Find the right travel insurance for a Family Trip to the USA

US medical costs are the highest in the world, and there is no reciprocal healthcare, so every treatment is paid at private rates. A single hospital stay can run into six figures, and air repatriation from the US is very expensive. This is the one cover where the limit genuinely needs to be large, which is why the benchmark here is much higher than for Europe.

A US family holiday is expensive, so the per-person cancellation limit needs to cover a high prepaid cost, flights, hotel and park tickets, for each of the four travellers. Illness before departure, and a child falling ill, are the common triggers, and curtailment covers an early return. The high trip cost makes this limit matter more than on a European break.

Florida in summer is hurricane season. A named storm can close airports, flood a resort or force an evacuation. Catastrophe cover pays for alternative travel, accommodation or curtailment when a hurricane disrupts the trip. Check it is standard and that the wording covers hurricanes and extreme weather rather than a narrow list.

The US is a highly litigious environment and compensation awards are far larger than in Europe. Personal liability covers legal costs and damages if you or a child accidentally injure someone or damage property, so the limit should be high. Claims between your own family and motor-vehicle incidents are excluded.

A Florida holiday usually means a hire car, and belongings left in it are a common theft target. Cover for theft from a vehicle is limited on most policies, daytime only and from a locked boot with forced entry, with valuables and overnight contents excluded. Check the conditions before relying on it.

Long-haul flights, summer peak and hurricane season all raise the chance of delay or cancellation. Travel delay pays for each period you are held up, missed departure covers reaching the airport late, and abandonment lets you claim the trip back if the outbound flight is cancelled with no alternative.

There is no GHIC in the US, so any medical excess is paid in full on top of the bill. The excess also applies per person and per section, so for a family of four a low excess keeps claims worthwhile.

A family of four on a two-week trip carries a lot, and long-haul baggage is more likely to be delayed or lost. Check baggage is included as standard, and look at the single-item and valuables limits that cap any one item such as a camera or tablet.

A family policy covers everyone on one contract, but a child's cover is not always the same as an adult's. Personal-accident cover in particular is usually cut for under-18s, and a couple of policies give young children no personal-accident cover at all. The limits that matter most day to day, medical, cancellation and baggage, are quoted per person so each child has their own; the exception is personal liability, which some policies share across the whole family as a single limit.