Things every traveller needs to know about travel insurance

InsureandGo provides its top tips to help you buy the right cover for your next holiday

Sydney, 30 April 2014 – Online travel insurance specialist InsureandGo looks at the most common questions that their customers ask and provides a comprehensive guide to travel insurance; from helping you select the policy^ that is right for you, to making sure you take the necessary steps to help process your claim if the worst happens.

Travel insurance provides peace of mind when you are travelling; should you become ill, fall victim to crime or have to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances – you can recover some or all of your costs. However, as InsureandGo General Manager, Sebastian Kaisin explains, an alarming amount of travellers find themselves underinsured or have their claims rejected due to some common pitfalls and misconceptions.

“Unfortunately, due to a combination of lack of research and understanding the different levels of cover offered by providers, many travellers do not select the right level of cover for their needs. Every holiday you take is different, so it stands to reason that your travel insurance needs will also differ from trip to trip,” he said.

“The activities undertaken on a beach holiday in Bali will be very different to a skiing trip in New Zealand. Make sure that all of the activities you plan to do during your holiday are fully covered by your policy^ to avoid being caught out should you need to claim,” Mr Kaisin said

Most common claims

In 2013, InsureandGo processed 38 per cent of claims for the loss or theft of personal belongings and baggage (up from 25 per cent in 2012), with the most popular item being smartphones. Not all levels of travel insurance will cover lost or stolen phones and cameras so if you plan to take these or other gadgets away with you, research your level of cover and select the cover that will include these items.

‘Medical expenses’ were the next most frequent claim, making up 37 per cent of all claims from travellers in 2013, with gastroenteritis being the most common medical condition, followed by food poisoning, then physical injuries from a slip or a fall. Reassuringly, all InsureandGo policies, even the basic level of cover, offer unlimited medical cover if you become ill or are injured during your trip.

InsureandGo Claims and Operations Manager, Julius Paramour provides the most common reasons why claims are rejected:

• No official police report was obtained. If your belongings are lost or stolen whilst travelling, you will need to obtain an official police report from a police station in the region where the incident took place. Without this official documentation, your claim will not be valid.
• People not understanding what ‘unattended’ means in relation to a stolen goods claim. For example – leaving personal items outside a bathroom stall, leaving a wallet on a shop counter or leaving your items alone on a pool lounger or on the beach whilst you go swimming are all considered as leaving your goods unattended and any stolen goods claims that occur because of these actions are likely to be denied.
• Not lodging your claim in time – you must lodge your claim within 30 days after returning from your trip. Any claims made after this time will be rejected.
• Not buying cover for all your relevant travel destinations – if you travel to a destination that is not included in your cover, any claims made during that entire trip will be denied. This includes any transit or stopover destinations. Even if you are only stopping in a destination for a few hours, you should make sure that destination is covered by your policy, just in case something happens.
• Not having all the relevant documentation to submit with your claim – for any lost or stolen goods claims, you will require proof of purchase for all of the items that you are claiming for.
• Not having the right level of cover – read your PDS (Product Disclosure Statement) thoroughly before you purchase a travel insurance policy to ensure that it matches the needs of your trip.
• People not willing/ cannot afford to pay the excess – be aware that most insurance policies have an excess; if you do not want to pay an excess fee at the time of claiming you will need to include an excess waiver in your policy and pay a higher premium.

What to do if you are too sick to travel

If you fall sick prior to your trip, you must go and see a doctor. If your doctor deems you unfit to travel, you must not travel as you will not be covered by your travel insurance policy. InsureandGo Claims and Operations Manager, Julius Paramour advises that if you fall sick whilst overseas and are no longer able to enjoy your holiday, you must head to the nearest medical facility immediately.

“Remember to take your passport with you as most hospitals will require this to treat you. Whenever possible, call your insurer or ask your travelling companion to call them on your behalf and explain the situation.

“If required, InsureandGo are able to send a guarantee of payment to the medical facility to cover your cost. They will also send any information about any pre-existing conditions that you declared when you purchased the policy^,” Mr Paramour says.

Another important point to remember is that if you have to pay for any medical costs whilst outside of Australia, make sure to keep all original receipts as you will need these to support your claim.

What to do if you need to cancel your trip

Prior to departure, unforeseen circumstances can arise that may prevent you from travelling such as a medical emergency or the death of a family member. You will only be covered if you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances. In each case, the insurer would seek relevant documentation to show when something happened. Insurers will not pay out if you just change your mind and decide you no longer want to go away.

Top 5 things to look out for with your next travel insurance purchase

1. Unlimited medical cover on international trips
2. Cover for lost baggage
3. Do they consider pre-existing conditions?
4. Medical evacuation
5. 24-hour emergency assistance and you should be able to contact them from anywhere in the world

Things to consider before you book your travel insurance:

• Declare any pre-existing medical conditions and ensure that you are not travelling against medical advice. All InsureandGo policies offer unlimited medical cover if you become ill or are injured during your trip.
• InsureandGo offers a simple online medical questionnaire to make it quick and simple for travellers to declare and get cover for their pre-existing medical conditions and all medical conditions are considered.
• Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities you plan to take part in during your trip. If you are doing any winter sports for example you may need to upgrade your policy to cover these activities.
• Check the latest travel warnings from DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). You will not be covered if you travel against the government’s advice. Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au for up-to-date travel advice.
• Choose the appropriate level for your specific needs – make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities that you plan to take part in and that the baggage cover is suitable for the items you plan to take away with you.
• Check that your provider has 24/7 assistance should an emergency arise – InsureandGo has a 24-hour emergency assistance line
• If you will be travelling a number of times per year, it may be more cost-effective to purchase an Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance product from InsureandGo. This policy^ covers you for an unlimited number of trips throughout the year, subject to maximum trip duration options of 30, 45 or 60 days.

InsureandGo is one of the world’s largest online travel insurance companies covering over 1.6 million travellers every year. The company launched in Australia in 2010. InsureandGo prides itself on its comprehensive and price-competitive travel insurance policies and are constantly creating new policies to meet the needs of their customers.

InsureandGo recently received top marks in the CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings report – announced as a national winner in CANSTAR’s comparison of 49 travel insurance brands in Australia winning the outstanding value for Domestic Travel Insurance. They also received the highest possible ranking of five stars for international travel insurance to New Zealand, Fiji, China, Bali, Thailand and South Africa.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award-winning travel insurance policies, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/

InsureandGo gives top tips for Aussie World Cup fans travelling to Brazil

Sydney, 10 June 2014 – The month long feast of football, the 2014 World Cup, kicks off on the 12/6/14 in San Paulo, Brazil. With 3.3million tickets available to one of the world’s biggest sporting events of the year, football fans across the globe are now converging on Brazil to enjoy all that the event and the country has to offer.

With record numbers of Australians booked to watch the Socceroos do us proud, leading online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has advised top tips for travellers to make the most of their holiday and best ways to avoid potential peril:

1. Book any tickets to World Cup events through a licensed agent (any loss of tickets from an unlicensed agent or ‘touted’ tickets are not covered)
2. Ensure you have emergency rescue and medical cover. Medical facilities in Brazil are among the best in the continent particularly in the larger cities of Rio, San Paulo and Brasilia. Regional medical facilities are more basic and therefore it is recommended that Australians ensure their particular policy includes emergency repatriation and evacuation cover.
3. Ensure you have adequate luggage and personal effects cover. Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities that you plan to take part in and that the baggage cover is suitable for the items you plan to take away with you. If cover for items like phones, cameras, laptops, tablets etc is important to you then consider upgrading your level of baggage cover to include these items.
4. Participating in deliberate, malicious, reckless, illegal or criminal acts – hooliganism will not be covered by travel insurance. Sporting events can turn passionate supporters into frenzied fanatics. Don’t get carried away in the moment. Remember to keep your wits about you and avoid illegal or reckless behaviour.
5. Make sure you choose a policy that covers all the activities you plan to take part in during your trip.
6. Check the latest travel warnings from DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). You will not be covered if you travel against the government’s advice. Visit www.smartraveller.gov.au for up to date travel advice.
7. Ensure all your travel destinations are covered – this also includes any transit and stopover destinations. Even if you only stop off for a few hours you should make sure you’re covered, just in case.
8. Check that you can contact your provider 24/7 should an emergency arise – InsureandGo have a 24 hour emergency assistance line provided by MAPFRE ASSISTANCE, a multinational insurance, reinsurance and assistance services provider with more than 90 million people insured.
9. Top risks inherent to travelling in Brazil are no different to those when traveling anywhere in South America. Generally speaking, they include food poisoning, traffic accidents, and disease such as Dengue Fever and Malaria. The risk of disease can be addressed by seeking appropriate preventative care before leaving to go to Brazil.

InsureandGo has recorded a more than 40% increase in policies^ to South America during the first quarter of 2014 when comparing to the same period last year, indicating that many Australians are travelling to the World Cup with Insurance.

The Brazilian organisers of the epic event have attempted to ensure that all proceeds smoothly however when dealing with occasions of the scale of the World Cup things can just go wrong. InsureandGo’s General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said events of the scale of the World Cup, no matter how well planned, put a strain on infrastructure and emergency services that can cause unexpected consequences.

“Travellers are well advised to take out comprehensive travel insurance before going to enjoy all that Brazil has to offer,” Mr Kaisin said.

“Claims for the loss of personal items and baggage make up 50% of all claims made from Brazil. Whilst taking common sense precautions for personal belongings will reduce the chances of theft and damage, situations arise where no amount of personal vigilance can help plain bad luck,” Mr Kaisin said.

“The sheer numbers of visitors to Brazil will inevitably put existing infrastructure under additional stress. There will be more people, more bags, more planes, more trains, more buses… more everything. Simply put, more opportunities for things to go wrong.”

The balance of most claims travelling to Brazil relate to travel delay, medical, personal accident and emergency medical events

InsureandGo named Australia’s ‘Best Value Basic Travel’ insurance by Mozo

InsureandGo receives ‘Highly Commended Best Value’ Comprehensive Cover

Sydney, 19 June 2014 – Online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has received the highest possible ranking, the gold medal, from Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison site, Mozo, in their inaugural Experts Choice Travel Insurance Awards.

InsureandGo received the ‘Gold Award’ in the ‘Best Value Basic Cover’ category for its popular One Trip Bare Essentials policy, making it Australia’s best value basic travel insurance policy according to Mozo’s team of impartial experts.

InsureandGo also received the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the ‘Best Value Comprehensive Cover’ category for its Silver policy which was found to be in the top 10% of best value comprehensive policies in the Australian marketplace.

The Mozo Experts Choice Awards were designed to highlight the banking and insurance products in the marketplace that offer the best value to Australian consumers.

Mozo rated 133 policies from 57 Australian travel insurers by gathering quotes for a range of common travel scenarios. Quotes for each scenario were averaged to determine the insurers with the lowest minimum average premiums in the categories of comprehensive and basic travel insurance.

Mozo – which stands for Money Zone – is Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison and reviews site and has one of the most comprehensive online travel insurance databases in Australia. Currently around 300,000 Australians per month use Mozo’s financial comparison services.

InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said that InsureandGo Australia was delighted to have received the gold medal within the ‘Best Value Basic Cover’ category as well as receiving the Highly Commended award in the ‘Best Value Comprehensive Cover’ category.

“This is a great achievement to be recognised by Australia’s leading travel insurance comparison site, Mozo, for the outstanding value and comprehensive cover offered by two of our most popular travel insurance products,” Mr Kaisin said.

“Being a solely online travel insurance provider most certainly gives us a cost advantage; allowing us to pass significant savings on to our customers, without reducing the high level of coverage and assistance that we provide, in areas that really matter to travellers.”

Mozo Director, Kirsty Lamont said that the Mozo Choice Awards are an initiative by Mozo that recognises Australia’s best value financial products and helps Australians save money by choosing the best value products.

“The inaugural Mozo Experts Choice Awards aim to help travellers find the best value insurance and avoid paying too much, allowing travellers to make an informed decision about which is the best travel insurance policy for their needs,” Ms Lamont said.

“Mozo is delighted to award InsureandGo with these two top awards in our independent comparison of 133 policies.

“Significantly, InsureandGo’s ‘One Trip Bare Essentials’ policy has been found to be the best value basic travel insurance policy in Australia.”

Mr Kaisin said we know that price is one of the strongest drivers for consumers when it comes to choosing a travel insurance policy so we are happy that Mozo has found one of our most popular policies to be the the best value basic travel insurance policy in Australia.

“This is further reinforcement of our company’s ambitions, to be Australia’s leading and best value online travel insurance provider,” Mr. Kaisin said

The Mozo Experts Choice Awards use a gold, silver and bronze awards classification system for the top three travel insurers in each category. The remaining top 10% of policies in each category received a Highly Commended award.

InsureandGo is one of world’s largest online travel insurance, established in the UK in 2000 and launched in the Australian marketplace in 2010. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award winning travel insurance policies, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au/.

InsureandGo first to offer a tailored cruise travel insurance policy to the Australian online marketplace

InsureandGo dominates the CANSTAR awards winning both the top travel insurance accolades

InsureandGo receives:

• ‘Outstanding Value for International Travel Insurance’
• ‘Outstanding Value for Domestic Travel Insurance’

Sydney, 04 September 2014 – Online travel insurance provider, InsureandGo has cemented its position as one of Australia’s leading travel insurance providers, achieving the two top accolades in independent reviewer, CANSTAR’s annual travel Insurance report.

InsureandGo has beaten some of the country’s largest insurance providers to achieve the highly coveted ‘Outstanding Value in the International Travel Insurance Award’ as well as winning the ‘Outstanding Value in the Domestic Travel Award’, for the second year running.

InsureandGo was announced as one of the national winners in both of the top categories in CANSTAR’s comparison of 65 travel insurance brands and 208 domestic and international policies in Australia. The outstanding value awards are presented to the insurers that provide a mix of competitive premiums and impressive benefits across a range of travel destinations and coverable events.

InsureandGo General Manager, Sebastian Kaisin said that InsureandGo Australia was delighted to have been recognised as national leaders.

“When we entered the Australian marketplace in 2010 our objective was to provide Australian travelers with travel insurance cover that was both comprehensive and affordable,” Mr Kaisin said.

“In the short time that we have been operating within Australia, we have achieved three CANSTAR awards which is a significant validation of InsureandGo’s strong offering.

“Being backed by one of the world’s largest insurance company’s guarantees that our policies are exceptionally comprehensive whereas operating predominantly in the online space provides us with a cost advantage, allowing us to pass significant savings on to our customers. We feel it is this winning combination that sets us aside from our competitors and has enabled us to reach the top of the CANSTAR award charts for another year.”

The CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings report provides an impartial and transparent analysis of insurance products where CANSTAR’s expert team collect, analyse and research hundreds of policies to determine the best products in each category.

Policies are judged against three common traveller profiles: a single person, a couple (based on two adults who travel together); and a family consisting of two adults and their two children.

CANSTAR, Research Manager, Mitchell Watson congratulated InsureandGo on the outstanding achievement of winning both of this year’s top accolades – the CANSTAR Outstanding Value Domestic Travel Insurance Award and the CANSTAR Outstanding Value International Travel Insurance Award.

“It really is an impressive achievement to win both of the CANSTAR Outstanding Value Awards in a single year. InsureandGo were successful across both top categories thanks to their mix of competitive premium and impressive features.” Mr Watson said.

“A new entrant into the report last year, InsureandGo stormed up the charts to be a 2013 Outstanding Value Travel Insurance Award winner and has strengthened its position this year by repeating its domestic success for a second year running as well as taking the top international spot.”

“Our star ratings system is designed to help consumers increase their chances of finding the right product.”

In reference to InsureandGo’s international travel insurance policies, CANSTAR reported:

InsureandGo has put together a winning combination of price and features in CANSTAR’s international travel insurance ratings. In addition to price, some features of note in InsureandGo’s ‘Gold’ product include:

• Pregnancy cover up to 30 weeks. For many international travel insurance policies, coverage for those who are pregnant ceases at around the 20-week mark. Coverage for up to 30 weeks is a standout feature.
• InsureandGo also offers unlimited medical and unlimited cancellation fees and loss of deposit.
• Collapse of airline. A differentiating feature of InsureandGo is the provision of some coverage for scheduled airline failure. Subject to some conditions, the policy will pay for a one-way airfare home if your original airline becomes insolvent.

“We would encourage you to add five star products to your shopping list when it comes time to purchase travel insurance,” Mr Watson added.

Each travel insurance product reviewed for the CANSTAR Travel Insurance Star Ratings Report is awarded points for its comparative pricing and for the array of positive features attached to the product. These points make up an overall value, which is then converted into a number of stars.

“We know that price is one of the strongest drivers for consumers when it comes to choosing a travel insurance policy so we are very happy that CANSTAR has identified both our international and domestic cover as providing outstanding value to Australian travelers.

“This is further reinforcement of our company’s ambitions, to be Australia’s leading and best value online travel insurance provider,” Mr. Kaisin said.

Worried about your child heading overseas for schoolies week?

InsureandGo urges parents to make sure their children have a sufficient level of travel insurance cover for Schoolies Week

Sydney, 16 October 2014 – With increasing numbers of school-leavers opting to travel to exotic international destinations for their end-of-school celebrations, award-winning online travel insurance provider InsureandGo is urging parents to consider the benefits of comprehensive travel insurance.

Schoolies Week is a rite of passage for many young Australians finishing year 12; a time to celebrate all the hard work of the previous year as well as the beginning of adulthood. However, for their parents, it can be a time of anxiousness – especially when it involves travelling to a foreign destination such as Fiji or Bali.

InsureandGo customer Jayne from Crescent Head, NSW, recently purchased an InsureandGo gold travel insurance policy^ for her 17-year-old daughter, Sophie, who is travelling to Fiji on an organised schoolies trip in early December. Even though the resort has its own security, Jayne said she is still a bit apprehensive about her daughter heading to Fiji to celebrate schoolies week.

“It’s really concerning sending your 17-year-old child overseas, on their own for the first time. Although I have complete faith in my daughter, I wanted to have the peace of mind that she would be fully covered should the unexpected happen during the trip,” said Jayne.

“The fact that InsureandGo’s policy^ offered unlimited medical expenses was a huge draw for me as other companies that I looked at didn’t offer such extensive cover. I wanted to make sure Sophie would be covered for everything she needed should she get sick on the island.” InsureandGo General Manager Sebastian Kaisin said that even if you think your child is covered by their Schoolie Week tour operator, you should still consider comprehensive travel insurance that will cover all aspects of their trip. Furthermore, parents will have the peace of mind knowing that there is a 24-hour emergency assistance service should the unforseen happen.

Jayne purchased the policy^ for her daughter, Sophie, a few months ahead of the schoolies trip so that Sophie was also covered for trip cancellation should something happen prior to the trip that prevented her from travelling.

“I shopped around online and found that InsureansdGo’s policy^ was not only cheaper than the other companies I looked at – including the policy being offered by the schoolies tour operator – but more importantly, their gold policy^ covered all the big things that a parent worries about such as medical evacuation, unlimited medical expenses, 24 hour emergency assistance and trip cancellation as well as covering the smaller things like theft of valuables, baggage damage and flight disruptions. Above all, I wanted to ensure that Sophie would be covered for everything she needed should she get sick on the island,” said Jayne.

“I found the quote online and then had to telephone the call centre to book due to Sophie’s age; however, the whole process was really easy, and the team were very helpful.

“As a family, we never travel without travel insurance, so for as long as I have a say in Sophie’s travel plans, I won’t let her travel without it.”

Last November, InsureandGo saw a significant increase in the number of international policies^ purchased by or for 16 and 17-year-olds, with 166% more polices^ sold to this age group compared to the previous month. InsureandGo expect to see a similar increase this November as masses of young Australians head overseas to celebrate Schoolies Week.

“In preparation for Schoolies Week, it’s advisable for parents to take out travel insurance for their child, even if they are travelling within Australia, but especially if they are going overseas to destinations such as Bali or Fiji,” said Mr Kaisin.

With only a few weeks until Schoolies Week, now is the time for parents with children travelling overseas to remember that when their child leaves Australia, they leave behind essential support systems such as medical facilities and emergency services, and they enter a country with unfamiliar laws, service networks and cultural norms.

“With more young Australians taking part in ‘off the beaten track’ adventures and even volunteering packages during Schoolies Week, parents are encouraged to read the PDS (product disclosure statement) to ensure the policy^ they purchase covers their child for all the activities they plan to participate in,” Mr Kaisin added.

Having the correct level of travel insurance will ensure that school leavers are covered should the unforeseen happen during their trip. This can range from small incidents, such as theft or loss of belongings, to more serious incidents that require emergency assistance.

Recent InsureandGo claims data shows that the most common claims for 16 and 17-year-old travellers is loss of a mobile phone followed by medical expenses, especially dehydration and stomach bugs.

Many parents may not realise that InsureandGo will cover 16 and 17-year-olds travelling by themselves, i.e. without adult supervision, although bookings for all children 0-17 years of age must be made by calling the InsureandGo Call Centre on 1300 552 701. Only children under 16 need to be travelling with an adult for their cover to be valid.

Parents can gain peace of mind from as a little as $45*, with InsureandGo’s affordable comprehensive travel insurance policies^.

InsureandGo was recently awarded the two top accolades in independent reviewer, CANSTAR’s annual travel Insurance report, achieving the highly coveted ‘Outstanding Value in the International Travel Insurance Award’ as well as winning the ‘Outstanding Value in the Domestic Travel Award’, for the second year running.

InsureandGo is one of the world’s largest online travel insurance companies. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award-winning travel insurance policies^, please visit https://www.insureandgo.com.au.

* Price derived from a single trip of 5 days, Individual, age 30, to New Zealand, Pacific & Bali region. Cover for pre-existing medical may require an extra premium.

Europ Assistance acquires MAPFRE Asistencia’s InsureandGo Australia

We are excited to announce that InsureandGo Australia has been acquired by Europ Assistance

Europ Assistance has a global presence in more than 200 countries, with a network of more than 750,000 assistance providers averaging 10 million assistance interventions every year. In 2019 alone, Europ Assistance helped 1.2 million travellers worldwide. The customer is the absolute focus for Europ Assistance and this is summed up in its motto: “You live, we care”. In serious emergency situations, customers know they can find comfort and empathy in Europ Assistance, an immediate global response, with reliability and efficiency.

Europ Assistance is a subsidiary of the Generali Group. Generali is one of the largest global insurance and asset management providers. Established in 1831, it is present in 50 countries in the world, with more than 72 thousand employees serving 65.9 million customers*

With this in mind, our existing and new customers can be rest assured that you are in the safest hands when travelling domestically or abroad.

If you have any questions about this exciting news, please contact us on 1300 401 177

We look forward to continuing to serve our customers to the highest standards into the future and wish you all a safe and enjoyable trip.

The InsureandGo team

 

*Figures as at December 31, 2020

Global survey by Europ Assistance reveals political, economic and lifestyle factors Australians are worried about when booking international holidays

Global report for the 2023 Holiday Barometer by Europ Assistance can be found here

Travelling internationally comes with risk, from lost luggage and delayed flights to more serious issues such as social unrest, health risks and terrorist attacks. However, such troubles can be navigated safely by savvy travellers through adequate research and following Government warnings, insurance policies and measuring the likelihood of risk. New research commissioned by Europ Assistance has revealed the current risks and considerations that Australians identify as essential when booking a holiday to an overseas destination, from terrorism and social unrest to the climate, and the quality of internet access.

The research was commissioned by leading global assistance company, Europ Assistance, the parent company of award-winning Australian travel insurer InsureandGo. The report comes from the Europ Assistance 2023 Holiday Barometer, an annual global survey of 15000 Europ Assistance customers from 15 countries designed to uncover travel trends. Australia was included in the research for the first time this year after Europ Assistance’s acquisition of InsureandGo and Tick Travel Insurance.

Respondents were asked to indicate from the following factors, whether they played an essential role, an important but not essential role, or a secondary role in their choice of international holiday destination.

Over 70% of Aussies say the destination economy is relevant to their choice of location

Poor economies can come with all sorts of risks for travellers, and Australians seem to understand this. Developing countries can offer poor water quality, a limited range of food choices, and may not offer many of the modern comforts and conveniences that travellers from Western countries have come to rely on. Three-quarters (71 per cent) of Australian respondents in the survey indicated the economic situation in the destination country was important to them. This includes 21 per cent who indicated the destination economy played an essential role in their decision-making.

3 in 4 Aussies don’t want to travel to cities and regions with high crime rates

Personal safety is high on the list of priorities for Aussie travellers. Being the victim of an attack or theft can cause long-term trauma, major travel disruptions, and high hospital or recovery costs for those who choose to travel without insurance. It’s no surprise then that three-quarters (74 per cent) of respondents believe the risk of a personal attack, such as a hold-up or theft, is an essential or important factor in their choice of a holiday destination.

2 in 3 will avoid destinations where they can’t speak the language

According to ABS data, only one-fifth (21 per cent) of Australians speak a language other than English at home.[1] The Europ Assistance survey found that the respondent’s ability to speak the destination country’s language is important or essential for 65 per cent of respondents when making the decision on an international destination.

2 in 3 respondents will avoid destinations that increase their COVID-19 infection risks

The World Health Organisation has declared COVID no longer a public health emergency of international concern.[1] Despite this, 89 per cent of Tasmanian respondents identified the risk of infection as an essential or important role in their choice of destination. This was followed by 78 per cent of ACT respondents, an equal 66 per cent of respondents from NSW and Victoria, 64 per cent from the Northern Territory, and 59 per cent from South Australia.

Ecological footprint is essential for just 6 per cent of retirees

Climate change is a pressing issue at the forefront of global government and business reform, with young people likely to bear a greater burden from its impacts[2]. Tourism is responsible for roughly 8 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions.[3] Despite this, only 6 per cent of over-65s respondents considered the ecological footprint of their trip as an essential consideration when booking an international holiday. Only 8 per cent of respondents aged 45-54 responded the same way, compared with 18 per cent of both those aged 55-64 and those aged 18-24, 20 per cent of those aged 25-34 and 25 per cent of those aged 35-44.

Terrorism and the war in Ukraine

Smart Traveller continues to identify international terrorism as “a threat to Australians living and travelling overseas”[4]. However, only 21 per cent of Tasmanian survey respondents identified the risk of terrorism as an essential consideration in their holiday booking, as did 23 per cent of Queenslanders, 25 per cent of South Australians, 34 per cent of Victorians, an equal 35 per cent of NSW and West Australian respondents, 36 per cent of Northern Territory respondents and 41 per cent of ACT respondents.

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit on the impact of the Ukraine war on European tourism specified that the war would affect Europe’s tourism industry in four ways, including a loss of Russian and Ukrainian tourists, restrictions on airlines and use of airspace, higher food and fuel costs, and a significant hit to traveller confidence and disposable incomes.[5] While 49 per cent of the survey respondents consider the war as essential or important in their choice of destination, only 17 per cent deem the war an essential consideration  Older age groups are less concerned: 10 per cent of respondents aged 45-54, 13 per cent of over-65s and 17 per cent of those aged 55-64 deem it an essential consideration. This compares with 18 per cent of under-25s adults, 20 per cent of those aged 25-34 and 25 per cent of respondents aged 35-44.

InsureandGo spokesperson and Chief Commercial Officer Jonathan Etkind says, “The survey results show that Australian travellers have high levels of concern when a destination is likely to impact them personally. The war in Ukraine and the carbon footprint of their travel, for example, are less of a concern as these are unlikely to disrupt their trip.

“We expect that each person’s ecological footprint will become an increasing concern in future years, along with education and awareness about low-carbon travel options. Travel insurance is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for travellers to protect their health and finances in the event of some travel risks, including ill health, COVID-19 infection, theft and natural disasters. It is important for travellers to do adequate research and be aware of specific risks when heading overseas.”

[1] ABS. 2016.

[2] WHO. 2023.

[3] Responding to the Impacts of the Climate Crisis on Children and Youth. 2019.

[4] Sustainable Travel International.

[5] Smart Traveller. 2023.

Tips for Travelling Fulltime: Things I Learned Fast & Never Forgot

November 30, 2016

Let’s face it – many of us would love to quit our jobs, pack it all in, and spend a few months (or years!) travelling the world. If you’ve got a gap year, a backpacking stint or even just a few months of exploration in mind, here are my tips:

1. Fly with local (cheaper) airlines

I can’t describe how much this helped me save. It means avoiding popular search comparison sites, which sometimes only index larger airlines, and seeking out the underdogs – and their cheap fares.

For instance, I just did a little impromptu search on a one-way flight from Paris to Munich. On the big-name sites, the cheapest fare came in at around $250. But on less prominent sites, I was able to find a flight for just $48 on smaller, local airline, a result which wasn’t included on those more popular search sites.

2. Dress like the locals do

This was something I wanted to do straight off the bat (in non-westernised countries) because I wanted to feel like less of a tourist – and more at home.

It doesn’t necessarily mean buying a whole new outfit, but simple things like a scarf or a colourful skirt can help you feel like you’re connecting a little more with the culture.

3. Make the effort to stay in touch

With both friends and family back home, and with new people you meet along the way. Simple things like email and social media worked well for me.

It meant I could get the support I needed when I was feeling lonely or homesick, and that I could easily stay in touch with new friends I’d made, even organising to meet up with them again or at a different destination.

4. Buy travel insurance

Travel insurance can be a lifesaver, particularly on long trips like these. Only a few things went wrong for me, but it was great to have someone there to help when I needed it most (especially in those non-English speaking countries).

And it also helped me save (via claims) a lot of money that I would’ve otherwise lost.

Overall, I found that Backpackers travel insurance worked best for me – it meant that I could travel for as long as I liked (well, up to 1.5 years, which was plenty of time) and that I had cover for things like medical, hospital, emergencies, baggage, valuables, sports and activities, and more.

5. Be friendly

It’s surprisingly how far a smile and a greeting in the local language goes. I met new people this way, made friends this way, and even got help when I was lost or unsure.

6. One last thing – don’t waste time

Rest is important, but don’t get lazy. Get up early to see sunrises or stay out to attend night markets. Relax on beaches, but also go for hikes and sign up for tours and activities. Do as much as you can. You probably will only get to travel fulltime once or twice in your life, so make the most of it!