Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Before You Buy Travel Insurance.

Before you buy travel insurance, you need to have done some initial planning for your trip. There are a number of factors that affect the type of travel insurance you will require and how much it is going to cost you. Have as much information on hand as possible so that your Australian travel insurance company will be able to provide a robust travel insurance quote. Although you can buy travel insurance right up to the day before you leave, it is better to arrange your travel insurance in good time before your departure.

Before you buy travel insurance, here are some of the facts you will need to have answers for:
* Who is to be insured?
* What are their ages?
* Does anyone have pre-existing medical conditions? If so, what are they?
* Which countries will you be travelling to on your holiday?
* What type of activities are you going to take part in on your trip? Will they include climbing, scuba diving, skiing, or other similar “dangerous activities”;
* Do you require insurance cover for any unusual activities, such as professional sport?
* What type of luggage and personal effects are you taking with you? If you are taking expensive equipment, then you may have to itemise and declare those items to get individual cover for them.

Particularly if you are booking an expensive pre-paid trip, such as a cruise or an extensive package tour, it is important to take out your travel insurance as soon as you make your holiday deposits. The main part of the travel insurance, the cover for medical, delays, etc., is valid from the day of departure, but the cover for loss of deposits and non-refundable flight costs is valid from the day you take out the travel policy. Of course, you don’t plan to cancel your long-desired trip, but you can’t always predict the health of your nearest relatives or other unexpected events.

Think longer-term as well - if you are a frequent traveller, does it make more sense to take out an annual multi-trip policy rather than a standard policy? Depending on how long your trips are likely to be, an annual travel insurance policy can cover you for every trip you make throughout the year, including business travel.

For a younger person travelling in their gap year, they may need a policy that will cover them if they decide to work as part of their time overseas. Check to see whether it includes labouring work, as well as white-collar jobs. Many casual overseas jobs won’t include insurance in your remuneration package, so travel insurance cover is essential.

Whatever style or length of overseas trip you are planning, make sure that you include travel insurance in your “must-do” list - the sooner you buy it, the better!

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