Travel Insurance For Your Australian Journey

April 15, 2009 By

Knowing which travel insurance policy to select can be difficult. Should you choose the cheapest policy? Do you need medical coverage? Do I really need travel insurance at all? All of these questions can easily be answered by considering just a few simple facts and knowing exactly what to look for in your travel insurance policy.

Give it thought ahead of time
Travel insurance should definitely be purchased if you are traveling outside of Australia, and should at least be considered if you are traveling extensively or far from home even throughout the country. Review your existing insurance and medical policies to ascertain if you are fully covered for loss or injury while traveling. Keep in mind the nature of your travel and the length. If you are venturing into the Amazon or plan on being abroad for a large amount of time, you’re coverage needs may be just a little more than extensive than someone who is traveling to visit Grandma. If you travel frequently consider annual multi-trip insurance, if you don’t travel very much then purchasing single trip insurance may be wiser. If your current coverage is inadequate then you should find a travel insurance policy that includes the following attributes.

Medical travel insurance
Your health is more important than anything else when you are traveling. If you are sick or injured while traveling you want to make sure that you are covered. Private hospitals throughout the world range from affordable to downright exorbitant. Make sure your travel insurance policy covers your hospital stay, medicines, medical evacuation, and any health conditions that you have. You can even purchase medical only insurance if you’d like.

Lost luggage and travel cancellations & delays
We all know that when it comes to travel, Murphy’s Law is the only law, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Of course no one wants to get to the baggage claim in a foreign country only to discover that your insurance is lost, or to approach the ticket counter to find out that your flight has been cancelled..indefinitely. But guess what? It happens. Refuse to be a victim of circumstances; make sure your travel insurance covers the full loss or theft of your luggage from a car, hotel, airport, and any other reasonable place.

Quality over cost
Purchasing cheap travel insurance should not be your ultimate goal when selecting a travel insurance policy. Everyone loves getting a bargain but insuring that your health and property are adequately covered in case of an emergency is much more important than saving a few dollars. Purchase direct travel insurance or comprehensive travel insurance only after receiving several quotes and remember that travel insurance should cover your travel needs from the moment you begin your trip.

Filed Under: Travel Insurance Tagged With: , , ,

Australian and Gold Coast Holidays In The Current Economic Climate

April 14, 2009 By

Most of Australia’s best holiday destinations are on its east coast. With the bulk of the country’s population living in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, it is really convenient to travel to the closest destinations, especially during the current credit crisis and while the Aussie dollar is low against the greenback. Queensland travel destinations like the Whitsunday Islands and the Gold Coast are showing a marked resilience to the current drop off in tourist numbers. Gold Coast accommodation has been in high demand over the Christmas and New Year periods despite predictions that there would be high vacancy factors. There has not yet been many signs in the domestic travel market in these regions that a recession is looming.

The main tourist areas on the Gold Coast like Surfers paradise, Broadbeach and Main beach have been fully booked over the Christmas, New Year break. Reports from tour operators on Fraser Island say that conditions are actually booming. Managing director of the Fraser Island co. Mr. Shane Boyd said they were experiencing their busiest holiday period for over five years and there were still plenty of inbound group bookings out of Europe, well into the New Year. The level of the Australian dollar against the Euro was obviously having a positive effect, he said. The Whitsunday Islands are always a popular tourist destination for Australians because it is so easy to get to. With a domestic airport on Hamilton Island you can fly right to the resort and it can’t get any easier than that. Regular daily flights operate from all southern capitals.

While the immediate future of the economy is still running into uncharted water, it is still a little uncertain how levels of participation in the travel industry will be affected however a low Australian Dollar is positive for both domestic and international visits alike so hopefully the impact in 2009 will not be as dire as some pundits have been predicting.

Filed Under: Destinations, NSW, Qld, Vic Tagged With: , , , ,

Cairns: Experiencing the Best of North Queensland

April 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

As far as resort towns go, Cairns is definitely a keeper. Let’s start with its magnificent location, nestled between the Great Dividing Range and the Great Barrier Reef. Visitors on holiday in Cairns have the rare opportunity to witness some of the most awe-inspiring sites of Queensland, if not Australia.

The sheer diversity offered by the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, which are, incidentally, both natural wonders of the world, make Cairns, Australia a popular vacation destination for million of visitors every year.

The pristine, unspoiled environment of Cairns makes it the perfect holiday destination for visitors looking for eco tours and outdoor adventures, including some of the most extreme sports adventures around. This is the Queensland destination for snorkeling, hiking, surfing, sailing and swimming, just to name a few!

 

Cairns, Queensland

Cairns, Queensland

 

 

A great spot to become one with nature is Port Douglas, which offers easy access to both the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Spend the day snorkeling among rainbow-colored coral, diving off the coast or exploring the beauty and tranquility of the lush rainforest. While in Port Douglas you will also want to make time to experience the Mossman Gorge and Four Mile Beach.

Of, if your prefer, use your time in Cairns to laze along the many beaches, including Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove Beach and Ellis Beach, jus to name a few.
Cairns, although certainly a special location for enjoying the breathtaking beauty of North Queensland, is also a beautiful resort town, dotted with beautiful accommodation, splendid cuisine and loads of culture and entertainment.

Palm Cove Beach and Trinity Beach, for example, boast great, luxury accommodation. The five-star resorts found in this area of Cairns speak of high-end luxury and service, and are a fine example of some of the outstanding accommodation available in Cairns.

Luxury resorts aside, there is also a nice variety of affordable Cairns accommodation, as well. QLD Travel can find you great travel packages and cheap travel deals while staying in Cairns. The hotels of Cairns often offer cheap deals, and QLD Travel can find them for you.

Always make sure you purchase full cover travel insurance before you leave – that way you can be assured of a completely stress free vacation!

Filed Under: Qld Tagged With: , , , ,

Backpacker Travel Insurance

March 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Spending a year backpacking is a dream that many young Australians pursue, so to ensuring things go smoothly it pays to have backpacker travel insurance. Backpacker travel is a great adventure, one that many young adults will pursue during a gap year or post university. As a backpacker you don’t want to spend a fortune on insurance, so finding a cheap policy that will take care of you and your possessions is important. Finding suitable insurance for your specific needs is one way to be certain that your dream adventure remains just that.

Whether you decide to travel around Australia or backpack around Europe, Asia or beyond; backpacker insurance will ensure you have cover targeted to your unique needs. Backpacker travel is generally more flexible and undertaken on a tighter budget than other forms of travel. Travelling with all your possessions in your backpack gives you freedom to change your plans or create new ones as you go. For cheap backpacker insurance, many people are opting to book online, saving time and money by doing so.

In Australia backpacker travel insurance will cover you for many of the usual things, such as emergency medical cover, loss of personal items, personal liability and so on. These things are crucial to ensure you don’t end up stuck in a remote location ill or without essential items if you lose your belongings. Additionally you’ll find there is backpacker insurance that will cover you for trip cancellation; which means peace of mind if you are unfortunate enough to have to cancel part or all of your trip for unexpected reasons.

Further options that the intrepid backpacker may like to consider include insurance options for rescue and repatriation and protection for adventure activities. If you’re a keen scuba diver, surfer or skiier – then paying a little extra could be the best option to cover yourself fully on you backpacker travels. These additional options for backpacker insurance will mean you’re fully protected for just a small additional cost. This could be invaluable if you’re injured during your travels. To be sure you have the precise cover you require from these insurance options, review your policy carefully and double check that your insurance fully covers you for your backpacker adventure.

Searching for insurance on the internet makes finding a cheap option in backpacker travel insurance for your holiday a breeze. If your trip takes you around Australia or around the world, backpacker travel insurance is a must have for backpackers who want to be certain that they are properly covered during their ultimate backpacking adventure. Travelling with a backpack doesn’t exclude you from needing the same basic insurance as any traveller. As a backpacker traveller the key is to be certain you have the necessary additional cover to enjoy a wide range of activities on you backpacker adventure.

Filed Under: Travel Insurance Tagged With: , , ,

Great Saving Tip For Ski Holiday Travel Insurance

March 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Planning a snow holiday? Look around and discover the cost savings that can be made by buying ski travel insurance direct. You can find budget deals and low cost accommodation offers, as well as get cheap travel insurance that is affordable. Really affordable!

Cut out the middleman and buy insurance direct!

Avoid purchasing travel insurance from those same travel agencies or tour companies or you will be looking at paying anything up to 50%-60% more for your policy. The cheapest travel insurance is always available from the insurer direct, and for quality cover that is really cheap, online travel insurance comes in the cheapest as online companies don’t have the same expensive overheads.

Cheap Australian Travel Insurance

For economical skiing and cheap travel insurance, Australia enjoys great skiing at Thredbo, Falls Creek, Perisher, Mt Bulla and Mount Hotham or across the Bogong High Plains for some classic Nordic skiing.

Low-cost domestic travel insurance should include unlimited cancellation fees and lost deposits plus extensive Personal Liability; emergency rescue, accidental death, permanent disability and loss of income; travel delay and loss of personal effects and luggage; piste, bad weather and avalanche closure plus ski pack and equipment hire. If you’ve got those elements covered you’ll save a fortune if trouble strikes.

Cheap Worldwide Insurance for Lots of Reasons

Depending where you travel, your holiday doesn’t have to be all about skis and snowboards. There are loads of other options available at many international ski resorts. How about snow shoe walking, husky-sledding, hiking on prepared trails or ice-skating just to name a few.

Filed Under: Travel Insurance Tagged With: , ,

International Travel Health Insurance

March 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Traveling abroad can be an exciting and awe-inspiring event for any traveler. In order to make sure your trip goes as smoothly as planned you should purchase international travel health insurance. Travel insurance is not just for the busy business person, but also for the infrequent traveler and holiday traveler as well. When you are far from home, feeling as safe and secure as possible is a huge comfort and reassurance to have.

International travel health insurance

Traveling internationally even for a short amount of time exposes you to a totally dynamic environment so it’s important that you are prepared for any incidents that may occur during your trip. Trip cancellations and delays, lost baggage, and stolen property are just a few reasons why having international travel insurance is highly recommended. While domestic travel insurance policies can cover these same needs, international travel insurance provides more extensive coverage. Protecting your health while traveling means having international health insurance that will cover you everywhere you go.

Why should you have international health insurance?

Whether you drive, fly, or sail to your travel destination, you should own international travel health insurance. Most travel insurance companies have travel insurance policies that will provide you total medical coverage no matter where you’re going or how you get there. To get the best international travel health insurance coverage, look for a travel insurance company that caters to the country you are visiting, will provide full coverage against any qualified travel medical charges you incur, and offers medical evacuation. These are just a few of the coverage items that you should make sure your travel insurance company provides.

Having international health insurance is not just a recommendation, in some countries such as France; you actually have to have it before you are even allowed to enter the country.

Use the internet to purchase your policy

Gone are the days of having to visit your local insurance agent to get travel insurance. These days you can just do a search on your laptop and find the best international travel medical insurance rates around. You can easily compare insurance companies, health insurance rates, and costs to determine what the best offer is for you. Before you purchase any new international health insurance, review your existing policies to avoid any duplicity.

Having a safe trip can be made easier by purchasing international travel health insurance before leaving for your destination.

Filed Under: Travel Insurance Tagged With: , ,