Trawick International Travel Insurance Review — Is It Worth It?

There are many travel insurance companies you could consider before your next vacation.

One such company is Trawick International, which got its start in 1998 by providing insurance for students at universities and study-abroad participants.

Now, 25 years later, the company sells a variety of travel insurance plans, including those for domestic and international travel and even covering volunteer workers. Its most popular plans for U.S.-based travelers are underwritten by Nationwide, a household name in insurance.

Let’s look at everything you need to know about Trawick International insurance, review some of its plan types and costs, and then compare it to your other options for travel insurance.

Why Purchase Travel Insurance

While it’s not fun to think about, travel insurance can protect your health and your bank account when something goes wrong during your trip. This can include relocation when medical help isn’t nearby and reimbursement for extra expenses when your suitcase is lost or stolen.

Travel insurance covers the parts of your trip that don’t go according to plan. This includes cancellations and interruptions due to unexpected events like severe weather, illness, medical emergencies, theft, and more.

Each time you travel, you’ll decide whether to purchase travel insurance. You can purchase from travel companies while buying flights or cruises as well as purchasing from specialized travel insurance companies and customizing your policy to suit your needs. This also allows you to shop around for the best price. Additionally, you should consider whether it makes sense to purchase insurance coverage for each trip or an annual policy.

When does it make sense to purchase travel insurance? Consider the following:

• Your trip includes non-refundable upfront expenses and losing these (if your trip is canceled at the last minute) would be costly.
• You have multiple travel providers (ex: airlines, hotels, cruises, a tour guide, etc.), creating additional opportunities for pain points.

While travel insurance is meant to cover unforeseen events, buying Cancel for Any Reason coverage also might allow you to cancel your trip for any reason.

Travel Insurance and COVID-19

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic presented several new and unique problems for travelers. First, the medical concerns — should you contract COVID-19 while away from home, you may need to see a doctor or spend time in a hospital.

There are financial concerns, as well. The cost of tests, hospital visits, and seeing a doctor in a foreign country can add up quickly — as can the costs of quarantines or additional hotel nights. Moreover, some countries still require travelers to present proof of travel insurance that can cover these costs should they get sick or test positive for COVID-19 while in their destination country.

Why Purchase Travel Insurance From Trawick International

Trawick International has been providing travel insurance for 25 years and has an average of 4.4 stars across customer reviews on Trustpilot and 4.13 on Squaremouth. It also provides immediate plan documents and plan ID cards after purchasing a policy, helping you get proof of coverage immediately.

On top of positive customer reviews and the fact that it’s an established company with a worldwide footprint, Trawick International tends to provide higher maximum coverage amounts than competitors when comparing similar plan types. Moreover, COVID-19 coverage is included across plans, and coverage for pre-existing conditions can be added to most plans. This is good news for those needing this protection.

The variety of plan types is another bonus. While it may feel overwhelming to see so many options, this also indicates that plans are tailored to your specific needs, rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

The biggest positive, however, may be Trawick’s partnership with Nationwide, which underwrites most of its trip cancellation-related policies for U.S.-based travelers. As a household name in insurance, this provides a sense of reliability.

Types of Policies Offered by Trawick International

Trawick International offers several types of insurance, depending on your home country, destination, and whether you’re looking for robust coverage or coverage that’s focused on medical costs.

For example, U.S. residents traveling internationally can buy a Safe Travels Outbound policy that’s focused on medical expenses but also includes coverage for delays, interruptions, or baggage problems. Policies start at $20 but have a 5-day minimum.

The most popular plan is the Safe Travels Voyager plan. It includes $1,000,000 of medical evacuation coverage, trip delay coverage, baggage delay benefits, rental car protections, and the ability to add “Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) coverage for an extra cost. However, there’s no option to add coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. The CFAR coverage can reimburse up to 75% of your non-refundable costs if you cancel at least 2 days before departure.

With a Safe Travels Explorer plan, you get trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage at a low cost. You can add coverage for pre-existing conditions if you buy your plan within 7 days of your first deposit toward the trip.

Hot Tip:

If you’re concerned about coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, understanding the timeline for when you need to purchase your policy is critical. It’s typically based on the time from your first payment toward your trip.

A Safe Travels Rental Plus plan covers your non-refundable trip expenses if bad weather cancels or interrupts your trip. This policy applies to costs for tickets, hotels, vacation rentals, and more.

Students studying outside their home countries can buy a Collegiate Care Essential policy. It covers up to $150,000 of expenses per injury or illness with a maximum of $300,000 per policy. It covers COVID-19 expenses as well as injuries from some sports.

Trawick International — Reviews of Plans and Prices

To compare prices, we got quotes for a 1-week trip to England for a family of 4 (ages 35, 34, 5, and 3). The travel dates were October 5-11, 2023, and the first trip deposit was made within 24 hours. We estimated the trip cost as $1,000 per person.

Plans don’t provide coverage in Belarus, Russia, or Ukraine. Additionally, the optional add-ons you see will vary based on your home state of residence.

If you’re looking for annual travel insurance, Trawick International has it. Here’s how the 3 options compare:

Note that for the above plans, coverage starts the day after purchase and is only available for U.S. citizens and residents.

Hot Tip:

Trawick also offers plans for non-U.S. residents traveling to countries outside the U.S., plans for those who need insurance that meets Schengen visa requirements, and more. We’ve focused on plans available to U.S. residents here, but there are additional options.

How To Get a Quote

You can obtain a quote online easily by heading to Trawick International’s website. Interestingly, you can choose “multiple countries” as your destination.

After choosing your home and destination country(ies), provide your travel dates. Then, you’ll provide your deposit date and trip cost. You also have the option of choosing whether you want trip protection (for cancellations).

Policies will be cheaper if you choose “no” to trip protection, resulting in a policy that’s mostly focused on medical coverage. On the next page, you’ll provide the ages of anyone traveling on this policy and indicate whether or not you’re a student.

After this, you’ll receive a list of quotes showing prices and payout maximums in the various categories. You’ll also see options for add-ons and upgrades.

How Trawick International Compares

To Credit Card Travel Insurance

To Other Travel Insurance Companies

How does Trawick stack up to its competitors? We used Squaremouth to compare prices for that same 1-week family trip to England. Here’s how Trawick International compares to travel insurance plans and costs from USI Ruby and Generali Global Assistance Preferred when looking for similar types of coverage.

Trawick’s plan is the most expensive. All 3 plans cover COVID-19 but only USI and Trawick offer add-ons for pre-existing medical conditions; Generali doesn’t offer this on the Preferred plan. While Generali only offers $150,000 of secondary emergency medical coverage, USI and Trawick offer $250,000 of primary coverage. Trawick offers $1,000,000 of medical evacuation and repatriation coverage, while the other 2 only offer $500,000.

Trawick has the shortest waiting period for baggage delays and travel delays, as well as the highest maximum payouts in these areas. It also provides the highest maximum coverage for missed connections and baggage loss.

All 3 plans have the same coverage amounts for trip cancellation and trip interruption. Generali’s coverage for hurricanes and weather kicks in immediately, while Trawick requires waiting 12 hours; USI requires 48 hours.

Bottom Line:

Trawick International charges a higher cost than competitors for plans with the same types of coverage if you compare mid-tier plans. However, its maximum payouts are higher in several categories, plus waiting periods for delay-related coverage are shorter in several aspects.

How To File a Trawick International Travel Insurance Claim

You can file a claim with Trawick International online, by email, or through the mail. You’ll start by finding the name of your plan (listed in the confirmation coverage, which you received after purchase) and gathering all documents related to your claim. These include receipts, documents related to the claim — such as a doctor’s note or letter from the airline confirming the reason for a delay — and a claim form specific to your plan type.

If you have a Safe Travels plan, you can submit your claim online at CBP Connect, by email to NWTravClaims@cbpinsure.com, or by mail to this address:

Co-ordinated Benefit Plans, LLC
On Behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliated Companies
P.O. Box 26222
Tampa, FL 33623

Final Thoughts

Trawick International offers a wide range of travel insurance plans, has largely positive customer reviews, and its maximum coverage amounts tend to be higher than competitors when looking at similar plans. That said, its costs can be higher than competitors, so evaluate whether you need these extra benefits before paying for them.

All plans should cover COVID-19 and several cover pre-existing medical conditions. However, you need special plans for adventure sports. If you’re going to buy a plan, ensure you know what you need and get the right policy. Having a policy that doesn’t cover your needs is the same as not having a policy at all.

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For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa^® or Mastercard^® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the Amex Platinum card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for covered persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier vehicle (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the Entire Fare for a ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible card. Coverage can be provided for up to $2,000 for checked baggage and up to a combined maximum of $3,000 for checked and carry-on baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier. The coverage is also subject to a $3,000 aggregate limit per covered trip. For New York State residents, there is a $2,000 per bag/suitcase limit for each covered person with a $10,000 aggregate maximum for all covered persons per covered trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For the premium global assist hotline benefit of the Amex Platinum card, eligibility and benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. If approved and coordinated by premium global assist hotline, emergency medical transportation assistance may be provided at no cost. In any other circumstance, card members may be responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For the trip delay insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, up to $500 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

For the trip cancellation and interruption insurance benefit of the Amex Platinum card, the maximum benefit amount for trip cancellation and interruption insurance is $10,000 per covered trip and $20,000 per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.