Travelling with small children is a logistical triumph in itself – insurance should be the easiest item on the list. Family travel insurance is designed exactly for this: one policy for the whole family, with child-specific rules. A few settings are still worth checking, though, because claims on family trips tend to follow a distinctive pattern.
- Children are the assistance hotline's most frequent “customers”: fever, ear infections, minor falls – good assistance is worth double for a family with kids.
- The family option makes setting up cover simpler – but check who the policy wording counts as “family” (age limits, travelling together).
- If a child is hospitalised, cover for the accompanying parent is the key question: accommodation, staying on site – this varies from package to package.
Typical Cases Involving Children
Insurance cases on family trips are rarely dramatic, but they are common: sudden fever, ear-nose-throat complaints after time in the pool, upset stomachs, minor accidents on the playground or at the beach. In these situations, the first step is calling the assistance hotline – being directed to paediatric care in an unfamiliar country is worth its weight in gold on its own. Pharmacy costs and examinations can be reimbursed according to the cover – keep all receipts and documents.
Setting Up Family Cover
With family cover, pay attention to three details. Who counts as family? Policy wordings apply age limits and a travelling-together rule – the position of a grandchild travelling with grandparents, or a father arriving separately, needs clarifying. Limits for children: in some packages the limits for children can differ – check whether the main covers (medical, medical repatriation) are at full value for children too. Accompanying parent: if a child is hospitalised, cover for the parent staying on site (accommodation, meals) depends on the package – the hospitalisation article explains why this matters.
Children's Activities: What Counts as a Sport?
The playground and the pool are typically covered under the standard policy; how the adventure park, the high-ropes course and ski lessons are classified varies by insurer – worth clarifying before you take out cover. The boundaries start in the same place as for adults: ski lessons (the ski add-on is needed for children too!), horse riding, water-sport extras. For teenage athletes – training camps, competitions – the competition rule applies, and the school trip article covers this too.
The Family Recipe
When booking: trip cancellation (storno) cover (a family holiday means many prepaid items – and a child's illness is a typical reason for cancellation, as documented here); when taking out cover: the family option, with realistic limits and add-ons matched to your activities; for the trip: policy + assistance hotline saved on your phone, an EHIC for everyone (children can get one too!), and the pre-trip checklist. The rest belongs to the holiday.
Frequently asked questions on this topic
How should we insure a grandchild travelling with grandparents?
The family definition typically covers the parent-child circle – a trip with grandparents needs individual policies or a suitable package variant. State this clearly before taking out cover – our article on common pitfalls shows the solutions.
Do we need the vaccination booklet or the TAJ card for the trip?
What matters most is the EHIC and personal ID documents; having photos of your child's health records (vaccinations, allergies, regular medication) on your phone can be genuinely useful when they need care – this is the children's chapter of keeping your travel documents in order.
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