Martin Lewis Warns Group Holiday-Goers: Solo Travel Insurance Could Leave You Stranded

Consumer finance expert Martin Lewis has issued a direct warning to anyone travelling with friends or family this year: a solo travel insurance policy may not protect the rest of the group if one traveller is forced to cancel.

The Details

On ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show on May 6, Lewis told viewers to think carefully before purchasing individual travel insurance when booking group trips. "Think carefully before buying solo travel insurance if you're travelling with a group," he said in a clip later shared on his TikTok account.

The core concern raised by Lewis is that individual policies typically only cover the named traveller. In practice, this means that if one member of a group cannot travel and the entire party must cancel, only that individual is likely to receive a pay-out. The remaining travellers, who may have already paid deposits, flights, or accommodation, would not be covered for a loss caused by someone else's changed circumstances.

Lewis noted that family groups are often covered under individual policies, but the same protection typically does not apply to large groups of friends. He explained that while family members are frequently included in one another's cover, friend groups usually purchase independent insurance, meaning each person is on their own.

Lewis advised holidaymakers to purchase a shared or comprehensive group insurance policy instead. "Think of who you're booking for," he said on the programme. "So, if it's a family group and one can't go, they'll often cover you. But, if there's a large group of friends going, you often all get independent travel insurance. Well, then if one can't go or and you can't all go on the trip, it's only the person who's got that cover." He added: "So, you'd need a group insurance policy so that if one can't go, you all can't go."

To illustrate the practical cost of getting it wrong, Lewis shared a testimony from a viewer named David, who had taken out group cover months in advance of a planned trip to Australia. David told the show that one member of the seven-person family group was now pregnant and could no longer travel on the planned dates. The cost to reschedule the trip was £5,000, which David said the insurance policy covered in full. "I booked flights to Australia for a family group of seven to travel in March next year," David told the programme. "I took out insurance immediately. One of our group is now pregnant and can't travel on the dates planned. It costs £5,000 to reschedule, which I'm happy to report the insurance covered."

Separately, Lewis also repeated his long-standing advice to buy insurance immediately after booking. He urged viewers to purchase cover "ASAB"—as soon as they book their trip—to protect against unexpected pre-departure cancellations. He has previously highlighted cases where travellers diagnosed with serious medical conditions lose thousands in deposits because they had not yet bought a policy.

Context

Lewis is the founder of MoneySavingExpert and a regular consumer finance commentator on British television. He hosts The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV and maintains an active presence on TikTok, where he posts clips from each episode to reach a wider audience outside live broadcast hours. His latest warning is part of a recurring pattern of consumer alerts issued around peak travel booking periods.

Group travel insurance policies generally cover multiple travellers under a single contract, sharing cancellation protection and medical coverage across the entire party. Industry estimates cited by Lewis suggest these policies can reduce the per-person premium compared to buying individual cover, while also ensuring that a disruption affecting one member does not leave the others financially exposed.

The timing of the warning coincides with the spring booking season, when families and groups of friends frequently arrange long-haul holidays and shared accommodation that may require significant non-refundable deposits.

What's Next

Lewis is expected to continue highlighting travel insurance pitfalls on forthcoming episodes of The Martin Lewis Money Show and through further social media updates. His team regularly fields audience questions on air and via TikTok, turning viewer experiences into case studies that illustrate broader consumer risks. Group travellers planning to book flights and accommodation in the coming weeks are advised to review policy terms carefully and confirm whether their intended cover protects the entire party against cancellation before committing.

Meanwhile, Lewis's ongoing campaign to encourage earlier insurance purchase is expected to remain a recurring theme in his broadcasts, particularly as more travellers begin booking summer and autumn trips.