What does travel insurance actually cover?
Coverage varies by policy, but common categories include specified trip cancellations or interruptions, emergency medical costs, baggage and certain travel delays. Exclusions matter.
What you need to know
Travel insurance is not a blanket promise that every bad travel outcome gets reimbursed. Policies define covered reasons, limits, exclusions and documentation rules. Common coverage can include trip cancellation or interruption for specified events, emergency medical expenses, lost or delayed baggage, and some travel delays. Pre-existing-condition rules, “cancel for any reason” options, weather, supplier failure and adventure activities can be treated differently from one policy to another. Credit cards may already include some protections, so overlapping coverage is worth checking.
Specified cancellation/interruption, medical, baggage and delay
The policy lists covered reasons, exclusions and limits
Some credit cards include travel protections