Holidaymakers can understandably get confused as to whether they need family cover or whether they'd be better off with an individual policy for each persontravelling.
As always, the right option depends on several factors, suchas:
- The size of yourgroup
- Who's travelling withyou
- If anyone has a pre-existing condition
It's worth taking some time to read up on and compare cover to make sure you get the best family travel insurance for yourneeds.
What is Family Travel Insurance?
A family travel policy covers people from the same family who live at the same address, suchas:
- Parents
- Children
- Step-parents
- Grandparents
- Aunts and uncles
- Cousins
You can have up to a maximum of two adults and five children on a family policy. You don’t need to have the same surname, but the adults need to live at the same address to be on the same policy (the children don't have to live with the adults to be on the samepolicy).
Admiral's Family Travel Insurance is available as single trip travel insurance, which covers you for one trip away from home for up to 365 days, or, if your family goes on several holidays a year, annual travelinsurance.
Kids travel insurance
Separate children's holiday insurance isn't needed for any family member under the age of 24 as they can be added to an Admiral Family Travel Insurance policy. Anyone over the age of 24 will need to take out individualpolicies.
We offer three tiers of cover with increasing coverage and productbenefits:
- Admiral
- Admiral Gold
- Admiral Platinum
Read the full list of benefits in the policy summary booklet.
Do I need a Family Travel Insurance policy?
Family holiday insurance is a really good idea to make sure everyone in your group is covered. We pay out if you need to cancel your trip for one of a number of defined reasons – so, if one of your children happens to be a little accident-prone, having the right cover in place at the time of booking your holiday could bewise!
If you're travelling with older relatives in their 60s or 70s, it's a good idea to look at travel insurance for over 60s and over75s.
Our maximum age limit for annual multi-trip insurance is up to 75 years, while it’s up to 85 years for our single trip policies. The age limit and level of cover we can offer depend on your personal information and the details of yourholiday.
If your child is going abroad, with you or a relative or friend, Home Office advice says the permission of everyone with parental responsibility must begiven.
Mothers automatically have parental responsibility, but still need permission from the father if he's not travelling with you. The Home Office has a template letter you can use to show you havepermission.
If children are travelling with any adult who has a different surname to them – even their parent or step-parent – it's possible your group will be stopped and questioned at bordercontrol.
It's therefore a good idea to take documentation with you. This might include a copy of the followingcertificates:
- The child's birthcertificate
- Adoption
- Your marriage ordivorce
- Change of name
Our annual family travel insurance also covers under-18s if they're travelling with an adult who's not named on yourpolicy.
So if a kind aunt, uncle or family friend offers to give you a break and take your children on holiday with them, this type of policy will give you peace of mind their belongings are covered and they will get the right treatment should they become ill whileaway.
If you're not sure if a family policy is best for you, call one of our advisors on 03332349913.
Travelling abroad as a family
When travelling to any country, whether for a holiday or work, it's wise to check Foreign Office advice about your destination. If you travel to a country where advice has been issued about things such as unrest, terror alerts or weather warnings, you risk invalidating yourinsurance.
If you're travelling in Europe, don't forget your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if it’s still in date. Otherwise you should apply for a new Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). They aren’t the same as travel insurance and don't give you the same level of cover, but they prove you're a UK resident and are therefore entitled to medical treatment and help when in a European country (except Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, where the EHIC hasn’t been valid since 31 December2020).
Are there any exclusions?
As with any insurance policy, some things aren’t covered by Admiral Travel Insurance. If your family is planning to do any winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding, or you’re taking to the seas on a cruise, you’ll need to add our winter sports or cruise cover upgrades to your policy. Without these, your trip won’t be covered atall.
Exclusions include:
- Not telling us about any pre-existing conditions
- The pre-existing conditions of a relative not on your policy
- Any losses or expenses you can recover from elsewhere, or are more specifically insured by another policy
- Anticipated events
- Coronavirus
- Travelling against FCDO or medical advice
What if I have a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition is a short or long term illness or injury you have or have had before you buy travel insurance. This includes having symptoms, tests, diagnosis or medical treatment for acondition.
You can declare your pre-existing conditions during the quote process to see if we can offer cover. If you’re unsure what needs to be declared or if you're unable to find your condition on the medical conditions list, please contact us on 03332349913.
Your pre-existing conditions won’t be covered unlessyou’ve:
- Declared them all on yourpolicy
- Received written confirmation that we’ll cover your medicalcondition
- Paid any additional premium infull
Policy terms and conditions apply. Please note, if you’ve had a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 and been prescribed medication, received treatment, or had a consultation with a doctor or hospital specialist for any medical condition in the past two years, this needs to be declared on yourpolicy.
If you don’t tell us about your pre-existing conditions or give us incorrect information, your policy may be invalid, and we may refuse all or part of any claim yousubmit.
For a quote with us, click the green button above.
The MoneyHelper directory
If you require cover for more serious medical conditions, MoneyHelper may be able to help you find specialist travel insurance through their medicaldirectory.
If you wish to get in touch with them you can call them on 0800 138 7777 or find them online. (Monday to Friday 8:00-18:00, closed on Saturday, Sunday and bankholidays.)
Your questions answered
Does travel insurance cover death of a family member?
You can make a claim if you have to cancel or cut short your trip because of a family member’s death, serious illness or serious injury, providing it’s not related directly or indirectly to any pre-existing medical condition.
Do you cover children under 18?
Cover can’t be bought for a child under the age of 18 alone. A child under 18 can be added to our family policies where at least one adult over the age of 18 is also going on the trip (single trippolicies).
A child can be added to annual multi trip family policies where the insured adult will travel later in the policy term. Each insured child under the age of 18 will only be covered if they’re travelling with a responsible adult. This adult doesn’t need to be insured withus.
Can the adults on an annual multi trip policy travel separately?
Yes. This policy covers each insured adult, whether travelling on your own or together.
