This is an illustrative planning model, not an insurer quote. Use the line-item costs and surcharge percentages to compare coverage combinations before requesting actual policy quotes.
Three duration bands
The calculator automatically classifies 1–14 days as a short trip, 15–90 days as an extended trip, and 91–365 days as a long stay. These are planning bands created for this tool, not standard insurance-product definitions.
Longer stays accumulate more exposure days, while the model applies a lower daily planning factor at longer durations. Actual insurers may use different age limits, maximum trip lengths, eligibility rules, or separate long-stay products.
- Short trip: 1–14 days
- Extended trip: 15–90 days
- Long stay: 91–365 days
- Run separate scenarios if travelers have different ages or coverage needs.
What each add-on changes
Medical and evacuation is the most sensitive add-on in this model because foreign medical treatment and emergency transport can be expensive. The accident option models a separate accidental-death-and-dismemberment benefit, while baggage and theft responds partly to entered trip value.
Rental vehicle damage is modeled by rental day. It should not be assumed to include liability, personal belongings, every vehicle type, every country, or every cause of loss. Read the policy, rental agreement, and any credit-card coverage together.
- Compare benefit limits as well as premium.
- Check deductibles, exclusions, and preexisting-condition rules.
- Confirm whether evacuation means the nearest adequate facility or a destination you choose.
- Review existing health, homeowners, renters, auto, and credit-card benefits for overlap.
Why a real quote will differ
Travel-insurance prices can vary with trip cost, age, destination, season, residence, trip length, benefit limits, deductible, and the coverage package. An insurer can also decline a risk or exclude an activity that this simple model cannot evaluate.
NAIC says travel insurance often costs about 5% to 10% of trip price, but that broad range is context rather than a pricing promise. A lower or higher quote can still be reasonable depending on what is covered and who is traveling.
Quote-shopping checklist
Request comparable quotes with the same trip dates, traveler ages, trip cost, destination, and benefit limits. Compare the covered reasons, maximum benefits, deductible, exclusions, assistance service, claim documentation, and cancellation period—not only the headline premium.
For international travel, confirm that coverage is valid in the destination and for the full trip. The U.S. government generally does not pay a traveler's medical bills abroad, and domestic health or auto coverage may not follow the traveler overseas.
The formula used
Illustrative premium = base trip protection + selected medical and evacuation + accident + baggage and theft + rental vehicle add-onsThe model starts with 2.5% of prepaid trip cost plus a small duration-based amount. Optional coverage costs then respond to trip length, number of travelers, age band, destination profile, or rental days. These assumptions are visible planning inputs, not filed insurance rates.
Example: a ten-day international trip
For two travelers under 50 taking a 10-day, $5,000 international trip, the illustrative base is $140. Adding medical and evacuation ($65), accident ($13), and baggage and theft ($30) produces a $248 estimate—$12.40 per traveler per day, or 4.96% of trip cost. Adding five rental-vehicle days would add $60 and raise the total to $308.
Sources and further reading
We use primary educational sources to check terminology and explain how the calculation fits into real financial decisions.
U.S. Department of State — Insurance coverage overseas↗CDC Yellow Book — Travel insurance, travel health insurance, and medical evacuation insurance↗NAIC — Should I get travel insurance?↗