If you’re looking to set off on an international or domestic holiday, then travel insurance is something that you should consider along with your more exciting holiday plans. Travel insurance is available for both international and domestic travel. Read on to find out everything you need to know about travel insurance, including answers to FAQs.
What does travel insurance cover?
Different types of travel insurance policies can have different inclusions, such as cover against any or all of the following:
- Medical expenses while travelling (which can be substantial in many countries around the world).
- Access to free telehealth services.
- COVID-19 travel impacts (such as costs associated with trip cancellations or amendments).
- The loss of your luggage, travel documents or personal items like phones, laptops or cameras.
- The excess on a rental vehicle if you’re involved in an accident.
- Adventure sport or activity accidents.
- Repatriation costs if you are stranded overseas.
How much does travel insurance cost?
This depends on a range of factors, such as:
- The type of policy you get.
- The extent of the cover you have.
- The number of people covered by the policy.
- The extent of any pre-existing medical conditions that you may have.
- Where you are going (some countries are riskier than others).
- The length of your trip.
- Your age (usually older travellers have higher premiums).
- The excess on any claims. The excess is the amount you need to pay (if anything) if you need to make a claim. The lower your excess, the higher your premium (and vice versa).
When purchasing travel insurance, make sure you read the product disclosure statement before you take out a travel insurance policy (so that you know the extent of your coverage and any exclusions). It’s also vitally important to disclose all relevant information on your travel insurance policy application.
The pros and cons of travel insurance
The major benefit of travel insurance is that it can give you peace of mind and protection if something goes wrong on your holiday. There’s nothing worse than being a long way from home and having something bad happen — especially if it costs you a lot of money to rectify because you don’t have travel insurance!
The only real con of travel insurance is that there is a cost. But the cost of not having it is likely to be far greater if something goes wrong on your holiday. If you happened to face any issues while you’re away, you’d certainly be glad you took out your policy!
Where can you get travel insurance?
Cover More is a travel insurance option for New Zealanders who want to travel domestically or overseas. They have a comprehensive range of policies to suit different travel plans and budgets.
Where can you get further travel advice?
Safe Travel provides up-to-date travel tips and advice for New Zealanders travelling internationally. One of its key pieces of advice is to take out travel insurance. “If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.”
The bottom line
Travel insurance can help to ensure that your holiday doesn’t cost far more than it should. It can also protect you against your trip being cancelled or delayed and is well worth considering for all travellers.