Best family travel insurance UK: what to look for with babies & kids

Last updated: October 2026. This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Travel insurance became something I paid far more attention to once we started travelling with R. A policy that looks perfectly good at first glance can feel very different when you start checking what happens if your child is ill before the trip, your pushchair is damaged in transit or you need medical treatment abroad.

I also spent several years working in insurance, so I’m probably more inclined than most people to read the limits and exclusions rather than just compare the headline price. We travel frequently as a family and currently buy annual cover, but the right policy depends on where you’re going, how often you travel and the cover your family actually needs.

Below I’ve explained the family travel insurance providers we consider, what I would check when travelling with a baby or young child, and the policy details that are particularly easy to overlook. This is based on our own buying experience and research rather than personal financial advice, so always check the current policy wording before buying.

What should family travel insurance cover?

If you are travelling with a baby or child, I would start with emergency medical and repatriation cover, cancellation and curtailment, then check the details that are particularly relevant to families: whether every child travelling is covered, the single-item limit for an expensive pushchair or car seat, and whether the activities you have planned are included. If anyone has a pre-existing medical condition, declare it accurately and check what the insurer has agreed to cover.

For European trips, take a valid GHIC or EHIC where applicable as well, but do not treat it as a replacement for travel insurance. It can help with medically necessary state healthcare in participating countries, but it does not replace cover for things such as repatriation, cancellation or baggage.

Travel insurance with a baby: what should you check?

This is the part of the page I get asked about most, and it’s worth checking properly rather than assuming a family policy automatically covers a baby the way you’d expect:

• Is the baby explicitly included on the policy? Do not assume a newborn is automatically covered. Check the policy wording or ask the insurer directly.
• Cancellation if your baby or another insured family member becomes ill before departure. This is one of the more common reasons families need to claim.
• Emergency medical treatment and repatriation abroad. Costs can be significant, particularly outside Europe.
• Single-item limits for your pushchair, travel system or travel car seat. A baggage total of several thousand pounds is less useful if each individual item is capped far below its replacement cost.
• Cover for baby equipment that is damaged, delayed or lost in transit, subject to the policy wording.
• Whether your planned activities are covered, particularly skiing, higher-risk sports or excursions.
• Any pre-existing medical conditions for the baby, parents or other insured travellers must be declared as required by the insurer.

Family travel insurance options at a glance

Suitability depends on how you book and travel, so here’s a quick starting point before the detail below:

Option	Worth considering if…	Family point to check	Our relationship
Wanda by Avios	You book trips using Avios and want cover designed around reward bookings	Child limits, cancellation terms and exact Avios protection	We have a policy now but are replacing it
Aviva	You want to compare a large established insurer	Current cover limits and optional extras	A provider we compare; I previously worked at Direct Line Group
Nationwide FlexPlus	You already pay for the packaged current account	Eligibility, age/medical limits and whether the account cost makes sense for you	Research option
Amex Platinum cover	You already hold an eligible Platinum card	Eligibility, payment requirements, exclusions and whether the limits meet your needs	Existing card benefit we check, not our sole reason to buy cover

Ratings and scores below are dated where used. Always check the current policy wording before buying, as terms and limits change.

Providers worth comparing

Wanda by Avios

We currently have a Wanda policy, and the reason we chose it is the Avios Protect feature. We book flights and hotels with Avios regularly, including for business class travel, and standard travel insurance doesn’t necessarily protect those reward bookings, whereas Wanda is designed to. If a trip is cancelled or cut short and the claim is approved, your Avios may be reinstated to your British Airways Club account, subject to the policy terms. The provider’s travel page says up to 500,000 Avios can be protected on trips paid for with Avios, and lists a 5-star Defaqto rating for its Premier cover. That said, after a bad experience we’re replacing it, so I can’t recommend it right now.

If you’re thinking of it for yourself, read the current policy documents and the Avios Protect terms carefully, check the cancellation wording against the way you book, and read recent claims experiences before you buy. It is arranged through FCA-regulated Open Insurance Services UK and backed by Avios Group.

Aviva

Aviva is one of the UK’s most established insurers. They took over Direct Line Group, where I worked for several years, though that only gives me some familiarity with how the group operates rather than any guarantee about current underwriting or claims quality. Their travel insurance provides up to £10m emergency medical cover and includes both single-trip and annual multi-trip options, with a 24/7 emergency helpline and customisable add-ons for winter sports and cruise cover. In the Which? 2026 policy comparison, Aviva scored 78% against a 62% average across all policies reviewed (Which?, checked September 2026).

What about the Which? best buys?

Which?’s 2026 review surveyed 47 UK travel insurance companies and assessed 120 areas of cover each. A few worth a closer look: Saga Plus had the highest cancellation cover of any policy reviewed (up to £20,000) with no maximum age limit, Nationwide FlexPlus is included as part of the Nationwide packaged current account and can represent good value if you’re already a customer, and Covered2Go Platinum was notable for not applying any excess when you claim.

Which? doesn’t award a Best Buy badge to providers shown to reject higher-than-average numbers of claims or with a poor track record at the Financial Ombudsman, so these ratings go beyond just the policy wording. As with any third-party comparison, check the current version before relying on it.

Amex Platinum cover: check what you may already have

If you have the Platinum American Express (we held one alongside our British Airways Premium Plus card, which is the one we use to collect Avios), you and your immediate family may be covered by Amex Platinum travel insurance from the moment you book with your card. It’s one of the more comprehensive travel insurance benefits attached to a UK credit card, and worth checking if you hold one, rather than assuming you need to buy standalone cover on top.

A few things to verify directly with Amex before relying on it: who is covered (typically the cardholder, partner and dependent children), the age limit for medical cover, and whether any pre-existing conditions you need covered appear on the accepted conditions list. In January 2025, Amex moved from AXA to Europ Assistance as their insurance provider, and there have been some reports of teething problems with claims processing, so it’s worth reading current reviews and the current policy document rather than relying on card marketing alone.

It can work well as a layer of cover, but for family travel with a baby or toddler we buy a dedicated standalone policy as well, mainly because the repatriation limit is lower than we’d want as our only cover.

What does family travel insurance actually cover?

Core cover to compare

• Emergency medical expenses: costs can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds if something serious happens abroad, particularly in the US or further afield. We look for a high limit, but the right figure depends on where you’re travelling and your own circumstances rather than one number being correct for everyone.
• Trip cancellation: covers your prepaid, non-refundable costs if you have to cancel before you go.
• Curtailment: covers costs if you have to cut a trip short.
• Travel delay: payouts if your flight is significantly delayed.
• Baggage and personal belongings: worth checking the per-item limits, especially for expensive items like pushchairs and car seats.
• Personal liability: covers you if you accidentally injure someone or damage property abroad.

Extra things I check when travelling with R

• How many children are covered: most family policies cover up to 2 adults and a set number of dependants, so check the definition matches your family.
• Whether a pushchair or car seat is specifically covered: these are expensive to replace and often have low sub-limits.
• Whether FCDO advice cancellation is included: so you can cancel if the Foreign Office advises against travel to your destination.

What is not automatically covered

• Pre-existing medical conditions, unless declared and specifically accepted by the insurer.
• Winter sports, watersports and higher-risk activities, which usually need an add-on rather than being included as standard.
• Electronics and gadgets, which some policies exclude or cap low unless you add gadget cover.

How I compare a family policy

I check	Why it matters to us
Emergency medical + repatriation	The potentially catastrophic cost, particularly on long-haul trips.
Cancellation / curtailment	We often book flights and accommodation well in advance.
Single-item baggage limits	Pushchairs, car seats and electronics can exceed a low per-item cap.
Children included	Family definitions and dependant limits vary.
Pre-existing conditions	They need to be declared and accepted where required.
Activities / winter sports	Standard cover may not include everything we plan to do.
Maximum trip length	Important on annual multi-trip policies.
Reward bookings	Relevant to us because we frequently use Avios.

Annual vs single-trip cover

If you travel more than twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy is often better value, and this is what we buy. You don’t need to remember to take out new cover each time, and for a family doing two or three European trips plus a long-haul, it can work out cheaper overall. The key thing to check is the maximum trip length per journey: it’s typically 31, 45 or 60 days. For most European family holidays that’s fine, but if you’re planning a longer trip it’s worth upgrading. In our experience it’s sometimes worth buying annual cover for Europe and then a single-trip policy for the US, if you’re only visiting the States once.

When should you buy travel insurance?

We arrange travel insurance as soon as we have a trip booked rather than waiting until just before departure. One of the main reasons is cancellation cover: if something covered by the policy happens before you travel, you need the policy to have been in force at the relevant time. Check the start date and cancellation terms on the policy you choose.

If you’re booking somewhere in hurricane season, such as Bermuda, where the Atlantic season runs from 1 June to 30 November, it’s worth reading how your policy treats named storms and cancellation before you pay for flights or accommodation. Our guide to the best time to visit Bermuda with kids covers the timing.

Do you still need travel insurance if you have a GHIC?

Yes, we travel with both where the GHIC/EHIC is applicable. The card can give access to medically necessary state healthcare on local terms in participating destinations, but it does not replace travel insurance and does not cover everything, including medical repatriation, private treatment, trip cancellation or lost baggage. We cover how to get your GHIC in more detail, along with a light note on getting your baby’s first passport sorted at the same time.

Things families should watch out for

• Pre-existing conditions: declare them accurately, as failing to disclose can invalidate the whole policy.
• Pushchair and car seat cover: check the per-item limit. Many policies cap individual items at £200-400, which won’t go far if you need to replace a decent pushchair. Your household contents insurance may be worth checking too if it covers items away from home.
• Gadget cover: if you’re travelling with tablets and laptops, check whether electronics are included or need to be added on.
• Activities cover: most standard policies don’t cover skiing or water sports without a specific add-on. If you’re planning a ski trip, make sure winter sports cover is included and check what it would mean for your family if a medical evacuation was ever needed.
• How you pay: this can give you separate consumer protection in some circumstances. For example, qualifying credit-card purchases may receive Section 75 protection. That is separate from travel insurance, so check the rules rather than treating either one as a substitute for the other.

What travel insurance do we use?

We currently have a Wanda policy because protecting Avios bookings matters for the way we travel, but after a bad experience we’re replacing it, so I can’t recommend it right now. Whichever provider you choose, compare the cover limits and exclusions against the trips you have planned, as I do. When most of our travel is booked in cash, Aviva is one of the providers I compare, and we have used Admiral previously.

If you’re an Amex Platinum holder, check whether your card cover is sufficient before buying standalone, as you may have more protection than you realise, though we still buy a dedicated policy on top for family travel.

Whatever you choose: buy it as soon as you book, read the policy wording around pre-existing conditions and individual item limits, and save the emergency number in your phone before you fly.

And if you’re wondering what else to buy or pack, our baby holiday packing list covers it.

Hiring a car?

Standard travel insurance does not necessarily cover the excess you may owe the rental company if the car is damaged or stolen. We buy separate car hire excess cover for our road trips, and there is one detail I now always check before buying: the policy’s vehicle-value limit, particularly when we hire larger SUVs.

Allie, Jack & R x

Family travel insurance UK: frequently asked questions