Get The Right Cover With Your Backpacker Travel Insurance

You have decided pack your bag and travel the world, planning on which countries to go to and what to do in every spare minute you have.

When researching all of this, travel insurance will be very low on your list but could be one of the most important things you need to get right for your trip. Why you ask? With insurance companies notorious for trying to get out of paying you what you believe is covered you will be surprised that many things will not actually be covered in a basic policy.

Want to work when you are away, then most companies do not cover for this and if they do it is usually just for office work and everything else will not be covered. Although this is not always the case some will allow manual work but you will be servilely limited on what you can do and it usually always has to be at ground level. A common exclusion when working is personal liability, so if you were to in an extreme case to lose a limb or to die then you will receive no money from the insurance company.

I find that where most people can have most problems is with adventure sports. A lot of companies say that they cover over 50 sports as standard; whilst this is true have a good read as you will soon find that what you want to do might not be covered. A lot of backpackers like to learn how to scuba dive on their trip and this is usually covered with most travel insurance, but if you are thinking about bungee jumping or tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos you might need to upgrade your sports cover.

All travel insurance policies have exclusions that they do not have to pay out on if you are intoxicated or on drugs so be careful when claiming, going back to tubing in Laos you will most likely be drunk and be doing dangerous activities with rope swings into the river.

All travel insurance companies have a Key Facts document which lists all exclusions and their terms and conditions. This is the most important document to look through before you purchase your backpackers travel insurance. You might be surprised by what you may find; some companies state that if you travel to Australia you have to register with medi-care when you arrive otherwise you will not be covered for your medical expenses. You would think this would be advertised on the site, but surprisingly it is only in the small print, so you could be in for a surprise when you are told you are not covered if you were in need of medical attention and you have to pay the money yourself.

I hope this document helps you in your preparation for your trip and your purchase of your backpacker travel insurance. Remember cheapest is not always the best when you are travelling the work by yourself in countries where the health care system might not be up to western standards.


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Having traveled the world on several backpacker trips Matthew Coe is a writer to help fellow travellers with the planning of their own trip.
For advice on getting travel insurance for backpackers and getting the best backpacker travel insurance please visit my site.