Best Travel Insurance to Europe: What You Need to Know in 2024

Is travel insurance to Europe mandatory?

The answer is yes!

According to a 2009 Regulation of the European Parliament, it is necessary to take out travel insurance to Europe if you live outside the European Union and wish to visit one or several European countries.

To see the list of countries that form the Schengen zone, go further down in the article.

Travel insurance to Europe: requirements for a Schengen visa

Your travel insurance to enter the Schengen area must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum coverage of €30,000. It must extend the entire duration of your trip.
• Covers expenses related to repatriation, emergency medical care, and emergency treatment or death in hospital.
• Cover all countries within the Schengen area.

Does the insurance policy have to cover all Schengen countries?

Yes, your travel insurance policy to Europe must cover all Schengen member states. For those who visit the Schengen area, they will see that the region is like a single country, as it offers freedom of movement.

For example, when travelling to the Schengen area, you will only receive the stamp on your passport from the country of arrival, and the country of departure.

What should travel insurance to Europe cover?

Your travel insurance to Europe should cover the following costs:

• Medical expenses: the insurer must cover your medical expenses if you get sick or have an accident in Europe.
• Lost luggage: can be reimbursed in case of loss, or theft of luggage, personal belongings, or travel documents.
• Flight cancellations and delays: if you experience flight cancellations or delays, you will be entitled to a refund.
• Medical emergency (accident or illness) in the Schengen area.
• Repatriation or funeral expenses abroad.
• Delayed baggage (and emergency replacement of essentials).
• Travel delays due to weather.

In addition to these services, each insurer offers additional services that may vary depending on the plan, and the destination you choose. It’s always a good idea to read the full policy when contracting travel insurance.

Another point to keep in mind is that insurers generally cover pregnancy expenses, however, most only provide cover if the trip occurs during the first 3 months of pregnancy.

It’s important to check with the company, and request details about coverage for pregnant women travelling.

All coverage conditions appear in each quote. It should be checked carefully to make sure all your needs are met in case you run into any issues.

What type of coverage will you need?

There are different types of coverage, depending on what you want to do:

1. A simple round-trip, with certain dates and scheduled destinations.
2. A trip with multiple destinations, common among backpackers and digital nomads travelling to different destinations in the same year.

Check all the details:

Make sure that the coverage is correct and that it is consistent with the activities you plan to take part in. For example, if you are going to practice extreme sports, it is essential that the policy have sports coverage.

In addition, it’s important to check:

• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Natural disaster coverage
• High-risk sports

Tip (from personal experience): if you have a pre-existing condition, such as a chronic disease or allergies, it’s essential to keep a medical record from your doctor. This must contain:

• Summary of all the details of your current state of health
• Medications that you take
• Any other aspect that you consider necessary

How to select the right travel insurance for Europe?

Before searching where to buy travel insurance to Europe, you should consider the following questions, so you can select a plan that is well-adapted to your needs.

First, ask yourself these essential questions:

• What type of trip is this?
• What level of coverage do I need, considering all my activities?
• What is the duration of my trip?

Remember, Europe is both big, and diverse. There are endless opportunities, both regarding places to go, and things to do. Keep this in mind when buying travel insurance to Europe.

Cheap travel insurance to Europe

Finding cheap travel insurance to Europe that covers all your needs requires a lot of research online, but it’s a good investment of your time!

It’s important to understand that there are numerous companies that offer quite similar services, but you should always check closely which of them offer the most complete coverage.

Remember not to confuse the price for quality, as not all low-cost travel insurance policies offer low-quality services, and not all expensive insurance plans have high-quality services.

How to take out travel insurance to Europe

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to contract your travel insurance to Europe:

The websites of the insurance companies I’ve mentioned are straightforward and intuitive, so don’t worry!

1. Go to the website of the insurer of your choice and click on the insurance plan that you want to contract.
2. Once you have selected the insurance, you will see a “Contract” button, or something similar. Click to start the contracting process.
3. Once there, you will need to fill in your trip details. Firstly, the duration of the trip. Remember to check the policy’s renewal terms, for trips lasting longer than 12 months. Secondly, the number of travellers. Finally, the countries you will be visiting. For travel to Europe, select the option that says either, “Europe,” or “World excluding US/Canada.”
4. Fill in the details of each traveller and add a supplement if necessary. This is usually the cancellation or adventure sports option.
5. Read the insurance conditions carefully, and that’s it. You now have your travel insurance to Europe!

Why take out travel insurance to Europe?

Basically, travel insurance to Europe is there to protect you against unexpected expenses that arise during your trip.

Contracting travel insurance to Europe is essential if you want to minimise the damage of an unforeseen event … In all cases, this insurance will offer medical assistance and coverage for flight delays or lost luggage.

Since travelling to Europe is more expensive than many other parts of the world, coupled with taxes and high purchasing power, any trip to Europe is expensive for a tourist, especially Western Europe.

Is it worth taking out travel insurance for your trip to Europe?

Yes, it’s always worth it. A good travel insurance option will be, if you need to use it, the most vital thing you will have done for your trip.

These are the things that we always think will never happen, but when they do, it can be truly terrifying.

I purchased travel insurance for $800 to travel to South-East Asia for 3 months. At first, I found this to be a bit expensive, but in the second month I had a health problem and had to return early to my country. The total cost covered by the insurance was more than $9,000.00.

That is far more than the amount I paid, so was it worth it? I think so.

Is Europe a safe place to travel?

Of course there are dangerous places within Europe, but in general, it’s very safe. However, petty crime is common in virtually every large European city. If you keep your wits about you, you will have nothing to worry about!

If you run into trouble in Europe, contact the embassy of your country of residence, within the country you’re in at that time.

Travel insurance to the Schengen Area

The Schengen Treaty is an agreement between the countries of Europe, with the aim of reducing bureaucracy in traffic and trade between countries.

The main policy is freedom of movement, meaning you can travel freely between the assigned countries, these are:

• Germany
• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Holland
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Czech Republic
• Sweden
• Switzerland

If you’re travelling to one of these countries, remember to take out insurance! Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to enjoy your trip!