Travel Insurance: What It Actually Covers
10 August 2026 · TravelJar
Travel insurance is frequently bought to satisfy a visa requirement and then forgotten, which is a shame, because the situations it exists for are exactly the ones people do not plan for.
Policies differ substantially. These are the categories to look at rather than specific advice on any product.
The main categories
Medical cover abroad is the important one — treatment costs in many countries are far beyond what people expect, and this is the reason insurance exists.
Cancellation and curtailment cover what happens if you cannot travel or have to come home early. Baggage and document cover handles the more ordinary disasters.
- Medical treatment and emergency evacuation
- Trip cancellation and cutting a trip short
- Baggage delay and loss
- Passport and document loss
Where policies commonly exclude
Adventure activities are the most frequent gap. Trekking above a stated altitude, scuba diving, skiing and motorcycling are often excluded from standard policies or need an add-on — which matters directly for Ladakh, Spiti and Andamans trips.
Pre-existing medical conditions are the other common exclusion. If either applies to you, read the wording before buying rather than after a claim. We are not insurance advisers, so check the policy document and ask the insurer directly.