Travel Insurance for a Worldwide Backpacking Trip

moneyexpertise

I am looking for any tips on travel insurance for my quite bespoke (and fortunate-to-have) predicament;
In late October my girlfriend and I are going on a worldwide trip for the following 12 months;


Firstly we are going to South East Asia for 3 weeks, before heading to Australia and staying there for 10 months. After staying there we will travel to Fiji (for 2 weeks) and then onto Canada/USA (for 6 weeks) before flying home to London from NYC.


My issue is that I have not come across a backpacker travel insurance quote which takes account of the length of time that you spend in each part of the world when this massively affects the risk categorization/ cost of your trip. (e.g. Worldwide (including USA/Canada/Caribbean) is much more expensive than Worldwide excluding USA/Canada/Caribbean). If I were to get a 12 month policy which includes USA/Canada/Caribbean (as I should because this covers my 6 weeks in USA/Canada) then the cost of this insurance is as if I travelling for 12 months there, rather than the 6 weeks I am spending there.


My question therefore is, would it be possible to get a standard backpacker's travel insurance policy, and then treat my trip around USA/Canada as a separate trip with a separate single-trip travel insurance cover?



Or could anyone offer any tips/recommendations on more tailored travel insurance where the cost reflects the length of time you stay places?


I am sorry for sharing my #1stworldproblems with you!

Voyager2002

First solution (what I would do): give North America a miss. People travelling for a year are unlikely to be able to spend much per week, and you need a reasonable weekly budget to enjoy North America;
Second solution: get a cheap policy for the bulk of your trip, and separate insurance for your visit to North America. Since virtually all the travel insurance available to you is for trips that begin and end in the UK, that would mean that you would have to make a quick trip back from Fijii to the UK before the last bit of your travels. However,
third solution: there are a very few travel insurance companies that provide cover that can begin when you are anywhere in the world. Nomads is the only one that springs to mind. These companies are a good deal more expensive than others, but might make sense in your situation.

moneyexpertise

Thank you Voyager2002. I shall bear your point in mind regarding time spent in the US and Canada. My flights package includes the flights to America so I shall definitely go, but will reconsider how long I spend there when I'm nearer the end point if my trip and have a greater idea of budget. Thanks for the recommendation regarding separate travel policies, I think I shall investigate that further on this basis. :beer:

Macadamia

Great advice from Voyager2002

Another insurance co that will cover you whilst you are already 'away' is truetraveller

Enjoy your trip.