Travel insurance for a family of five: what to check before you book

This is general information, not insurance advice. We do not sell insurance and we do not recommend a policy or an insurer. Items marked [Regulator] restate the sources below; items marked [Our checklist] are our own suggestions and are not from the regulators.

• NAIC, “Should I Get Travel Insurance?” (NAIC Consumer Insight, dated June 16, 2026)
• NAIC, Travel Insurance topic page (last updated April 1, 2026)
• North Carolina Department of Insurance, “A Consumer's Guide to Travel Insurance” (no date shown on the guide)
• Maryland Insurance Administration, “Travel Insurance” (no date shown)
• Florida Department of Financial Services, “Travel Insurance Overview” (no date shown)
• California Department of Insurance, “Lines of Insurance” (definition of travel insurance) (no date shown)
• Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 691E, “Travel Insurance” (statute text)

We read these on October 16, 2026 and keep dated excerpts in our project files. We could not read New York or Texas insurance-department pages, so this guide says nothing about those states, and we did not find a California free-look rule. Regulator pages change; confirm with your own state department.

• [Regulator] Trip cancellation, interruption and delay: pays back prepaid trip costs if you have to cancel or cut your trip short for a reason the policy covers. NAIC's examples: a traveler or travel companion who is sick or injured and a doctor says is not well enough to travel; a family member who is not traveling being hospitalized or passing away; severe weather or an airline, train or cruise-line issue; a natural disaster at home or the destination; a flight delay that needs an overnight hotel stay; jury duty or court testimony. (NAIC article)
• [Regulator] Claims order: you must first seek reimbursement from the trip provider before the insurance company will consider the claim. (NC DOI guide)
• [Regulator] Travel medical: pays for short-term medical care if you get sick or injured while traveling. Ask whether you need the insurer's approval before care and whether pre-existing conditions are excluded. (NAIC article)
• [Regulator] Cancel for any reason (CFAR): an add-on to trip cancellation coverage that returns a partial refund (NAIC topic page: 50%-75% of the total price) for reasons the base policy does not cover, usually with conditions such as buying within a set time and insuring the full trip cost. (NAIC topic page; NAIC article)
• [Regulator] Common exclusions: pre-existing health conditions, pandemics, civil and political unrest at the destination, pregnancy and childbirth, and risky activities such as bungee jumping, backcountry skiing and snowboarding. “Although every policy is different.” (NAIC article and topic page)
• [Regulator] Named storms: NC DOI says travel insurance may not cover a storm that was already named when you bought coverage. NAIC says the same of waiting until a storm has been named.
• [Regulator] Other coverage you may already have: NAIC says some credit cards offer trip cancellation coverage and to check your card's policy.

Wording is each regulator's own. Policies differ, so these are descriptions of the coverage types, not promises about any policy.

• [Regulator] Trip cancellation / interruption: Maryland says you “can be reimbursed for prepaid expenses that would otherwise be nonrefundable, such as airfare, hotel and tour fees, when a trip is cancelled, interrupted or you are unable to travel because of a covered event.” North Carolina says it “reimburses you for any nonrefundable deposits … if you have to cancel your insured trip due to sickness, death in the family or any other misfortune listed in the policy,” and that some policies also reimburse the unused portion of a vacation if you or an immediate family member becomes seriously ill or injured on the trip. (Maryland Insurance Administration; NC DOI)
• [Regulator] Travel medical: North Carolina says emergency medical assistance “provides insurance for medical treatment if you become ill or have an injury while traveling,” that some policies may pay for benefits a standard health plan does not cover, and that some include a deductible on each claim. Maryland splits it into medical expenses and medical evacuation or transportation. (NC DOI; Maryland)
• [Regulator] Rental-car damage: Maryland says rental car damage insurance “provides coverage for damage or loss to a rental vehicle that occurs while you are renting it; it does not provide you with liability insurance protection,” and that your personal auto policy usually covers collision damage to a rental, so check it. California's and Nevada's definitions of travel insurance both list “damages to accommodations or rental vehicles”. (Maryland; California Department of Insurance; NRS 691E)
• [Regulator] Overlap with what you already have: Maryland says travel insurance “may duplicate other insurance coverage you may already have,” including homeowners, life, health and auto. NC DOI says you might have some coverage through health or homeowner's insurance, “or a credit card,” and says to check with your card provider. We have not read any card's terms. (Maryland; NC DOI)
• [Regulator] Cancellation waivers are not insurance: NC DOI says cruise and tour operators' cancellation waivers “are not insurance and are not regulated by the Department of Insurance”; Maryland also says waivers are not insurance policies and are not regulated. (NC DOI; Maryland)
• [Regulator] Cancel for any reason (CFAR): described in the section above; as the NAIC topic page puts it, it usually has criteria such as buying within a specified time and insuring the full cost of the trip.

• [Regulator] General: NC DOI says a policy “might provide a short ‘free look’ period during which you can cancel the coverage and obtain a refund of premium. Look carefully for this provision, and note any deadline involved.”
• [Regulator] Florida: the Department of Financial Services says that if a policy is delivered by postal mail, the policyholder may cancel for a full refund if the request is made “within 15 days of the delivery date” and no claim has been filed; if delivered by other means, the policyholder “has 10 days from the date of policy delivery” to request cancellation if no claim has been filed.
• [Regulator] Nevada: NRS 691E.320 says that unless the insured has started a covered trip or filed a claim, a person who cancels a travel protection plan is entitled to a full refund of its price if cancellation is not later than 15 days after fulfillment materials are sent by mail, or 10 days after they are personally delivered or sent electronically.
• Not read: we did not find a free-look statement on a California, New York or Texas regulator page we could read, so we say nothing about those states. The policy documents you receive show your own deadline; ask the agent or company when it starts.

• [Regulator] Pre-existing conditions: none of the regulator pages we read gives one standard definition. NC DOI says to “pay close attention to how pre-existing health conditions are defined in your travel policy”; Florida says to understand “any Pre-existing Medical Conditions Clause or policy wording” on them. Maryland says to check whether a policy excludes them and whether there are time limits, and gives examples: coverage may apply if the condition arises between the deposit and the start of travel, or if you buy the policy within two weeks of making the deposit. Nevada requires that, if a policy has such an exclusion, the buyer be given information about it before purchase. (NC DOI; Florida DFS; Maryland; NRS 691E.300)
• [Regulator] Cancel for any reason: NAIC describes it as an add-on to trip cancellation coverage that returns a partial refund for reasons not covered by the base plan, with criteria such as a purchase deadline and insuring the full trip cost (see the NAIC lines quoted above). We did not read any regulator's definition beyond NAIC's.
• [Regulator] Primary or secondary: Nevada requires insurers to disclose whether the travel insurance is primary or secondary to other applicable insurance. Ask the same question wherever you buy. (NRS 691E.300)
• [Regulator] Opt-out boxes: Nevada bars selling travel insurance with a pre-checked box you must uncheck to refuse it (NRS 691E.310); Florida's page describes the same rule. Check that you did not buy insurance by accident.

1. Everyone is on the policy. All five names, including each child, appear on the quote and the policy documents.
2. The insured trip cost matches what you prepaid. Add the hotel, flights and any other prepaid, non-refundable items for all five. (NAIC says CFAR needs the prepaid non-refundable expenses insured; the same habit helps with any policy.)
3. The hotel's refund terms. On the hotel's own booking page, read the cancellation policy for the exact rate you choose. See how to verify a room sleeps five for the booking checks.
4. Covered reasons and exclusions. Read the list for the reasons you worry about, and ask the insurer or agent if a reason is not listed.
5. Deadlines. Ask whether any purchase-time limit applies to the add-ons you want (NAIC says CFAR must typically be bought within a set period after booking).

For a quote you will usually need to know, from your own booking: where and when you are going, which travelers are going and their ages, and the total prepaid cost. Then ask the agent or company:

1. Are all five travelers named on this policy?
2. Which reasons for cancelling or cutting the trip short are covered, and which are excluded?
3. What do I need to do first if I cancel (for example, claim from the hotel)?
4. How are pre-existing conditions defined, and is there a time limit to buy that coverage?
5. Is there a free-look period, when does it start, and when does it end?
6. What happens if a storm is already named?
7. Is this coverage primary or secondary to my health, home, auto or credit-card coverage?
8. Does the medical coverage need your approval before care, and is there a deductible on each claim?
9. If I rent a car, does this cover damage to the rental, and does my own auto policy already do so?
10. Is any part of what I am buying a cancellation waiver or other non-insurance product?
11. Do I need to call you before I cancel the trip, and how do I document the call?

NAIC says your state or territory's insurance department can answer questions about travel insurance. Find yours on NAIC's insurance departments page. For North Carolina, the NC Department of Insurance consumer services line in its guide is 855-408-1212 (other states have their own).

If you want to look at policies:

Squaremouth home page. We have not reviewed Squaremouth or any policy it lists; this is not a recommendation.

• Booking confirmation checklist after you book