Is travel insurance worth it for holiday travel in 2026?

CBS News · Angelica Leicht · 2026-11-06 13:35 UTC

Holiday trips can come with high financial stakes. Here's when travel insurance may or may not make sense.

Holiday travel tends to involve a lot of financial commitments, many of which are made well before the trip begins. Flights may be booked months ahead, hotels can require hefty deposits at the time of booking and families traveling together can end up putting thousands of dollars toward a single trip during the holiday season. And once those travel reservations are made, changing plans isn't always cheap.

There are also plenty of ways for those plans to unravel. A canceled flight could leave you scrambling for another way to reach your destination, an illness could force you to cancel the trip entirely or a delayed connection could mean paying unexpectedly for a hotel and meals. When several travelers are involved, the potential costs that come with changing your travel plans can add up quickly.

That's where travel insurance enters the equation. This type of policy adds another expense to an already costly trip, though, and the protection it provides can vary significantly depending on the policy and circumstances. So before paying for coverage for holiday travel in 2026, it helps to understand what you're actually protecting against — and what you're paying for.

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