Travel Insurance for Expat Australians

"Don't leave home without it", applies to travel insurance, with the major concern being medical problems overseas although your most frequent claims are going to be around the cost of travel disruption and baggage loss. So the question is what is the most cost effective insurance on a value for money basis. In short you'll need to do some shopping around but it will rarely, if ever, be found at your travel agent. The best deals are online and we suggest a couple of sites to start with below.

The things you should look for are:

• The level of cover, particularly in the “high cost” areas such as medical cover and repatriation, cancellation, loss of baggage and personal liability.
• The cost of cover, and
• The bona fides of the insurance underwriter – the size and reputation of the insurance company which stands behind the policy.

Just a hint; if you are going to be using hire cars a lot while overseas, get a policy that covers you for the excess payable if your rental vehicle is stolen, crashed or damaged. Car rental companies make more money from insurance than renting the car and this can save you a large amount of money.

We suggest you consider the following online providers below in any comparison - but expatriates need to be particularly careful when it comes to ensuring that the policy covers your situation (particularly if resident in certain countries). Read any fine print carefully and contact the company directly if in doubt.

If you are Resident outside of Australia:

If you are resident outside Australia then we would suggest you consider insurance through World Nomads - they provide cover for people resident in over 150 countries, with online claims and the ability to extend coverage while you are overseas. It covers adventure activities such as skiing and snowboarding. The underwriters are a variety of major insurers depending on the country of residency; please check for your individual country.

If you are Resident in Australia

Travel Insurance Direct (TID) policies can be taken out if the journey is commencing inside of Australia. Those taking out the policy must hold an Australian passport or be an Australian permanent resident to qualify for cover. The underwriter is Allianz.

If you are a Temporary Resident in Australia

If you are a temporary resident of Australia, working in Australia perhaps on a 457 visa, then travel cover can be difficult arrange, but is available from Insure4Less if you have been resident in Australia for 3 months. The underwriter is Lloyds of London.

If you are aged over 70

Finding and arranging travel insurance on a competitive basis when aged over 70 can be difficult, and we suggest you do your research well in advance of the trip. One Australian provider who specifically covers senior travellers is 1Cover Travel Insurance.