Holiday Travel Insurance

Every traveller needs holiday insurance. Whether you like spontaneous holidays or well planned itineraries, there are always some things that are out of your control. A last minute flight cancellation, a medical emergency or baggage loss could happen to anyone. However, different kinds of holidays could demand different kinds of insurance needs. We’ve listed a variety of holidaymakers and the features they should be looking for in their insurance:

Families:The good news for families is that most travel insurers charge no extra fees for children (generally up to 18 years of age) travelling with their parents. So depending on whether you make one international family trip in a year or travel multiple times annually, you can choose between a single or multi-trip family insurance policy. If you go for the multi-trip insurance but need to make individual trips during this period, your insurance would still cover your holiday.

Mozo Tip:Make sure you add the complete details for all travellers, including the kids, while buying the policy.

Backpackers:When you are backpacking across the world, you are often not sure of where you might be the next day. While this unpredictability makes the trip more exciting, it also makes it important that you get your holiday insured. You could be backpacking for a long duration and might not want to carry too much cash or foreign currency, which means that you must make sure that you are covered for things like medical care, lost baggage or adventure activities that you plan to try. You really don’t want to be trapped in a sticky situation with no money and no one to help in an unfamiliar land.

Mozo Tip:While backpackers can insure their trip for a longer period as compared with the standard single trip insurance, sometimes there might be restrictions in case you plan to take a short break from your holiday, visit home and then resume your expedition. Do check with your insurer for such a situation.

Couples:Whether it’s a cruise or an adventure holiday, it’s always fun to try new things together, especially when you know you are covered. Or, if you are about to enter parenthood and want to go for a quick babymoon, you should definitely think about getting a holiday insurance policy that covers your pregnancy. Most insurers cover a pregnancy up to the the end of the second trimester or till 27 weeks of pregnancy.

Mozo tip:Travel insurers consider pregnancy as a pre-existing condition and you must mention it before you buy a policy so that you are well aware of any exclusions. For instance, you might have to pay an extra premium if you've had past complications or conceived through assisted reproductive services.

Seniors:When you are in your golden years, you can really take the time to explore the world, go on the holidays you always wanted to, visit your kids and grandkids and really make the most of this time. But do keep in mind that the premium generally keeps increasing as the age bracket goes up. For instance, according to our calculations at the time of writing, if you want to buy a basic travel insurance for a week-long trip to Thailand, the cheapest insurance for a 25-year-old would be around $32, for a 65-year-old about $38, and for a 75-year-old about $74.

Mozo tip:While an increasing number of Australian insurance providers are raising the age limit to their policies, you must take a careful look at any exclusions that might apply to you. Say for instance, while asthma is a pre-condition that is covered by most providers, it may not be covered if you are above 65 years of age.

Adventurers:For those who enjoy pumping that adrenalin it’s important to cover the sports or adventure activities that you are planning on trying during your holiday. You would have to include extra covers to your standard holiday insurance, for example, if you are going skiing, you would have to add a ski cover to make sure you are covered for any emergencies or loss of ski equipment.

Mozo tip:Even if you have paid extra to cover an activity, if you hurt yourself while doing it and are found to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the time, the provider can reject your claim.

Now let’s hope all goes as planned on your trip and you don’t actually have to file for a claim. But if you do, you should know how to do it efficiently so that your reimbursement comes through smoothly. The first thing to do would obviously be to read the terms and conditions of your policy carefully and make sure you follow the instructions and procedures listed by your provider. To make this a little simpler, here are some common mistakes that people make, which gets their claim rejected:

Lack of proof:While filing a claim, you would need to prove exactly what went wrong. Your insurance provider would have mentioned on the policy the kind of documentation that would be required for different situations. For example, if you need medical care, you would need to save the doctor’s bills and medicine receipts. Or, if you lose your baggage, you will have to prove that you actually owned the things that you claim are missing. If it was something valuable like a camera, you might have an invoice or manuals that you can submit as proof. In case of a theft, you would also be required to file a police report within 24 hours and ideally also inform your provider.

Unattended baggage:One of the most common claims that travellers make is related to loss of baggage or personal belongings. But what a lot of people don’t realise is that insurers will not reimburse you for baggage that was left unattended. For instance, if you forgot your purse in a cab, in all likelihood, your provider would refuse to pay you for it. In fact, even luggage that is left in a hotel concierge after check-out is considered as unattended. So make sure you understand the meaning of ‘unattended’ by your insurer.

Not mentioning pre-existing conditions:You must be completely honest with your insurer about any pre-existing medical conditions while buying a holiday insurance policy. Every insurer has a list of conditions that they cover and the ones they don’t. There could be some terms that you would need to follow, for instance, in some cases you might need to provide a doctor’s certificate about your fitness levels, take precautionary vaccinations, or you might even have to pay an extra premium. Not disclosing pre-existing conditions could result in the insurer rejecting your claim later.

Use of alcohol or drugs:While no one expects you to go on a dry holiday, if you incur an injury and are found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your insurance provider could potentially reject your claim. This is especially important when you are participating in adventure activities or extreme sports.

Unlicensed driving:While in any standard insurance you should be covered for injuries or personal liabilities, if you hurt yourself or someone else while driving a vehicle that you are not licensed to drive, your travel insurer can decline your claim. Say for instance, you have an accident while driving a scooter in Bali, which you do not have a license for, your insurer could refuse to reimburse you for the damages.

If you are feeling confused after looking at all the different kinds of policies and providers in the market, and don’t know how to find the best holiday travel insurance quote, don’t stress, because Mozo is here to help. Let’s start by taking a look at these links that can guide your decision:

Mozo comparison tool:Get simultaneous quotes from more than 20 travel insurers based on your holiday details (destination, duration of travel, age, etc). Once you have entered these details, our comparison tool will take just a few seconds to generate a list of quotes best suited to your needs.

Travel insurance reviews:One of the best ways to get an unbiased opinion on any product is to read user reviews. Insurance is no different. Go through our list of travel insurance reviews written by Australians who have themselves used a particular policy and share their experiences, rating the insurer on various criteria such as value for money, medical claim, baggage loss and delays.

Travel Money Tips:We realise that when you are travelling there are many financial concerns that you need to take care of. From prepaid travel cards to foreign exchange, we’ve got heaps of travel advice that can help you make your next holiday more financially sound. Check out the Mozo travel hub for these useful tips.