Family travel insurance guide

Love them or loathe them, family holidays can be challenging at the best of times. A family holiday can either be a fantastic experience, offering a lifetime of laughs for years to come, or a complete disaster, particularly if you are taking a long trip.

A lot of people don’t tend to take the whole family travelling. Having grandparents, aunties and uncles in toe can mean a lot more effort and of course there’s the extra expense.

But there is good news. Many insurance companies offer cover specifically for families – so take the plunge and get your family out of their routine and into a trip of a lifetime!

Save with a family policy!

Purchasing a family travel insurance policy is cheaper than purchasing a policy for each individual travelling, so cover may not be as expensive as you first thought!

Your family is your first thought so don’t let insurance be an after thought

Treating travel insurance as an after-thought can add significant costs to your family holiday. 

Comparing policies online with us will give you the same competitive price as buying direct – but without the legwork of schlepping around. Don’t buy from your travel agents and pay for unnecessary commissions. Compare and buy a family policy in one place with the click of a button and save time and money!

Kids are covered for free!

Did you know in most cases dependent kids are covered for free! This makes a family travel insurance policy even more affordable. With these kinds of savings you'll have more cash to splash on water parks and ice creams!

Defining family is never easy – travelling with them can be harder

The definition of family has certainly changed in the last 50 years. But if you’re planning on taking a trip the key thing to consider when buying a family travel insurance policy is the way an insurer defines a family, or a dependent –as this can vary between providers!

All travel insurance providers listed on our site account for two adults and up to four dependent children in a family policy. Some insurers will provide cover for up to 10 dependent children for free.

Single parent families have also been considered, with some policies offering to cover dependent children when travelling with a parent or grandparent on a single adult policy.

A dependent is defined in most policies to be your financially dependent children or grandchildren under the age of 18 years. However, the age limits vary between insurers; so if your 21 year old is unemployed, still studying, or simply a little slow to fly the nest, shop around as most insurers class them as a dependent if living at home.

Who offers the most cover at the best price?

For a two-week family holiday to Bali, with two kids and two adults:

Basic cover: Those looking for low cost basic cover without all the added extras won’t go wrong with Insure and Go’sBare Essentials policy for $72.72. It’s the cheapest policy on CTI for a 2 week trip to Bali including unlimited medical, $2,000 luggage, $1,500,000 personal liability and $5,000 travel expenses.

Mid range: A good middle of the road policy is Fast Covers’s standard policy for $107.80 which includes unlimited medical, unlimited cancellation, $5,000 luggage, $15,000 accidental death, $15,000 permanent disability, $5,000,000 personal liability, $2,000 travel documents and $30,000 travel expenses.

Comprehensive: Insure and Go’s Gold Comprehensive policy shows good value at $131.38 which includes unlimited medical, unlimited cancellation, $8,000 luggage, $50,000 accidental death, $50,000 permanent disability, $5,000,000 personal liability, $5,000 travel documents and $50,000 travel expenses, $10,400 loss of income, $5,000 hospital cash, $500 theft of cash and way more!

As a rough guide, you can expect to pay:

• $70 – $100 for a basic family policy
• $100 – $140 for a mid-range family policy
• $140 –  $530 for a comprehensive family policy

Family togetherness – what could go wrong?

Traveling in a group, even a family group will mean there are lots of important things to consider:

• Cover limits – do you have enough? When selecting a policy be sure to consider the varying limits of cover for each benefit, such as luggage and medical coverage. A family policy will have a set limit for a family travelling with dependents.
   
• Luggage cover limits apply to the whole family, not per person. It’s rarely light to travel with the kids. Three ipads, two ipods, two iphones, two cameras (including a fancy new DSLR) and one laptop quickly adds up. So make sure you have enough cover! Single item limits apply too.
   
• Are you sticking together the whole trip? You know how it is, that magical time when kids turn into teenagers – all of a sudden they go from clutching at your skirt to needing a bribe to even get them to board the flight for your annual family holiday. (And that bribe is often a promise they’ll be able to do their own thing for part of the trip.) But remember, all dependent children need to be named on your policy, and many insurers require them to be travelling with their parents for 100% of the journey. So if you’re travelling separately from your kids for a part of your trip you may need to buy separate policies.
   
• Are your kids adrenaline junkies? Manykids adventure activities aren’t covered automatically. So check your policy to make sure go-karting, zorbing, black water rafting, abseiling etc. are covered!
   
• Pre-existing medical conditions aren’t normally covered, but to be sure check your policy wording for a list of covered medical conditions.
   
• Are you kids forgetful? Remember unattended items aren’t covered. So if you’re at the airport boarding area and Jimmy leaves his ipad under his seat to go to the bathroom and it’s gone when he comes back, chances are it wont be covered.

Exclusions apply to all insurance polices!

Before you fly the coup with your flock it’s vital to read the policy wording (PDS) to ensure you understand what is and isn’t covered. And if there’s something you don’t understand you can contact the provider directly.

Blooming to go!

Already pregnant or are you about to start a family? Traveling with a bump is possible, assuming your doctor has given you the go-ahead and you have the right travel insurance to suit your needs.

There are several Australian travel insurance companies who provide cover for unexpected medical complications for women up until 26 weeks of pregnancy, with a couple offering cover up to 32 weeks of pregnancy (InsureandGo even cover until full term).

Expectant mothers can still buy standard travel insurance after the maximum gestation limit; however they won't be covered for anything related to the pregnancy. Check out our pregnancy travel insurance guide page. And if you are travelling with a bump on board make sure you read your policy documentation to know what is and isn’t covered.

Compare family insurance online and save money!

There are so many variables to consider when it comes to travel. And when travelling with dependents you’ll want to do your research and compare family travel insurance policies before buying the first one you see.

Comparetravelinsurance.com.au compare heaps of reputable insurers offering family cover in one place – making comparing quick and easy! And with a move of the mouse and a click of a button you can get the same competitive price as buying direct.

Say yes to family travel insurance and more family fun!

Save time, worry and loads of money! Comparing family travel insurance online will leave you plenty of time for family fun!

General Advice Warning: The contents of this article were accurate at the time of writing. Insurers change their policies from time to time, so some information may have changed. You should always read the Product Disclosure Statement of your chosen insurer to understand what is covered and what isn't. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account any personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your personal circumstances.