Case Study: Travel Insurance for 1 week in Bali

So I've got a week of leave coming up and I wanted to take a relaxing holiday to Bali, Indonesia. This will be a slightly different holiday than I am used to. I'm usually heading for more adventurous locations and doing the whole backpacker thing but this is a chance to just to have a break and relax in the sun. I've bought some cheap airfares tickets from Jetstar (avoid their travel insurance) and booked my accommodation at Expedia. Got a great deal on a 4 star resort!

 

Now comes the tricky part. Buying travel insurance.

Jetstar offer travel insurance (which was selected by default) but I wanted to shop around so passed on that. There aren't any comparison websites that offer a wide selection of the major brands so I'll need to visit them individually.

 

First, lets work out what I need cover for:

- Medical and hospital is without doubt the most important. There have been many cases of people becoming sick or injured in Bali and it ranks as the most dangerous holiday location for Australians. Ideally I'll look for unlimited medical and repatriation (ie, getting flow home to an Australian hospital).

- Cancellation. I've only got a week for holidays so I don't want to risk it being ruined if the plane or accommodation is cancelled.

- Luggage. I'll be taking my HTC Android Smartphone ($800), iPad ($700) and Laptop ($1200) which I'd like to cover with travel insurance. Plus general cover for all my other baggage.

- Other things? Anything else is really just a bonus. I don't plan on renting a car or riding a scooter or motorcycle. No adventure sports are on the adgenda though I might do some kayaking and snorkeling.

 

Lets look at some travel insurance contenders

My trip details are: 1 week in Bali for a Single aged 30 years old.

Travel Insurance Direct
Cost: $39.00 ($63 with additional item cover)
Medical: Unlimited
Cancellation: Unlimited
Luggage: $12000 with per item limit of $700. Brings the cost to $63 to cover my laptop and phone.
Reviews of Travel Insurance Direct 

Worldcare
Cost: $33.30
Medical: Unlimited
 Cancellation: Unlimited
Luggage: $12000 with per item limit of $3000 for computers, $1000 for phones, and $750 for others.
Reviews of Worldcare Travel Insurance  

InsureandGo (Silver)
Cost: $45.15
Medical: Unlimited
Cancellation: $15,000
Luggage: $6000 with per item limit of $4000.
Reviews of InsureandGo

1Cover
Cost: $45.00
Medical: Unlimited
Cancellation: Unlimited
Luggage: $5000 with per item limit of $3000 for computers, $1000 for phones, and $750 for others. Reviews of 1Cover Travel Insurance  

iTrek Travel Insurance
Cost: $44.94
Medical: Unlimited
Cancellation: Unlimited
Luggage: $5000 with per item limit of $3000 for computers, $1000 for phones, and $750 for others. Reviews of iTrek Travel Insurance

 

Which travel insurance did I pick?

The stand out for me was Worldcare Travel Insurance. It was by far the cheapest and covered everything I could want and more. I was surprised that the item limits were so low on the Travel Insurance Direct policy and it costs a lot more than any other company to cover my laptop, phone, and tablet.

Remember to read the PDS and take your personal circumstances into account when buying travel insurance. This blog post is not financial advice but just my individual story.