It turned out that we were onto something there.

The New Horizons 5 study of 2023 revealed that over 70% of youth travellers bought travel insurance for their international trip. In comparison, in 2012 roughly half of youth travellers bought travel insurance.

In terms of demographics, the New Horizons 5 survey found that older youth travellers were more likely to buy travel insurance. Also, more men bought travel insurance than did women. Black respondents were less likely to have purchased insurance for their trip.

The likelihood of buying travel insurance also depended on the destination. Those travelling to Oceania (84%) were most likely to buy travel insurance, but journeys to Latin America, Africa and the Middle East were linked to lower levels of travel insurance purchase (69% or less).

Travellers who were working while travelling and reported using a co-working space (84%) or doing activities such as working as an intern, volunteer, au pair or professional development (83%) were more likely to buy travel insurance, as were those undertaking sport or adrenaline activities (83%). Relatively passive leisure activities, such as sitting in cafes or shopping were linked to lower levels of travel insurance purchasing (73%).

Overall, young travellers on purposeful trips such as au pair or work experiences spent more of their trip budget on travel insurance than those who travelled for holiday or vacation.

Need more travel research or new partnerships in youth and student travel? Join WYSE Travel Confederation’s global network of travel specialists in Lisbon, Portugal from 25 to 27 September 2024 for WYSTC, the World Youth and Student Travel Conference.