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What is Travel Insurance?
Even the best laid plans can go awry, whether it’s lost luggage, cancelled flights or an unscheduled trip to the ED. Travel Insurance could take some of the financial sting out of these unforeseen changes though.
What are the benefits of Travel Insurance?
From financial support to help cover unexpected medical costs or replacing lost baggage right through to peace of mind that your trip isn’t going to be completely upended by a little bad luck are all reasons you may want to get Travel Insurance. It may even be a requirement to travel to certain countries.
Get the facts on Travel Insurance
Overseas emergency medical assistance
Emergencies don’t know that you’re on holiday, sadly. Travel Insurance could help if you’re injured or become ill while travelling overseas though. Cover can include emergency medical evacuation and hospital treatment, providing peace of mind and reducing the chances of a large bill to pay.
Rental vehicle excess
Hiring a car while on holidays could change how you explore a new or familiar place. However, if you end up in a collision or damaging the car otherwise, you could have an excess to pay. As a result, many car rental companies typically offer an excess reduction product, but your Travel Insurance could actually already cover it. It’s a good idea to read over your policy details so you don’t double up.
Loss or theft of luggage
Whether you’re travelling for an interstate work trip or an island getaway, the loss or theft of luggage can seriously upset your travel plans, not to mention put a dampener on your mood. However, appropriate cover could mean you can put in a claim and get back to enjoying your time away from your routine.
Cancellations
No one wants to think they’ll have to cancel a trip, but it can happen. With Travel Insurance though, you could be able to claim back certain expenses, like flights and accommodation, and put them aside for another day. How much and what you’re covered for, as well as the reasons for cancellation, can depend on your insurer and policy.
Loss of cash or travel documents
Depending on your policy, you may be able to get cover for stolen cash and replacement travel documents, like your passport. Exclusions, of course, may apply, so you may want to get familiar with the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Travel delays
Delays can be costly, along with being annoying. However, Travel Insurance could cover you for a range of delays, like rescheduled flights and additional meals and accommodation, helping you get back on track to enjoy your trip to its fullest when the time comes.
Travel Insurance explained with Canna Campbell
Canna Campbell from SugarMamma TV breaks down the essentials of Travel Insurance.

Canna Campbell
SUGARMAMMA TV
Your Travel Insurance questions answered
What are the different types of Travel Insurance?
The types of Travel Insurance you’ll encounter can depend on the insurers and their policies. However, you might see them broken up into five categories, including:
- Comprehensive: This is the most thorough, but it still won’t cover everything. However, you should have coverage for medical, property and cancellations.
- Basic: If you’re travelling without anything too expensive, a basic Travel Insurance Policy could cover you for health and medical emergencies for a lower premium at the expense of little to no cover for your property or any cancellations.
- Credit card: Your credit card may come with Travel Insurance, but this may not include everything you’re looking for or it could come with more restricted cover. You’ll also likely need to activate it before your trip. Read the product disclosure statement thoroughly.
- Single: Otherwise known as ‘one-off’ Travel Insurance Policies, single policies aren’t just for those who haven’t found that special someone. They’re for when you’re looking to insure yourself for just one trip for a set number of days.
- Multi-trip: If you’re a regular traveller throughout the year or want to take a longer trip, this kind of policy may give you more value, not to mention less paperwork. They do usually come with trip duration limits, so make sure it will cover you for your whole trip.
How much does Travel Insurance cost?
What you end up paying for Travel Insurance could be very different to someone else, even if you’re going on the same trip. This is because your premium tends to take in a few different factors, including:
- Your level of cover: Less cover could mean lower premiums but more out-of-pocket costs.
- Where you’re travelling: Riskier countries or those without a reciprocal health care agreement may come with higher premiums.
- How long you’re travelling for: More trip time can increase your chances of relaxing but also the likelihood that you need to make a claim.
- Your age: Being older can mean you have more wisdom but also a higher premium.
- Your pre-existing medical conditions: Depending on your policy, your condition and any treatment for it on your trip may require an extra premium or simply be excluded.
- Your policy excess: Like with other types of insurance, picking a higher excess (or out-of-pocket cost) could mean a lower premium.
- Your insurer: Even who you go with can change how much you pay for your Travel Insurance, which is why comparing and shopping around can be a good idea.
Does Travel Insurance cover all countries?
The world’s a big place with a lot happening at any given time. As a result, you’re unlikely to find a policy that covers everywhere.
If you’re looking for cover for a certain country or a few of them, you may want to check out their travel advice levels. As a general rule of thumb, you should be able to find Travel Insurance for places designated as Level 1 or 2. If a country has been rated as Level 3, you could still find policies that cover it but you may have more restricted or limited coverage. Countries rated as Level 4, unfortunately, are unlikely to have any coverage under any Travel Insurance Policy.
While you’re looking at your country coverage, remember it could be a good idea to get coverage for everywhere you go. This includes even the places you’re just briefly visiting, like stopping over in an airport to make a connecting flight.
Does Travel Insurance cover COVID-19 (Coronavirus)?
How your Travel Insurance handles COVID-19 (or if it does at all) will likely depend on your insurer and the policy you’ve picked. Coverage tends to vary across the board, from options for cancellations or trip interruptions if you find yourself testing positive on a RAT through to covering medical costs and getting you home if it really does a number on you.
Of course, skipping a case of Coronavirus altogether is probably what most travellers would choose. So, even if you are insured, you may want to brush up on your COVID-19 hygiene measures in the lead up to your trip, as well as while you’re away.
What should I look for in a Travel Insurance policy?
Your ideal holiday is going to look different to someone else’s, and your Travel Insurance might also too. It comes down to your individual circumstances, including where you’re travelling and what you’re doing, along with what matters to you in a policy.
As a result, you might like to think about:
- The cover you might need for where you’re going and what you’ll be doing, including how long you’ll be away
- Your age and health, including any pre-existing conditions
- What valuables you’ll be taking with you and how much they’re worth
- What limits and excess you’re comfortable with
- If emergency support is provided and what that is
What’s the difference between Travel Insurance and Flight Insurance?
While they might sound similar, Flight Insurance and Travel Insurance are two separate types of insurance.
Flight Insurance, as the name suggests, is cover just for your flights, like getting a refund if you can’t fly because of an injury or illness.
Travel Insurance, on the other hand, covers more of your travel, like certain medical costs while you’re travelling or baggage stolen from your hotel. Just to make things tricky though, Flight Insurance can be part of Travel Insurance.
What is ‘excess’ in Travel Insurance?
Like other forms of insurance, Travel Insurance usually comes with an excess. This is the amount you’ll need to pay when making a claim. For instance, if you have claimable medical expenses of $1,000 and an excess of $300, your insurer would pay $700 of the bill and you’d pay the remaining $300.
However, along with an excess, there may also be a limit to how much your insurer will pay. Go above the limit, and you might have out-of-pocket costs again.
Tinkering around with your excess could be one way to lower your Travel Insurance premiums, but it could mean you pay more if something does happen while you’re travelling.
How do you make a Travel Insurance claim?
Time is of the essence when it comes to lodging a Travel Insurance claim and not just because the breakfast buffet closes at 10:00am. Getting your incident registered quickly could help things run more smoothly, and it may even be a requirement that you let your insurer know within 24 hours of the event happening. You can usually register the incident and make your claim online with your insurer.
From there, you’ll likely need to provide evidence and details of what happened. This could include:
- Proof of travel, so things like flight details, itineraries and hotel confirmations
- Written confirmation from a qualified medical or dental professional of your illness or injury
- A police report if something has been stolen or you’ve been injured as part of a crime
- Valuations and/or proof of purchase or ownership for valuables that have been lost or stolen
Providing details like your policy number, and photos of missing or stolen objects, along with serial numbers, could also help get everything squared away.
When should you buy Travel Insurance?
When you start planning your holiday — and particularly when you start paying for things like flights and accommodation — could also be the time to get Travel Insurance. Not only does this mean it’s done and out of the way so you can focus on writing the ultimate packing list, but you could also be covered for cancellations if your trip goes down the gurgler before you’ve even packed your undies.
Which Travel Insurance Providers cover volcanic ash?
Volcanoes can be a drawcard for many tourist destinations, but they can also put a dampener on a trip if they decide to wake up. If a volcano does erupt, or starts to grumble, it may release volcanic ash. This ash can mean planes can’t fly, leading to delays or outright cancellations.
Depending on your Travel Insurance, you may be covered for weather-related cancellations — the kind that volcanic ash falls under. As part of it, you might have cover for additional accommodation and food too if you find yourself needing to wait around for the ash to clear.
However, this is all really only applicable if the volcanic ash was an unforeseen event. If it’s made the headlines and you could be reasonably expected to know about it but still decide to try and go there anyway, you may not be covered. In this case it’s less of an unknown event and more of a ‘known’ one.
Can I extend my Travel Insurance if I prolong my trip?
While it can depend on your insurer and policy, you may be able to request an extension to your Travel Insurance. However, whether it’s granted is another question.
If you’d like to extend your policy, a good policy for yourself could be to let your insurer know as soon as possible. After all, once your original policy expires, you’ll likely just have to get a new one entirely (and potentially go without in the interim). With this in mind though, you may only be able to ask for one extension, so getting those dates right could become very important. Further, your insurer may have limits for how long the extension can be, like only giving you a combined period of cover up to 24 months.
When your extension is granted, you may need to pay an additional premium or fee for the change. However, it could be waived depending on your reasons for extending your Travel Insurance Policy. For instance, if you’re extending it because of an insured event, like your luggage being delayed or because you’ve been injured, you may be in the clear.
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Read MoreiSelect does not compare all travel insurers or policies in the market. Travel insurance is only available through our website and not all policies are available at all times or in all areas. Not all policies available from our partners are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements and customer circumstances not all policies compared by iSelect will be available to all customers. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers.
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