AXA Travel Insurance: Our Experience and What to Check Before You Travel

Flights booked. Accommodation reserved. Car rented. eSIM ready.

And then there is one of the least exciting, but in our opinion, most important things before any trip:

travel insurance.

You buy it hoping you won't need it at all during your entire vacation. Even so, we wouldn't want to save a few hundred crowns on it only to end up dealing with bills for medical treatment, hospitalization, medical transport, or damage caused to someone else while abroad.

That is why we choose AXA Assistance travel insurance for our trips abroad.In this article, we are not trying to claim that one insurance company is automatically the best choice for everyone. Instead, we want to show you what we look for when arranging travel insurance and why comparing just the price is not enough.

This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase insurance through one of them, we may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps support the future creation of WandersKaty.

Why We Even Bother with Travel Insurance

We travel quite actively.We rent cars, go hiking in the mountains, go on road trips, and visit countries where we definitely wouldn't want to deal with medical complications without insurance.And it is not just about a major accident.

All it takes is:

• An injury
• An acute health issue
• A doctor's visit
• A damaged tooth
• Necessary medical transport
• A baggage issue
• Damage you cause to someone else

AXA states that the foundation of its travel insurance consists of medical expenses and assistance services. Depending on the selected plan, the insurance can also include liability, accident, baggage, and other coverages.

We Don't Choose Travel Insurance Based on Price Alone

In our opinion, this is probably the most important advice in the entire article.When we compare two offers, we don't just ask:

"How much does insurance cost for ten days?"What is far more important is:
What do we actually get for that money?

We mainly look at:

• The medical expenses limit
• Assistance services
• Personal liability
• Accident insurance
• Baggage coverage
• Sports and activities conditions
• Potential trip cancellation
• Policy exclusions

Different AXA plans have different limits and coverage scopes, meaning the cheapest package may not include the same items as the higher-tier options.

Medical Expenses Are Essential for Us

When traveling abroad, medical expenses are one of the very first things we check. AXA currently offers several travel insurance variants with different limits for medical expenses and other coverages.

We intentionally do not want to list specific amounts here as a guide for you to insure yourself by years from now. Insurance products and their limits can change.Therefore, before every trip, we recommend opening the current offer and checking the amounts valid at the exact time you are arranging the insurance.

Europe and the USA Are Not the Same to Us

When choosing insurance, we also consider where we are going. We think differently about a long weekend in Europe compared to a multi-week trip outside of Europe. Even the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not a full replacement for commercial travel insurance. For example, AXA points out that the European card ensures access to care according to the rules of the given country, but it does not automatically mean full coverage of all costs associated with a health issue abroad.That is why we have travel insurance even when traveling around Europe.

Assistance Services Are Perhaps More Important Than They Seem

When something happens at home, you usually know who to call and what to do.Abroad, it might not be that simple.You are in a foreign country, you might not know the language, you don't know which hospital to go to, and you have no idea how the whole treatment process works.That is exactly why assistance services are so important to us.

AXA states that its travel insurance assistance service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The assistance service number is one of those things that is good to have saved in your phone before your flight takes off.

We Don't Underestimate Personal Liability

Travel insurance is not just about something happening to us. We can also cause damage ourselves. For instance, injuring someone or damaging someone else's property. That is why we also check liability insurance when making a choice.With AXA, liability is included in selected plans, and its limits vary depending on the specific package. This is precisely one of those items that a person might overlook when quickly buying the cheapest travel insurance.

Baggage? It Depends on What We Are Carrying

When we travel, we rarely carry just a few T-shirts. We have:

• Phones
• A photo camera
• A video camera
• Other electronics
• Travel gear

Therefore, we are also interested in baggage insurance. With AXA, baggage coverage is available in certain plans, and there is not only a total limit but also a limit per individual item.

And that second figure is important not to miss. If you are carrying expensive electronics, it is not enough to just know that "baggage is insured."

Take a look at the coverage limit for a single specific item and the conditions under which the insurance applies.

What About Trip Cancellation?

For more expensive trips, trip cancellation insurance can make sense. When you have paid for flights, accommodation, or other services long in advance, part of the money may be non-refundable in the event of an unexpected cancellation. AXA offers trip cancellation add-on insurance which, subject to policy conditions, can cover cancellation fees for flights, accommodation, or tour packages. Currently, they also state a 20% client deductible, so even here, it is not the case that the insurance company automatically returns absolutely all the money.

And it is precisely with cancellation insurance that we recommend reading the conditions very thoroughly.It is not enough to just know that you have it arranged.
It is important to know for what reasons you can claim the cancellation.Cancellation Insurance Does Not Mean "I Can Change My Mind Anytime"This is important.Cancellation insurance does not mean:
"We don't feel like going on vacation anymore, so we'll cancel it and the insurance company will pay for everything."

The insurance payout is tied to specific reasons and conditions set out in the contract. As examples of events, AXA lists serious medical situations and other defined occurrences; at the same time, there are exclusions where no claim arises. That is why with cancellation insurance, it is even more critical to read the conditions before purchasing, not at the moment you need to cancel the trip.

Single-Trip or Annual Travel Insurance?

It depends on how often you travel. If you go once or twice a year, it might make sense to insure each trip separately. If you travel frequently, the annual variant is worth comparing.

AXA currently offers both single-trip insurance and annual insurance for repeated trips. With the annual variant, a single trip can last a maximum of 90 days; for single-trip insurance, AXA states a maximum trip length of 365 days.In that case, we would simply calculate how many times we travel during the year and compare both the price and the scope of both options.

Watch Out for Sports and Activities

Not every vacation means lying on the beach.

If you plan on:

• High-altitude hiking
• Skiing
• Scuba diving
• Rafting
• Or other sporting activities

we always recommend checking if they are included in your specific insurance.The same goes for our favorite hiking and other outdoor activities.

We don't want to find out only after an accident that the activity during which it occurred was excluded.

We Read the Exclusions.

Yes, Even the Boring Part.Insurance terms and conditions are not exactly holiday reading. However, the exclusions section is the part we wouldn't skip.Two insurance policies may look similar at first glance, but the real difference can show up exactly in when the insurance company will not pay out.

AXA itself publishes an overview of exclusions and complete insurance documents, so we recommend going through at least the relevant parts before purchasing.

The Cheapest Insurance Might Not Be the Cheapest

Just like when renting a car through DiscoverCars, we try not to look only at the first price we see.A difference of a few hundred crowns for the whole vacation can mean different limits and a completely different scope of insurance.

And if we are already paying for:
flights + hotels + rental car + entrance fees + other costs, it doesn't make much sense to us to save money at all costs specifically on insurance.

But that doesn't automatically mean buying the most expensive option.
It means choosing the coverage that matches the specific trip.

What We Check Before Purchasing

Our basic list looks something like this:

1. Where are we traveling to?

Europe and a multi-week trip outside of Europe can have completely different requirements.

2. How high are the medical expenses limits?

This is essential for us.

3. Is personal liability included?

We check both the limit and the scope.

4. Is baggage insured?

And most importantly, up to what amount per individual item.

5. What will we be doing on the trip?

Hiking, sports, or other activities may have special conditions.

6. Do we need trip cancellation insurance?

For a more expensive trip, we will at least consider it.

7. What are the exclusions?

Because these are precisely what determines when the insurance does not apply.

What to Do If Something Happens Abroad

First and foremost, it obviously depends on the severity of the situation. If the situation allows, we would contact the insurance company's assistance service as soon as possible and follow their instructions.

AXA provides 24/7 assistance services.

At the same time, we would make sure to keep:

• Medical reports
• Receipts
• Invoices
• Confirmations
• A police report (if applicable)
• Photos or any other documentation of the incident

The better documented your incident is, the easier the subsequent claim process can be.

Is AXA the Best Travel Insurance?

We wouldn't make that claim. Just like with Booking.com, Airbnb, or renting a car, it doesn't make sense for us to claim that one company must be the best for absolutely everyone. We use AXA because their offer makes sense for our trips.

However, someone else might have great travel insurance included with their credit card, or they might prefer a different insurance provider.

In our opinion, what matters is something else:
Knowing what you are actually insured for.

Not just having a PDF named "travel insurance" saved on your phone.

Is Travel Insurance Worth It?

For us, this is one of those travel budget items where we practically never ask:
"Should we get it or not?"Instead, we ask:

"Which plan do we need for this specific trip?"

Saving a few hundred crowns before takeoff is not worth the risk of facing problems abroad. Whether you ultimately choose AXA or another insurance company, we always recommend checking the current limits, exclusions, and conditions directly before purchasing.

Planning a Trip Abroad?

If you want to calculate the price of AXA travel insurance for your specific trip, you can use our link. If you purchase the insurance through our link, WandersKaty may earn a commission. This comes at no extra cost to you.

And our final piece of advice?

Choose your travel insurance based on where you are going and what you will be doing there. Not based on which offer is a hundred crowns cheaper.