In all the excitement of planning of your travel it’s easy to just choose the first travel insurance policy you come across however they are not all created equal! It’s important to understand exactly what is covered and what isn’t.

General coverage

Most comprehensive travel insurance will cover you for the following (but be sure to double check yours does)

• Medical and dental care
• Delayed, lost or stolen bags and personal items
• Cancellation or reduced duration of your trip due to unforeseen circumstances
• Excess on rental vehicles
• Changes in your travel plans e.g. flight cancellation or delay including alternative transport if you are going to a special event
• Delayed, lost or stolen bags and personal items
• Personal liability
• Participation in outdoor or sporting activities such as SCUBA diving, snow and water sports, fishing, tramping and cycling

All travel insurance policies will have specific criteria and exclusions.

Exclusions and special cover

Travel insurance companies are unlikely to insure some activities or incidents:

• self-inflicted injury
• criminal acts committed by you
• loss resulting from intoxication
• loss of unattended items
• cancellation (or non supply) or prebooked activities
• all aspects of travel to a place for which there is an official travel advisory
• a missed flight
• unlicensed travel – if you are injured as a result of an accident by any unlicensed driver

There are some things that may not be automatically covered in a standard travel insurance policy. It may be possible to cover some of these if you pay an additional charge.

• pre-existing conditions (including pregnancy, mental illness, addiction, and elective surgery)
• injuries arising from some sports – this can include skiing, motorsports, skydiving and climbing. Bungee jumping and zip lining are generally covered now but if you intend to do these, double check your policy.
• multiple destinations
• weather related cancellations
• personal belongings that exceed a certain dollar value eg jewellery, computers/laptops, cameras and phones

An insurance policy is a contract – it is not a catch-all coverage for every possible event or outcome so be sure to read the fine print.