates commonly land at 6%–9%, or $240–$360. Some insurers introduce age-based add-ons here.
- 70 and older. The steepest pricing. Premiums of 8%–12% are normal, and some providers require a medical questionnaire before quoting. Shopping across at least three insurers pays off most in this bracket, since quotes can vary by 50% or more.
Comprehensive vs. Medical-Only: What You Actually Need
The phrase “travel insurance” covers two very different products, and picking the wrong one is how travelers overpay.
Medical-only plans do exactly what the name says: emergency medical treatment, evacuation, and sometimes limited trip interruption. They’re cheap — often $20 to $80 for a typical trip — and they make the most sense for budget travelers, backpackers, and anyone whose flights and lodging are refundable or cheap enough to absorb a loss.
Comprehensive plans bundle medical coverage with trip cancellation, interruption, baggage loss, and travel delay. They’re priced as a percentage of trip cost (that 4%–8% rule) because the cancellation benefit is tied to how much money you stand to lose. This is the right choice when your prepaid, non-refundable costs are high — a cruise, a safari, a multi-leg tour, or any trip you’d struggle to rebook on short notice.
A quick way to sanity-check a quote: if your premium is close to 10% of trip cost or higher, ask what’s driving it. Usually it’s age, a CFAR (cancel-for-any-reason) upgrade, or a very high trip value. If the answer is “nothing special,” you’re probably better value elsewhere.
How to Lower Your Travel Insurance Cost
You don’t have to strip away coverage to spend less. These five moves consistently cut premiums without leaving you exposed.
- Insure only the non-refundable portion. If your hotel is refundable and your flights are the only hard cost, insure the flights. Percent-based premiums drop dollar-for-dollar.
- Buy early — but not too early. Buying within about two weeks of your first trip payment locks in pre-existing-condition waivers and early-bird benefits; waiting until the last minute doesn’t save money and often loses you the waiver.
- Skip CFAR unless you genuinely need it. Cancel-for-any-reason coverage typically adds 40%–60% to the base premium. It’s worth it for expensive, rigid itineraries — not for a beach week you could rebook.
- Compare at least three quotes. The spread between the cheapest and priciest adequate plan for the same trip is routinely 30%–50%, especially for travelers over 60. Comparison sites and direct insurer quotes both have a place.
- Choose annual coverage if you travel often. If you take three or more trips a year, an annual multi-trip plan usually beats buying three separate policies, often by a wide margin.
For a fuller look at what standard coverage runs, our guide on how much travel insurance costs in general and our piece on two-week trip insurance pricing both go deeper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is travel insurance worth it?
For most travelers, yes — not because you’ll need it often, but because the downside it covers (a $20,000 medical evacuation or a lost $8,000 trip) is the kind of loss that stings for years. If your prepaid non-refundable costs exceed what you could comfortably lose, insurance is a rational buy.
How much does travel insurance cost on average?
Industry trackers put the average comprehensive policy in the $200–$300 range, which works out to roughly 5%–6% of a typical trip. Medical-only plans average far less, often under $50.
Does travel insurance get more expensive the older you are?
Yes, and sharply after 60. It’s the single largest pricing variable, which is why comparison shopping matters most for older travelers — identical trips can quote 50% apart across insurers.
When should I buy travel insurance?
Within about 10–15 days of making your first trip payment is the sweet spot. Buying early preserves the pre-existing-condition waiver and often gets extras like CFAR eligibility, neither of which is available if you wait until right before departure.
Can I buy travel insurance after I’ve already left?
Generally, no. Most plans must be purchased before your departure date, and cancellation coverage needs to be in place before something goes wrong. There are a few post-departure medical plans, but they’re limited and more expensive.
The Bottom Line
So, how much should travel insurance cost? For a healthy adult under 60 on a typical trip, aim for 4%–8% of your prepaid, non-refundable costs — call it $150 to $400 for most vacations. The number climbs with age, trip value, and destinations with expensive healthcare, and it drops when you opt for medical-only coverage or trim back to the costs you’d actually lose.
The goal isn’t to find the cheapest policy; it’s to find the cheapest policy that would actually pay out. Compare at least three quotes, insure the non-refundable portion, skip add-ons you don’t need, and don’t buy more coverage than your trip is worth. Resources from NerdWallet and US News Travel are good places to double-check current averages against your own quotes.
