Single Trip Travel Insurance
A single trip travel insurance policy provides the best value for money to cover you for a one-off holiday overseas or trips in the UK. If you are planning to take more than two holidays in one year, then you could save money by getting an annual travel insurance policy.
Single trip travel insurance is the most popular type of travel insurance in the UK, according to the latest report from The Independent. The price of single trip travel cover starts at less than £10 per trip with affordable options for most UK holidaymakers.
All of the UK’s biggest travel insurance companies offer single trip travel insurance to protect you financially during a one-off trip of up to 120 – 180 days maximum. If you experience unexpected problems while you’re on holiday, you might be able to claim £100’s or £1000’s from your travel insurance company.
Top benefits of single trip travel insurance:
- Flexible policies with options to tailor your cover to suit your budget.
- Provides financial protection against the cost of medical cover while abroad and usually covers repatriation due to serious illness, injury, or death.
- Most policies include personal liability cover in case you accidentally injure someone or damage their property while on holiday.
- You are protected if you need to cancel your holiday due to unforeseen circumstances such as medical issues or the loss of a loved one (bereavement).
There are hundreds of different options for single trip travel insurance, making it hard to figure out which policy is right for you. Our insurance experts have written this guide to explain how single trip travel insurance works and the simplest ways to find your perfect travel insurance policy.
60 Second Summary – Should I buy Single Trip Travel Insurance?
Single trip travel insurance helps to protect you financially if something goes wrong during your holiday. It’s usually an affordable option for individuals, couples, families, or groups, and you can customise your policy based on where you’re going and how much cover you need.
Single trip policies are available from all of the UK’s best travel insurance companies, including popular insurers like Post Office, Avanti, Ageas, and Esure.
- Single trip travel cover is split into two main categories based on your chosen holiday destination – European travel insurance and Worldwide travel insurance.
- Single trip policies generally include cover for emergency medical expenses, trip cancellations, personal liability, legal expenses, and travel delays.
- Additional benefits like winter sports, cruise, or gadget cover can be added to most single trip travel insurance policies for a higher level of protection.
- Our insurance experts have searched the whole market to find out which insurers offer the best single trip policies for different types of travellers (see below).
- Annual travel insurance could be a better and cheaper option for you if you travel a lot or already have multiple holidays booked within the next 12 months.
What is single trip travel insurance?
Single trip travel insurance protects you before and during one specific trip and your cover ends as soon as you return home. Most single trip travel insurance policies pay out for unexpected issues like losing personal items or needing emergency medical care while abroad.
There are lots of options for single trip travel insurance, and you can buy policies to protect yourself, you and your partner, or even your whole family. Most single trip travel insurance policies are split into the following two categories:
- Single Trip European Travel Insurance: Your policy will cover you for one trip to a European destination, and you need to specify where you are going when you apply. Some policies will exclude specific destinations in Europe (e.g. Spain) and you should check to make sure that your destination is covered.
- Single Trip Worldwide Travel Insurance: Your policy will cover you for one trip to a destination outside of Europe. Most worldwide travel insurance policies will specify whether you are protected in countries like the USA, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
If you’re only planning to go on holiday once this year, single trip travel insurance is often the simplest and cheapest option. If you have several holidays planned, annual travel insurance might offer better value for money.
Pros and Cons of single trip travel insurance
| Pro | Con |
| Hundreds of different options for travel insurance policies with varying levels of cover. | Annual travel insurance might be cheaper depending on your destination and your age. |
| Almost all travel insurance companies will sell single trip travel insurance, as it is the most common type of travel cover. | You would need to change or cancel your travel insurance if you change the dates of your holiday. |
| Can often add on extra benefits like winter sports cover, cruise cover, or gadget cover. | You will need to buy multiple policies if you are planning more than one trip within the next 12 months. |
| Several insurers offer single trip travel insurance with no upper age limit for older travellers. | Less flexible as you are only protected for set dates, so you wouldn’t be covered if you need to extend your stay. |
| Can be better to buy multiple single trip policies if you’re travelling to a range of different destinations (both European and Worldwide). | Less convenient than annual cover which covers several trips under one easily managed policy. |
What does single trip travel insurance cover?
Single trip travel insurance policies will all offer similar benefits, no matter which travel insurance company you apply to. Some policies will offer a higher level of cover, and some might include additional benefits for free (e.g. gadget cover).
A standard single trip travel insurance policy should include the following benefits:
- Cover for emergency medical expenses (minimum of £1million).
- Repatriation cover (in case you die or become seriously ill/injured while abroad).
- Cancellation cover (in case you need to cancel your holiday due to unforeseen issues e.g. serious illness or injury).
- Personal liability and legal expenses cover.
- Cover for trip curtailment (cutting your trip short).
- Cover for travel delays/missed flights (only if the cause of missing your flights is not your fault e.g. traffic).
What doesn’t single trip travel insurance cover?
The purpose of travel insurance is to protect you financially if something goes wrong that affects your trip and causes you to lose money. Your policy will pay out for a wide range of unexpected events, but it won’t pay out for every possible issue that could happen while on holiday.
There are common exclusions which most travel insurance companies will apply to their policies. Usually, single trip travel insurance policies won’t pay out for things like:
- Treating injuries or illnesses caused by drug or alcohol abuse.
- Any claims if you are travelling to a country that the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against travelling to.
- Claims for treating any pre-existing conditions that you haven’t disclosed when you applied for your policy.
- Claims caused by taking part in illegal activities.
- Certain sports and activities (unless they are covered in your policy terms and conditions).
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How long does single trip travel insurance last?
Single trip travel insurance only covers you for one specific trip, so your coverage will begin at the start of your trip and end as soon as you get home. The exception to this is cancellation cover, which normally begins from the date that you bought your policy.
One of the most recommended travel insurance rules is to buy travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holiday or ‘ASAB’. This is because you can claim on single trip travel insurance if you need to cancel your holiday for unexpected reasons such as serious illness or bereavement.
Our full guide ‘When should I buy travel insurance?’ explains more about the best time to buy travel insurance and the key rules for cancellation cover.
What is the best single trip travel insurance policy?
Our travel insurance experts have searched the entire market to find the UK’s best and cheapest single trip travel insurance policies.
During our search, we focused on which insurers were offering the highest quality policy benefits and best value for money for UK holidaymakers. Our insurance specialists also looked at industry ratings and online customer reviews to find the UK’s most popular travel insurance policies.
Top 5 single trip travel insurance policies
Cover for You
Trustpilot score: 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars
Defaqto rating: 5 Stars
Best single trip travel insurance for: Couples
Cover for You is well known for offering fairly priced travel insurance policies for couples. Prices start at less than £30 for a one-week trip, which works out to about £15 per person.
They are one of the most highly rated UK travel insurance companies, having received outstanding customer reviews on Trustpilot (rated 4.8 out of 5.0 Stars). Cover for You might not be a household name, but their policies are underwritten by AXA. AXA is one of the UK’s most popular general insurance companies and has been trusted by UK holidaymakers for decades.
Popular benefits of Cover for You single trip travel insurance:
- Up to £15million cover for emergency medical care and repatriation.
- Automatically includes £5,000 personal accident cover.
- Covers travel delays (£100) and missed departures (£500).
- Can claim an additional £2,000 per night for foreign hospital stays.
- Automatically includes £1million personal liability cover and £20,000 legal expenses cover.
Admiral
Trustpilot score: 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars
Defaqto rating: 5 Stars
Best single trip travel insurance for: Older Travellers
Admiral is often the most affordable choice for single trip travel insurance for holidaymakers aged 50 and older. Prices start at less than £10 for a one week trip and include a wide range of attractive policy benefits.
Most people in the UK are familiar with Admiral Insurance, as they are a trusted general insurer that has been providing policies for almost 30 years. Admiral is also well-liked by their customers, with a rating of ‘Excellent’ on the independent review site Trustpilot (4.5 out of 5.0 Stars).
Popular benefits of Admiral single trip travel insurance:
- Up to £20million emergency medical cover.
- Up to £2,500 cover for lost, damaged, or stolen personal belongings.
- Can cover a range of medical conditions.
- Can extend your cover for free if you need to cut your trip short for medical reasons, so you can finish your trip when you are ready to.
Oasis Insurance
Trustpilot score: 4.7 out of 5.0 Stars
Defaqto rating: 5 Stars
Best single trip travel insurance for: Families and Business Cover
Our insurance experts have found that Oasis Insurance is currently the best insurance company for family travel insurance in the UK. Their policies are reasonably priced, starting at less than £30 to cover a family of 4 for a one week trip to Europe.
Even the most basic Oasis Insurance policies provide decent policy benefits including:
- £10million cover for emergency medical expenses.
- £500 per night hospital benefit.
- £10,000 personal accident cover.
- £1,000 cover for trip cancellation or curtailment.
- £750 cover for missed departures.
- £2million personal liability cover.
In most cases, you can upgrade your policy to the next level of cover for around £15 – £20 extra if you need a higher level of protection for your family holiday.
Oasis is also one of the top insurers for business travel insurance, allowing travellers to add on £500 cover which pays out for lost, stolen, or damaged business equipment.
Note: With family travel insurance, all family members should receive the same level of coverage unless your policy documents say that they won’t.
Coverwise
Trustpilot score: 4.7 out of 5.0 Stars
Defaqto rating: 5 Stars
Best single trip travel insurance for: Individuals and Solo Travellers
Our insurance experts recently rated Coverwise as the UK’s #1 travel insurance company for 2024 holidays. Their single trip cover starts from around £6.50 for individual cover and is consistently one of the cheapest options for solo travellers.
When looking at the Top 3 budget travel insurance companies, we found that Coverwise usually offers the highest level of medical cover (£20million) for the lowest price. They also receive excellent reviews on Trustpilot, with their customers rating them 4.7 out of 5.0 Stars.
Popular benefits of Coverwise single trip travel insurance:
- £20million emergency medical expenses cover.
- £1,000 baggage cover (pays out for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage)
- £10,000 personal accident cover
- £2million personal liability cover.
- All policies are underwritten by popular insurance company AXA.
Travel Insurance Saver
Trustpilot score: 4.8 out of 5.0 Stars
Defaqto rating: 5 Stars
Best single trip travel insurance for: Groups
Travel Insurance Saver is our insurance expert’s top choice for travel insurance for groups in 2024/25. Policies start from less than £40 for a group of 4, so you could pay less than £10 each for your cover. In most cases, you can cover up to 10 people if you are travelling as a large group.
Even Travel Insurance Saver’s most basic policies have been rated 4 Stars by Defaqto, and include top policy benefits like:
- Up to £10million cover for emergency medical care.
- £1,000 per night hospital benefit.
- Up to £1,250 cancellation cover.
- Up to £1,500 baggage cover.
- £2million personal liability cover and £50,000 legal expenses cover.
- Option to add on extra benefits like cruise cover or winter sports cover.
Note: Travel insurance companies are constantly updating policies and pricing, and our experts will regularly update our ratings to reflect the latest information and reviews.
Travel Insurance provider reviews
How much should single trip travel insurance cost?
According to our latest research, the average cost of single trip travel insurance is around £12.60 for individual cover. The exact price will vary based on your age, medical history, and specific details about your trip.
Some single trip policies will be more expensive if they offer a higher level of cover. Most travel insurance companies will offer 2 – 4 different levels of cover to choose from, so you can choose the most affordable policy for your trip.
In most cases, you will also pay more if you are insuring multiple people on the same policy. Single trip travel insurance for couples and families will normally cost more but protects everyone on your trip. It can sometimes be cheaper to buy multiple single trip policies, so it’s worth comparing quotes to see if this is the better option for you.
Our travel insurance experts have put together the tables below to give you a rough idea of how much you might pay for single trip insurance.
Price Comparison – Travel insurance for Europe (single trip to Spain)
| Applicant age | Lowest price | Highest price |
| Age 20 | £6.75 | £68.63 |
| Age 30 | £6.83 | £78.92 |
| Age 40 | £6.92 | £77.99 |
| Age 50 | £7.73 | £91.71 |
| Age 60 | £10.66 | £132.93 |
Price Comparison – Single trip travel insurance for America (Worldwide)
| Applicant age | Lowest price | Highest price |
| Age 20 | £20.31 | £222.14 |
| Age 30 | £22.47 | £255.46 |
| Age 40 | £22.60 | £252.43 |
| Age 50 | £26.51 | £296.87 |
| Age 60 | £33.19 | £399.87 |
Note: All of these quotes are for individual travel insurance for an applicant who has no pre-existing medical conditions. These quotes have been generated for illustration purposes only, and the cost of your cover may be lower or higher than these prices.
How do I find cheap single trip travel insurance UK?
The simplest way to find low cost single trip travel insurance is by comparing multiple travel insurance quotes. Some insurers are better suited to certain types of travellers (e.g. older travellers) and others work better for specific types of holidays or destinations.
You can request multiple quotes from different travel insurance companies, or you can use an online price comparison tool. Price comparison tools tend to be the easiest option, as you fill in your information once and can generate quotes from multiple insurance companies.
If you still can’t find affordable travel cover, our experts have put together this list of top tips to help you save money on single trip travel insurance.
- Don’t add on extra benefits that you don’t need.
- Remove or adjust existing policy benefits if you can.
- Apply closer to your departure date (can be cheaper for people with pre-existing conditions).
Can I add extra benefits to my single trip travel insurance policy?
One of the best things about single trip travel insurance is that these policies are usually flexible, so you can tailor the level of cover to suit your trip. Most travel insurance companies provide the option to add extra benefits to your policy for an increased level of cover.
Common extra benefits that can be added to single trip travel insurance:
- Winter sports cover: This is a popular benefit which protects you and your equipment if you’re taking part in winter sports while on holiday (e.g. skiing or snowboarding).
- Cruise cover: Adding cruise cover means that you are protected against and can claim for extra scenarios that would only happen on a cruise holiday (e.g. cabin confinement).
- Gadget cover: If you’re planning on taking a phone, tablet, or laptop on holiday, gadget cover will pay out if any of these items are lost, damaged, or stolen.
- Business travel insurance: Business travel cover offers extra protection for things like loss or damage to business equipment.
- Golf cover: Golfing holidays have become more popular in recent years, and golf cover protects you if golf clubs or other equipment are lost or become damaged while travelling.
How do I find the right travel insurance policy for me?
It can be confusing to work out which travel insurance policy and company is the right fit for your trip. If you’re struggling to find suitable cover, you can use resources like BIBA’s ‘Find Insurance’ service.
The British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) is a trusted resource, with a full directory of mainstream and specialist travel insurance providers.
What to do if you can’t find travel insurance
There are certain options and support mechanisms that are available to you if you’re struggling to find suitable travel insurance. One of the bodies to support consumers with travel insurance is the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) which covers all insurance services in the United Kingdom.
BIBA provides a Find Insurance service that allows you to search for a recommended member who might be able to help you.
Telephone (Insurance Help)- 0370 950 1790
Telephone (General Enquiries) – 0344 7700 266
Email – enquiries@biba.org.uk
Should I buy single trip travel insurance?
If you’re not sure whether to buy single trip or annual travel insurance, you should consider how much you’re planning to travel within the next 12 months. Single trip travel insurance allows you to customise your policy based on the exact trip that you have planned. You can adjust the level of cover and can even add on extra benefits like cruise cover if you need to.
Annual travel insurance policies are less flexible but can be more convenient if you are a regular traveller. If you’re likely to book multiple European holidays for example, it might be cheaper to buy an annual travel insurance policy.
Most online price comparison tools allow you to look at quotes for both single trip and annual travel insurance to help you work out which policy is best for you. CLICK HERE to compare the best and cheapest travel insurance quotes from the top UK travel insurance companies.
