Business travel insurance: what it covers and why it matters

Business travel insurance protects companies, their employees, freelancers and consultants during work-related trips. It protects you as an employer financially and legally from incidents during business travel that could create a business loss. A policy typically covers medical emergencies, trip disruptions, lost equipment, replacement personnel and liability claims arising from business activities during travel.

The wider UK travel insurance market was worth £1.6 billion in 2025, projected to rise to £3.2 billion by 2030. And with 52% of businesses eager to expand their international operations, business travel insurance coverage matters more than ever. 

This guide explains what business travel insurance UK employers and employees need and how to choose the right protection.

Business travel insurance - a short summary

Here's a snapshot of what travel insurance business coverage provides and important conditions to know.

• Protects employees and businesses: Covers medical emergencies, trip cancellations and liability during work-related travel.
  
• Legal duty of care requirement: UK employers have a common law duty of care towards employees on business travel. As an employer, you must take reasonable steps to protect employee health, safety and welfare when travelling for work.
  
• Extends beyond personal cover: Includes business equipment, professional liability and replacement personnel costs. While not a legal requirement, this cover helps you to meet your duty of care to staff on work-related travel.
  
• Multiple policy types available: Single-trip, annual multi-trip, group and specialist policies suit different travel patterns.
  
• Equipment protection: Many travel insurance with business policies cover laptops, phones and tablets used for work, but limits and conditions can vary by insurer.
  
• Medical cover is essential: Average medical claims during travel cost £1,750, although they have cost up to £250,000.
  
• Cost varies based on a range of factors: The major premium drivers are destination, trip duration, scope of cover, equipment value and employee count.
  
• Foreign Office advice affects validity: Travel against Foreign Office advice invalidates most travel insurance business trip policies unless you have specialist high-risk cover.

With the right travel insurance for business in place, you meet legal obligations, fulfill your duty of care to your workforce and protect your operations against costly disruptions.

What is business travel insurance?

Business travel insurance protects your company and its employees when travelling for work. It goes beyond personal travel cover to include business-specific risks and work equipment that personal policies exclude.

This cover addresses issues like trip cancellations, medical emergencies, lost work equipment and professional liability. UK business travel insurance protects your company when sending employees within the UK or overseas. Freelancers and consultants travelling for client work can also take out their own business travel insurance to receive similar protection.

Do I need travel insurance for a business trip?

Yes, you need business trip travel insurance. Personal travel insurance policies exclude business-related risks. Lost work equipment, missed client meetings due to delays and liability claims during business activities remain uncovered under personal policies.

Under UK common law, as an employer you have a duty to take reasonable care of employees travelling for business. This legal obligation means that you must assess travel risks and provide adequate protection. Failing to meet this duty can expose your business to claims or enforcement action if an employee is harmed due to negligence.

What's the difference between personal and business travel insurance?

Business trip travel insurance extends standard cover to include work-related risks that personal policies exclude. It protects company devices, professional liability, and multiple employees under one policy.

Here are the main differences between the two:

1. Purpose of travel
   
   • Personal policies cover leisure trips and holidays.
   • Business policies cover work trips, conferences and client meetings.
2. Covered people
   
   • Personal policies insure individuals or families.
   • Most corporate policies automatically cover employees and directors. Contractors or consultants are covered only if named or if the employer extends the policy to them.
3. Equipment protection
   
   • Personal cover applies only to personal belongings.
   • Business cover typically includes company laptops, phones, tablets, and any other presentation equipment, up to certain limits. Some cheaper policies may exclude equipment protection unless added as an extension.
4. Business materials
   
   • Personal policies exclude business samples or merchandise.
   • Business travel insurance can protect business materials such as samples and demonstration products while in transit or on site against loss, theft or accidental damage.
5. Replacement personnel
   
   • Non-applicable in the case of personal policies.
   • Business policies pay to send a substitute employee if the original traveller falls ill or is injured.
6. Professional liability
   
   • Personal policies exclude liability from business activity.
   • Business cover often includes protection if your work causes injury or property damage during travel.
7. Trip disruption
   
   • Personal insurance compensates for missed holidays or tours.
   • Business policies cover disruption that prevents you from attending work appointments, such as planned meetings, conferences, installations or site visits. They reimburse additional travel costs, prepaid accommodation and other non-refundable business expenses.
8. Higher coverage limits
   
   • Business policies usually offer higher limits for equipment, cancellation and medical expenses to reflect company risk.

In short, business travel insurance provides much broader protection tailored to the real risks companies face when staff travel for work.

What does business travel insurance cover?

Business travel insurance for employees provides comprehensive protection across several key areas.

1. Medical cover

All UK business travel policies include emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation as core cover.

2. Trip disruption

Standard cover includes cancellations, curtailments, delays, and missed connections, reimbursing prepaid or additional travel costs.

3. Business equipment

Travel business insurance typically covers laptops, phones and presentation materials. Check value limits as standard policies may cap cover at insufficient levels.

4. Personal liability

Protection if you cause injury or damage during business activities. Essential for client meetings, site visits and networking events in the UK or abroad.

5. Replacement personnel

Included in most corporate-level business travel policies. It covers reasonable travel and accommodation costs for another employee to replace an ill or injured traveller.

6. Legal assistance

Many UK business travel insurance policies include or offer an add-on for legal expenses abroad. It covers professional legal support if a traveller faces legal issues or needs advice in a foreign jurisdiction.

Is business equipment like laptops covered?

Yes, most business travel insurance policies cover laptops, phones and tablets used for work. Travel insurance for business trips includes protection for business equipment, but you should check that value limits match your equipment’s replacement cost.

Some policies cap equipment cover at specific amounts, and you may need to list high-value items separately to ensure full protection.

Types of business travel insurance policies

Different policy types suit different travel patterns and business needs.

Single trip cover
This type of policy works for occasional business trips. It suits employees who travel once or twice per year, providing flexibility for infrequent travellers.

Annual multi-trip policies
Benefits regular business travellers or companies with frequent trips. Annual policies are experiencing global annual growth of 6.12%, indicating their growing popularity among companies. These typically cover trips up to 30 or 60 days.

Group or employee policies
Provides coverage for multiple staff members under one plan, often providing cost savings compared to individual policies.

Specialist policies
Some organisations have travel risks that standard policies do not address. Employees visiting high-risk destinations or working in sectors such as construction or journalism may need specialist cover tailored to unstable or complex regions.

The right policy structure helps balance cost and protection, giving your business confidence that every trip is properly covered.

How much does business travel insurance cost? 5 primary factors

The cheapest single trip business insurance policy costs £5.36, although this is for a healthy 30-year-old with no pre-existing medical conditions. The cheapest annual premium is £24.33 for European travel, and, again, for a 30-year-old with no pre-existing medical conditions. 

Several factors affect pricing, which can vary significantly, depending on your specific requirements and circumstances.

1. Destination risk
Where you are travelling to plays the biggest role. European trips usually cost less than worldwide cover, while travel to high-risk or remote destinations commands higher prices.

2. Trip frequency
The more trips your workforce takes, the higher the likelihood of an insurance claim. For employees travelling several times a year, an annual multi-trip policy often provides better value than buying multiple single-trip plans, even with a higher upfront premium.

3. Number of travellers
How many people travel influences group policy pricing. Covering several employees under one group or corporate plan can reduce the per-person cost compared with individual policies.

4. Equipment value
If your business needs higher limits for laptops, phones or other specialist equipment, you’ll typically pay a higher premium. Standard policies cap business equipment cover at different amounts, which can vary significantly between insurers. You may need to extend limits for high-value technology.

5. Geographical scope
Location matters. Adding worldwide or hazardous-region cover increases premiums, although travel against Foreign Office advice will invalidate most standard policies. Specialist high-risk travel insurance for unstable regions costs significantly more but is essential for compliance and duty of care.

Paying annually is usually cheaper than monthly instalments, though yearly premiums may create cash flow pressure. iwoca’s flexible business loans can help bridge the gap by letting you borrow what you need, repay early with no fees, and pay interest only for the time you use the funds. This helps keep your working capital free while securing annual business travel cover for your workforce at lower rates.

How to choose the best UK business travel insurance in 7 steps

Choosing the right business travel insurance ensures your employees and company are fully protected, wherever work takes them. Before taking out a policy, following these seven key steps will position you to get the right balance of cost and coverage.

1. Check cover limits and exclusions
Confirm that medical, equipment and liability limits are high enough for your business. Review exclusions carefully, especially those related to undisclosed health conditions, alcohol or drugs and travel against Foreign Office advice, which invalidates most policies.

2. Assess equipment value caps
Check per-item and total limits for business devices such as laptops and smart phones. Declare any high-value items separately to avoid underinsurance and claims disputes.

3. Verify medical cover requirements
Some destinations require proof of minimum medical cover for visa purposes. Make sure your policy exceeds these thresholds and includes 24/7 assistance and repatriation.

4. Compare specialist corporate insurers
Providers specialising in business travel often offer higher limits, stronger support and faster claims handling for company-specific risks.

5. Ensure compliance with company and client requirements
Check that your cover meets contractual or corporate travel policy obligations before accepting assignments that involve travel or sending staff elsewhere within the UK or abroad.

6. Consider optional extras
Add-ons such as cyber protection or enhanced travel disruption cover can reduce exposure to modern risks and data-related incidents.

7. Combine insurance with clear travel planning
Written travel policies and risk assessments help prevent issues and demonstrate your duty of care. Good planning also lowers costs and downtime.

Taking appropriate time to compare policies against your company’s actual travel patterns and obligations ensures your cover is both compliant and cost-effective. It can help you spot any areas where you are underinsured as well as highlight where you could save with a different insurer or by removing add-ons you don’t need.

Getting the right policy protects your workforce, satisfies legal obligations and future-proofs you for business resilience and continuity. If you’re waiting on insurance payouts or need to pay annual premiums upfront, iwoca can help keep your cash flow running smoothly while your business stays protected with a flexible business loan. You can borrow what you need, repay early with no fees and only pay interest for the time you use the funds.

If you'd like to check your eligibility, you can apply here.