Travel & Spending · 7 min read
Is travel insurance worth it from India?
For most trips the honest answer depends on one number: what a hospital in your destination charges. Here is when to buy and what to ignore.
Krish Dalal
Founder and editor, PaisaExpert. Master's in Business Management, SP Jain School of Global Management, London. · Last updated 2026-09-05
The thing to understand is that travel insurance is medical insurance that happens to include some baggage cover, not baggage insurance that happens to include some medical. The baggage and delay bits are what gets marketed. The medical bit is the only part that can prevent a genuinely life-changing bill.
When it is compulsory
- Schengen countries require a policy with at least 30,000 euros of medical cover including repatriation, valid across the whole zone for the full stay. Visa applications are refused without it.
- Several other countries require proof of cover for particular visa categories. Check the specific consulate rather than a general list.
- Some employers require it for business travel, and that policy may not cover you for leisure days added on either end.
When it is worth buying anyway
| Destination | Why |
|---|---|
| United States and Canada | The highest medical costs in the world. This is the non-negotiable one. |
| Japan, Australia, Western Europe | High costs and no reciprocal arrangement with India |
| Anywhere you will be active | Trekking, diving and skiing carry an evacuation risk that dwarfs the treatment cost |
| Long or multi-country trips | More days and more borders means more chance of needing it |
What actually matters in the policy
- The medical sum insured, and whether it is per trip or per claim.
- Whether emergency evacuation and repatriation are included. An air ambulance is the single largest bill in travel medicine.
- The deductible, the amount you pay before cover begins. A low premium with a high deductible is often a worse deal than it looks.
- Whether pre-existing conditions are covered at all, and only in a medical emergency. Most policies exclude them otherwise.
- Whether cashless treatment is available at your destination or you will pay and claim later. Paying first and claiming later needs the money available.
What is usually not worth paying extra for
- Baggage loss cover beyond what is included. Airlines are already liable, and the payouts are capped low.
- Trip cancellation cover with a long exclusion list, which frequently excludes the reasons people actually cancel.
- Gadget cover for a phone, where the deductible often approaches the value of an older handset.
Usually not, and where a global cover option exists it is normally an add-on you have to have bought in advance. Check before you travel rather than at a foreign hospital reception.
What to do next
- Check whether your destination's visa requires a minimum cover amount before you compare anything.
- Look up whether your credit card already provides cover on tickets bought with it.
- Compare on the medical sum insured and the evacuation clause, not on the premium.