Can Travel Insurance Cover Norovirus?
Key Statistics:
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), norovirus is the leading foodborne illness and the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United States.
- While norovirus outbreaks can occur year-round, the CDC reports that they most commonly occur between November and April, coinciding with the holiday season, popular cruise months, and Spring Break, leading to a higher chance of norovirus impacting your travel plans.
- Norovirus, also known as “winter vomiting disease,” is responsible for 20 million infections every year.
- On December 9th, major news outlets began reporting a norovirus surge spreading across the U.S.The highest number of cases was reported in the Midwest, South, and Northeast.
- In early December, multiple cruise ships reported onboard norovirus outbreaks, including on one AIDA cruise where over 100 passengers and crew members were affected.
- As norovirus enters its peak season, it’s important to understand how this virus can impact your travel plans and how travel insurance can protect you.
In this article, we will break down how travel insurance can protect your trip from norovirus outbreaks, what specific policy benefits to look for, and what pitfalls to avoid when buying travel insurance with norovirus in mind.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Norovirus?
Most travel insurance policies can provide comprehensive coverage for illnesses, including norovirus.
Depending on the plan, this may include reimbursement if you need to cancel your trip because you, a family member, or travel partner becomes ill. Many plans also cover emergency medical treatment while you are traveling, and some plans assist with additional travel costs if you have to return home early as a result of your illness.
In the case of norovirus, coverage is often available as long as you were healthy at the time you purchased your travel insurance policy.
However, it’s important to understand that travel insurance is designed to cover unforeseen events. Norovirus is typically considered unforeseen unless an outbreak was already known at the time you purchased your travel insurance policy or a government authority has issued a warning against travel. If the event is considered foreseeable, coverage may not apply to policies purchased after the outbreak began.
This is why we recommend buying a policy early and reviewing your specific policy to see how your coverage can take effect and when.
How Travel Insurance Can Cover Norovirus?
As mentioned, coverage for norovirus can fall under several different benefits, and which apply depends on the provider, policy, and coverage options you select.
Here is a look at the types of travel insurance benefits that can help you if norovirus impacts your trip:
Trip Cancellation Protection
Trip Cancellation coverage can reimburse the total cost of your insured trip, minus eligible refunds, if you catch norovirus and need to cancel your trip before it starts. This can include insured, non-refundable trip expenses, such as airfare, hotels, and events.
This coverage may also apply if a family member or your travel companion becomes ill with norovirus and you need to cancel your trip.
It’s important to note that cancellation coverage is a pre-departure benefit, and protection typically starts the day after you buy your policy and concludes on your scheduled departure date. While cancellation due to medical reasons is included in most comprehensive policies, it’s important to review and compare policy coverages when buying. Only ~75% of policies with Trip Cancellation benefits on squaremouth.com include this protection.
This benefit may protect you if you need to cancel your trip due to norovirus, but you’ll need to submit medical documentation from a physician. The documentation should confirm the illness and that it’s unsafe for you to travel when filing a claim.
With any travel insurance policy, it’s best to buy as soon as you make your initial trip deposit, such as booking a flight or hotel. Waiting too long can increase the risk that you won’t be covered if something unexpected happens, such as becoming ill with norovirus.
Emergency Medical Coverage
If you are traveling abroad and happen to catch norovirus while you are away, your U.S. health insurance may not cover you. However, you can purchase Emergency Medical coverage. This benefit is the most basic and affordable type of travel insurance and one of the most important coverages to have during norovirus season.
Emergency Medical coverage can reimburse medical expenses, such as doctor’s visits, hospital stays, and medications, if you get sick or are injured while on your trip. This coverage is especially important if you’re planning an international trip, as most countries do not accept U.S. health insurance policies.
When purchasing Emergency Medical benefits, you will have the choice between primary or secondary medical coverage. About half of the policies on squaremouth.com offer Primary Emergency Medical coverage. This option is faster and simpler, as your medical claims will be paid without you having to file with your U.S. health insurance company first.
Emergency Medical Evacuation
While medical evacuations for norovirus are uncommon, Emergency Medical Evacuation coverage can pay to medically transport you to the closest adequate medical facility, or back home, if a physician deems the evacuation medically necessary.
This benefit is particularly valuable for older travelers or those with underlying medical conditions, as norovirus can worsen existing health issues. It’s also especially valuable on cruises, where outbreaks are more common and onboard medical resources are limited, as well as when traveling to remote areas that may lack access to adequate medical care. In these situations, emergency medical evacuation can cover transportation to a higher level of care.
Beyond access to critical medical services, this benefit also provides some of the strongest financial protection available in a travel insurance policy. Emergency medical evacuation coverage can include the full cost of medical transport, medical supplies, required documentation, and support services during transfer. As a result, the best medical evacuation coverage usually comes with limits that reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the CDC, medical evacuations can cost over $250,000.
Trip Interruption Protection
Similar to Trip Cancellation coverage, which applies before your trip starts, Interruption coverage is designed to reimburse unused, prepaid, non-refundable trip costs as a result of an incident during your trip.
Trip Interruption coverage can protect you if you become ill with norovirus during your trip and a physician recommends that you pause or cut your it short, reimbursing you for unused, prepaid travel expenses such as tours, accommodations, and flights.
For example, if you miss a scheduled flight and hotel reservation because you are sick with norovirus and receiving hospital treatment, this coverage can refund you for your unused bookings. Many trip interruption plans will reimburse 125-200% of your prepaid trip costs. The additional amount is meant to cover new travel arrangements once you have recovered, such as a new flight home, fare differences, or airline change fees.
This benefit can also protect you if your travel companion or an immediate family member catches norovirus, is injured, or unexpectedly passes away while traveling.
Trip Delay Protection
Norovirus and other outbreaks can delay travel plans, especially on cruise ships, which commonly experience concentrated norovirus outbreaks. If this happens, cruise ships typically have to undergo mandatory cleaning or sanitation protocols before they will allow passengers to board or disembark at port. This can lead to considerable travel delays.
Travel Delay coverage, also known as Trip Delay coverage, can help during a norovirus outbreak by reimbursing you for additional expenses you may have incurred due to a delay in your travel plans. These expenses must have been caused by significant common carrier delays, typically lasting 3-12 hours, with many policies requiring a 6-hour delay. Covered expenses should be reasonable, such as meals, hotels, or transportation.
Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) Coverage
CFAR is an optional benefit that provides you the flexibility to cancel your trip for any reason at all, even for reasons excluded by your traditional cancellation coverage. This means you would be allowed to cancel your trip due to a known or foreseeable event, such as canceling due to an increase in norovirus cases at your destination.
While CFAR is a helpful benefit, it is not available with every policy and comes with time restrictions and reimbursement limitations:
- CFAR must be purchased within 10-21 days after you make your initial trip deposit
- You must cancel your trip within 48-72 hours of your departure day
- Reimbursement rates typically range from 50-75% of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs
CFAR protects your trip before it starts, and Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR) is another optional benefit that can help once your trip is underway. IFAR can cover you if you have to shorten your trip for reasons beyond what is normally covered under standard trip interruption. However, it’s important to know that many common situations during your trip, such as becoming sick with norovirus, would typically be covered under standard trip interruption benefits.
24 Hour Emergency Assistance
If something goes wrong while traveling, such as if you become ill with norovirus, your travel insurance provider’s 24 Hour Emergency Assistance line can help you. The representatives can find you a hospital, pharmacy, or even connect you with a translator so you can communicate clearly. This service can also assist you with solving other travel disruptions, such as needing to rebook a flight or file a travel insurance claim.
When Will Travel Insurance Not Cover Norovirus?
While most travel insurance policies can provide protection during a norovirus outbreak, there are a few situations where norovirus-related claims may not be approved. Below are the most common exclusions.
Undiagnosed Illness
While you don’t have to be officially diagnosed with norovirus via a lab test for your claim to be considered, you must provide official documentation from your physician. It must state that you are ill and unfit to travel. Without this, claims are unlikely to be approved.
Traveling Against Doctor’s Orders
If you have been officially diagnosed with norovirus, but you decide to continue with your travel plans, against your doctor’s advice, your travel insurance benefits may be denied.
Insurers require travelers to follow medical guidance, and your coverage can be nullified if you travel against medical advice. This applies to any medical condition, not just norovirus.
Fear of Contracting Norovirus
Fear of travel is especially common with cruisers who find out there has been an outbreak on their ship before they depart. However, cancelling your trip out of fear of contracting norovirus is not covered by standard Trip Cancellation policies.
The only form of travel insurance that allows you to cancel for fear of travel is Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. This benefit is an optional add-on with certain policies and will increase the cost of your travel insurance by around 50%.
You Are Already Sick At The Time Of Purchase
If you are showing symptoms of illness or have been diagnosed with norovirus and purchase a travel insurance policy late, any claims resulting from your illness would be excluded from coverage because your illness would be considered a pre-existing condition.
However, if you had already purchased a policy before you started showing symptoms or were sick, you would normally be covered under the policy’s terms.
Norovirus & Cruises: Special Considerations
Norovirus doesn’t only impact land-based travel; it’s actually pretty common on cruises, given their close-quarters environment.
In 2025, cruise ships experienced a record number of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks, 21 in total. This is the most ever recorded in a single year since they began tracking the data publicly, with norovirus being the primary cause of the outbreaks.
The most recent outbreak occurred on the AIDAdiva cruise ship and sickened nearly 100 passengers, aboard a ship with over 2,000 passengers and 640 crew members.
With this in mind, we strongly recommend considering cruise travel insurance that includes the following benefits if you’re planning a cruise during norovirus season:
- Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR): If an outbreak on your cruise ship is announced before your ship departs or is spreading at your destination, CFAR provides the flexibility to cancel for personal concerns. This benefit will reimburse a portion of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs.
- Medical and Medical Evacuation Coverage: While there are some medical care services available on cruise ships, they are generally limited to minor treatment. More serious illnesses or complications may require care off the ship or emergency transportation. Adequate medical and medical evacuation coverage can help cover treatment costs and transportation to a medical facility if more advanced care is needed.
- Trip Cancellation Coverage: We recommend considering travel insurance that includes coverage for Trip Cancellation, particularly for cruise travel. Unlike airlines or hotels, most cruise lines typically do not offer cash reimbursement if you need to cancel your trip due to illness or concern of getting norovirus. It’s more common for cruise ships to provide onboard credits or vouchers instead. We also suggest ensuring your coverage includes all non-refundable trip costs so you are fully protected should you need to cancel.
FAQs: Norovirus Travel Insurance
Is it too late to buy travel insurance for norovirus?
No, if you have a trip coming up and have concerns about norovirus, you can still buy a travel insurance policy for protection, but the type of policy is important, as coverage may vary based on benefits included and when you purchased coverage.
We recommend purchasing a policy that includes both Trip Cancellation and Emergency Medical benefits if you are healthy, are not showing any symptoms, or have not been diagnosed with norovirus at the time of purchasing.
Additionally, there are optional add-ons that may be a good idea to include with your policy for even more flexibility, such as Cancel for Any Reason and Interruption for Any Reason.
While CFAR protects your trip before it starts, IFAR is a protection that can assist you during your trip. This benefit reimburses interruptions not included in traditional interruption coverage, such as ending your cruise early due to a norovirus outbreak. Typically, you can receive up to 75% of your unused, non-refundable trip costs with this benefit if your plans change during your trip unexpectedly.
There are a few stipulations and things to be mindful of when it comes to purchasing IFAR coverage:
- IFAR is only available as an add-on with certain policies, so it’s important to check if this benefit is an option when comparing policies.
- Typically, you must purchase IFAR coverage shortly after your first trip deposit has been made (10-21 days).
- Double-check that all prepaid, non-refundable trip costs are covered, as IFAR only covers a percentage of your trip costs (50-75%).
- Check state and policy availability, as some insurers only offer this add-on in certain locations or with specific policies.
Will travel insurance let me cancel if there is a known outbreak on my cruise ship before I board?
No, a standard travel insurance policy will not cover you cancelling your trip just because there is a known outbreak of norovirus on your cruise ship, as standard insurance does not cover the fear of travel.
In this situation, optional add-on benefits, such as Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR), can be helpful. CFAR coverage would allow you to cancel your trip before the cruise begins if you are concerned about the outbreak on your ship, typically reimbursing a large portion of non-refundable trip expenses.
On the other hand, if you are already on your cruise and an outbreak occurs, Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR), as mentioned above, may come in handy. IFAR allows you to be able to receive a percentage of your unused, non-refundable trip costs if you choose to shorten your cruise trip.
Can I still file a claim even if the doctor didn’t test me for norovirus?
Yes, you can still file a claim even if you do not have lab results proving you were officially diagnosed with norovirus. However, you’ll need to provide documentation from a licensed physician stating you are sick and not fit to travel. In some cases, you may also be asked to provide medical records proving you were healthy at the time of purchasing your policy.
Other helpful documentation to provide during the claims process includes treatment notes or other supporting documentation from your healthcare visits.
What happens if I get norovirus before my trip?
If you purchased a travel insurance plan with Trip Cancellation coverage and you get norovirus before your trip, your policy may cover your non-refundable, prepaid trip costs.
To qualify for this coverage, as mentioned in the previous question, you must show you were healthy at the time of purchase and provide medical documentation from your physician stating you are ill and not fit to travel before your trip departure date.
What if I get norovirus during my trip?
If you get norovirus while on your trip, your Travel Medical insurance policy may cover medical expenses, including the cost of a Medical Evacuation or returning home early if it has been deemed medically necessary. Because most domestic health insurance plans provide limited or no coverage while traveling overseas, having Travel Medical insurance can help you by reimbursing treatment costs such as hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescription medications.
In addition to medical coverage, travel insurance can support you if norovirus causes disruptions during your trip. All travel insurance providers on Squaremouth.com offer 24 Hour Assistance Services to policyholders in the event of an emergency. These services can help locate local medical care, organize treatment, and provide information on necessary documentation.
If you have to shorten your trip because you’re sick, Trip Interruption coverage may reimburse your unused, non-refundable trip costs.
What happens if a travel companion gets norovirus and I take care of them?
It is a common misconception that travel insurance only provides coverage when the traveler themselves becomes ill. In reality, you may be eligible for Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption benefits if your travel companion or immediate family member, such as a spouse, parent, child, or grandparent, gets norovirus before or during your trip. Coverage for a family member typically applies when you are their main caregiver, and it is medically necessary for you not to travel while you care for them.
In order for coverage to apply, your ill travel companion must be listed on your itinerary, and you will need to provide medical documentation showing they are ill and not able to travel. Similarly, if your immediate family member who is not traveling gets sick, you must provide documentation showing the illness and that your care is necessary.
From there, your policy can reimburse your unused, non-refundable trip costs if you have to cancel or shorten your trip.
Can I cancel my trip if I’m worried about getting the norovirus?
While fear of getting norovirus is not a covered reason under standard Trip Cancellation policies, purchasing a Cancel For Any Reason add-on offers more flexibility.
This benefit allows you to cancel if you no longer want to travel for fear of the virus, but it must be purchased within 10-21 days after you make your initial trip deposit. Additionally, you must cancel your trip 48-72 hours before your trip departure.