Comprehensive travel insurance
Medical, cancellation, baggage and delay in one policy — the default bundle.
What it is
When somebody says "travel insurance" without qualifying it, this is usually what they mean: one policy covering emergency medical costs, the money you lose if the trip falls through, and your luggage on the way. It is the most common thing sold and the most common thing over-bought.
A comprehensive policy bundles three separate kinds of protection that you could, in principle, buy individually.
The medical section works exactly like a standalone travel medical policy — emergency treatment, hospital, evacuation, repatriation. On top of that sit cancellation cover, which pays back money you have already spent if you cannot go for a listed reason, and baggage and delay cover, which pay small amounts for practical mishaps. The bundle is normally cheaper than buying the parts separately, which is why it dominates.
What it covers
- Emergency medical treatment, hospital care and surgery abroad
- Medical evacuation and repatriation, including repatriation of remains
- Cancellation and curtailment for reasons listed in the policy
- Delayed or missed departure, usually after a fixed number of hours
- Lost, stolen or delayed baggage, subject to per-item sub-limits
- Personal liability if you injure someone or damage their property
- A single holiday with a meaningful amount of prepaid, non-refundable cost
- Anyone who wants one policy number to quote rather than three
- Trips where a visa needs medical proof and you also want the trip protected
- The baggage sub-limit per item is usually far lower than the headline baggage figure — a camera or a laptop is rarely covered in full.
- Cancellation only pays for reasons on the policy's list. "I changed my mind" is not on it unless you bought a cancel-for-any-reason add-on.
- The medical limit is the only number a consulate cares about, and a generous baggage limit does nothing to compensate for a thin one.
More than medical-only cover and less than the parts bought separately. The cancellation section is priced off your total prepaid trip cost, so an expensive booking raises the premium even if nothing else changes.
See what drives the priceCommon questions
Yes, provided its medical section meets the standard: at least €30,000 of emergency medical cover, valid across the whole Schengen area, spanning every day of your stay, and including repatriation. The certificate has to state those things clearly — a policy that meets the standard but whose paperwork only mentions baggage and cancellation will still cause problems at the counter.
Probably not. Cancellation cover exists to refund money you cannot get back, so if you booked a refundable hotel and a cheap flight there is very little for it to protect. The medical section is the part that does not scale with trip cost — a hospital bill is the same whether your flight was €40 or €400 — so medical-only cover is often the rational choice for an inexpensive trip.
You can, but the cancellation cover only starts from the day you buy it, so anything that goes wrong in the gap is uninsured. That is why the advice is to buy on the day you book. The medical section, by contrast, only needs to be in place before you travel.
packset.travel is an independent trip-planning tool, not an insurer or broker. This is general information, not insurance advice — always confirm cover levels and entry requirements with the insurer and the relevant consulate before you travel.
Whether insurance is legally required depends on your passport and your destination, not on which policy you buy. Check the corridor first — it decides whether you need a certificate or just sensible cover.