Travel Insurance for Trips to the Bahamas: Tips & Safety Info

Do I need travel insurance to visit the Bahamas?

A travel insurance policy isn’t required to visit the Bahamas. However, your US medical insurance will not apply if you are injured or experience an illness while traveling in the Bahamas. Therefore, it is important to take out a policy that covers emergency medical coverage while on vacation to the Bahamas.

Travel health insurance can help provide some peace of mind and reduce costs if you need medical treatment during your trip. Travel insurance can also help cover a variety of trip costs, including trip cancellation, loss of baggage, and other emergency costs.

The Bahamas travel information & requirements

Why you need travel insurance for the Bahamas

Risk of hurricanes and tropical storms

As the Bahamas is located in the open Atlantic Ocean, the archipelago is susceptible to many hurricanes and tropical storms. The main Atlantic hurricane season runs between June 1st and November 30th, yet their frequency varies from year to year

As the US embassy on the islands states, the Bahamian government and local communities are well-prepared for hurricanes and have established procedures for monitoring, issuing warnings, and evacuating areas at risk. However, it is important that you have travel insurance that covers you should you have to cancel your trip down to a local storm threatening the islands.

Risk of being a victim of local crime

The US Department of State has highlighted that travelers to the Bahamas should be aware of the island nation’s high crime rate. “Violent crimes, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence.”

Ensuring you are insured, particularly with clauses covering emergency medical coverage and emergency evacuation coverage can help bring peace of mind should you fall victim to localized crime.

Risk of water-related injuries

The Bahamas are world famous for their beaches and turquoise seas, making it a haven for snorkeling and diving. Although you can experience the dive of a lifetime, snorkeling and driving are not without their obvious risks. The Bahamas are also home to a range of marine life, particularly jellyfish such as the Portuguese Man-of-War, whose sting can sometimes require medical treatment.

As the official tourist board notes, there is also a chance that you will take one or more boat trips during your Bahamas vacation. Whether it’s fleeting between the Bahama’s numerous islands on a water taxi or taking a boat out for a spot of fishing offshore, you should be prepared for every eventuality. Travel insurance typically covers travel mishaps like cancellations delays, and accidental deaths related to common carriers such as boats.

Risks relating to short-distance flights

With up to 700 hundred islands, visiting the archipelago of the Bahamas will often mean you need to take a short flight between destinations. As the Aviation Safety Network notes, although plane accidents are rare in the Bahamas, it’s good practice to ensure you have comprehensive coverage should the worst happen.

Also, having insurance for any cancellations or delays will ensure you are covered for any mishaps should adverse weather ground your flight and stop you from reaching your destination.

What does travel insurance for the Bahamas cover?

Most travel insurance policies can be broken down into two main categories. However, what your Bahamas travel insurance plan covers will all depend on the type of policy you purchase. Let’s take a look at the two major travel insurance categories:

1. Medical-based travel insurance 
2. Comprehensive travel insurance

Medical-based travel insurance

Medical-based travel insurance is the most basic level of insurance you should purchase for your trip to the Bahamas. Policies offering just medical-based insurance are also often the cheapest forms of insurance you can buy. Medical travel insurance will protect you should you fall ill or require any emergency medical treatment while visiting the islands.

As government medical insurance such as Medicare and Medicaid will not work while you are in the Bahamas, not having medical insurance will leave you picking up a huge bill.

Medical-based travel insurance policies usually cover two separate coverage limits for medical emergencies and emergency medical evacuations:

• Emergency medical insurance:
  At the very minimum, we recommend purchasing a travel insurance policy that covers medical emergencies. This type of coverage will protect you should you require any hospital treatment such as blood tests, IV fluids, and other types of medical care during your trip.
• Medevac insurance:

Having medical evacuation insurance will ensure you are covered should you need to be transported to the nearest suitable medical facility in an emergency.

Medical plans will not cover you for far more in-depth travel insurance add-ons such as trip cancellations or trip cost reimbursement. If you require this added extra, you should opt for a far more comprehensive travel insurance plan.

Comprehensive travel coverage

When you purchase your travel insurance plan for the Bahamas, you will have the option of choosing plans that reimburse you for non-refundable prepaid trip expenses and plans that don’t. If you require coverage for such things as trip cancellations, trip interruptions, travel delays, and the loss of personal items, you should purchase a policy that covers trip cost reimbursement. 

Your vacation to the Bahamas could easily be interrupted or canceled for unforeseen circumstances such as adverse weather conditions or social unrest. If this is the case, you will need to buy a policy that offers cancellation and interruption coverage for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses to claim your money back. 

Optional add-ons

Some travel insurance policies for the Bahamas will offer to cancel for any reason (CFAR) insurance. With this type of coverage, you can cancel your travel plans for any reason at all and still get back around 50% to 75% of your prepaid travel expenses. Including CFAR insurance within your plan will allow you far more flexibility and peace of mind should you change your travel plans.

What isn’t covered by travel insurance for the Bahamas?

The specific details regarding what’s covered by your travel insurance depend on your policy.

However, travel insurance, in general, doesn’t cover:

• Losses related to reasonably foreseen events: 
  Trip cancellation insurance may not cover your losses if you book a trip to the Bahamas when a named storm is brewing in the Atlantic. If there’s already a forecasted hurricane in the area, it’s reasonable for you to expect your trip to be at risk. Continuing to book anyway means you might experience a loss.
• Known epidemics:
  Most travel insurance plans exclude coverage for costs associated with illnesses if they come from a known epidemic. If you choose to book travel in an area with an epidemic, you may take that risk on yourself.
• Injury related to dangerous activity: 
  Your travel insurance may not cover medical costs associated with injuries you incurred during so-called “dangerous activities.” These can include bungee jumping, skydiving, and parasailing. Extreme scuba diving may also be included in the exclusions.
• Pre-existing conditions: 
  Most regular travel insurance won’t cover costs for treatment of pre-existing conditions. If you have a chronic condition or other health concern, you may be able to purchase premium travel insurance at a higher expense to cover some of those potential costs. Elderly travelers are advised to invest in specialized travel insurance for seniors. These policies are curated specifically for those of a certain age, who are far more susceptible to illness and harm.
• Sports and adventure activities:
  Some plans don’t cover sports or adventure activities. You need to check to make sure your plan cover thing like snorkeling, diving, deep-sea fishing, boating, etc. With our comparison tool, there is a filter that lets you easily select plans that cover your planned activities.

How much does travel insurance for the Bahamas cost?

Travel Insurance for a trip to the Bahamas can cost as little as around $1 per day for the most basic policy. For more comprehensive coverage, we found the cost to be around $9 to $11 per day.

To give you a better idea of how much travel insurance costs for a trip to the Bahamas, we got sample quotes from three popular insurance providers.

We applied these travel details to our quotes:

• Age: 35 years old
• Destination: The Bahamas
• Trip Length: 7 days
• Trip cost: $2,000
• Date: September, 2024

This first table shows three quotes for basic coverage.

This table displays three quotes for basic travel insurance plans where plans don’t reimburse the full trip costs:

If you want a policy that includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage, you can expect to pay more.

For this next table, our travel insurance quotes include this additional coverage.

If you want your policy to include trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage, you will need to purchase a more comprehensive plan.

For the following table, we have quotes for plans that reimburse you if your trip to the Bahamas is canceled or interrupted:

Keep in mind that the actual cost of your policy will depend on various factors, including:

• The length of your trip: 
  The longer you travel, the higher your risk of experiencing a loss. That means your insurance cost will likely be higher for longer trips.
• The amount of coverage you purchase:
  Insurance that only covers trip cancellation, delay, or interruption is likely cheaper than a policy that also includes health insurance coverage. Consider which types of coverage you need for your trip and how they impact the overall cost.
• Your age: 
  As with other types of insurance, age impacts cost. Older adults may find that adding health insurance to travel coverage is more expensive, for example.

Tips for getting the best Bahamas travel insurance

Getting the best deal on travel insurance for the Bahamas — and buying the right coverage — takes a bit of homework.

These tips can help you find the best travel insurance for your Bahamas vacation: