Travel Health Coverage: What You Need Before You Go Abroad

When you travel outside your home country, travel health coverage, insurance that pays for medical care while you’re away from home. Also known as international health insurance, it’s not a luxury—it’s the difference between getting treated and getting billed. Most people assume their regular health plan follows them overseas. It doesn’t. Medicare, for example, covers almost nothing abroad. Even private U.S. insurance often leaves you stranded in a foreign hospital with no way to pay. That’s not speculation—it’s what happens to thousands every year.

If you’re planning a trip to Canada, Europe, or Southeast Asia, you’re not just packing clothes and adapters. You’re packing for medical emergencies. medical tourism, traveling to another country for medical treatment. Also known as health tourism, it’s growing fast—but it’s risky without proper coverage. Americans going to Canada for surgery, Indians traveling to Thailand for dental work, or Europeans seeking cheaper heart care abroad all face the same problem: hospitals want payment upfront. No insurance? No treatment. Or worse, you get treated and then get hit with a bill for $20,000. That’s why travel health coverage isn’t about being cautious—it’s about being smart.

It’s not just about big surgeries. A broken ankle in Bali, food poisoning in Mexico, or a sudden heart issue in Italy can turn a vacation into a financial disaster. international travel insurance, a policy designed to cover medical emergencies, evacuation, and trip interruptions while abroad. Also known as travel medical insurance, it’s the only thing that bridges the gap between your home plan and foreign hospitals. Some policies even cover things like repatriation or emergency dental care. Others don’t. You need to read the fine print. And if you’re over 65 and relying on Medicare? You’re on your own. There’s no fallback. No safety net. Just a credit card and a prayer.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t theory. It’s real stories from people who’ve been there. From Americans trying to see a doctor in Canada without coverage, to travelers learning the hard way that hospital care abroad doesn’t work like home. You’ll see how Medicare fails overseas, why some people pay out of pocket for knee replacements in India, and what exactly happens when you walk into a foreign ER without insurance. These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re lessons. And they’re written by people who didn’t have travel health coverage—and lived to tell the story.