With the Easter break ahead of us and many people taking holidays (driving, flying, domestic, overseas), we get asked a lot about whether our clients need travel insurance. Or, sometimes we ask them if they need it and they assume they don’t. Well, to give you a little more information and help you think it through, we’ve prepared a checklist and things to consider before deciding whether you need travel insurance:

Allsure Insurance travel insurance checklist

• Are you travelling overseas? √ You need travel insurance – for health insurance, emergency flights home, luggage… in some countries like America you may be in serious trouble if you do need medical assistance and you do not have cover.
• Domestic flights? √ You might weigh up your travel risk, especially if it’s for an event or you have valuables…perhaps it’s an important occasion, like a wedding! What would you do if your luggage was lost? There is a big difference in how long after you have determined your luggage was lost, and at what stage an insurer will pay out on emergency supplies. Even the limits are significant. From a few $100 to a few $1000! It pays to talk to your broker or authorised representative  and read the fine print.
• But my credit card comes with travel insurance. How many times we hear this! You might be fine, but actually READ the fine print about what’s included and covered and what might void the cover (looking at you, adrenaline junkies, as some of the things that can be problematic are your adventure sports, off piste skiing, sky diving, motorcycle track days, etc.). Even simple things like lost luggage, we have seen a good insurer provide $1000’s so our insured could be presentable for his holiday, where as his travel buddies, with credit card cover, were wearing the same clothes 4 days in!
• Do I need travel cover for a road trip? You could consider extra insurance, but risk mitigation might be more practical for many. Get regular car services, keep good car insurance, and check your oil and tyres before you leave. Listen to the scare tactic media messages and don’t drive tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Are you hiring a car? This could be a different story, many travel insurance policies will pay for the excess you might incur if you have an accident. This saves you paying extra on the hire of the car.
• What if you’re hosting visitors? You probably don’t need travel insurance, but if you’ve got kidlets heading your way you might want to make sure your house insurance policy includes accidental damage! Perhaps you offer Airbnb, have you checked with your insurer? They might not cover you for stolen items or even extend your liability to cover you in the event of a public liability claim, if in doubt ask us!
• Don’t leave yourself liable. Not having travel insurance may leave you open to a liability claim. You are walking along a crowded street, it’s starting to rain, you flick open your umbrella, hitting someone in the eye as you do. Your liability cover that you have in Australia, (by taking out contents insurance) doesn’t usually extend to cover you overseas.

This checklist is very general – please talk to us about your specific situation for options suitable for your needs. And please drive/fly/relax at home safely, and have a fantastic Easter break!