The Best Long-Term Travel Insurance of April 2024

Our Rankings of the Best Long-Term Travel Insurance Providers

Our research team found the providers and plans below are the best long-term travel insurance options on the market. We considered coverage, cost, add-on protection and policy length when making our decisions. 

1. Travelex: Travel Select
2. Allianz: OneTrip Premier
3. Faye: Travel Protection Plan
4. International Medical Group (IMG): GlobeHopper Senior
5. World Nomads: Explorer Plan

How We Chose Long-term Travel Insurance Plans

When selecting the long-term travel insurance plans featured in this review, we considered various factors, including:

• Coverage: We examined the types of plans available for purchase and the coverage limits each travel insurance provider offered.
• Cost: While long-term travel insurance plans may cost more than a plan for a week-long trip, that doesn’t mean purchasing coverage needs to break the bank.
• Add-on protections: We took note of providers and policies that offered a variety of coverage add-ons, such as rental car collision, cancel for any reason (CFAR) and more.
• Maximum policy length: We looked for travel insurance with policies that could last a minimum of 180 days, favoring companies that offered coverage for up to a year.

Compare Long-Term Travel Insurance For U.S. Citizens

See the table below for a comparison of our recommended travel insurance providers and long-term coverage plans. 

Note: We calculated the below-average costs based on a 30-year-old couple taking a long-term trip to France with $8,000 in non-refundable expenses. Since IMG’s GlobeHopper Senior plan only applies to travelers aged 65 and older, we used a sample 65-year-old couple taking the same trip to France.

Best Long-Term Travel Insurance Plans

Based on our team’s extensive research into cost, coverage, policy lengths and add-on protections, we’ve chosen the following five plans as our picks for the best long-term travel insurance coverage.

How To Pick A Long-Term Travel Insurance Company

As you shop for a long-term travel insurance plan, consider the tips below to help simplify the process of finding the right policy.

Consider Your Coverage Needs

Understanding your travel needs can aid you in picking the best plan. For example, are travel benefits such as trip interruption and baggage coverage most important to you? Or, are emergency medical evacuation and medical care benefits your main concern? Once you’ve decided the types of coverage you want, you can start thinking about how much coverage you’ll need. If you plan on traveling long-term with children, you may also want to look for plans that offer free coverage for kids under a certain age.

Watch for Length Restrictions

Some travel insurance plans will provide more extended coverage than others. If you plan on traveling abroad for a few months, a plan that covers you for up to 180 days may work. If you anticipate staying abroad for up to a year, we suggest looking for plans that can cover you for that amount of time. In our experience, travel insurance providers will plainly state how long a covered trip can last, so it’s best practice to read through sample contracts before purchasing a plan.

Single Versus Multi-Destination Trips

Consider whether your long-term travel plans will include one or multiple destinations. Based on our research, some long-term plans will only cover a stay in one location. If you’re looking for coverage in numerous countries, a multi-destination travel insurance plan may offer a better fit. However, according to our research, you may need to return to a home base between trips.

Understand Coverage Details and Exclusions

All travel insurance plans have a set list of exclusions for the coverage offered. Make sure you fully understand what is and isn’t covered by your chosen policy. For example, if your plan covers lost baggage, note any sub-limits or items excluded from your plan. It is also important to understand the maximum benefit amounts for each of the coverages you’ve purchased and whether any deductibles or copays are required before your policy kicks in.

What Is Long-Term Travel Insurance and How Does It Work?

Long-term travel insurance covers trips lasting longer than the time limits most travel providers set for a standard policy. For example, most insurers offer single-trip plans that cover trips lasting up to 30 days. However, a long-term policy often covers travels lasting more than 90 days, with some providing coverage for up to a year. If you choose an annual travel insurance plan for your long-term travel needs, note these policies don’t usually offer trip cancellation coverage as a standard inclusion.

A long-term policy can provide similar coverage to a traditional travel insurance plan. It can protect against trip interruptions, delays, baggage loss or damage, and more. In addition, it can cover emergency medical situations and evacuations while traveling. Long-term plans can help prevent travelers staying abroad for extended periods of time from having to purchase multiple policies to cover the duration of their trip. These plans can also cover multiple destinations, which may suit long-term travelers going from place to place.

According to our research, long-term travel insurance policies may best suit digital nomads, expats and international students. For those more concerned about their health in the event of an illness or accident over travel benefits, you may consider a long-term travel medical insurance plan for your trip. It’s best practice to consider your unique travel needs before settling on a plan, and taking the time to research long-term travel insurance can ensure you find a policy that suits your plans. 

Long-Term Travel Insurance Costs

Based on the quotes we gathered, a long-term travel insurance policy may cost $540 to $1,576. To help you better understand the cost of a long-term travel insurance policy, we gathered quotes for a 30-year-old couple taking a long-term trip to France with $8,000 in non-refundable expenses. Since the GlobeHopper Senior covers senior travelers, our team gathered rates for a 65-year-old couple taking the same trip outlined above to France.

Comparatively, the average cost of a standard travel insurance policy for a short-term trip is around $221. We calculated this average based on quotes we gathered using seven unique traveler profiles across 20 different travel insurance companies. 

Travel insurance costs are influenced by several variables, such as plan details, trip costs, trip length, traveler age and more. Your exact costs for each of these policies will likely vary. The best way to learn how much one of the above plans could cost you is to get a quote from each company.

How Is Long-Term Travel Insurance Different From Regular Travel Insurance?

Long-term travel insurance differs from a standard travel insurance policy in that coverage is meant for trips lasting more than a few weeks. Typically, most standard single-trip plans can last up to 30 days. However, a long-term policy could cover anywhere from 90 days to a full year, depending on the provider.

While maximum trip lengths differ between policies for long-term and short-term travel, our research found the coverage offered remains largely the same. For example, both short- and long-term travel insurance policies usually offer trip benefits — such as trip interruption and baggage coverage — in addition to emergency medical assistance and evacuation coverage. However, some long-term or annual travel insurance plans may not offer certain add-ons, such as CFAR coverage or trip cancellation protection.

How We Rated and Reviewed Long-Term Travel Insurance Companies

Our team surveyed dozens of travel insurance providers and created a scoring system to judge each company based on coverage, quality and service. We also collected sample quotes from each company, both over the phone and on the internet, to simulate an authentic customer experience. Here are the factors we take into consideration when rating providers:

• Cost (10%): To determine a baseline average travel insurance cost, we gathered quotes from each travel insurance company based on different traveler profiles. Travel insurance companies at or below our calculated average cost of $221 earn full points in this category. Specifically, we obtained quotes for the following trips:
  • A 30-year-old couple taking a $5,000 vacation to Mexico.
  • A family of four taking an $8,000 vacation to Mexico.
  • A 65-year-old couple taking a $7,000 vacation to the United Kingdom.
  • A 30-year-old couple taking a $7,000 trip to the United Kingdom.
  • A 19-year-old taking a $2,000 trip to France.
  • A 27-year-old couple taking a $1,200 trip to Greece.
  • A 51-year-old couple taking a $2,000 trip to Spain.

• Plan availability (10%): We look for insurers with a variety of travel insurance plans and the ability to customize a policy with coverage upgrades.
• Coverage details (29%): We review the baseline coverage each company offers in its cheapest comprehensive plan. A provider with robust coverage earns full points, including baggage delay and loss, COVID-19 coverage, emergency evacuation and medical coverage, trip delay and cancellation coverage, and more. Companies also receive points for offering a variety of policy add-ons like accidental death and dismemberment, extreme sports, valuable items, cancel for any reason coverage and more.
• Coverage times and amounts (34%): We compare each company’s waiting periods and maximum reimbursement amounts for baggage, travel and weather delays. Companies that offer customers reimbursement after fewer than 12 hours of delays earn full points in this category. We also reward travel insurance providers that cover more than 100% of trip costs in the event of cancellations or interruptions.
• Company service and reviews (17%): We look for indicators that a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. Companies with an established global resource network, 24/7 emergency hotline, mobile app, multiple ways to file a claim and concierge services score higher in this category. We assess reputation by evaluating consumer reviews, third-party financial strength and customer experience ratings, specifically from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Note: We based our ratings for each provider on each company as a whole, not just available long-term travel insurance offerings. Learn more about how we chose each long-term travel insurance plan in the sections above.