What Is Trip Interruption Insurance? Curtailment + Travel Disruption Explained

Trip interruption insurance is travel insurance cover that can help reimburse you for non-refundable, prepaid trip costs (and sometimes extra travel expenses) if you have to cut your trip short after it’s already started.

And yes, I get asked this one a lot.

Here’s the thing that trips people up: in the UK, “trip interruption” is often described as curtailment (literally: cutting your trip short). 

In our Rise & Shield policy wording, curtailment is essentially returning home early before your scheduled return date.

So in this guide, I’ll explain trip interruption insurance, show you what it usually covers (and doesn’t), and then map it to how it works in Rise & Shield. All without the salesy nonsense.

Ready? Let’s roll.

My Quick Takeaways

• Trip interruption insurance = cover for ending your trip early due to a covered reason (UK term: curtailment).
• It’s different from trip cancellation insurance (before you go) and travel disruption insurance (delays/missed departures).
• In Rise & Shield, Cancellation & Curtailment can cover non-refundable deposits and amounts paid (or contracted to pay) for travel and accommodation you don’t use, as long as it’s necessary and unavoidable.
• If you curtail for medical reasons, you’ll typically need a doctor’s certificate abroad, and our medical emergency service must be contacted before you make arrangements to return home.
• If your issue is a delay/missed connection, that usually sits under a separate section (in our wording: Outward Delay / Missed Departure or Connection / Abandonment).

Trip Interruption Insurance Explained

Imagine you’re halfway through your holiday. You’ve paid for hotels, tours, internal flights, the whole glorious spreadsheet of travel optimism.

Then something happens that genuinely means you can’t continue, and you need to head home early.

Trip interruption insurance (curtailment) is designed to protect you from losing money on parts of the trip you can’t use anymore, as long as the reason is covered and the curtailment is necessary and unavoidable.

Three quick examples:

• You become seriously ill abroad and can’t continue your trip.
• A close relative back home is hospitalised after a serious accident, and you need to return early.
• Your travelling companion suffers an unforeseen injury, and the trip can’t continue as planned.

My Pro Tip: Always check the exact covered reasons and terms in your policy wording and schedule of cover.

Trip Interruption vs Trip Cancellation vs Travel Disruption Insurance

This is where most confusion happens. People search “travel interruption insurance” or “travel disruption insurance” and assume it’s all one bucket. It usually isn’t.

Here’s the simplest way to think about it:

1. Trip cancellation (before you travel): You can’t go at all, so you need help with non-refundable costs you’ve already paid.
2. Trip interruption/curtailment (after you’ve started): You have to end the trip early, and may claim for unused accommodation and certain additional travel expenses.
3. Travel disruption (during travel): Your transport is delayed, disrupted, or you miss a connection, often covered under a separate section with specific conditions.

My Pro Tip: If your trip ends early, you’re looking at trip interruption/curtailment. If your trip is delayed or you miss a connection, you’re looking at travel disruption.

Got that? Excellent. Next, let’s look at what trip interruption insurance covers.

What Does Trip Interruption Insurance Typically Cover?

Most trip interruption (curtailment) coverage focuses on two things:

• Unused, non-refundable prepaid costs (especially accommodation you can’t use).
• Additional travel expenses you have to pay because you need to return early.

In Rise & Shield, our Cancellation & Curtailment section is built around the idea of covering non-refundable deposits and amounts you’ve paid (or are contracted to pay) for travel and accommodation you don’t use because you can’t start or complete your trip, as long as it’s necessary and unavoidable.

For curtailment specifically, it can include unused accommodation and certain additional travel expenses that are not recoverable from any other source, when you cut the trip short after it begins due to covered reasons (for example, unforeseen illness/injury/death involving you, a close relative, a travelling companion, or someone you were going to stay with).

My Pro Tip: “Not recoverable from any other source” matters. Always check what you can reclaim from your airline, tour operator, accommodation provider, or card provider first. It can reduce delays and keeps your claim clean.

And on that note, let’s look at what’s not covered by trip interruption insurance.

What’s Not Covered

Every insurer differs, but a few exclusions show up again and again. In Rise & Shield, examples include things like:

• Simply not wanting to travel (disinclination to travel).
• Circumstances you already knew about before booking that were likely to cause cancellation/curtailment.
• Provider failure/default (financial or otherwise), or a provider failing to supply the service.
• Costs you can recover elsewhere (airline, hotel, tour operator, etc.).
• Certain losses related (directly or indirectly) to adverse weather (depending on the section and scenario).

And here’s a big one I wish more people understood before they book:

One-day Tours and Short Excursions Are Often Treated Differently

In our wording, Cancellation & Curtailment excludes costs for one-day tours/excursions, rental vehicles, or activities booked separately from your main trip arrangements, and anything purchased after you’ve left home.

However (and this is important for adventure travellers): that exclusion does not apply to multi-day tours or activities that form a material part of your trip and were booked before departure (including, but not limited to, safaris and guided treks) whether they were part of a package or booked separately.

If you’re planning something like a multi-day trek (say, the Inca Trail), that nuance can make a real difference.

How Rise & Shield Handles Trip Interruption (Curtailment)

Here’s the straight answer, mapped to our wording.

What We Call It

Trip interruption = Curtailment / Cutting Short Your Trip (returning home early before the scheduled return date).

What It Can Pay For

Subject to your chosen cover level and the limits shown in your schedule, Cancellation & Curtailment can cover:

• Non-refundable deposits and amounts paid (or contracted to pay) for travel and accommodation you don’t use, if you can’t start or complete the trip, and it’s necessary and unavoidable.
• For curtailment specifically, it can include unused accommodation and certain additional travel expenses, as long as they’re not recoverable from another source.

Examples of Covered Reasons

Our policy sets out covered reasons for cancellation/curtailment such as unforeseen bodily injury, illness or death of you, a close relative, a travelling companion, or the person you were due to stay with, plus certain serious situations involving a close relative (such as hospitalisation due to a serious accident/illness).

The Two Conditions that Matter Most

Here are the most important bits:

• Medical curtailment: You’ll typically need a doctor’s certificate from the attending doctor abroad confirming you need to return home.
• Contact before arranging: Our medical emergency service must be contacted before you make arrangements to curtail the trip and return home.
  

If you want to explore cover options in general, start here: Compare Our Plans. (And yes, I am biased. It’s literally my job.)

What About “Travel Disruption Insurance”?

People use travel disruption insurance as a catch-all phrase for delays, missed departures, missed connections, strikes, and general travel chaos.

In Rise & Shield, those topics sit under a separate section: Outward Delay / Missed Departure or Connection / Abandonment.

Let me explain in more detail.

Missed Departure or Connection

If scheduled public transport fails/is disrupted, or the car you’re travelling in breaks down or is involved in an accident, and it stops you getting to the airport/port/station on time.

This section can reimburse reasonable additional accommodation and travelling expenses (up to your schedule limits).

Abandonment

If strike/industrial action, adverse weather, mechanical breakdown, or an accident to the aircraft/sea vessel results in you abandoning your outward trip (subject to conditions, including a minimum delay), this section can pay for loss of accommodation and travel charges that are not recoverable from another source.

Read the conditions carefully (seriously).

This section comes with specific conditions (like getting written confirmation of the cause/length of delay, and allowing sufficient connection time for missed connections). That detail matters.

Next, let me teach you what to do if you need to claim on your trip interruption policy.

Before You Claim On Insurance, Check What Your Airline/Travel Provider Owes You

If your trip is disrupted by a flight delay or cancellation, you may have rights to care, re-routing, refunds, or compensation depending on circumstances.

It’s often worth checking official guidance first, because travel insurers may only cover what you can’t recover elsewhere.

Two solid places to start:

• UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA): Delays and cancellations
• GOV.UK: Summary of air passenger rights

Then, if you still have unrecoverable costs, that’s where travel insurance may come into play.

Trip Interruption (Curtailment) Claim Checklist

If you’re in the middle of a stressful situation, here’s what helps most, for almost any insurer.

Proof of What You Paid

• Booking confirmations.
• Invoices/receipts.
• Proof of payment (card statement, receipt, etc.).

Proof of What You Couldn’t Use (and Why)

• Updated itinerary / evidence of early return.
• Written confirmation from travel providers where relevant.

Medical Evidence (if Medical Curtailment)

• A doctor’s certificate from the attending doctor abroad confirming the need to return home.
• Any relevant medical notes you’re able to obtain.

Don’t Freestyle the Logistics

• Contact the emergency assistance service before making arrangements to curtail and return home (where required).

Keep Receipts for Extra Costs

• Additional transport.
• Additional accommodation.
• Necessary travel expenses related to getting home.

Before we wrap up this guide, let’s address some frequently asked questions I often deal with.

FAQs: Trip Interruption Insurance

Here are my answers to the most burning questions about trip interruption insurance.

Is trip interruption insurance the same as curtailment?

In practice, yes. “Trip interruption” is commonly used (especially in the US) to describe what UK policies call curtailment: ending your trip early and returning home before the scheduled return date.

Does trip interruption cover delays and missed connections?

Not usually. Delays and missed connections are typically covered under a separate “travel disruption” type section (in our wording, that’s the Outward Delay / Missed Departure / Abandonment section).

Can I claim if I choose to come home early because I’m fed up?

That’s the classic “no”. Policies commonly exclude disinclination to travel or choosing not to continue for non-covered reasons.

Are excursions and tours covered?

It depends. In Rise & Shield, certain one-day tours/excursions booked separately are treated differently, but multi-day tours/activities that form a material part of your trip and were booked before departure can be covered (including things like safaris and guided treks).

What’s the single most important thing to do if I need to curtail for medical reasons?

Two things: get a doctor’s certificate abroad confirming the need to return home, and contact the emergency assistance service before making arrangements to return.

My Final Thoughts

If you remember one thing, make it this: Trip interruption insurance is about having to end your trip early.

Travel disruption insurance is about delays, missed departures, and logistical chaos. They’re related, but they’re not the same.

If you’re planning a trip where a change of plans could get expensive (multi-stop itineraries, remote adventures, guided treks, or anything with chunky pre-paid bookings), understanding curtailment cover is absolutely worth five minutes of your time.

And could save you a lot of money later.

My boring-but-necessary reminder: This article is for general information only. Always read your policy wording and your schedule of cover to confirm your limits, conditions, and exclusions.