Best Travel Insurance For U.S. Citizens Going Abroad 2026
Securing travel insurance for your international trip is highly beneficial, covering you for potential scenarios abroad. Our licensed insurance specialists assessed the best travel insurance plans based on overall coverage, cost, and value.
Our Travelers' Top Favorite Plans
From a delayed flight to a medical emergency abroad, travel insurance gives you an extra layer of protection that you might’ve never thought about. All three of our travel insurance plans protect both your trip investment and overall health in case of a trip disruption abroad.
Compare With Other Available Plans
What Are These Travel Insurance Plans Best For?
Our experts have recommended the top three plans for U.S. travelers going abroad after comparing each option on VisitorsCoverage based on factors like medical coverage, travel interruptions, plan flexibility, and overall value. With these recommendations, you can easily pick the plan that best matches your budget, destination, and travel needs.
| Insurance Plan | What they are best for |
|---|---|
| Atlas Journey Premier | Best overall plan for travelers looking to get the best travel insurance with well-rounded coverage for their trip costs and health. |
| FlexiPAX | Best travel insurance for budget-conscious travelers looking for flexibility and good coverage at a reasonable price. |
| Pathway Premium | Best travel insurance for travelers seeking comprehensive benefits with great value for a trip abroad. |
Compare Costs & Payoff
Traveling abroad should be a memorable experience, for the good. We’ve analyzed each plan’s level of protection and its value.
For the exact price and plan specifics, which can vary for each person, we suggest getting a custom quote.
Compare Benefits
When traveling abroad, travel insurance acts as a safety net, protecting the money you’ve spent on your trip if things like cancellations, delays, or medical emergencies occur.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the trip-related benefits for each plan:
Are These Travel Insurance Plans Reliable?
Every travel insurance plan offered through VisitorsCoverage is rigorously rated according to AM Best’s industry-leading standard for assessing an insurance company’s financial strength.
We partner exclusively with carriers who maintain excellent AM Best ratings, ensuring that any plan you select through VisitorsCoverage comes from a dependable, trusted, and financially secure insurance provider.
Tips for Finding the Right Plan for an International Trip
- Timing is important: If you purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your trip, not only does it provide a bigger coverage window for trip cancellation, but it also allows you the option to add certain, time-sensitive benefits like Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance and provides a pre-existing medical conditions waiver.
- Assess your coverage needs: For travel insurance, you should consider your destination, activities, health conditions, and trip investments to make sure you get ultimate coverage.
- Use comparison tools: Looking at a marketplace for travel insurance allows you to compare multiple providers and policies side-by-side, giving you a good understanding of what kind of travel insurance you may need.
- Understand common policy exclusions: Oftentimes, many travel insurance policies have exclusions for coverage, including alcohol or drug-related incidents or negligence. It is important to read the policy details to make sure what is included and excluded in your travel insurance plan.
Get the Best Travel Insurance for Your Next International Trip
Travel insurance can protect you and your financial investments if you plan to take that trip outside the United States. It eases the stress of potential mishaps, making sure you are covered for the unexpected. If you have any questions while looking at travel insurance plans, our Customer Success Team is there to help guide you.
- Medical coverage is crucial for international travel, since most domestic health insurance plans provide limited or no coverage abroad.
- Purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your trip to maximize coverage windows for trip cancellation and qualify for time-sensitive benefits like Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage and pre-existing condition waivers.
- When comparing plans, consider your destination, planned activities, health conditions, and total trip investment to secure the best plan for your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is recommended to purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your trip. This allows you to consider adding Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance and potentially being qualified for the pre-existing condition waiver, which must often be added within 14-21 days of your initial trip deposit. Also, the earlier you add your travel insurance, the wider window you have for trip cancellation coverage, making sure you are covered starting the day after your purchase.
Yes, the travel insurance plans could cover your electronics like any laptops or cameras you plan to bring with you. Typically, there are per-item and overall maximum benefit limits. Since the coverage is unique, make sure to read your plan documents to understand the full details of what is covered and to what extent. Also, it might be worth it to consider purchasing additional specialty insurance for expensive electronics, jewelry, or sports equipment.
Yes, your children or family members could be covered as long as you add them to your policy. Typically, kids under the age of 17 can be added to a travel insurance plan for no additional cost as long as an adult is also on the policy. On your trip insurance, it is important to add every traveler that is joining you, that way they are all covered under your policy.
Travel insurance can cover natural disasters that are considered named or a “known event” if you purchased the policy before any natural disaster like a hurricane, snowstorm, or a major earthquake. It is important to keep in mind that travel insurance only covers natural disasters that happen unexpectedly, meaning that if a natural disaster is reported and deemed named before you purchase a travel policy plan, you likely won’t be covered for your travel interruptions.
The key phrase to keep in mind is unexpected natural disasters. To receive coverage, you need to purchase a plan before any severe weather event is reported. Again, travel policies do vary, so we encourage you to compare plans that could cover you from unexpected events.
Covered reasons for cancellations with trip insurance can include:
- Family or travel companion illness or death
- Damage to your house due to a natural disaster, such as a flood, fire or earthquake
- Complete cessation of travel services due to strike
- Terror strike in your destination country
- You or your companion are affected by a job termination or a layoff
- Inclement weather
- You or your travel companion becomes pregnant and is not allowed to travel during pregnancy
- You or your travel companion is summoned to appear in court, including jury duty
However, it is recommended to review your specific policy documents for any limits and exclusions for trip cancellation.
Yes, if you get unexpectedly sick or have an injury during your trip, travel insurance typically provides coverage if you need to get prescription medications. Oftentimes, you will have to pay for the medication up front, and then seek reimbursement through your travel insurance provider.
Most of the time, Medicare provides little to no coverage when it comes to a medical-related incident abroad. However, there is a travel medical insurance plan to look into if you are on Medicare and seeking coverage while traveling abroad, allowing you to have stronger coverage.
