Travel insurance for your honeymoon

Part 1

Why honeymooners need it

A honeymoon is usually the most expensive trip a couple takes, and most of it is paid months ahead. Weddings move, people fall ill, airlines strike, storms happen. Good travel insurance protects the money you’ve prepaid and covers you if something goes wrong while you’re away.

Policies vary more than their prices suggest, so it pays to know what to look for.

Part 2

What a good policy covers

Part 3

How much cancellation cover you need

At least everything you could prepay and lose: the stay, flights and booked experiences for both of you. For a comfortable week flying from London, that’s roughly:

Comfort level, 7 nights, flight estimates from London.

Part 4

Where medical cover matters most

Medical cover is the part of a policy you hope never to use and most need to get right. Two kinds of destination deserve extra care:

• Where treatment is expensive. Hospital care in the USA can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a short stay. Choose very high or unlimited medical cover for Maui, Florida Keys, Napa Valley, Kauaʻi, Sedona, Smoky Mountains and Aspen.
• Where help is far away. Remote islands and lodges reached by seaplane, boat or small plane may need an air evacuation for anything serious. Check repatriation and evacuation are covered for Amalfi Coast, Bora Bora, Kyoto, Swiss Alps, Maasai Mara, Sri Lanka, Tulum and Banff.

Part 5

When to buy

On the day you make your first non-refundable payment. Cancellation cover only protects you from the moment you buy, and an event you already knew about (a named storm, a strike already announced, an illness already diagnosed) usually won’t be covered later.

Part 6

Single-trip or annual?

A single-trip policy covers the honeymoon alone. An annual multi-trip policy covers every trip in a year, usually up to a maximum length per trip; check that limit covers your honeymoon. If you travel more than two or three times a year, annual cover is often cheaper overall. Either way, make sure both of you are named on the policy.

Part 7

Where insurance is required

If either of you needs a Schengen visa, you must show travel medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area for your entire stay. That applies to these destinations: Santorini, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Swiss Alps, Lapland, Iceland, Azores, Dubrovnik & Hvar and Barcelona & Mallorca.

A few other countries ask some visitors for proof of insurance at the border or in their visa application. Check the official entry rules for your passport.

Part 8

Diving, snow and adventure

Standard policies exclude or limit many honeymoon activities. Check each one you plan:

• Scuba diving: many policies stop at 18 m or 30 m, or need a certificate. Reef destinations where you’ll want this: Maldives, Port Douglas & Daintree, Bora Bora, Fiji, Whitsundays, Andaman Islands, Lakshadweep, Bahamas and Palawan.
• Skiing and snowboarding: usually an add-on; check off-piste and equipment. Relevant for Swiss Alps, Lapland, Banff, Kashmir, Manali and Aspen.
• Trekking at altitude: many policies cap the height. Know the highest point you’ll reach.
• Scooters and motorbikes: often excluded unless you hold a full motorcycle licence at home and wear a helmet.
• Adventure sports such as paragliding and rafting are listed by name. If it’s not on the list, it’s not covered.

Part 9

Storm season

Most policies only cover a hurricane, cyclone or typhoon if you bought the policy before it was named. These destinations have a real storm risk in the months shown:

Travelling in these months? Buy insurance the day you book, and choose flexible rates where you can.

Part 10

Exclusions worth reading

• Known events: anything already announced when you bought (a strike, a storm, a volcano) is usually excluded.
• Government advice: travel against your government’s advice can void cover.
• Alcohol: claims linked to drinking too much are often refused.
• Unattended belongings: a bag left on the beach while you swim is rarely covered.
• Activities not listed in the policy, however tame they seem.

Part 11

Pregnant on your honeymoon

Most policies cover unexpected pregnancy complications up to a set week, and many airlines ask for a fit-to-fly letter later in pregnancy and stop carrying passengers in the final weeks. Check both the policy and your airline’s rules for your dates, and talk to your midwife or doctor about the destination, especially where there are mosquito-borne diseases.

Part 12

Packages and protection

A package (flights and a stay booked together by one company) can carry extra protection if that company fails. In the UK, flight-inclusive packages are ATOL-protected, and EU rules give package travellers similar rights. That protects you against the travel company going bust; it doesn’t replace travel insurance for illness, cancellation or medical bills.

Part 13

What to carry

• The policy number and the 24-hour assistance phone number, saved in both your phones.
• A copy of the policy wording (offline), so you can check a clause without wi-fi.
• Photos of your passports, tickets and bookings, stored separately from the originals.
• Any letter the policy or airline needs: a fit-to-fly letter, a diving certificate, a list of medication.

Part 14

Card cover, wedding insurance and claims

• Credit card cover can be useful but is often limited, and may apply only to trips paid with that card. Read it before relying on it.
• Wedding insurance is separate. It covers the wedding, not the honeymoon, and vice versa.
• If you need to claim: call the assistance line before treatment where you can, get police reports within 24 hours for theft, and keep every receipt and medical note.

Build a checklist for your own trip below and use it to compare policies.