Travel insurance: what should you pay attention to?
Protecting yourself while traveling—whether it's a three-week trip to the other side of the world or a weekend in the neighboring canton—is essential. Choosing travel insurance is also part of the preparations before departure, so here are 10 key things to check before purchasing your travel insurance.
In short, here’s what to pay attention to:
| Covers offered | Depending on your trip, you won’t need the same covers. |
| Duration of the insurance | Temporary or annual—insurance policies often have limits. |
| Countries covered | Switzerland, Europe or worldwide? Make sure your destination is included. |
| Reimbursement amounts | These vary depending on the insurer—choose the most financially advantageous. |
| Pre-existing medical conditions | Are they fully excluded, partially covered, or subject to specific conditions? |
| Cancellation coverage | The events covered may vary depending on the insurer, so be sure to check them carefully. |
| Travel assistance | The services included in the assistance and its availability are essential. |
| Deductibles | They can be high, which explains a low premium—because you’ll pay part out of pocket. |
| Age limit | Premiums may increase with age. |
| Cancellation and claims conditions | Filing a claim should be easy, and cancellation terms should be clear. |
1 – Covers offered
What types of guarantees are essential?
Check the product sheets online or, better yet, the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance to make sure you find the insurance that meets your specific needs.
Depending on the type of trip you're planning, the necessary coverage may vary:
- Standard trip in Switzerland or abroad: cancellation coverage, medical assistance, baggage insurance.
- Sport or adventure trip: cancellation coverage with reimbursement for prepaid activities, medical assistance, baggage insurance for your equipment.
- Trip for a special event: cancellation coverage with reimbursement for prepaid activities or tickets, baggage insurance.
The goal is also to avoid duplicating coverage you may already have in your daily life. Always check your existing insurance.
2 – Duration of coverage
Temporary insurance
Your travel insurance must obviously cover the entire duration of your trip.
Check the maximum durations of temporary insurance offered by insurers, as they can vary significantly.
The minimum duration is one day, which allows coverage for short trips like weekends. People often think insurance isn’t necessary for 1- or 2-day trips, especially within Switzerland. However, risks of cancellation or unexpected events are just as likely as on longer or international trips.
For the maximum duration of temporary insurance, at Europ Assistance Switzerland, our temporary insurance covers trips up to 180 days. Other companies in Switzerland offer 120 or 150 days.
The premium for these insurances is calculated differently depending on the company: it may be a percentage of your trip cost, a formula based on the cost and duration of the trip... and it obviously depends on the number of people to be insured (often up to 10, but this can vary by insurer).
Annual insurance
If you travel frequently, annual insurance is more advantageous financially and in terms of reimbursement amounts. It covers you for 365 days and can be purchased at any time. You don’t have to start it on January 1st.
Another benefit is peace of mind while traveling, as you're covered for all your trips without worrying about insurance. When it's time to renew, you usually receive an email prompting you to act to maintain or cancel it.
Insurers generally offer two types of annual travel insurance:
- Individual annual insurance: covers one person. The premium ranges from CHF 100 to over CHF 250.
- Family annual insurance: covers multiple people (usually up to 10). The condition is that all insured persons live in the same household (same address). The premium ranges from CHF 150 to over CHF 300.
3 – Countries covered
Make sure your travel destination is covered by the insurance. Due to international sanctions or other events (like war), some countries or regions may be excluded. You’ll usually find the list of exclusions in the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance.
Before leaving or even booking your trip, always check the website of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for the latest country-specific recommendations.
Which countries strongly recommend travel insurance?
Some destinations have much more expensive healthcare systems than ours, so adequate coverage is important. These include:
- United States
- Canada
- Japan
- Australia
If you're also traveling to politically unstable countries or those with limited medical infrastructure, travel insurance is essential.
>> Calculate your travel insurance premium for free here <<
4 – What are the reimbursement amounts?
Pay close attention to the maximum coverage amounts for the following:
- Medical: aim for at least CHF 250,000 in coverage
- Repatriation: aim for unlimited coverage (this is often the case with Swiss travel insurance)
- Baggage: depends on the value of what you usually pack, but aim for at least CHF 2,000 in case of issues with your personal belongings
5 – Coverage of pre-existing medical conditions
What is a pre-existing medical condition?
A pre-existing medical condition refers to illnesses or injuries that are already known and that you suffered from or are suffering from before purchasing insurance or before departure.
The non-exhaustive list may include:
- Chronic illnesses
- Injuries
- Treatments
If you have pre-existing health issues like these, make sure the insurance covers care related to these conditions, as this is not always the case. Pre-existing medical conditions are often excluded because they don’t meet the definition of unforeseen events.
At Europ Assistance, our General Terms and Conditions state:
Art.3.1.8: "The insurance does not cover events: [...] resulting from chronic or psychological pre-existing conditions. For these events, insurance coverage is only granted in the case of an acute, sudden, and unforeseeable aggravation, and when a doctor has certified that the insured was fit to travel or should normally have been."
6 – Trip cancellation
This coverage is included in almost all travel insurance policies in Switzerland, but pay attention to the covered events and reimbursement amounts.
Most of the time, covered events include (subject to other conditions for these events):
- Accident
- Illness
- Disappearance
- Death
- Job loss
- Burglary
- Theft of travel documents
- Missed connections
Some insurance policies also include deductibles (covered below).
Check the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance carefully for valid reasons that will allow you to get reimbursed for cancellation costs.
7 – Travel assistance
Don’t overlook assistance coverage, which is one of the most important when traveling. Make sure it’s included, that the covered amounts are high enough, and that it’s available 24/7 and in your language.
Assistance generally includes the following guarantees:
- Search and rescue
- Emergency transport
- Repatriation
Most often, you receive a dedicated phone number you can call anytime from anywhere in the world. At Europ Assistance Switzerland, our assistance center is located in our offices, and our staff respond directly from Switzerland. When repatriation or emergency transport needs to be arranged, we call on our teams or partners worldwide.
>> Calculate your travel insurance premium for free here <<
8 – Deductibles
Deductibles should be considered when choosing travel insurance. Sometimes present in cancellation coverage, they are often applied to baggage coverage. You’ll find details in the product sheets on the insurer’s website or in the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance.
At Europ Assistance Switzerland, there is no deductible on cancellation coverage.
There is a single deductible of CHF 200 for baggage damage when the item cannot be repaired.
9 – Age limit
Sometimes, insurers apply an age limit beyond which they no longer provide coverage or adjust their premiums, which become higher.
Why do they do this? After a certain age, health issues are more frequent, which leads to more frequent claims and therefore higher costs for insurers.
At Europ Assistance, we do not have an age limit or different pricing in our travel insurance options.
10 – Cancellation conditions and claims declaration
Familiarize yourself with the cancellation and claims procedures. Make sure you understand how to file a claim and what evidence will be required. These are described in the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance.
Generally, this is done online via platforms dedicated to claims declarations for more efficient processing.
When you subscribe, you will usually receive your insurance policy along with the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance. Be sure to review them and note, for example, the main phone numbers to call and the documents to provide in case of an unexpected event.
Remember that as an insured person, you have rights but also obligations in the event of a claim. These are described in the General Terms and Conditions of Insurance.
Discover Europ Assistance Switzerland travel insurance, which covers you worldwide (except in countries under international sanctions) and offers some of the best guarantees on the market (high reimbursement amounts, comprehensive coverage).
