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Written byTheresa Stevens
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AFCPE Accredited Financial Counselor
6 years experience in the personal financial industry
Theresa is a writer and former financial advisor with experience helping clients solve money challenges. She uses her expertise to clarify complex personal finance concepts.
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Edited byAshley Cox
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7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
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Table of contents
Group travel is an exciting way to explore the world while making deeper connections with your fellow travelers. But like any form of travel, it comes with certain risks.
Enter group travel insurance — a type of insurance policy that helps protect you and your travel companions from unexpected events, including medical emergencies and flight delays or cancellations.
Here’s what you need to know about group travel insurance, how it works, and when it might make sense for you to add it to your trip plans.
Quick Facts
Where you’re going and the number of travelers in your group will affect the cost of your group travel insurance.
Travel insurance typically reimburses you for non-refundable costs if a covered event causes the cancellation, interruption, or delay of your trip.
Most travel insurance, including group travel insurance, won’t cover pre-existing medical conditions. But you may find a policy that lets you pay extra to get the coverage.
What is group travel insurance?
Group travel insurance is a type of insurance policy that covers a group of people taking a trip together. This could include families, friends, school groups, or sports teams. While what’s considered a group varies by insurer, it generally refers to 10 or more people traveling together.
When deciding whether to insure a group of travelers, travel insurance companies typically look at the number and ages of the people traveling, the total trip cost, and the destination. Some insurers may also impose age restrictions for group travel insurance. That’s why it’s important to review the terms and conditions of your group travel policy carefully to understand its specific coverage, limits, and exclusions.
How group travel insurance works
Group travel insurance protects a group of travelers (usually five or more) who are on an organized trip. These policies cover shorter-term trips, such as a work conference or mission trip.
Group travel policies and individual travel policies are similar in that they both provide coverage for common travel-related risks, including trip cancellation, travel delay, lost luggage, and medical costs. They may also provide travel medical insurance coverage.
Group travel policies often cost less than individual policies since group members are able to split the cost. Generally, travelers must be going to the same destination and have similar travel dates to qualify for group coverage.
How much does group travel insurance cost?
In general, you can find group travel insurance plans for as low as $600 and up to $1,600 or more, depending on the coverage offerings.
Group travel insurance policies usually have different tiers. For example, Allianz offers basic, prime, and premier group travel insurance plans. As the name suggests, the basic plan offers the least coverage and benefits but has the cheapest rate.
Cost Example
Here are the potential costs of an Allianz travel insurance policy for a group of six people aged 30 to 50 traveling to Spain for one week.
Basic group travel plan: $844 ($140.67 per traveler)
Prime group travel plan: $1,147 ($191.17 per traveler)
Premier group travel plan: $1,524 ($254 per traveler)
Factors that affect the cost of group travel insurance
Several factors influence the cost of a group travel insurance policy, including:
Destination: Where you’re traveling will affect your policy cost. For example, international travel may cost more than travel within the U.S.
Number of travelers in your group: If you have a smaller group, you’ll pay more for coverage. People traveling in larger groups will pay lower rates per person.
Traveler ages: Some insurance companies may apply age-related premiums for senior travelers, which can affect your policy cost.
Length of trip: The longer your trip, the more your policy will cost because the risk of filing a claim increases.
Coverage options: The higher the coverage limits you select and the more optional add-ons you choose — such as cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage — the more you’ll pay for a group travel policy.
Benefits of group travel insurance
Group travel insurance policies offer various benefits to travelers, including:
Financial protection
Group travel insurance offers financial protection from a range of potential risks. For example, if you have to cut your trip short due to a covered injury or illness, group travel insurance may reimburse non-refundable expenses, such as prepaid hotel stays.[1]
Emergency medical care coverage
Group travel insurance policies usually cover doctor’s visits and emergency evacuation. Additionally, some insurers started providing epidemic coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trip interruption and cancellation coverage
Trip cancellation coverage offers reimbursement if someone in the group has to back out due to sickness, a death in the family, or other situations covered by the policy.
Similarly, if you or another person in the group has to leave a trip early due to a covered reason, trip interruption travel coverage reimburses you for certain non-refundable expenses, such as the unused portion of your hotel stay.
Baggage loss coverage
Baggage loss coverage will reimburse you for your missing luggage and personal items, usually up to a specific dollar limit — such as $200 or $500 — but the exact limit varies by insurer.[2]
Peace of mind during travel
You’ve put time, effort, and money into planning the perfect adventure. Group travel insurance can provide peace of mind, knowing you’ve done everything you can to ensure your trip’s success.
Should you buy group travel insurance?
If you fall under one of the categories below, group travel insurance may be worth looking into before your trip.
Business groups: Companies organizing conferences, retreats, or other business trips for employees may want to consider group travel insurance.
Student groups: Group travel insurance can protect students and teachers during field trips, study abroad programs, or other types of travel.
Family groups: If you have a large family, group travel insurance can provide coverage for all family members, for a single trip, under one policy.
Sports groups: Sports teams traveling for competitions and tournaments may opt for group travel insurance to protect athletes and staff.
Wedding parties: Couples planning destination weddings may arrange group travel insurance for their wedding party and guests.
How to buy group travel insurance
Here are some tips to help you choose the best group travel insurance plan for you:
Understand the needs of your group. Start by understanding the needs of your group and making sure the coverage works for everyone. For example, if someone in your group has pre-existing medical conditions, you want to make sure the policy covers it.
Compare different insurers. Rates and coverage vary by insurer, so comparing group policies from multiple insurers is one of the best ways to find a plan that works for you and your fellow travelers.
Assess the coverage options. Review the coverage options carefully to determine if they’re adequate for your group’s specific needs. Reach out to the insurance company if you need clarification on any of the coverage details.
Purchase a policy. Once you’ve picked the best coverage options for your group, purchase the policy. Keep your policy details and insurer contact information handy so that you can reference them if you need to file a claim while you’re traveling.
Group travel insurance FAQs
If you’re planning for an upcoming group trip, this additional information may help as you research your travel insurance options.
Can you buy travel insurance for a group?
Yes. You can generally buy travel insurance for a group of people. But some insurers may have restrictions based on group size, how many days of travel are planned, and the trip destination. Enter your trip details into an insurance-comparison website to view plans your group may qualify for.
Is it better to buy group travel insurance or individual travel insurance?
It depends. Whether you should purchase an individual or group travel insurance plan varies depending on your specific situation. The main benefits of group travel insurance are convenience and potential cost savings. If you’re on the fence, compare options for individual plans and group travel insurance coverage, considering price, coverage limits, and exclusions.
What does group travel insurance not cover?
Like any insurance policy, group travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. Some common exclusions are pre-existing medical conditions, pregnancy and childbirth, pandemics, and civil or political unrest at your travel destination. Group travel insurance also typically won’t cover high-risk activities you may participate in while on your trip, such as bungee jumping or skydiving.[3]
How many people are required to qualify for group travel insurance?
This varies by the insurance company, but generally, groups of 10 or more people are eligible for a group travel insurance policy.
What happens if a member of the group falls ill or has an accident?
If someone in your group becomes ill or injured, the first thing to do is seek medical attention if needed. Once you’ve addressed immediate medical needs, you should notify your insurance company and ask how to file a claim. You should be able to submit a claim against your group travel insurance policy through the company’s website, mobile app, or over the phone.
Sources
- Forbes. "When Do You Need Group Travel Insurance?."
- Insuremytrip.com. "Baggage Loss & Delay Coverage."
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners. "Travel Insurance."
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Theresa Stevens
Theresa Stevens is a personal finance writer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has been featured in Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, and more. As a former financial advisor, she has first-hand experience helping people solve their money challenges. When she's not writing, you'll find her trying out new karaoke spots or planning her next trip abroad.
7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
Featured in