Travel Insurance for Italy

When you’re planning a vacation, travel insurance might be the last thing on your mind. You’re thinking about all the fun stuff - and why shouldn’t you be? Italy has lots of amazing sights, sounds and tastes in store for you, so it’s only fitting that you should be focused on that. But on the off chance that something goes wrong, you don’t want your whole trip spoiled because you have to pay for an unexpected stay in a hospital or something. Getting travel insurance for your Italy trip isn’t inviting disaster - it’s just like with umbrellas: better to take the umbrella and have it not rain than the other way ’round.

Do you need travel insurance for Italy?

If you’re from a country that can visit Italy without a visa (the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and many others), insurance is not a legal requirement, but it’s strongly advised, and the border can ask you to show proof of it. If you need a Schengen visa, you must have travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of cover to get one. UK travelers can use a GHIC (or an old EHIC that hasn’t expired) for state healthcare in Italy, but it doesn’t replace insurance: it won’t pay for private care or for getting you home.

So, let’s look at the different kinds of travel insurance that are available, so you can make an informed decision about what kind of travel insurance is right for your Italy trip.

Types of Travel Insurance for Italy

Travel Medical Insurance

(Includes Emergency Evacuation Insurance)

This insurance covers just what you’d expect from the name - if you have a medical emergency while you’re traveling or living abroad, this is the insurance you’d want to have. If you have health insurance coverage at home, it may or may not cover you when you leave the country - and even if it does, it may not cover all your expenses. Whether or not you have medical insurance at home, getting Travel Medical Insurance is a good idea. It will at least prevent you from worrying about spending all your savings on a medical emergency during your trip. At that point, you’ll have enough to worry about - medical insurance shouldn’t add to your stress.

What Italy travelers should consider travel medical insurance? Italy travelers whose home health insurance does not cover them when they leave their home country, and especially those who are planning to do any kind of adventure activity (biking, skiing, hiking, etc.).

>> More about Travel Medical Insurance

Trip Protection Insurance

This is the kind of insurance that will pay you back for most of your non-refundable trip expenses in the event of a death, sickness, airline strike, bankruptcy (on the part of the tour provider, not you!) and some “acts of nature.” It would be horrible to pay thousands on a vacation to Italy and then have to cancel the whole thing at the last minute because of some unforeseen emergency - and then to lose most of that investment because you didn’t have Trip Protection Insurance.

What Italy travelers should consider trip protection insurance? Italy travelers who are on a cruise, or a package trip, or who have booked any kind of pre-paid tour/accommodation/transportation for which you wouldn’t get a refund if you had to cancel your trip at the last minute.

>> More about Trip Protection Insurance

Flight/Travel Accident Insurance

This is very specific insurance that covers something catastrophic happening to your flight that would result in your death or the loss of a limb or the loss of your eyesight.

What Italy travelers should consider flight/travel accident insurance? Italy travelers who want to make sure they or their beneficiaries get a sum of money if something happens to their flight.

>> More about Accidental Death Insurance

Annual Multi-Trip Insurance

Do you travel often? Would you prefer getting one package that covers you every time you leave the country over the course of a year without having to get another quote for each trip? This is the insurance for you.

What Italy travelers should consider annual multi-trip insurance? Italy travelers who go to Italy (or elsewhere outside their home country) on a regular basis, multiple times per year.

Where to get travel insurance for Italy

Whatever you buy, read the medical and evacuation limits before the price. A few good places to start:

• World Nomads: BootsnAll’s long-time partner (we earn a commission if you buy through this link). Strong on adventure activities like hiking and skiing, it covers travelers from more than 130 countries, and you can buy or extend a policy after you’ve left home. It’s not always the cheapest option for a one-week trip, so compare. BootsnAll’s Travel Insurance for Italy explains why we use it.
• Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip: comparison sites where US travelers can line up policies from many insurers side by side. The best way to find a cheap trip-cancellation policy for a pricey Italy vacation.
• SafetyWing: subscription-style medical cover aimed at digital nomads and long-term travelers. Worth a look if you’re spending a few months in Italy on the remote-worker visa or wandering Europe.

Should you or shouldn’t you?

The ultimate decision on whether to get travel insurance for your Italy trip lies with you, but if you’ve never even gotten a quote you should try it just to see how inexpensive travel insurance can be. Especially as compared to the cost of your vacation, travel insurance is downright cheap. And for loved ones at home, the peace of mind of knowing that you’ll be taken care of if something happens to you may be worth it. In fact, if anyone’s asking whether they can get you something for your trip, “travel insurance” may be an ideal gift!

Keep in mind that the medical and cancellation policies above don’t automatically cover theft or loss of the stuff you’re carrying with you, like your laptop or phone or rail pass. Some travel policies add baggage cover, so check the wording. Otherwise, check with your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance to see whether they’ll cover those things when you’re traveling.