Travel Insurance for Asia

Asia has long been a favourite international destination for Australians. The world’s largest continent is home to fascinating countries which offer a wide range of cultures, religions, wildlife, and landscapes.

Whether you’re a young solo backpacker or a retired couple, Asia offers incredible holiday experiences from relaxing in Thailand, to embarking on an Indian wildlife safari.

However, regardless of your travel style, you should make sure you protect yourself with travel insurance for Asia. Natural disasters, petty crime, and water/food borne illnesses are just some of the important reasons to financially protect yourself so you can enjoy a worry-free holiday.

Why Travel With Us to Asia?

  • Pregnancy cover for up to 32 weeks
  • Cover up to 100 years of age
  • 24 hour emergency assistance
  • 1.6 Million travelleres covered per year
  • Largest Online Travel Insurance Company in the World
  • No upfront medical certificates/assessments

What can travel insurance for Asia cover me for?

  • Unlimited overseas medical expenses
  • Trip cancellation for instances such as unforeseeable death, injury, or illness
  • Emergency medical evacuation
  • Trip interruption
  • Lost bags or personal belongings
  • Pregnancy cover for up to 32 weeks
  • Unlimited dependent children up to the age of 18 insured for free
  • Coverage for 90 different sports and leisure activities including bungee jumping and snorkelling
  • Option to upgrade your policy to include winter sports coverage

Please read our full insurance policy terms, provisos, exclusions, and conditions for full details regarding this coverage.

What you may not be covered for

  • Government warnings: check to make sure that any current Australian Government foreign travel warnings won’t affect your travel insurance coverage.
  • Consumption of alcohol: claims that occur while you or a covered party is under the influence of alcohol or drugs will most likely be denied.
  • Motorcycles & scooters: claims will be denied if you do not have a valid motorcycle license or if you forego wearing a crash helmet. Note that there is no cover for personal accident, personal liability, or damage to a rental motorbike for this activity.
  • Unattended belongings: you will not be covered for any personal luggage or belongings if you leave them unattended in a public place such as a beach.
  • High risk activities: our policies automatically cover 90 different sports and activities, but make sure to check that your chosen activity is covered.
  • Reporting incidents: be sure to report any instance such as theft or loss of belongings within 24 hours to the appropriate authority or risk your claim being denied.
  • Natural disasters: to make a claim due to a natural disaster, you must have purchased the Natural Disasters insurance add-on, and this will be shown on your policy. Note that there is no coverage for costs incurred relating to a natural disaster if an event is already known prior to purchasing a policy.
  • Pre-existing medical conditions: we consider all pre-existing medical conditions so long as they are reported at time of purchase. Failure to disclose any pre-existing medical conditions may void any claim relating to that condition.

Note that you need to be in Australia at the time of purchasing your international travel insurance. If you are overseas, we are unable to offer you a new insurance. You may be eligible to extend the dates of your existing cover, so shoot us an email and find out.

Asian cruise coverage

With the most coastline of any continent, Asia offers a wide array of cruises. Cruise the open waters of Southeast Asia as you explore tropical island paradises or float down enchanting and culturally rich rivers such as the Mekong, Ganges, and Yangtze.

With cruise travel insurance, you can be assured you will be protected should anything go wrong. If your trip includes any travel by cruise ship, then select the “Cruise” option to be covered for the land, air, AND CRUISE part of your journey. By cruise we refer to any travel on sea, ocean, or river by any commercially operated ship, boat, or other sea vessel for longer than two hours.

You will need to select the coverage that incorporates all the countries you are travelling to. As Asian cruises may include several different geographical areas, you would select the geographical travel plan that best describes your cruise itinerary, which includes all the countries and regions that are included on your journey.

Annual multi-trip travel insurance

Asia offers an endless choice of wonderful holidays, all of which are close to home, making it both easy and affordable to take several Asian holidays per year. If you plan on taking off to Asia more than once within the year, you may wish to look into an Annual Multi-Trip insurance policy for your Asia trips, as it may cost you only slightly more than your One Trip insurance policy.

Long duration Asian visits

Asia consists of 48 countries, which may mean you need an extended visit to experience all the continent has to offer. Asia is a popular Gap Year and backpacker destination, and we offer cheap travel insurance to Asia for long duration visits.

If you find you will be travelling to a destination for more than 60 days, we offer flexible One-Trip travel insurance which cover you up to 12 months in a destination as well as a Backpacker travel insurance option which offers up to 18 months of continuous and comprehensive travel insurance cover with the option of visiting your home in Australia for up to 14 days without having to void your policy.

Natural disaster coverage for Asia

Asia is prone to several types of natural disasters, with the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events projected to grow. Natural disasters which can occur in Asian countries include floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and typhoons. We offer natural disaster coverage as an optional add-on to protect you in the event an unforeseen disaster should occur.

To make a claim due to a natural disaster, you must have purchased this add-on, and the option must be shown on your policy. Please note that there is no coverage for costs incurred as a result of a natural disaster event that is known prior to purchasing or upgrading the policy. If there is a known natural disaster event, it will be written in bold text within the natural disaster section at the point of selection, and over the phone by our agents.

Note that medical cover due to any natural disaster is automatically included in all international policies without purchasing the add-on.

Choose our Silver or Gold level of cover and you will be protected for cancelling your trip before departure or cutting your trip short. All levels of cover will include coverage for additional emergency expenses. These are expenses you incur after departure that are over and above what you had originally budgeted to pay, if your trip is disrupted, or you are required to return to your home in Australia because of a natural disaster. These expenses can include things such as accommodation, meals, or travelling costs.

Sports & activities coverage for Asia

Asia offers a wide range of activities and sports to enjoy during your holidays.

Our travel insurance offers coverage for 90 different sports and leisure activities including bungee jumping, snorkelling, zip lining, and trekking. There are however certain activities which are not covered such as shark diving, hang-gliding, and cliff jumping. For a list of sports and activities covered and excluded by your policy, please see our product disclosure statement.

Asia also offers incredible ski resorts in countries like Japan, China, and South Korea. You can add winter sports insurance, at competitive rates. Selecting this policy upgrade option will provide coverage for fourteen types of winter sports activities, including things like ski gear and ski passes.

Most Common Questions

1. Does your insurance cover damage to a rental cars and rental motorbikes?

Our Silver and Gold policies cover your rental car excess up to $4000, but not motorbikes. For a rental car to be covered, you need to make sure that it is insured (confirmed by the rental company), as we do not pay for full damages to a rental car, only your excess.

3. Do you cover bungee jumping?

Yes, we cover all overseas medical expenses (unlimited), as well as permanent injury, and personal liability (policy payout limits apply to these) as related to bungee jumping, so long as you limit yourself to a maximum of three jumps.

5. Which countries are covered under "Asia" destination option?

Asia: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam only. By selecting Asia, you will be covered for the destinations under Asia AND The South Pacific. For Cruise specific: Asia and Domestic:Cruises that include any Asia destination and docks at any Australian port after departure, including the final port

2. Do you cover flight delays after departure?

Under the InsureandGo Silver and Gold levels of cover, we will reimburse the cost of your necessary additional meals and accommodation expenses, if during a trip, any individual leg of your trip, is delayed for more than 12 hours.

The amount you can claim varies depending on the level of cover that you have purchased with us. Please refer to the policy wording documents for more information.

4. What does 'excess' mean?

Excess is the amount you pay us in the event of a claim being approved. Our excess applies per person, per event, per claim.

You can choose the excess you want ($100, $200, $0), but be aware this will change the price of your initial premium.

6. I am overseas right now – can I buy, change or upgrade a policy?

You need to be in Australia at the time of purchasing your insurance. If you are overseas, we are unable to offer you new or different insurance. You may be eligible to extend the dates of your existing cover, so shoot us an email and find out.

Quick guide for Asian holidays

Visas for Asia:

Visa requirements for Australians visiting Asia differ from country to country. We recommend you research visa requirements for all countries you will visit on your trip. For instance, Australian citizens require a visa for travel to countries like Vietnam, India, and Cambodia, however can visit destinations like Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines visa free. Visit Smarttraveller for up to date information.

Best time to visit Asia:

The climate in Asia is very diverse, so the best time to visit will depend on the weather you wish to encounter, and the activities you wish to do. Most places in South East Asia experience two distinct seasons; the wet season and the dry season, and are close enough to the equator that it stays warm throughout the majority of the year. Very broadly speaking, November to April sees the lowest average rainfall, and is a good time to visit for tourists who wish to avoid monsoons. May to October is typically wet season in this region.

Health concerns:

The most common health risks in Asia include picking up a bug, parasite, or virus, and in certain countries like India, travellers may find themselves vulnerable to food poisoning or gastro from having sampled the spicy culinary delights. Traveller’s diarrhoea and “Delhi belly” are the two most common conditions reported by travellers, though it may also be wise to vaccinate against food and water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and malaria.

Crime & safety:

Petty crime is common throughout many Asian countries, and you may encounter minor dangers like opportunistic theft, beggars, and con men running local scams. It is essential to stay alert to minimize the risk of these crimes occurring. One of the biggest risks to safety in Asia is road accidents; the roads here are very different from what you may be used to, the traffic is often chaotic, with no identifiable rhyme or reason. Practice extreme caution when crossing the road as a pedestrian, or if you have chosen to rent a car / bike / scooter.

Sources:

  • http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/asia/Pages/default.aspx
  • https://www.tripsavvy.com/traveling-in-southeast-asias-monsoon-season-1629898
  • https://www.tripsavvy.com/southeast-asia-weather-1458693
  • http://www.smarttravelasia.com/Health.htm
  • https://www.tripsavvy.com/popular-scams-in-southeast-asia-1629930

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*Price derived from a single trip of 21 days, Individual, age 30, to New Zealand, Pacific& Bali region. Cover for pre-existing medical may require an extra premium.