Trip Insurance for Teen Travel: What You Actually Need
Trip insurance is required for international trips and strongly encouraged for domestic ones. Here's what parents actually need to know when comparing policies.
What RLT requires
Simple:
- International trips: trip insurance is required
- Domestic trips: trip insurance is strongly encouraged (not required, but we really mean encouraged)
You can use any provider you want. We have recommendations on our FAQ page, and we're happy to share who other RLT families have used if you call.
The two things parents care about most
When we talk to families about what to look for in a policy, it usually comes down to two things:
Trip cancellation. This reimburses what you paid if your teen can't go due to illness, injury, a family emergency, or other covered reasons. "Cancel for any reason" is broader coverage and usually costs more. Read the actual policy language, not just the summary.
Emergency medical evacuation. This covers the cost of getting your teen to a hospital if they're in a remote location and need serious medical care. On an international trip or a remote domestic trip, this one matters. A helicopter evacuation from the backcountry can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
There are other pieces like trip interruption, baggage loss, and travel delay. Every policy is different.
Practical things to do
Buy insurance sooner rather than later. Many policies treat pre-existing medical conditions better if you buy early.
If your teen has a medical condition that's managed with medication, ask the insurer specifically how they handle pre-existing conditions when you call.
Compare two or three policies instead of buying the first one you see.
Check with your current health insurance too, but—spoiler—they usually cover routine care but not evacuation costs or trip cancellation reimbursement.
Why this matters for an RLT trip
Our trip leaders carry Wilderness First Responder, CPR, AED, American Red Cross Lifeguard, and Mental Health First Aid certifications. Behind them is RLT headquarters, our Licensed Medical Advisor (who reviews protocols every year), and 24/7 access to an emergency physician. The situations where insurance kicks in are uncommon. But when they do happen, especially internationally or in remote U.S. locations, the costs without coverage are significant. That's why international is required and domestic is strongly encouraged.
Have questions about which policy fits your trip? Reach out—we can walk through it.