Single trip or backpackers insurance?

Korkyb

Hi all!

We have just booked flights for my daughter and her friend (both 18 yrs old) to go to Australia for just under 3 months in October.

They have a 5 day stopover in LA on the way out making the trip a total of 96 days.

The flights are fixed and they will be staying with family in Australia (Sydney) for around 2/3 of the stay.

They do however plan to head up to Cairns and travel back down to Sydney during the course of 3 or 4 weeks staying in hostels.


I had planned to look at backpackers insurance but am now wondering if it should be single trip insurance as they are not exactly "backpackers" (according to this http://www.insuranceqna.com/travel-insurance/single-trip-travel-insurance-vs-backpacker-travel-insurance.html )

Going down the backpacker insurance route seems to be a fair bit more expensive than single trip.

Any advice gratefully received :-)

huckster

Single trip should be ok for this trip.

Backpackers as you say is designed for gap year students or even older people who are going on a long trip to possibly multiple locations. Backpackers policies may be more flexible in allowing for some paid work to be done and include cover for adventure activities.

STA travel are worth looking at, as they are aimed at younger travellers. They have offices in Australia and if say for example they wanted to extend their cover ( if it is possible) to include an adventure activity normally excluded by policy terms, then they might be able to arrange this without long distance phone calls. Also having a local office might prove useful if they needed assistance, but with relatives in Sydney this should not be needed.

Advice is to make sure policy terms are read very carefully. They need to know what is excluded. Don't take part in any adventure activity, unless they know it is definitely covered. UK and Australia does have a healthcare agreement, but if they needed treatment in Australia, there might be some cost involved.

Korkyb

Thanks thats what I thought might be the case.

They will be going on a Tourist Visa so wont be working.

I'll have to double check re activities - they are likely to go sailing for 2 days and I think one of them might be thinking of a skydive.

I looked at STA travels insurance (thats where we booked the flights through) but they seem pretty expensive??

jackieblack

They will need ESTAs (assuming eligible, if not, visas) for stop in LA
Inc USA on worldwide travel insurance will increase the premium but can't be avoided

Korkyb

Yep will been looking at the ESTA situation & shouldnt be any issues there.

huckster

Sailing may be excluded and Skydiving may well be something that has to be covered by the Skydiving operator.

Suggest they really think about exactly what they want to do and look at what policies are flexible.

Yes STA might be more expensive, but they are probably designed around what younsters might do at the spur of a moment, not thinking about risk.

Take time in reading policies and phone them to ask questions. Some policies are more expensive to buy, but other cheaper options can end up more expensive, if more cover is required to be added later.