Solo Travel Insurance

Author: Melissa A.

Published: June 21st, 2024 | Updated: June 21st, 2024
Read time: 5 mins

Travelling solo can be very liberating and rewarding. It can boost your self-confidence, independence, and self-discovery. It also allows you to travel wherever you want, when you want, at your own pace, learn a new language, practice a hobby, make new friends, and more. On the other hand, travelling solo can have disadvantages, especially regarding your health and safety. For example, you could experience a medical emergency on your trip that you must deal with alone, or you may need to postpone your trip due to an unforeseen circumstance before departure. Solo travel insurance is a trip essential that will put your mind at ease.

What is solo travel insurance?

Solo travel insurance is coverage for one individual. It can financially protect you from unexpected expenses you cannot afford to pay if something goes wrong before or during your holiday that you would otherwise be responsible for if you didn’t have solo coverage. The great thing about solo travel insurance is that you can select a plan that meets your needs and customize it with various options and add-ons. For example, suppose you plan on hiking, climbing, gliding, snowboarding, or participating in water sports such as surfing, diving, or rafting on your getaway. In that case, you can add coverage for high-risk and adventure sports activities.

What does travel insurance for solo trips cover?

Travel insurance for solo trips can include benefits for trip cancellation and interruption, travel delays, missed connections, emergency medical, baggage loss and delay, and 24/7 emergency assistance. Some solo travel insurance plans may even include benefits for medical evacuation and repatriation and pre-existing conditions. As a sole traveller, ensuring that a plan contains all the coverage benefits you need is important. It’s better to have coverages and not have to use them rather than wish you had them later if something unfortunate happened. Closely read a plan’s terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions to determine what you will be covered for. If it’s missing coverage necessary for you, for example, coverage for high-risk and adventure activities, car rental damage, personal effects, Cancel for Any Reason, etc., add it to the plan.

Does family travel insurance cover individuals travelling alone?

Yes, family travel insurance plans for multi-trips (commonly known as family annual insurance) cover individual family members who travel separately rather than together on a family vacation. When covered under a family annual plan, whether an adult or child, you are insured to travel independently at any time throughout the year.

How much is solo travel insurance?

Insurance for solo travellers will cost approximately 4%-10% of your total prepaid, nonrefundable trip cost. Total trip cost is any expenses you pay before departure, such as your airfare, accommodations, excursions, event tickets, etc. Solo travel insurance cost depends on risk factors such as traveller(s) age, number of travellers insured on a policy, and level of coverage. Additional risk factors affecting cost include destination(s), such as high-risk or remote. Limits, deductible and any options or add-ons you choose to add to a plan can also affect the cost.

To keep the cost of solo travel insurance down, get a plan with the coverages you need and avoid unnecessary coverages, which will drive the price up. Also, look at travel insurance you may already have, for example, through your credit card if you paid for your trip with your card or through your employee benefits plan because you may only require top-up coverage. If you are a frequent traveller taking more than two trips per year, consider annual travel insurance for multiple trips, which can save you money.

What is the best travel insurance for solo travellers?

When shopping for solo travel insurance, you should consider purchasing a plan that meets all your coverage needs. The best plan for a solo traveller will contain benefits for trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical, emergency evacuation and repatriation, baggage, personal effects, AD&D (Accidental Death and Dismemberment) coverages, and 24/7 emergency assistance. Add-on benefits that may be advantageous include pre-existing conditions, high-risk and adventure activities, gadgets, cyber-attacks, and car rental damage coverages.

A single-trip travel insurance plan may suffice if you are planning one solo trip that doesn’t involve any high-risk or adventure activities. However, an annual travel insurance plan is better if you plan to take multiple trips in 12 months. If you plan to backpack across Europe for several months, then a backpacker travel insurance plan would be best because it covers a wide range of adventure-type activities. Quote and compare plans with us at InsureMyTrip to find a solo travel insurance plan that’s right for your domestic or international trip.