The best comprehensive travel insurance plans provide high coverage limits for key benefits such as Trip Cancellation, Emergency Medical, and Medical Evacuation. Among the 100+ options available on Squaremouth, the following plans stand out:
See a complete breakdown of these plans and more in our full list of the 11 Best Travel Insurance Companies of 2025.
'Comprehensive travel insurance' refers to a subset of plans that offer the widest range of travel insurance benefits on the market. Comprehensive plans don’t just stop at travel medical coverage, but come with an exhaustive list of benefits and can often be tailored to your needs with optional add-ons or riders to provide all-in-one coverage before and during a trip. These plans provide the highest level of coverage travel insurance can offer and protect against unforeseen medical emergencies while also offering you full trip-cost reimbursement.
What makes a plan 'comprehensive'?
Comprehensive plans are the most common type of travel insurance chosen by Squaremouth travelers, accounting for roughly 70% of travel insurance policy sales on our platform.
A comprehensive travel policy offers the greatest peace of mind for most travel scenarios, but if your main concern is accessing emergency medical care when traveling, a medical-only travel insurance policy could be enough for you. Ultimately, it depends on your individual needs.
Comprehensive plans are best if:
Comprehensive travel insurance plans typically come standard with reimbursements for emergency medical expenses, trip cancellations and interruptions, travel delay stipends, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage, baggage delay, loss, and damage protection, and 24/7 travel assistance. That said, every travel insurance policy has different coverage inclusions and exclusions, which is why it’s important to compare coverage between plans before buying.
Here is a look at the types of coverage offered by comprehensive policies:
The main differentiator between comprehensive plans and medical plans is that comprehensive plans include robust trip reimbursement for cancellations and interruptions. Most plans can reimburse you for up to 100% of your trip costs for cancellations and up to 150% of your trip costs for interruptions, and help you rebook to catch up to the rest of your trip.
Here is a more detailed look at the types of cancellation and interruption coverages available.
These plans come with comprehensive travel medical insurance for a range of scenarios to reimburse you for medical expenses or pay the hospitals directly, depending on the plan you choose. Some comprehensive plans even include emergency dental coverage.
Here is a look at some of the specific medical benefits often included in comprehensive travel insurance plans.
Almost all comprehensive plans include medical evacuation and repatriation coverage to ensure you get access to quality medical care in an emergency. Some plans also include non-medical evacuation coverage in emergency situations. We recommend at least $100,000 of Medical Evacuation coverage for most international trips.
Most plans can provide reimbursement for food, accommodation, and transportation services if you experience a significant trip delay or missed connection. This can extend to full baggage coverage as well. To be eligible for coverage, you must meet your policy’s delay minimum, typically at least 3-12 hours.
See the following benefit pages for more details:
Comprehensive plans often include a form of travel life insurance payout in the form of accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
These come in three different forms:
Sports and adventure activities are often excluded from basic plans, but comprehensive trip insurance can cover you for these. There are different levels of coverage and inclusions ranging from just sports injuries to reimbursing you for lost golf rounds or lost and damaged equipment.
Comprehensive plans are known for their cushy inclusions. Here is a look at some of the other benefits that you can get with some comprehensive plans.
Despite offering incredibly broad coverage, comprehensive plans cannot cover everything. Some scenarios are expressly excluded from coverage, and the exact exclusions vary by plan and provider.
The most common exclusions include:
Each policy you encounter will have an exclusions section in the policy document that defines the expenses, events, and scenarios that will not be covered. To ensure you are covered, remember to read the policy exclusions. Squaremouth's travel insurance marketplace lets you compare coverage and exclusions before buying.
Fully comprehensive travel insurance policies typically cost between 4% - 10% of your total prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
According to these industry benchmarks, a $10,000 vacation will cost anywhere from $400 - $1,000 to protect with comprehensive coverage.
Squaremouth sales data from Jul 17, 2024 - Jul 16, 2025 reveals that the average cost of comprehensive coverage is $414. Factors such as your age, travel expenses, trip length, and coverage limits will impact travel insurance premiums.
The best place to buy comprehensive travel insurance is through an independent, third-party travel insurance company. Squaremouth and other travel insurance comparison sites make it easy to get comprehensive travel insurance quotes from the nation's top providers.
Credit card companies, airlines, and cruise lines also offer various forms of travel protection, but these plans rarely include medical coverage and often restrict what expenses are covered in the event of a claim.
Compared to other types of travel insurance, comprehensive is the most widely available. With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to identify the best plan for your specific trip.
To get the best value for money, we recommend comparing travel insurance quotes from multiple providers. This will help you see how policies compare when it comes to pricing and coverage.
Make sure you're fully aware of policy coverage limits, exclusions, and restrictions before you purchase. This will save you from headaches when it comes time to file a claim.
Just because a policy is more expensive does not mean that it provides the best coverage. If you're budget-conscious or are looking for cheap, comprehensive travel insurance, we recommend purchasing the lowest-priced policy that meets your coverage needs.
When it comes to traveling, whether domestic or international, comprehensive travel insurance is one of the best investments you can make. With an average cost of $414, a comprehensive travel insurance policy can save you thousands in the event you suffer a medical emergency, need to cancel your trip, or encounter travel disruptions while traveling.
Although comprehensive travel insurance is among the most expensive types of trip protection you can buy, it offers the most financial protection and provides you with superior peace of mind.
We recommend comprehensive travel insurance for:
The best time to purchase comprehensive travel insurance is directly after making your initial trip payment. For most travelers, this first payment is often for airfare, a cruise deposit, or a hotel booking.
Doing so will provide you with the longest possible coverage period and protect your travel expenses in the event you need to cancel your plans due to an unexpected injury, illness, family emergency, or other covered event.
If you purchase travel insurance within 14-21 days of your initial trip payment, you may also qualify for time-sensitive benefits like Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) and Pre-Existing Condition coverage.
Keep in mind, you don’t need to prepay all of your travel expenses before buying a policy. Most comprehensive plans let you add additional costs later as you book them.
The amount of travel insurance coverage you need will depend on your specific itinerary, destination, trip costs, and personal health needs. Regardless of your travel plans, we recommend the following minimum coverage limits:
Comprehensive travel insurance is the most robust type of travel insurance you can purchase, and typically combines the most popular travel insurance benefits into one policy. Most plans include strong coverage for cancellations, medical emergencies, delays, and baggage loss.
Travel medical policies are often more affordable, but provide less travel protection. This type of coverage is typically limited to covering unexpected medical expenses and evacuations.
Travel Advice 8 min read
How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost in 2025?Resources 5 min read
11 Best Travel Insurance Companies in 2025Travel Advice 6 min read
The Most Popular Types of Travel InsuranceTravel Advice 8 min read
Key Takeaways: What is the Average Cost of Travel Insurance in 2025? Internal sales data from Squaremouth reveals that the average cost of travel insurance is roughly $21 per day. The average premium in 2025 for Squaremouth visitors is $311, with an average trip length of 15 days. This is a slight increase from 2024, […]
Read MoreResources 5 min read
We analyzed 100+ policies and found the best travel [...]
Read MoreTravel Advice 6 min read
At first glance, buying travel insurance seems like a daunting task. But purchasing the right policy is a much easier decision when you know what type of coverage you need. Plus, with so many different plans and providers available on the market today, finding ways to narrow your search can save you time and money […]
Read More
