Backpacker Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is as important as choosing the right sleeping bag or hiking boots when planning a backpacking trip. However, when you go about comparing policies, you'll get several unique options which include:

Basic

Basic coverage, as the name suggests, is designed to cover the bare essentials when travelling. Depending on your insurer, it can cover you for emergency medical, evacuation and repatriation expenses, as well as personal liability if you're found liable for an injury to someone else or damage to their property. There may also be further coverage included under this type of policy with some insurers, such as cancellation, disruption and personal effects cover, though these will generally come with lower claim limits than comprehensive travel insurance.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive insurance can offer a broader range of benefits and higher claim limits than basic travel cover. While the insurance premium on this type of coverage tends to cost more, it can cover you for a more extensive range of benefits. This includes unlimited emergency medical expense cover, up to an unlimited cost (which may be the same as basic cover) as well as all the other benefits listed above at higher claim limits (subject to your insurer's terms and conditions). Furthermore, you may also be offered cover for eligible claims such as permanent disability, accidental death, delay of luggage and theft of cash up to your insurer's set limit (provided the circumstances qualify for coverage).

International

There are plenty of risks to consider when exploring overseas, whether you're backpacking through Ireland or travelling through France on a budget, so travel insurance should be on the top of your checklist if you're heading abroad. Your coverage under this type of policy will depend on your profile, your insurer's terms and conditions and whether you decide to purchase a basic or comprehensive policy.

Domestic

Looking to soak up Uluru in a swag or explore the Sunshine State on two feet? Domestic travel insurance can cover you for most of the same areas as international insurance, though medical expense cover won't be included in these policies due to Medicare and private health insurance being in place in Australia.

Annual

Annual, or multi-trip, travel insurance is designed for travellers who are planning multiple trips over a 12-month period, acting as a single policy which can cover you for all your trips within this period. This type of insurance will come with a set maximum individual trip duration, with some insurers setting this at no more than 90 days per single trip taken.

Single-trip

A single-trip policy is different from an annual one, as it can cover you for the entire duration of one round trip, starting and ending in Australia. There are some insurers which can offer cover for trips as long as 12 months in total.

One-way

If your lengthy backpacking trip has no set end date, some travel insurance companies offer ‘one-way' policies which cover you if you have no return flight booked. These policies can come with basic and comprehensive options, with some insurers offering protection for up to 12 months after you depart Australia. They may also provide you with the ability to extend your coverage while overseas up to a maximum of two years in total, though this won't always be the case, so it's worth comparing insurers to help determine what you can be covered for in this area.