Travel Insurance: USA To Spain Trip (2024)

When you plan a visit to Spain there’s so much culture and history to explore, and also gorgeous Mediterranean beaches, culinary experiences and opportunities to take part in a lively fiesta that can give you a peek into the local heritage.

There are many popular tourist spots in Spain—from Barcelona to Seville to Madrid. Sometimes flights within Spain are also part of an itinerary. Beyond Spain, many American tourists visit other European countries during the same vacation because of the ease of travel and high cost of transatlantic flights.

Even though you don’t anticipate complications on a trip, it’s important to plan for the unexpected like travel delays, illness or injury, lost or stolen property, and emergency medical care.

The best way to safeguard your trip is to purchase a wide-ranging travel insurance policy.

Related: Best travel insurance plans

How To Buy a Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy

Look for a travel insurance plan that’s particularly suited for an international destination, says Scott Adamski, spokesperson with travel insurance company AIG Travel.

“I recommend purchasing a travel insurance product that includes coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, medical expense, medical evacuation and baggage,” he says.

The timing of your travel insurance purchase is also important. “Travel insurance should ideally be purchased within 15 days of the initial deposit date for the trip,” he says. When you buy your policy within this timeframe, you’ll get early-purchase provisions of the travel insurance policy, like a waiver of the pre-existing medical condition exclusion.

If you want more time to research your policy, don’t fret. You can buy a travel insurance policy up to 24 hours prior to your trip departure date.

Buying Trip Cancellation Insurance for Spain

You may have been saving over several months for a trip to Spain. Your trip could span 10 to 14 days and expenses will include lodging, meals, excursions, entertainment and perhaps even inter-country flights.

In the weeks leading up to departure day, probably the last thing on your mind is having to unexpectedly cancel. But emergency situations do arise and if you’ve put down a large amount of non-refundable deposit money, trip cancellation insurance is a way to protect your investment.

If a family emergency occurs—like a death of a grandparent—your travel insurance policy would allow you to cancel your trip and file claims to be reimbursed for pre-paid deposits and non-refundable expenses. For example, if you had purchased tickets to a flamenco show with dinner in Seville that you booked and paid for months in advance, standard trip cancellation insurance would reimburse you.

It will also cover the cost of pre-paid hotel bookings and airfare that isn’t refundable.

If you want to make a trip cancellation claim, your cancellation must be due to one of several reasons outlined in a standard insurance policy. These reasons often include:

• An illness or injury to you, a travel companion or a family member
• Job loss
• Jury duty
• National emergencies like a transportation strike;
• A family emergency
• Severe inclement weather
• Terrorism either at home or at your destination

It’s vital to understand that not all reasons are covered for canceling a trip under a standard cancellation benefit. For example, if you change your mind because you read several bad reviews online about your tour operator and decide you don’t want to go, this is not a covered reason under standard trip cancellation insurance.

If you want the greatest level of flexibility for a cancellation claim, splurge for a “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) upgrade. This will raise the cost of your plan by about 40%. A CFAR add-on allows you to literally cancel for any reason, and as long as you cancel the trip at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure, you will be reimbursed 50% or 75% (depending on the plan) of your trip’s cost.

Travel Delays During a Spain Trip

Because Spain is a long-haul flight, you may have a connection, particularly if you’re traveling from the West Coast. If you are flying from San Diego, for example, you may have a connection in Philadelphia before you fly to Barcelona. If your San Diego flight arrives several hours late to Philadelphia due to bad weather, trip delay benefits would begin and would cover the cost of a hotel stay in Philadelphia and other delay-related expenses.

If you end up missing an entire day in Barcelona, you can recover the cost of any missed experiences due to the delay. For example, if you pre-paid for a car service to pick you up from the airport and take you on a scenic tour of Barcelona’s historic district, and then to your hotel, you could claim this expense for reimbursem*nt.

Interrupted Spain Trips

When you travel to Europe, you want to experience as much as you can, especially during peak travel times when airfares are higher and hotel costs soar. It’s very common to plan a multi-country itinerary when in Europe. Your Spain trip could be part of a larger travel plan that includes stays in France, Germany, Portugal or the United Kingdom.

Travel insurance offers a way to recoup expenses if you have to cut the trip short. For example, if you are on your way to a cathedral tour of Madrid’s St. Mary Royal of the Almudena and you get a frantic call from your college-age son that he’s in the hospital with pneumonia with a high fever and health complications, you will want to return to the United States. If Spain is the second country in your European itinerary, and you have pre-paid for hotel stays, excursions, and other non-refundable deposits, your trip interruption benefits will reimburse you.

In addition, the benefits of your travel insurance policy will pay for you to book a one-way ticket home on a last-minute flight and also cover the cost of a taxi to the airport.

Dealing with Medical Conditions in Spain

Although Spain has a universal health care system, it doesn’t mean that you are entitled to the same benefits as residents, says Lisa Cheng, a spokerson with World Nomads, a travel insurance company. Your U.S. health insurance plan may not have global coverage, and Medicare doesn’t work outside the U.S.

Medical mishaps can happen anywhere, any time—and a vacation that includes tours in small Spanish villages with less-than-ideal thoroughfares for walking raises risk for injury. You could lose your footing on uneven sidewalks and twist your ankle. Your travel insurance plan’s travel medical expense benefits can cover the cost of your medical visit, medication and any diagnostic imaging.

More Serious Medical Conditions

Of course not all travel medical issues are as minor as a twisted ankle. For example, if you are allergic to shellfish and are dining in a café in Seville where you accidentally eat a soup whose base is from shellfish, you could develop a severe allergic reaction. Your EpiPen may be of some help, but emergency medical evacuation insurance could literally save your life.

Your travel insurance company can arrange medical transport if you are in a local clinic but need more specialized medical care.

“You’ll want to make sure that medical evacuation coverage is part of your travel insurance in case you need to be transported to an appropriate medical facility that can give you the best care you need,” says Cheng.

If you don’t have emergency medical coverage, you would be responsible for thousands of dollars in transportation and medical expenses.

When Baggage Is on Its Own Trip

If you’re on a multi-country trip, there’s unfortunately ample opportunity for your baggage to head the wrong direction.

“You could be incorporating, possibly, Portugal, France or Malta, so you might have multiple flights within that region with an increased chance for lost/delayed baggage,” says Adamski with AIG Travel. The baggage loss benefits in a travel insurance policy can reimburse you if your bags are misdirected or lost entirely.

When traveling, think twice about bringing heirloom jewelry or expensive possessions.

“There are some items that are excluded from coverage, including electronics or jewelry,” says Megan Moncrief, spokesperson for travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth. “If you’re bringing especially expensive items on your trip, Squaremouth recommends insuring them through your homeowners policy or through the credit card used to purchase them.”

A comprehensive travel insurance policy also has built-in coverage for personal effects.

You should always be on guard for pickpockets, especially in crowded, touristy town centers. For example, if you are watching street performers along Las Ramblas in Barcelona and a thief swipes your backpack that includes your passport, iPhone and binoculars, your travel insurance policy can assist you.

If you’re having trouble with the Spanish language, your insurance company’s 24/7 emergency travel assista nce hotline can help with interpretation and also act as a liaison to help with replacement of your passport, says Cheng with World Nomads.

If you are a victim of a theft, be sure to file a report with local authorities, your tour operator or a hotel manager. You will be required to submit this documentation when filing your insurance claim.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with exclusions regarding your policy.

“Just remember that cases of negligence aren’t covered . . . such as if you lose your wallet because you’ve had too many,” says Cheng.