Travel Insurance Advice For Singapore

Singapore is a popular travel destination for Australians, who are drawn to its futuristic vibe and amazing street food. While it’s pretty safe to travel to, having the right amount of travel insurance is a good idea as you could always get sick or injured, miss a flight, or lose your luggage.

What to do in Singapore – and why travel insurance is so important

Not just somewhere to stop off on your long-haul flight to Europe, Singapore is a fantastic place to visit in its own right.

With its all-year-round warmth, great food and incredible energy, you’ll be guaranteed a fun-filled holiday. Here’s just a few ideas to get you started!

• Dine on hawker food: Singapore is famous for its hawker street stalls, with an incredible array of mouth-watering dishes for you to enjoy. Unlike some other Asian destinations, these street stalls are pretty focused on maintaining good food hygiene practices, but the odd incident can happen, so travel insurance is essential in case you get sick.
• Diving at Sentosa Island: Just off Singapore’s southern coast is the stunning Sentosa Island, with its tropical beaches, luxurious hotels and teeming wildlife. It’s a perfect location to enjoy diving in tropical warm waters, but make sure that your travel insurance policy covers you for any activities, and always ensure that safety equipment is provided and used.
• Get your thrill on at theme parks: Singapore is home to several theme parks including Universal Studios Singapore, KidZania, and Wild Wild Wet. Singapore is very safety conscious, so equipment and rides are usually well maintained, but it’s always best to be prepared with appropriate travel insurance in case of a rare accident.
• Get up close with wildlife: A must-do on many visitors Singapore itinerary is a trip to the Singapore Zoo, where a highlight is breakfast with orangutans. The zoo has one of the most successful orangutan breeding programs in the world, and guests can book tours to have an intimate encounter with these ‘people of the forest.’
• Feel the need for speed: For speed demons and adrenaline junkies, a Singapore highlight is an F1 street circuit driving experience. There’s the option to drive yourself or have a professional driver around Singapore’s Formula 1 track in a Ferrari, McLaren or Lamborghini. But driving at up to 300 kilometres per hour isn’t without its risks, so make sure you’ve got your travel insurance sorted.

Potential problems in Singapore

Singapore is safe, but there is always the risk of terrorism, petty crime and property rental scams¹, especially in tourist areas. There’s also some risk of insect-borne diseases including malaria, dengue fever, and Zika. Serious crime against foreigners is rare¹.

What does travel insurance cover in Singapore?

It’s very important to have travel insurance for Singapore because you can still get sick, injured or lose your luggage there as anywhere else. The main reason for being insured is to have cover for medical costs. Healthcare in Singapore is excellent but can be expensive to fund yourself¹ – that’s what insurance is for.

Remember, your travel insurance is usually voided for alcohol related incidents, so keep it under control. And don’t forget Singapore has some of the strictest anti-drug laws in the world, so don’t even think about anything stronger than a couple of drinks. Deliberately reckless behaviour will also likely result in your claim being denied.

Medical problems

A good policy will cover ambulance transportation, repatriation flights, medical and hospital costs, dental treatment, and also in-hospital cash – up to the specified limits of your policy.

Personal liability

If you injure someone or damage property while you’re in Singapore, you’ll need this cover to help you.

Cancellation fees and lost deposits

If you have to cancel or rearrange your trip, or part of it, then you may lose your deposits or incur a cancellation fee. This cover can reimburse you.

Lost or delayed luggage

If your luggage is lost or delayed then you’ll be able to buy replacement clothes, toiletries etc.

Lost or stolen possessions

If you lose your luggage during the holiday then you’ll be reimbursed for the costs of replacements.

Travel delays and cancellations

If your travel plans are disrupted then you may be eligible to get a payment to cover the expenses of additional meals and accommodation.

Lost or stolen travel documents

If you need to replace passports or visas while in Singapore then the costs are covered – up to the limits of your policy.

Rental vehicle excess

If you crash your rental car then you’re covered against the rental company’s insurance excess payment. This may mean, you may not need to take out insurance from the car rental company to reduce the excess of your rental car.

Looking for the right travel insurance?

Finding an appropriate policy for your Singapore trip can be a time consuming distraction from all the exciting planning. That’s why at iSelect we make it easy for you to compare travel policies side by side. Start comparing today!

*iSelect 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 made 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.

iSelect General Pty Limited ABN 90 131 798 126, AFS Licence Number: 334115. Any advice provided by iSelect is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice iSelect gives you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on iSelect’s advice or purchasing any policy. You should consider iSelect’s Financial Services Guide which provides information about our services and your rights as a client of iSelect. iSelect receives commission for each policy sold.

Sources
1.https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/asia/southeast/pages/singapore.aspx#safety_and_security