If your holiday is going to be the ultimate trip abroad, it might require the ultimate protection.
For all the things that will go right on your holiday (e.g. great food, amazing vistas, meeting celebrities on the beach), many other things can go wrong (e.g. food poisoning, bad weather, a celebrity accidentally running over your foot).
So, let’s look at your protection for the worst-case scenarios; better known as comprehensive travel insurance.
Comprehensive travel insurance covers you across a wider range of situations on a journey. For example, while a basic policy may only cover you for a few things (like medical expenses), comprehensive travel insurance could pay cash sums if your luggage is stolen, or if your trip is cancelled due to bad weather and more.
The most significant thing your comprehensive travel insurance will protect is your peace of mind, which can be in short supply when things go wrong in a foreign country. Luckily, with the right travel insurance, you won’t have to worry about surprise costs.
Let’s review what comprehensive travel insurance may cover:
| What’s covered? | Details |
| Medical expenses | Emergency transport, as well as both hospital and general medical expenses, is standard cover for many different travel insurance policies. |
| Stolen/lost belongings | Cover the value of your belongings (e.g. your suitcase is stolen from the back of the cab). |
| Delays | If weather, flight cancellations or unexpected events prevent you from reaching your destination – even if it’s just for a short period – the delay may be covered by travel policies. |
| Cancellations | Fees associated with having to cancel your trip may be covered (e.g. volcanic eruption halts all air travel to the area). |
| Surprise costs from extended stays | Meals, accommodation costs; delays can be costly, but travel insurance can help pay for an extended stay. |
| Repatriation (i.e. return home) | If you need to come home (e.g. you’re sick or injured), your insurer may cover your repatriation costs. Travel insurance can also help pay for you to return home if you have a family emergency. |
| Please note: Policies differ, which means you may not be covered for all or any of the above by any comprehensive policy, nor will the claim limits listed above necessarily represent exactly what you will be able to claim. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of any policy before you take it out for more information about your coverage. | |
That’s just some of what a policy might cover as standard. However, you can pay a little bit extra to ensure your policy covers even more mishaps – as optional extras. Here are a few examples of optional extras your policy might have available:
You may also have access to 24/7 medical and emergency assistance over the phone through your provider.
Here’s a rundown of some of the more common exclusions found in comprehensive travel insurance policies:
You don’t need to break the bank to get comprehensive travel insurance. In fact, a single adult traveller could comprehensively cover their trip for less than $30*, while a family could potentially take out a comprehensive policy for less than $50**!
*Based on a quote for a single adult travelling to New Zealand for seven days in June 2019.
**Based on a quote for a family of two adults and two children travelling to New Zealand for seven days in June 2019.
Heading off on the trip of a lifetime soon and haven’t sorted your travel insurance? You can do that right here, right now through our travel insurance comparison service. All you need to do is enter a couple of details and, within minutes, you’ll have a selection of comprehensive policies to compare and choose from. Simples!
