Whether you’re travelling as a family or your child is travelling by themselves, here’s everything you need to know about under 18s travel.
What travel insurance does my child need?
We don’t offer travel insurance to children who aren’t travelling with a responsible adult (or an airline chaperone service), but some insurers offer specialised cover for children under 18 who are travelling alone.
If you’re travelling as a family, you can choose a family travel insurance policy. It can differ from insurer to insurer, but our policies will cover up to a maximum of two adults and five children.
If they’re going on a specific holiday like a skiing trip or a cruise, either as a family or with another responsible adult, you will need to get specialist cover.
If you're insured with us and are adding your children to your policy, you'll need to make sure you get our skiing cover or cruise insurance.
What does under 18s travel insurance cover?
A travel insurance policy will typically cover you and your child for things like:
- illness or injury while abroad
- lost baggage
- cancelled or delayed transport
As we don’t offer travel insurance for children travelling alone, we can only cover these things if you’re travelling together as a family.
When buying your policy, it’s important to disclose all the pre-existing medical conditions you and your child have. If you don’t, you could risk invalidating your policy if you need to make a claim.
What doesn’t under 18s travel insurance cover?
It won’t cover:
- undeclared medical conditions
- hazardous activities that aren’t mentioned in the policy wording
- negligent or reckless behaviour (for instance, if they were injured while under the influence of alcohol)
EHIC or GHIC cards
Anyone under 18 travelling to Europe should carry a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or the old European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with them.
This allows you to access basic emergency healthcare abroad if you need it.
If you’re 16 and above, you can apply for a GHIC yourself, which are free to get. Under 16s will need a parent or guardian to apply on their behalf.
Read our guide on the GHIC and EHIC cards.
Remember, they’re not a stand-in for travel insurance.
Preparing for your child to travel
Sometimes your child might be going away with someone who has a different surname than them - this might be a step-parent, grandparent, or close family friends.
In this case, their parent should write and sign a letter giving consent for their child to travel with those adults. It’s not compulsory, but it can speed up any queries at border control.
It can also be a good idea writing a letter giving permission for medical care when they’re away.
You should also make copies, both paper and digital, of all your child’s important documents (passport, ticket, travel insurance) in case they lose their originals.
Laws around child travel
Remember that different countries may have different laws around under 18s travel.
For instance, different border controls might have regulations around who is able to pick up a child travelling alone from the airport.
On the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s website, you can find up-to-date information on entry requirements and different regulations for 226 countries.
Make sure you do your research into the country they’re travelling to.
Under 18s flying alone
If your child is taking a flight on their own, you need to inform the airline well in advance. You may need to sign a form of consent or a Declaration of Indemnity.
A child has to be at least five to fly by themselves, but every airline has its own policy and its typically older. For example, British Airways only allows anyone 14 and up to travel alone with them.
Children aged five to 12 years who fly alone are classed as ‘unaccompanied minors’, even if they sit in a different cabin class to the adults travelling with them.
This is because cabin crew will be responsible for them in the event of an emergency or when the seatbelt signs are switched on.
You’ll need to pay a fee for an unaccompanied minor or an escort service for their supervision. If your child is aged between 12 and 16, they can travel without supervision, but you can still request an escort for them if you prefer.
The airline will also usually require that the parent or guardian dropping off the child at the airport remains there until the flight has left. You’ll also need to arrange for a pre-registered adult with photo ID to meet them at their destination.
