Backpacker Travel Insurance versus General Travel Insurance
Backpackers are a very definite, and very different, breed of traveller! Hanging onto your trip by the skin of your teeth sometimes, working hard to make sure you can complete the next leg of your journey, often driving around foreign countries and doing all of the fun (and dangerous) activities that couples with kids just aren’t able to. Backpackers need it flexible, and they need it cheap. It makes sense that backpacker travel insurance is often separated from ordinary medical travel insurance or comprehensive policies. We examine what to look for in a good backpacker policy.
Pricing will be the determining factor for most backpackers in their choice of travel insurance. The cheapest is not necessarily the best – but if it provides cover for the essentials, then it is usually suitable for a backpacker trip. Current backpacker travel insurance pricing will depend on a huge number of factors, including:
- Your age
- The countries you are travelling to
- How long your trip will take
- Any additional coverage
All of these factors mean that it isn’t possible to give a useful pricing guide to backpacker travel insurance policies. Do be aware that the cheapest policies may make it quite difficult to claim, and in the most expensive ones the price is often related to the insurance ‘brand’. Better known insurers often charge more for no additional cover, simply based on the perception of value in paying more for a service. Look for companies that have been trading for a reasonable time, but aren’t necessarily household names. Don’t waste time clicking on 20 links that advertise ‘Travel insurance from $30′ – these policies are often domestic-only ones, provide cover for a single destination only, or have an enormous number of exclusions.
Backpackers should look for travel insurance policies that provide automatic coverage of most of the oddities that your travel plans may include. Working holidays are a good example; where some travel insurance agencies cover this automatically, it is listed as an optional extra at others. Much of the time, working overseas also means that you’ll be driving overseas (with shared transport from backpacker lodges to work destinations in many parts of the world). It is advisable to check that your work type is covered – some hazardous occupations, like mining, are covered only rarely. Make sure that your backpacker policy covers you for the most important things such as Medical expenses and brining you back to Australia if you are taken seriously ill or have a really bad accident.
Being a backpacker often means taking the road less travelled – with no responsibilities like children holding them back, backpackers can often be found at the ends of the Earth, testing the limits of civilisation. It is this kind of destination that your cover should provide for, covering you for events like acts of terrorism as well as for dangerous sports like bungee jumping, white water rafting and trekking at high altitudes.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a backpacker, the peculiarities of backpacker travel insurance policies mean that they may be the best choice for you.
