Martin Lewis Travel Insurance Guide 2026

Which Travel Insurance Does Martin Lewis Recommend?

Martin Lewis repeatedly recommends holidaymakers should buy travel insurance as soon as they book (ASAB) their holiday, not just before they fly, to avoid potentially costly problems later on. A major travel insurance development this year for Martin Lewis is his own ‘Cheap Travel Insurance Finder tool’ on MoneySavingExpert.com to help consumers search for cover. For people with mild pre existing medical conditions, Martin Lewis recommends MoneySupermarket, GoCompare, Compare the Market, and Confused.com. Travellers with more severe or serious medical problems should start by comparing prices on Medical Travel Compared or Payingtoomuch.com. You can also look at the Association of British Insurers directory to find recommended specialist travel insurance brokers for other options.

Why does Martin Lewis say buying travel insurance early really matters?

Travel insurance does not only protect you while you’re away, it also covers problems that stop you travelling in the first place, such as illness, bereavement, and other complications. If you delay buying a policy until just before you are due to go on holiday, you will miss out on months of cancellation protection that could save you thousands of pounds if plans change. Martin Lewis coined the phrase ‘As Soon As you Book’ or ASAB when he talks about travel insurance to help holidaymakers to remember to sort out your cover early.

How does Martin Lewis say you should choose the right travel insurance?

Martin Lewis advises starting with using a trusted comparison website (e.g. MedicalTravelCompared.co.uk, MoneySupermarket, or his own MoneySavingExpert.com tool) and then checking the policy details carefully. Some of the main things to look out for are strong medical cover, sufficient cancellation limits, emergency repatriation, and cover for your baggage and valuables. He also suggests checking whether you need add ons for cruise holidays, winter sports, or adventurous activities, so you’re not caught out by exclusions.

What does Martin Lewis say about medical conditions and older travelers?

Martin Lewis is clear that you must declare any pre existing medical conditions, even if they seem minor or under control, because nondisclosure can invalidate claims. He also points older travelers and those with health issues towards specialist insurers such as MedicalTravelCompared.co.uk and the MoneyHelper medical travel insurance directory, where they are more likely to find suitable cover at a fair price.

Does annual, family and specialist travel cover save you money?

If you take more than one trip a year, Martin Lewis often suggests looking at annual multi trip insurance, which can work out cheaper than several single trip policies. For family holidays and cruises, he highlights that family policies and cruise specific cover can pack in useful extras and better value, so long as you check that everyone and every part of the trip is properly covered.

Key Points: What does Martin Lewis say about travel insurance 2026?

• Buy travel insurance ‘as soon as you book’ your holiday to get cancellation cover straight away.
• Do not just pick the cheapest policy, check medical coverage, cancellation, baggage and repatriation limits.
• Always declare all pre existing medical conditions and update your insurer if your health changes.
• Use specialist insurers and the MoneyHelper travel insurance directory if you are older or have medical issues.
• Consider annual, family or cruise specific policies if you travel often or have particular trip types.

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This comprehensive guide looks at the main travel insurance recommendations and advice from Martin Lewis and his team of Money Saving Experts. We also look at the brand new MSE ‘Cheap Travel Insurance Finder tool’ to find out more about how the system works and what it offers.

Martin Lewis travel insurance quotes

Martin Lewis has now launched his own MoneySavingExpert.com ‘Cheap Travel Insurance Finder tool‘ which is a rare move for the independent money saving website. The new simple travel insurance comparison tool provides instant online quotes from a panel of travel insurance providers.

Travel insurance providers included on Money Saving Experts new online price comparison tool include Coverwise, CoverForYou, Admiral, and Leisure Guard for Standard travel cover. Premier travel policies are also available from LV (Premier) and ABTA (Gold) Travel Insurance, offering higher levels of cover for British holidaymakers.

Also, Martin Lewis recommends comparing travel insurance from a wider panel of comparison sites and tools, including MoneySupermarket, Compare The Market, GoCompare, Confused.com, Compare Your Travel Insurance, and Quotezone. These comparison services are especially important for consumers searching for specialist policies, such as cruise holidays, winter sports, or dangerous activities.

Why Martin Lewis’s travel insurance advice matters

For many people in the UK, Martin Lewis is the go to voice on saving money and avoiding financial traps, and travel insurance is one area where he sees the same painful mistakes repeated year after year. He has long warned that too many holidaymakers either buy cover too late, pick policies that are far too basic, or fail to tell insurers about health conditions, only discovering the problem when they try to claim. Because medical bills abroad can run into tens of thousands of pounds, and non refundable trips can cost a small fortune, following his guidance can make the difference between a frustrating delay and a serious financial shock.

Martin’s stance is that travel insurance is not an optional extra if you are leaving the UK, even for short European breaks. He stresses that you should think of it as essential financial protection, just like home or car cover, but with the added twist that timing is everything. By buying a decent policy on the same day you commit to flights or accommodation, you are covered for many of the things that can go wrong before you ever reach the airport. His approach is particularly useful for people on tight budgets, older travellers and those with long term health conditions, because the risks and potential costs are higher and the small print is often more complex.

What is Martin Lewis’s golden rule for travel insurance?

Martin Lewis is famous for his ASAB rule: buy travel insurance “As Soon As you’ve Booked”. In practical terms, that means arranging cover on the same day you pay a deposit or confirm your booking, not leaving it until a week before travel when you are sorting out your suitcase. The reason is that a standard travel policy usually includes cancellation cover from the start date of the policy, so if you fall ill, suffer a bereavement or lose your job and cannot go, you may be able to claim back non refundable costs. Without a policy in place, you are relying on the goodwill of airlines and hotels, which often is not forthcoming.

He often shares stories of people who have had to cancel expensive holidays due to cancer diagnoses or other serious illnesses, only to discover that they never actually bought insurance in time. At that stage, there is usually nothing anyone can do, because the hotel and airline are still able to provide the service, and the lack of insurance means the financial loss falls on the traveller. The clear takeaway from his TV appearances and MoneySavingExpert guides is that if you can afford to pay for the trip, you need to budget for the insurance at the same time, and treat the two as a single purchase.

What travel insurance does Martin Lewis recommend?

Although the right travel insurance typically varies from person to person, Martin Lewis believes there are some core features that everyone should have on their policy. He generally steers people to cover with strong emergency medical protection, including treatment and repatriation back to the UK, because this is where the biggest bills happen. This is especially important if you are travelling to countries such as the United States, where hospital stays and ambulance costs can be eye wateringly expensive, and any serious emergency can wipe out savings without adequate insurance.

He also highlights cancellation cover that is broadly in line with the total pre paid cost of your trip, rather than a token amount that will not cover flights and accommodation. Baggage and personal belongings cover is another area to check, making sure single item limits are high enough for items such as phones, laptops and hearing aids. Finally, he suggests paying close attention to the personal liability section, which helps if you accidentally cause damage or injury to someone else while abroad. By checking these elements rather than just glancing at the price, you are more likely to end up with a policy that does its job when you need it.

Typical minimum cover levels to consider

Travel insurance for seniors: Martin Lewis’s guidance

For older travellers, especially those over 65 or 70, Martin Lewis accepts that prices rise sharply with age but insists that good cover is still available if you know where to look. He notes that many mainstream comparison sites quietly filter out people in higher age brackets or offer policies with limited benefits for them, which can give the impression that there are few options. Instead, he suggests focusing on insurers that deliberately cater for older age groups and for those with one or more medical conditions, even if this means getting quotes directly from providers rather than relying only on comparison tools.

He also advises seniors to think carefully about whether a single trip or annual policy suits them better. If you plan just one or two holidays, a well chosen single trip policy may be cheaper and easier to tailor to your exact destination and length of stay. If you are retired and travel frequently, an annual multi trip product can be good value, provided it allows for trips of the duration you prefer and covers all the regions you visit. Reading the small print is particularly crucial, because some policies aimed at older travellers exclude cruises, winter sports or any kind of adventurous activity unless you pay for an extra add on.

Practical tips for older UK travellers

• Shop around with insurers that specialise in older travellers rather than relying solely on big brand comparison sites.
• Have a full list of your medications and recent treatments to hand when you apply, so you can answer medical questions accurately.
• Check whether your policy will still cover you if your health changes after purchase, and how you should update the insurer.

Annual, family and cruise insurance: how Martin Lewis suggests choosing

Martin Lewis often explains that the type of policy you pick can be just as important as the brand you choose. If you live in the UK and expect to go abroad more than once in a year, an annual multi trip policy can work out cheaper and more convenient than buying separate cover for each holiday. He cautions, however, that these policies always come with maximum trip lengths, which might be as short as 21 or 31 days, so anyone planning longer stays or extended winter breaks abroad needs to look closely at this limit before buying.

For families, his view is that a family policy can be a smart way to save money, particularly when travelling with children, as it often costs less than arranging individual cover for each person. The crucial factor is to make sure the definition of “family” used by the insurer matches your circumstances, especially if you have older teenagers, adult children or stepchildren who live at a different address. When it comes to cruises, he is clear that a standard travel policy may not be enough, because many do not include protection for missed ports, cabin confinement due to illness or emergency evacuation from the ship, all of which can be extremely expensive in practice.

When do you need a specialist travel insurance policy?

• If you are going on a long backpacking or gap year trip, look for backpacker or long stay policies that allow for many months abroad.
• For ski or snowboarding holidays, a winter sports policy that covers off piste skiing where allowed, equipment and avalanche closure is usually essential.
• Cruise holidays generally need a cruise add on or a dedicated cruise policy to cover the unique risks of being at sea.

Comparing travel insurance providers the way Martin Lewis suggests

Martin Lewis repeatedly tells UK travellers not to stop at the first quote they see, even if it looks cheap. Instead, he advises using more than one comparison site to get a broad view of the market and then checking a few direct insurers who might not appear on those platforms. Once you have a shortlist, the next step is to compare what each policy actually covers: look at medical and cancellation limits, the size of the excess you will pay on each type of claim, and any major exclusions that might affect you, such as rules around alcohol, adventure activities or existing medical problems.

He also encourages people to read customer reviews with some care, paying particular attention to how firms handle claims rather than just how easy their websites are to use. A slightly more expensive policy from an insurer with a strong claim handling reputation can be worth the extra, particularly for older customers and those with complex medical needs. At the same time, Martin warns against assuming that a well known high street name automatically offers better cover. The detail in the policy wording and the insurer’s track record in paying out fairly are what really matter when something goes wrong on your trip.

Simple comparison checklist

• Confirm that every country you are visiting is included in the geographical area the policy covers.
• Check that the medical, cancellation and baggage limits are high enough for your circumstances.
• Look for clear wording on Covid, strikes, natural disasters and other modern travel disruptions.
• Make sure sports, excursions and day trips you plan to do are not excluded.

What does Martin Lewis say overall about travel insurance?

Pulling his advice together, Martin Lewis’s overall message on travel insurance is to be proactive, honest and detail focused. Proactive means buying cover the same day you book your trip, so you can claim if events before departure force you to cancel. Honest means declaring all medical conditions and answering every application question carefully, then updating the insurer if your health changes before you travel. Detail focused means reading key sections of the policy wording, so you know exactly what is and is not covered, rather than finding out at the point of claim.

For people in the UK who are watching the cost of living and trying to keep holidays affordable, this approach helps you strike a balance between saving money and staying properly protected. A cheap policy that will not pay out is no bargain at all, while a fairly priced, well chosen policy can shield you from some very expensive problems abroad. Whether you are a young backpacker, a family with school age children or a retiree planning a cruise, applying Martin Lewis’s principles to your travel insurance choices can help you travel with far more peace of mind.

Summary: Martin Lewis’s travel cheap insurance tips and tools

Martin Lewis’s travel insurance guidance has become so widely followed in the UK because it blends money saving tactics with clear warnings about the real risks of travelling without proper cover. He reminds people that the point of insurance is not to make you money but to protect you from financial shocks that would otherwise be very hard to absorb, such as emergency medical treatment abroad or losing the cost of a long saved for holiday. By insisting that people buy early, tell insurers the full story about their health and check policy details with care, he helps travellers avoid the most common and costly pitfalls.

If you are looking to keep your next trip as affordable as possible, it is sensible to follow the same steps. Start by deciding the level of protection you actually need, then shop around using comparison tools and official directories, and finally choose the policy that best fits your situation rather than the cheapest one on screen. Keep a copy of the policy documents accessible on your phone or in print, and make sure your travelling companions know how to contact the insurer if something goes wrong. Approached in this way, travel insurance becomes a practical tool that supports your holiday plans, rather than a last minute box to tick on the way to the airport.

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