Please Note - If you are cruising around Australia you need to select Pacific.
With Regions, variances can apply for Bali, Indonesia, Japan and Middle East.
You are not required to enter stop-over countries if your stop-over is less than 48 hours.
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.
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.
'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.
Your policy will kick in if a family member or relative (as defined above);
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.
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.
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.
Carolina has been working exclusively in the travel insurance industry for over two years. With a customer consultancy background and currently studying law, she is a fine-print wizard who loves helping travellers find a policy that actually works for them. Speaking two languages and having travelled all over the world, Carolina discovered that she is not cut out for working holidays after a stint on her grandparents’ southern Vietnam farm, and is definitely a lounge-by-the-pool kind of lady.
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