Travel Insurance

Travelers generally fall into two categories: risk takers and “better be safe than sorry” kind. No matter which category you fall into, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at the types of travel insurance and understand what they are and how much they cost.

Types of travel insurance

There are two major types of travel insurance: trip protection insurance and medical insurance. Although the trip protection insurance does offer reimbursements for emergency medical expenses and evacuation, the two types are sold separately.

Trip Protection Insurance / Trip Cancellation Insurance

This kind of insurance typically covers the non-refundable travel expenses in unexpected cases, such as airline strike, death, bankruptcy of the travel operator and many more. Rental car insurance might be included as well.

The premium (or the cost of insurance) is based on the trip cost, which represents the amount of money you have pre-paid or are obliged to pay to a travel provider that might not get refunded in case the trip is canceled.

So let’s assume your vacation in Australia costs US$5,000 per person. If your holiday is canceled because of any reason not only do you lose the “investment” but you will also ruin your entire year, let alone vacation. For a small premium, at least you get your money back. Australia isn’t a dangerous place but sometimes you wouldn’t want to be at nature’s mercy.

Click here to get more information or a quote on Trip Protection Insurance.

Travel Medical Insurance

This kind of travel insurance covers the emergency medical expenses, including hospitalization and surgeries. If you have a health insurance at home, it might or might not cover all the expenses and particularly the expenses in another country.

Click here to get more information or a quote on Travel Medical Insurance.

Emergency Evacuation Insurance

If you plan any extreme activities on your Australian vacation, you should definitely consider this kind of insurance. It covers the costs for your emergency evacuation to an adequate medical facility / hospital near your home, if you became seriously ill or injured during your trip

Click here to get more information or a quote on Emergency Evacuation Insurance

Other types of travel insurance

• Flight/Travel Accident Insurance: If something terrible happens to your flight (including terrorist event), this insurance protects you and your relatives.
  >>more information on flight/travel accident insurance
• Annual Multi-Trip Insurance: If you travel often, this is the perfect insurance for you, providing good value for money for frequent travelers.
  >>more information on annual multi-trip insurance
• Global/Expat insurance: If you want to stay in Australia for a longer period of time or happen to work here, this is the insurance to choose.
  >>more information on global/expat insurance

Do I really need one?

Risk-takers wouldn’t ever consider buying travel insurance, budget travelers don’t want to add something else to their purchases list, while other people won’t leave home without it. What should you do?

Before you decide for or against travel insurance consider the following:

Is there a chance the flight might get canceled? No matter where you travel, Australia included, weather can always affect the flights’ schedule and without insurance you will lose the non-refundable money plus ruin your vacation.

You lose your wallet with your passport and money in it. Obviously it doesn’t matter where you go, this might happen. Either it gets stolen – hardly likely in Australia – or you might just lose it. Insurance helps you solve the problems. Otherwise prepare yourself for a lot of headaches. No need to tell you, but never keep all the money in the same location!

A storm forces you to evacuate your hotel or the ship you are on. Some parts of Australia do get nasty weather and travel insurance does protect you when “acts of nature” ruin your vacation.

You are an adventure/extreme activities traveler. Australia is the perfect place to go scuba diving, surfing and embark on many other adventures. The last thing you need to worry about is what to do in case of an emergency.

Does it cost a lot? Compared to the money you pay for your Australian vacation, travel insurance is dirt cheap. If you are not convinced, at least take a look at the links above and get a quote. You will be surprised how cheap the travel insurance really is. And if your relatives are more concerned than you are when you leave on vacation and ask what you want for your trip, ask them to get you travel insurance.