Travel Insurance More Australians Count On

Travel insurance varies for individual travellers based on the options selected by them, so prices vary from person-to-person. The cost of a travel insurance policy is determined by:

• Age of traveller/s: the older the traveller, the higher the policy cost may be.
• Number of travellers included in the policy: a higher number of travellers creates more variables, therefore increasing risk.
• Length of trip/s: a single trip policy is generally around half the amount of a multi-trip policy, making the latter more cost effective for frequent travellers, while shorter trips often pose less risk of medical incidents and travel interruptions, resulting in lower costs.
• Destination/s: costs vary greatly depending on the countries and regions covered by a policy. For example, regions such as Europe will often be cheaper than trips to the USA because of the high cost of medical treatment in America.
• Level of coverage: travellers can opt for cheaper travel insurance as well as comprehensive, more expensive plans to cater to their different customer.
• Existing medical conditions: a customer’s policy will increase if their medical history shows an increased risk of possible medical treatment requirements while travelling.

While a cheaper policy cost upfront may seem appealing, always read the Policy Wording to ensure your needs are adequately covered should an incident occur.

Travel insurance protects you when travelling domestically or internationally by providing coverage against unforeseen circumstances that may negatively impact your travel plans. By purchasing travel insurance prior to departure, your policy can help cover the costs of trip cancellations should you no longer be able to travel, as well as the costs of medical treatment, lost passports and personal items while you’re travelling.

The customer usually pays for these costs up front, before being reimbursed by the travel insurer upon claim approval. To approve a claim, travel insurers require documentation such as a police report or medical bill to confirm the incident occurred.

Always read the Policy Wording before purchasing a travel insurance policy to ensure it provides adequate coverage for your circumstances.

Unfortunately, travel insurance can’t cover absolutely everything. This highlights the importance for travellers to read the Policy Wording before purchasing to avoid becoming frustrated when claims are unsuccessful. It will contain details on the situations you likely won’t be covered in, including:

• Cancellation: simply changing your mind prior to your trip may not be sufficient for a successful claim.
• Pre-existing conditions: if medical conditions aren’t disclosed or covered by the policy at time of purchase, exclusions may apply to coverage related to those conditions.
• Theft or loss of belongings while left unattended: travellers must take care of their belongings as they would as home.
• Incidents occurring as a result of reckless behaviour: claims arising from excessive drinking or taking recreational drugs will likely be rejected.
• Winter and adventure sports: claims resulting from participation in high risk sports will be void unless covered by the policy.
• Terrorism and extreme weather events: travelling to specific regions against the advice of the government or your insurer may result in unsuccessful claims because the events are no longer unforeseeable circumstances.

For full details of exclusions within a travel insurance plan, consult the Policy Wording.

Purchasing a policy soon after a trip is booked has a number of benefits and increases a traveller’s protection. When purchased ahead of time, a traveller can cancel their travel insurance policy for a full refund within the cooling off period. If the policy is purchased before the customer leaves their home to depart for their trip, claims for rearrangements and cancellations caused by unforeseen circumstances can also be made.

By considering travel insurance as an essential part of booking a holiday - not an afterthought when at the airport - travellers are likely to be covered should an incident arise before take-off.