Take Travel Insurance Cover Before You Trek

Have you got adequate travel insurance cover? Cancelled reservations, lost luggage, diverted flights, missed connections, bad weather, and illness all too often turn your well-deserved holiday into a horror story. Travel insurance cover is not a one size fits all product. Of course, mishaps can happen even in our every day lives, but they seem to take on a special significance when traveling. You don't have to go far to hear travel horror stories but are they disturbing enough to prompt us to cancel that appointment with the local travel agent? I don't think so.

We're a nation of die-hard travellers clocking up six million overseas trips every year to experience the scenic wonders and cosmopolitan delights that only mixing it with the locals can yield. Sure, traveling is not without risk but if anything does happen, at least it will make a terrific story when you get back home.

Just imagine regaling intrigued friends with tales of a rabid monkey bite, Delhi Belly, handbag snatch 'n' grab, lost passport and missing luggage leaving you with only the clothes you were wearing. Too bad you went straight to the airport after that Roman toga fancy dress party!

Thank heavens for travel insurance, the saviour of many a world traveller. Travel insurance covers the policyholder for insurable events that may occur before or during travel, such as trip cancellation/interruption, medical expenses, baggage damage/theft and more.

Regardless of whether you travel overseas regularly, infrequently or on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, travel insurance cover is very important and can well mean the difference between fantastic and disaster.

One Size Won't Fit All

No travel insurance policy will cover you for every single thing that might happen on your holiday. A policy will usually cover events such as personal injury and loss or theft of your possessions, as well as costs that you incur if your travel plans are disrupted.

The cost of travel insurance is based on the type of cover requested, the age of the insured, the destination of travel, length of stay and any pre-existing medical conditions. It is important to obtain the right type of travel insurance to suit your individual requirements.

In our first star ratings comparison, we look at three types of travel insurance policies:

Comprehensive – the all-in-one package favoured by most travelers.
Medical – covers only illness and accidents, used by backpackers etc.
Domestic – covers only theft etc, no medical coverage within Australia.

It's fair to say that most people don't think about the intricacies of travel insurance. They only know that they need it when they travel. Most would be shocked to realise that they may not be getting the cover they thought, a fact all too painfully brought home if they need to make a claim. That's because there's travel insurance cover, and there's travel insurance cover.

Travel Insurance ...