The best travel insurance, what it costs and what it should cover: medical expenses by destination, repatriation, cancellation, the European Health Insurance Card and credit card insurance. With our recommendation and 5% off IATI.
What is the best travel insurance? The one that covers medical expenses with no excess, pays repatriation without limit and has a medical expenses limit suited to your destination: at least €100,000 in Europe and €1,000,000 outside Europe. One week of travel insurance typically costs €20 to €35 in Europe and €40 to €75 elsewhere in the world. In this guide we explain what it should cover, what it costs, whether your credit card insurance is enough and why IATI Seguros is the one we recommend to our clients, with 5% off through our link.
This article contains affiliate links. If you buy insurance through them, Vamos Fugir receives a small commission and your price is the same, or lower, thanks to the 5% discount.
Travel insurance: a 1-minute summary
- Is it mandatory? For most trips, no. But a visit to A&E abroad can cost hundreds or thousands of euros, and a medical evacuation much more.
- The most important: medical expenses, repatriation and 24-hour assistance.
- Minimum medical expenses: €100,000 in Europe, €1,000,000 outside Europe, unlimited or the maximum available in the USA.
- Price: a week in Europe costs around €20 to €35; outside Europe, €40 to €75.
- European Health Insurance Card: useful, but it does not cover repatriation or private hospitals, and only works in Europe.
- Our recommendation: IATI Seguros, with an automatic 5% discount through our link.
Do you really need travel insurance?
In most destinations, nobody will ask for your insurance on arrival. The right question is not whether it is mandatory, but how much you would pay if something went wrong. A consultation and some tests at a private clinic outside Europe can cost several hundred euros. A few days in hospital easily runs into thousands. And if someone has to be flown home in an air ambulance, the bill can reach tens of thousands of euros.
In some cases insurance is required. Anyone applying for a Schengen visa must show insurance with at least €30,000 of medical cover. Some countries and some cruise lines also require it. And in destinations with limited health systems, such as several African islands, insurance with medical evacuation is the difference between a scare and a serious problem.
As an agency, when something goes wrong on a trip, the first question we ask the client is always the same: "do you have insurance?". With insurance, a consultation, a hospital stay or a cancelled return flight is sorted with a phone call. Without it, everything comes out of your pocket.
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What good travel insurance should cover
Before looking at the price, check these covers in the policy terms:
- Medical and hospital expenses abroad. The main cover. Check the maximum and whether there is an excess, a part you always pay yourself.
- Repatriation or medical transport. Your return home in case of serious illness, accident or death. It should be paid at real cost, with no low limit.
- Direct payment to the hospital. The best policies pay the clinic directly, so you do not have to pay up front.
- 24-hour assistance. At 3 a.m. in a foreign country, being able to talk to someone who understands you makes all the difference.
- Trip cancellation. Refunds what you have already paid if you have to cancel due to illness, the death of a relative and other covered reasons. It is usually optional and must be taken out right after booking.
- Baggage. Loss, theft or delay of your luggage.
- Personal liability. Damage you accidentally cause to others.
- Activities. If you will be diving, trekking or doing adventure sports, check they are included.
Which limits to choose, by destination
This is our recommendation for medical expenses, given the cost of healthcare in each region:
| Destination | Recommended medical expenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spain and Europe | from €100,000 | Also bring your European Health Insurance Card. |
| Morocco, Cape Verde | from €300,000 | Outside the EU, the European card does not apply. |
| Sub-Saharan Africa (São Tomé, Bijagós, Zanzibar) | €1,000,000 or more | Essential: medical evacuation and repatriation without limit. |
| Brazil, Asia, Caribbean | €1,000,000 or more | Expensive private hospitals in tourist areas. |
| USA and Canada | the maximum available | The highest medical costs in the world. |
How much travel insurance costs
The price depends on the destination, duration, age and extra covers. As a guide, for one adult, based on prices published by IATI and comparison sites in 2026:
| Trip | Indicative price |
|---|---|
| 7 days in Europe, basic plan | €20 to €30 |
| 7 days outside Europe, €1,000,000 medical expenses | €40 to €60 |
| 7 days with the most comprehensive plan | up to about €75 |
| Trip cancellation | extra cost, depending on the trip's value |
In other words: on a €2,000 or €3,000 trip, insurance is less than 3% of the total. It is by far the cheapest part of the trip. You can see the exact price for your case in two minutes in the IATI quote tool, with the 5% discount already applied.
The European Health Insurance Card: is it enough?
The European Health Insurance Card is free and you should always carry it when travelling in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It gives you access to the country's public health system on the same terms as residents. But it has clear limits, as the European Commission itself points out:
- It does not cover repatriation or rescue operations.
- It does not cover private hospitals and clinics, which are often the ones near tourist areas.
- It only works in those countries. In Morocco, Cape Verde, Brazil or São Tomé it is worth nothing.
Conclusion: it is a good complement in Europe, but it does not replace travel insurance.
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Credit card travel insurance: is it enough?
Many credit cards include travel insurance, and some people rely on it without reading the terms. Before going without your own policy, check:
- Whether the trip must be paid with that card. Often yes, and sometimes the whole trip.
- The medical expenses limit. It is usually much lower than with dedicated travel insurance.
- Whether it covers repatriation and direct payment to the hospital, or whether you have to pay everything up front and claim later.
- Who is covered. Some cover only the cardholder; others, the family.
- The maximum trip length and the excluded countries.
For a short break in Europe, premium card insurance may be enough. For a long trip or one outside Europe, a dedicated policy is safer and, as we have seen, cheap.
What is the best travel insurance? Why we recommend IATI
There is no perfect insurance for everyone. There is the right insurance for your trip. To our clients we recommend IATI Seguros, an insurer specialising in travel insurance that sells online. These are the reasons, based on IATI's own published terms:
- No excess on medical expenses. It pays from the first euro.
- Direct payment to the hospital in most cases, so you do not have to pay up front.
- Repatriation included in all plans.
- 24-hour assistance and a medical chat in the app, available from 72 hours before departure.
- Plans for every kind of trip: short breaks, families, adventure, long trips and an annual policy for frequent travellers.
- Optional cancellation, with limits that adjust to more expensive trips.
- Automatic 5% discount when you buy through a partner link, like ours.
What about the alternatives? Card insurance has the limitations we saw above. Among online insurers, prices for a week in Europe are very close, around €21 to €22 for equivalent cover in published quotes. Some lower the price with a €100 excess; IATI has no excess. For us, what makes the difference is that, direct payment to the hospital and reliable assistance.
Is IATI perfect? No insurer is. As with all of them, pre-existing conditions are generally excluded, and a claim requires you to follow the rules: call the assistance line first and keep all documents. We explain this below.
Which IATI plan to choose
| Plan | Best for |
|---|---|
| IATI Básico | Short trips in Europe, including the insurance required for a Schengen visa. |
| IATI Escapadinhas | Weekends and short trips in Portugal and Europe. No age limit. |
| IATI Standard | Most holidays: Europe, Morocco, Cape Verde and long-haul destinations with €1,000,000 medical expenses. |
| IATI Estrela | Trips outside Europe, the USA, cruises and those wanting the highest cover, with optional cancellation up to high amounts. |
| IATI Família | Parents and children on the same policy, with paediatric assistance. |
| IATI Mochileiro | Trekking, diving and adventure sports, with rescue included. |
| IATI Anual Multiviagem | Frequent travellers: one policy for all your trips. |
For our trips to São Tomé and Príncipe, the Bijagós and Zanzibar, we recommend at least Standard with medical expenses for outside Europe, or Estrela with cancellation if you want to protect the cost of the trip. The exact amounts for each cover appear in the quote before you pay.
How to buy with 5% off
- Go to the IATI website through our partner link. The 5% discount is applied automatically when the price is calculated; no code needed.
- Enter the destination, dates and travellers' ages.
- Compare the plans and choose your covers. If you want cancellation, take it out right after booking the trip.
- Pay online and receive the policy by email and in the app.
- Save the assistance number on your phone and send it to someone at home.
5 mistakes that cost you your claim
- Going to hospital without calling the assistance line first. Unless it is an emergency, call first: the insurer tells you which clinic to use and arranges direct payment.
- Not keeping receipts and medical reports. Photograph everything and keep the originals.
- Taking out cancellation too late. It usually has to be done shortly after booking the trip.
- Hiding a pre-existing condition or doing activities the plan excludes.
- Choosing the wrong zone. A "Europe" policy does not cover a trip to São Tomé or Brazil.
Travel insurance for our destinations
- São Tomé and Príncipe: insurance is not required for entry, but the local health system is limited and, in serious cases, the solution is evacuation to Europe. Bring insurance with medical evacuation. See the 9-day São Tomé and Príncipe trip with flights and holidays in São Tomé and Príncipe Island.
- Bijagós, Guinea-Bissau: remote islands, far from hospitals; evacuation and rescue are essential. See the Wild Bijagós expedition.
- Zanzibar: outside Europe, with expensive private hospitals. See all-inclusive Zanzibar.
- Cape Verde and Morocco: outside the EU, the European card does not apply. See all-inclusive Sal Island and the Marrakech short break.
To prepare the rest of your trip to São Tomé, also read vaccines for São Tomé and Príncipe and is it safe to travel to São Tomé and Príncipe?.
Ready to travel with peace of mind? Buy your IATI travel insurance with 5% off and, if you have not chosen your destination yet, get in touch.
Sources: European Commission, "Healthcare cover during a temporary stay" (Your Europe); IATI Seguros, published terms and plans; indicative prices from quotes published in 2026. Cover and prices may change: always check the terms in the quote before buying.
Vamos Fugir is a travel agency licensed by Turismo de Portugal (RNAVT n.º 4155). Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
For most trips, no. It is required for Schengen visa applicants (minimum €30,000 of medical cover) and in some countries and on some cruises. Even when it is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended, especially outside Europe.
One with medical expenses suited to the destination, no excess, repatriation at real cost, direct payment to the hospital and 24-hour assistance. To our clients we recommend IATI Seguros, with 5% off through our link.
As a guide, a week in Europe costs €20 to €35, and a week outside Europe with €1,000,000 of medical cover €40 to €75. Cancellation is extra.
No. It only works in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and does not cover repatriation or private hospitals.
Sometimes, for short trips in Europe. Check whether the trip must be paid with the card, the medical expenses limit, whether it includes repatriation and whether it pays the hospital directly.
As soon as you book the trip, especially if you want cancellation cover. If it is only medical expenses, you can buy it up to the day you leave.
A policy for outside Europe with at least €1,000,000 of medical expenses and medical evacuation. We recommend IATI Standard, or IATI Estrela if you want cancellation.
