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.

New website for Travel Insurance Direct

Travel Insurance Direct have a new website that introduces a new look to the brand and emphasises the TID acronym. It features bold blue colours with the focal point being the online quote function. Policy coverage is not changing although there are small updates from time to time. Pricing may change frequently and is not related to the website update.

Also, Travel Insurance Direct recently  moved to a new underwriter, Loyds, after being with Allianz for a number of years. Their PDS and schedule of benefits are mostly the same but potential customers should read them fully to ensure they will be covered for what they need. Existing customers are covered under the policy in effect at the time of purchase. Travel Insurance Direct can supply the correct PDS and provide further information.

Read more about Travel Insurance Direct, including customer reviews: http://www.travel-insurance-reviews.com/travel-insurance-direct/

No Travel Insurance in Bali - $45,000+ cost

You may have recently read about the Australian Nurse who, while holidaying in Lombok (Bali), drank a poisoned cocktail. She become very sick and had to be flown back to Australia at a cost of over $45,000. She has terrible injuries and may be permanently affected. This is a terrible incident that also highlights the need for travel insurance.

The travellers took all reasonable precautions and certainly weren't expecting to need medical assistance. They went to a reputable restaurant and ordered a local cocktail. Disaster can strike when you least expect and it is best to always be prepared. Travel Insurance doesn't have to be expensive and many companies offer a budget or medial only travel insurance plan that would have been great in this circumstance for paying the medical bills in Bali and medical evacuation back to Australia.

Make sure you take out travel insurance on your next international holiday. An Australian going to Bali for a week can pay as little as $23.54 for Bronze cover with iTrek Travel Insurance which covers unlimited Medical costs. With iTrek Platinum cover costs $46.01 and also has coverage for luggage, cancellations, theft of document or cash. An alternate travel insurance company is Worldcare Travel Insurance whom offer a Budget plan for $28 and comprehensive travel insurance for $47.


*Note - prices correct at time of publishing for 1 adult under 60 travelling to Bali from Australia for 1 week and is an Australian citizen.

Travel Insurance Direct Coupon Discount Code

Travel Insurance Direct have released a new coupon for 10% off. Travel Insurance is vital for all overseas trips, be they for a holiday or business purposes. Even if you are only going on a domestic holiday in Australia it is still a good idea. Read reviews on travel insurance to help find the right one for you.

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The latest reviews on Travel Insurance Direct are online at www.travel-insurance-reviews.com/travel-insurance-direct/

Enjoy your trip!

Travel Insurance - 5 Features To Watch For

Medical Fees - Do you have to pay upfront?

When travelling overseas and need to receive medical treatment at a doctor or hospital your travel insurance doesn't always payout upfront. Quite often you'll need lodge a claim when you get home. Before seeing a doctor, or as soon as possible if its an emergency, call your insurance provider and inform them what is occurring. They'll be able to tell you if they have a recommended medical provide and what you need  to do to claim the costs back.

It is preferable to have the insurance pay for your hospital or doctors costs upfront as this saves you from putting the fees on your credit card or attempting to organise the money from friends or family, especially if its a high cost incident.

Overseas Emergency Assistance - Who to call?

All travel insurance companies have some form procedure for being notified of emergency events and how to handle them. Always look for a policy that offers local telephone numbers to call in a wide range of countries. This will make it easier to contact them if something goes wrong. Reverse charge numbers don't work in all countries so should be avoided if you are going anywhere slightly off the beaten track. Calling back to your own country can end up being hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending which country you are in.

Always ensure you have the emergency assistance contact information with you at all times while travelling and store a separate copy in your luggage and in an online storage or email account.

Excess

A small excess is very useful for comprehensive travel insurance because it allows you to claim on a wider range of items. Many policies offer an excess buyout for a fee (reduces the excess to $0). This is often a very good idea as it means that you are able to claim on anything that you are able to and will get the full amount back. If you are going for a backpacker or medical only travel insurance policy the excess may be of less importance as you will most likely only claim for high cost events where the excess is just a small percentage of the total amount.

Sports and adventure activity coverage

Certain adventurous activities are automatically covered by travel insurance policies, these are usually low risk sports or activities such as bushwalking, snorkelling, and cycling. Higher risk activities like sky diving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing may be covered for an extra premium but some policies do cover these as standard. You should confirm directly with the insurance company if you are doing any of these activities.

Pre-existing conditions

Many of us have certain medical conditions that could potentially cause problems when on holiday. Things like asthma, arthritis, allergies. Sometimes these will be covered by the insurance policy, other times they will not and some with stop you from getting the travel insurance policy. These are listed in the PDS and you should contact the travel insurance company directly if you have any pre-existing medical conditions.

Reviews

Reading customer reviews is very helpful as it provides an overview of the claims and assistance services that you can't get from reading the travel insurance PDS or from the businesses website. Make sure you take not of the ease and speed of claims and whether the company tries to get out of settling claims where ever possible.