From an injury during an ostrich riding accident, to cancelling your trip because you’ve been called to jury duty, there are a range of unexpected incidents that your travel insurance can reimburse you for. A leading travel insurer reveals the most surprising mishaps that Aussies may not know about.
Jonathan Etkind, spokesperson at InsureandGo (insureandgo.com.au), the world’s leading online travel insurer, says: “Most Aussies are not clear on all the expenses they can claim through their travel insurance in the case of an unexpected incident. At InsureandGo, we believe that some travellers may not be aware of certain benefits provided by their travel insurer, which may lead to customers presuming they are not covered for certain events, and therefore not contacting their insurer or making a claim.
“It’s crucial that travellers read their Product Disclosure Statement before purchasing any policy. It will help them decide what, if any, added extras they need, and whether it’s best to purchase a basic or comprehensive policy. Although these documents list exclusions, they also detail the benefits of the policy that allow travellers to claim for a wide range of incidents – including incidents that you wouldn’t assume you’re covered for.”
InsureandGo reveal the seven travel mishaps that Aussies can get their money back on
- When being unable to leave your cabin ruins your cruise. If you were confined to your cabin because you were sick, your insurer may be able to cover any expenses incurred. For instance, InsureandGo will pay sick cruise-goers $75 for each 24-hours spent in confined to their cabin – up to $2500.
- Cancelling your trip for these three surprising reasons. Having to cancel your trip because your home was burgled, you were made redundant at work, or you were called for jury duty, will allow you to claim the cost of most of your travel bookings, including airfares. This one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to purchase your travel insurance as soon as you book your trip, so that you can be covered before your holiday even begins.
- Cutting your trip short due to a relative or travel companion’s injury or illness. If, unfortunately, your trip comes to an abrupt end as a result of a relative’s or travelling companion’s injury or illness, your travel insurance policy should reimburse you for any travel bookings you were not able to make use of.
- You could be covered for smaller overseas medical claims, even a doctor’s visit or medicine. You might think travel insurance only covers the cost of major medical treatments or surgeries, because your excess makes it not worthwhile to claim for smaller expenses. But did you know that you can remove your standard excess entirely? This enables you to make claims like visiting a doctor, or purchasing medicine for an unforeseen illness abroad, even if the bill was as little as $20.
- Your cruise ship missed a port. For each scheduled port your cruise failed to dock at during your trip, you should be able to receive compensation. For instance, InsureandGo will pay $50-100 per port missed – up to $1000 in total. If you missed your cruise departure entirely, because of an accident en route to the ship for example, InsureandGo will cover pre-booked costs, such as land tours, that you are unable to partake in.
- Extra travel expenses to avoid transport delays that will lead to you missing a wedding, funeral, conference or sporting event. If you’re heading to a wedding, funeral, work conference or sporting event, and your transport there gets delayed or cancelled, your travel insurance can be the difference between you arriving on time, or not at all. For instance, as an InsureandGo customer, if your planned method of transport to any of these important occasions is delayed, or cancelled during your journey, and the resulting delay would mean you miss the occasion, they will step in and pay additional travel costs to try to get you to your event on time.
- Medical expenses for injuries incurred while zorbing, husky sledding or ostrich riding. If you are an adventurer seeking a change from regular sports, there are many weird and wonderful activities you could be insured for in the case of an injury. InsureandGo, for example, would cover your medical expenses if you got injured while zorbing – the recreational activity of rolling downhill inside an. Mud-buggying and, yes, camel, elephant and ostrich riding, are also on the list of activities covered as standard.
“Whether you are a backpacker, cruise-lover, or travelling overseas with a young family, knowing the conditions outlined by your travel insurance policy is important. While certain behaviours may void cover, InsureandGo offers comprehensive travel protection for a range of unexpected incidents” said Jonathan Etkind.
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