Traveling across India is something millions do for leisure, business, or personal reasons – but each trip is a different experience, with situations sometimes arising that are unfortunate. These may include medical emergencies, lost baggage, accidents, or travel delays. Situations like these can cause both stress and financial loss.
Coverage Offered by Domestic Travel Insurance
Domestic travel insurance offers protection against the following major risks:
- Medical Emergencies and Hospitalization: Medical expenses if the insured falls sick or is injured while traveling. Normally, this will include ambulance charges and emergency medical evacuation if necessary.
- Accidental Death or Disablement: Pays lump sum or compensation for accidental death or permanent/partial disability occurring during the trip.
- Trip Delay / Trip Cancellation: Will help pay for additional expenses incurred because of a flight or train delay (more than a set number of hours), or a trip cancellation due to a covered reason (like medical and natural causes).
- Loss or Delay of Checked Baggage and Travel Ticket: Will reimburse you for lost baggage or delayed baggage beyond a certain amount of time, or if your travel ticket is lost or stolen you will be reimbursed as well.
- Personal Liability: Will reimburse for legal costs if while on your trip you inadvertently injure someone or damage their property.
- Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation: Will transport you, in an emergency due to medical reasons, to a hospital or back home again.
- Additional Benefits: Some plans offer optional add-on benefits such as home burglary cover during your absence from home traveling, coverage for adventure sports injuries or costs incurred due to trip curtailment.
Popular Domestic Travel Insurance Plans in India (2025)
Tata AIG Domestic Travel Insurance
Company: Tata AIG General Insurance
Benefits: Tata AIG Domestic Travel insurance has extensive coverage including medical emergencies, personal accidents, loss /delay of baggage, trip delays and loss of travel tickets. The plan also has family transport benefits in the event of extended hospitalization and easy online purchase with no medical tests.
Eligibility: This insurance product is available to Indian residents of all ages with no specific limit on upper age eligibility and the process is straightforward and digital.
Bharat Bhraman Domestic Travel Insurance
Company: Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
Benefits: Bajaj Allianz’s Bharat Bhraman plan offers accidental hospitalization, trip cancellations, home burglary during travel, personal liability, and loss /delay of baggage. It also provides emergency evacuations and repatriation. The plan is structured into sub-categories depending on the mode of travel, which includes cab, bus, train, and air travel.
Eligibility: All Indian residents are eligible for the policy regardless of age including both minors and senior citizens.
ICICI Lombard Domestic Travel Insurance
Company: ICICI Lombard General Insurance
Benefits: ICICI Lombard provides a low-cost domestic travel insurance policy that covers cashless hospitalization, reimbursement for trip cancellation, and compensation for baggage delay. This domestic travel insurance plan is popular because the application process is easily completed online and generally does not require any medical screening.
Eligibility: ICICI Lombard domestic travel insurance is available to Indian residents and includes children, adults, seniors, or anywhere in between without the rigorous health checks.
Niva Bupa TravelAssure
Company: Niva Bupa Health Insurance
Benefits: Niva Bupa’s TravelAssure plan is a full-scale domestic travel insurance plan that covers medical expenses including COVID-19 treatment assistance, trip interruption, baggage loss, and emergency evacuation. The TravelAssure plan gives insured the ability to customize their plan with a single-trip, multi-trip, travel-specific for students or seniors.
Eligibility: The Niva Bupa TravelAssure insurance is available to Indians of all ages including students and senior travelers.
Star Health Domestic Travel Insurance
Company: Star Health and Allied Insurance
Benefits: Star Health takes out the hassles of travel insurance by offering a domestic travel insurance plan that covers costs incurred from flight cancellations, delay or loss of checked-in baggage, coverage (recovery benefits) for extended-length hospitalization, and injuries that occurred due to you participating in adventure sports.
Eligibility: There are no age limits, and the plan is available to Indian citizens, and there is additional coverage available specifically for adventure sports participants.
How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance Plan for Domestic Travel?
When considering the best travel insurance, you will want to consider the following:
- Coverage: You can choose the insurance policy that covers the most prominent risks you may face, including medical emergencies, accident benefits, travel delays and baggage loss.
- Amount of Coverage: Select the amount of coverage that is adequate for your anticipated medical and travel-related costs without going too high or too low.
- Trip Duration and Travel Frequency: If you travel occasionally, choose a single-trip policy. If you travel frequently, consider an annual multi-trip policy. It will save you time and money!
- Mode of transport: Some policies have a specialty in certain transport modes (air travel or trains); you will want a policy that adequately fits the most common means of transport you will use.
- Claim Procedures and Customer Service: Check the insurance provider’s claim settlement history and customer service for smooth settlement and claims processes.
- COVID-19 and Other Possible Considerations: Based on your travel plans, determine that you actually need coverage for COVID-19 or adventure sports.
- Premium and Buying Value: When comparing costs online looks for comparisons based on covered risks and treatments, but emphasizes those that have the adequate amount of coverage over the least expensive price only, to eliminate underpaying for coverage.
Conclusion
Domestic travelers in India need to make sure they acquire a travel insurance plan to help protect their health, what they’ve brought, and expenses. Companies like Tata AIG, Bajaj Allianz, ICICI Lombard, and Niva Bupa will offer insurance to cover incredibly worry-free trips. Travel insurance is a smart cost! Worry less, while travelling within India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Domestic travel insurance generally includes coverage for medical emergencies, accident, trip delay/cancellation, bag loss/delay, lost tickets, personal liability, and emergency evacuation. Some policies will include burglary cover and adventure sports as part of the sale.
All residents of India, children, adults, and seniors, can purchase domestic travel insurance. Some plans may be available for students, families, and frequent travelers. Foreign nationals with a visa to continue to remain in India can purchase domestic travel insurance.
Yes. You are allowed to purchase domestic travel insurance at any point prior to the trip starting (you cannot buy it after the trip starts). Although it is best to purchase insurance right after booking to allow for full benefits.
Disclaimer:
The contents in this blog are intended only for educational and awareness purposes and do not constitute any financial or insurance advice. The policies, benefits, and eligibility will depend on the specific terms and conditions of the insurer. We encourage readers to read the policy documents and talk to their insurance provider before you make any purchase decisions.