Travel Insurance & Family Emergencies

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It's only natural to be concerned about your loved ones when you go away on your holidays.

If a family member or travelling companion falls ill or is injured on your trip, or before you depart for your holiday, it's important to know where you stand with your cover.

A common question that comes up again and again is; 

Does travel insurance cover family emergencies? The answer is yes, but like all insurances, there are terms, condition and exclusions that will affect your claim.

Keep reading to learn about the cover conditions when it comes to travel insurance and family members.

Who is classified as 'Family'’?

You may consider friends or pets like family, but when it comes to travel insurance, it's the definition in the policy wording that matters.  Those considered 'family' in the world of cover relate to your spouse (or legally recognised defacto) and your dependants.

Who is classified as a ‘Relative’?

'Relatives' in terms of travel insurance will typically include, yours or travelling companions' spouse, de facto partner, parent, parent-in-law, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, step-parent, step-son, step-daughter, fiancé, fiancée or guardian.

NOTE: aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends are not often included as a ‘relative’ so it pays to pay attention.

When Does Travel Insurance Cover For Family Emergencies?

Your policy will kick in if a family member or relative (as defined above);

• Dies unexpectedly
• Is disabled by an injury
• Becomes seriously sick and requires hospitalisation

When Are You Not Covered For Family Emergencies?

Like any type of insurance terms and conditions apply to your cover.

Where your relative resides matters: Relatives who live outside Australia or New Zealand are typically not covered by your policy. Most insurers state that they will only pay claims concerning ‘Relatives’ who reside in Australia or New Zealand. If you have a family member that lives in a different country to you, chances are you wouldn’t be covered for cancelling your trip. 
 
Pre-existing illnesses can cause difficulties: If you were already aware of a Relative’s illness when you booked your travel insurance, it’s doubtful that you’d be covered should they take a turn for the worse. However, some companies like 1Cover, Simply Travel Insurance and Zoom Travel Insurance would cover if you were not aware of the condition, or likelihood of such hospitalisation or death.

How the family member dies matters: If the death was due to the relative committing suicide, or related to alcohol or drug consumption you may find that isn't covered.  Any claims to do with alcohol, drugs or mental illness are typically excluded in Australian travel insurance policies. 

Age limits apply: For example insurers such as 1Cover, Columbus Direct, Virgin Money and Zoom will not cover for any benefits for Relatives who are 85 years or older. This means even if a Relative has an unforeseen accident or illness, not relating to a pre-existing illness, travellers would not be covered for any events involving those who are older than the specified age limit.

Compare Family Member Age Limits

As mentioned above, many policies have age restrictions in the event that a family member falls ill or dies while you are travelling or before you depart.  Whilst travel insurance can help you recover your cancellation costs including pre-booked tickets and hotels, costs associated with returning home at short notice, and in some instances resuming your journey at a later date, it's important to understand the restrictions.

Our experts have done some digging to bring the important relative age limits to the forefront.  Many insurers limit a relatives age to 84 and there are a few insurers that do not pose any age restriction.

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

Other Options

As mentioned, the majority of insurers would not cover family emergencies if the relative in question suffered from a pre-existing medical condition. However, specialist insurer AllClear may cover you provided that your relative’s doctor is prepared to state that at the date you booked your trip, he/she would have seen no substantial likelihood that his/her patient’s condition would deteriorate to such a degree that you would need to cancel or curtail your journey.