Travel insurance covers accidents or emergencies you as you’re on holiday. Based upon your destination and your selection of coverage, it may include cover for the cost of medical emergencies, lost or stolen luggage, as well as the surplus charged in case of a hire car collision. Before your trip, get a quote for holiday travel insurance to make sure you are covered!
Lost or stolen luggage or other possessions
Cancelling your trip suddenly because of sickness, accident, vacation leave being revoked, natural disasters, or other reasons beyond your control
Rental vehicle excess you have to pay if you have an accident driving a hire car
Legal liability if you accidentally violate a local law
1 thing nationally doesn’t include is medical cover. However, because you are still in Australia it is still possible to access both Medicare and personal medical insurance (if you’ve got it).
International will cover you for overseas trips, which covers slightly different things than national cover:
- Medical emergencies for admission to hospital in another state (not including scheduled remedies like dental tourism)
- Lost or stolen luggage or other possessions
- Lost or stolen travel documents (e.g. passport) or money
- Cancelling your trip suddenly as a result of illness, injury, vacation leave being revoked, natural disasters, or other reasons beyond your control
- Legal liability in the event that you accidentally violate a local law and require a lawyer and/or interpreter (notice that ignorance of law is no excuse in many countries!)
- Repatriation cover to fly you and your possessions back home if you pass away while traveling
- No travel policy will cover you for each and every thing which may go wrong while you are away. It is important to read the policy terms and conditions in the product disclosure statement (PDS) carefully so that you know what is and isn’t covered.
Be Conscious of the Typical exceptions that apply to the policies:
- Skiing or other snow activities (you’ll need snow pay for that)
- Dangerous activities (“hazardous pursuits”) such as such as scuba diving or bungee jumping (you will need to buy Another adventure travel coverage for this )
- High value possessions (unless you inform your insurer about them)
- Risky or reckless behaviour on your part, such as behavior while under the influence of alcohol
- Pre-existing medical conditions which you did not tell your insurer about when applying for insurance
- Intentional illegal behavior or breaking local laws and regulations
- Missing items in which you left your possessions unattended
- Driving a motorbike abroad , unless you have a motorbike licence and are driving a low-power vehicle
- Government activities
- Acts of war (unless you are travelling to a country using a Don’t Travel warning from DFAT)
- Suicide or attempted suicide
- Claims where you didn’t inform your insurer within a set interval, e.g. 24 hours
