I Was Nervous Before My First International Trip With My Kids — Travel Insurance Made It Easier To Avoid Worrying

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Katie Oelker

• I never worried about travel insurance before I had kids, but I wanted to cover their medical needs.
• Many credit cards include travel protection, but it doesn't cover everything I want.
• It's a lot easier to relax during a trip with the knowledge that you're covered in an emergency.

When my husband and I considered taking our first trip abroad with our children, we were both excited and nervous. Before we had kids, we loved traveling internationally and were excited to show them other countries and cultures they had yet to be exposed to.

On the other hand, we knew several things could go awry. Travel delays, cancellations, and sick kids (or adults!) are just a few of the things we were worried about.

When you spend significant time, energy, and money planning a trip, the last thing you want is something that derails your plans. Although we have taken our kids on many domestic trips, we were worried the first time they traveled out of the country. We had never purchased travel insurance before an international trip, but adding kids to the mix motivated us to do so.

Medical coverage was essential

When researching travel insurance plans, we wanted to ensure we could find affordable insurance that protected us against unforeseen circumstances before or during travel. We knew we had some benefits through some of our credit cards, but these cards mainly offer benefits related to trip cancellation, delay or interruption, lost or delayed baggage, travel accidents, and rental car coverage.

Although these are great benefits to have, we wanted to ensure we were thoroughly covered, especially if someone got sick before or during the trip. We needed to have medical expenses and evacuation included; thus, we needed to pay for additional coverage.

Our plan was expensive, but it also covered a lot

After researching several companies, we decided to go with the AXA Assistance USA Platinum Plan. The premium payment for our family plus my husband's parents, six people total, was $841. While we had already spent plenty on Airbnb and tours, we knew that we needed to justify this expense with all the variables of traveling as a family of six abroad.

The plan we purchased included trip cancellation up to the maximum trip cost and 150% of the trip cost for trip interruption. Because we were traveling abroad, it was reasonable to expect that we may encounter a delay.

We also had a layover in Amsterdam on our way to and from our final destinations, increasing our chances of a delay or missed connection. If there had been a delay of 12 hours or more, our insurance would have paid us $300 per day.

Getting sick while traveling is never fun, especially if you need medical treatment. Purchasing travel insurance allowed us to relax, knowing we had $250,000 of emergency accident and sickness medical expense coverage with a $0 deductible.

We also had $1 million in medical evacuation or repatriation coverage if we needed to return home fast. Although we live in a state where this doesn't apply, the travel insurance we purchased also includes up to $100,000 in non-medical emergency evacuation.

Our travel insurance also covers luggage and outings

While we prefer to take carry-on luggage, especially when traveling abroad, travel insurance typically also covers lost or delayed baggage. If we had chosen to check our bags, we would have received up to $3,000, including $500 per article and $1,000 max for valuables if they had been lost. We also would have been paid up to $600 if our luggage was delayed 12 hours or more.

For those with cruises or tours departing, coverage can also help pay for missed connections for these, as well as lost golf or ski days. Travel insurance can even pay to rent sports equipment if yours is lost or delayed, so you don't miss out on the fun you had booked.

Although not mandatory, travel insurance can reduce stress before and during the trip. Even on trips where we don't end up needing it, the peace of mind of knowing it was there was worth the cost.