Travel insurance and cheap flights: what to check before booking

Compare the total price, not the advertised price

Under EU Air Services Regulation 1008/2008, an airline must state the final price payable, which includes all unavoidable taxes, charges and surcharges. However, optional extras such as a checked bag, seat selection or priority security screening can raise the price considerably.

So calculate for each option a price that includes the baggage and seats you need for the whole party, as well as the travel to the airport. A cheaper flight from a more distant airport is not cheaper if parking or transport eats up the saving.

Take a screenshot of the price and terms before paying. If a disagreement later arises about what the price included, the record makes a complaint easier.

Timing is everything

Demand rises during school holidays. According to the indicative list of the Finnish National Agency for Education, winter holidays will be staggered in 2027 across weeks 8, 9 and 10, so flights and destination accommodation for the same week fill up fastest during your own region's holiday week. If you can be flexible, compare the neighbouring week and weekdays.

Before paying, check the ticket's change and cancellation terms. The cheapest fare class often does not include the right to make changes, and on cancellation sometimes only taxes and charges are refunded.

What travel insurance covers

According to the guide from FINE Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau, travel insurance usually consists of traveller insurance, trip cancellation and interruption cover, and baggage insurance. Traveller insurance covers treatment costs for illness or accident during the trip and, in serious situations, repatriation. Cancellation cover reimburses costs you cannot get back when a trip is cancelled, for example because of your own or a close relative's serious illness.

In continuous travel insurance, the maximum duration of a single trip is limited, typically to, for example, 45 days or three months. A longer trip requires a separate policy.

Restrictions that catch you off guard

According to FINE, these are worth checking in the terms before buying:

Treatment of an illness that existed before the trip is generally not covered, and in a sudden worsening only first-aid-type treatment for about a week is often covered.
Illnesses caused by the misuse of alcohol, drugs or medicines, and injuries resulting from poisoning, are excluded.
Competitive sports and many risky activities, such as skydiving, scuba diving and mountaineering, often require additional cover.
A payment card's travel insurance may require the trip to have been paid for with that card.
Home insurance baggage cover may be limited to Finland or the Nordic countries and include an excess.

European Health Insurance Card

Kela's European Health Insurance Card is free of charge. With it you get medically necessary care in public healthcare during a temporary stay in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, at the same price as the country's own residents. Cards ordered from 15.1.2026 are valid for five years. In the Nordic countries, a Finnish passport or identity card is enough.

The card does not replace travel insurance: it does not cover private care if the provider has no agreement with the country's health insurance. According to Kela, the card and travel insurance complement each other.

Passport and package holidays

Check your passport's validity well in advance, as some countries require the passport to remain valid for some time after the trip. According to the police, a passport is normally valid for five years. When applied for electronically a passport costs 42 €, otherwise 48 €, and the electronic application is also faster.

If you buy a flight and a hotel at the same time from one seller, it may be a package holiday. Under the Package Travel Act, the organiser is then responsible for the delivery of the whole package, and the traveller has rights, for example, in the event of price changes and material changes. If the flight and accommodation are bought separately, you are responsible for the whole yourself, so insurance becomes all the more important.

Before departure

Make a travel notification to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs so that you can be reached in a crisis, and read the travel bulletin for your destination country. The notification can be made online or by a text message starting with the word MATKALLA. Save your insurance company's emergency number in your phone and check that your passport is valid. You will find more tips and holiday dates in Travel Radar.

Frequently asked questions

Is the European Health Insurance Card enough as travel insurance?

No. The card covers necessary care in public healthcare, but generally not private care. Kela recommends both.

Does travel insurance cover a pre-existing illness?

Usually not. In a sudden worsening, according to FINE, often only first-aid-type treatment for about a week is covered.

Does an airline have to show the final price?

Yes. The price must include unavoidable taxes and fees. Optional extra services are stated separately.

Travel Radar brings together the topic's figures, deadlines and services. Open Travel Radar →

Calculate it yourself

Ready-made tools

Trip budget and packing list · Travel budget per person and an editable packing list
Complaint and compensation claim templates · Five ready-made letters: flight delay, lost luggage, faulty product, service error and insurance decision

Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.