European Travel Insurance

Europe is one of the leading destinations for travelers from all around the world. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) claims that in 2011, there were over 503.96 million international tourist to European countries. This represented a 6.2% increase over 2012 figures with the top destinations being France, Spain, Italy, Turkey and the UK. When looking at this on a more global scale, 6 of the top 10 most visited countries were in Europe.
Its clear that from these numbers, Europe is one of the top destinations in the world – and as a tourist and traveler in terms of healthcare and insurance coverage, it can seem like a very complex system based on a mixture of nationalized and privatized healthcare systems. Also for some travelers coming into Europe, you may be required to show proof of your insurance coverage, especially if you need to apply for the Schengen Visa. There are also some instances where you may not need to purchase travel insurance, as you could be covered by a reciprocal agreement.

Travel within EU Countries

If you are traveling within the EU, in most cases you will be covered by the reciprocal agreements as part of the EU Social Security Coordination. This essentially means that you can travel through Europe and receive medical care as you would in the your home country. There may be some differences in the way care is sought, and in some cases you may need to pay a portion of the medical care. However once you have obtained your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) you can travel through Europe in the safe knowledge that you are covered.
With that said, the agreement only covers medical care and does not include travel related benefits that you may still want, such as medical evacuation, repatriation, lost/ stolen baggage and document coverage and more. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase a supplemental travel insurance plan. In most cases they are relatively inexpensive, for example the ISL Euro plan offers excellent coverage benefits and starts at just €0.60 per day.

Travel from Outside the EU

If you are traveling from a country that is outside the EU, you will not be able to benefit from reciprocal healthcare agreements and thus will need to purchase travel insurance to protect you. For travel to Europe, there are a few ways you can approach this – you can either purchase a local product that is denominated in € Euros and will be fully administered in Europe, or you can purchase a local travel insurance plan that is available in your home country.
In most cases, purchasing a travel insurance plan that is based in the country or region you are traveling to can sometimes be the better option. Not only will administration of the insurance plan be on your time zone (should you need to use your plan), but you will benefit from the plan being in € Euros and thus acceptance could be higher at providers than compared to an international plan that could be in a foreign language. One example of a European travel insurance plan is the ISL Euro plan which is administered in Europe and benefits/ premiums are in € Euros.
However, with that said, there are some excellent travel insurance plans that will cover you around the world, no matter where you are based. One such example is the Atlas Travel insurance plan. Underwritten by Lloyds of London, the plan benefits are available in $ USD and the premiums are in $ USD, but you have a truly international carrier backing the plan that will cover you not just in Europe, but around the world.