Travel insurance for Asia

Getting sick or injured overseas can be disastrous for your health and holiday plans, and it can also hurt your bank balance. Unfortunately, Australia doesn’t have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with any Asian countries, so Medicare won’t foot the bill.

Thankfully travel insurance, with the right medical cover, can help lessen the cost of medical treatment, hospital expenses and other medical costs, including medical evacuation or repatriation back to Australia if necessary. It can also provide 24/7 emergency assistance services to help you out if something goes wrong. The level of cover will depend on the insurance policy purchased.

While endemics and pandemics are often excluded from travel insurance policies, depending on your insurer, you may be able to purchase cover for COVID-19 (coronavirus) related losses.

Petty theft occurs in most cities around the world, and tourists are prime targets for local criminals. That’s where travel insurance can save the day and cover your luggage, valuables and other personal effects if they’re lost or stolen (provided your bags aren’t left unattended).

Missing a connecting flight due to a cancellation or delay can leave you with out-of-pocket expenses and throw your itinerary into disarray. Luckily, travel insurance can provide financial protection for cancellation costs – up to a limit, and depending on the level of cover purchased.

If your airline doesn’t reimburse you for your cancelled or delayed flights, travel insurance may. Or if you’ve booked a tour you can’t make because of cancelled or delayed flights, travel insurance can help cover additional travel and accommodation expenses. This cover varies among insurance providers and will depend on your trip policy.

If you’re liable for injuring a person, causing their death or damaging their belongings, your legal fees or any damages payable could put a serious dent in your pocket. With travel insurance, however, you may be covered in cases where you’re found personally liable; it’s advisable, however, that you don’t admit liability or promise to make a payment before discussing the situation with your insurer.

If you’re overseas when a natural disaster occurs in your destination country, your travel insurance may cover you against storms, landslides, earthquakes and more. If you’re going to a country known for its volcanic eruptions, you may want to consider volcano and ash cloud cover.

Asia is a place bursting with adventures just waiting to be experienced. From taking a kayak tour through Si Phan Don in Laos to trekking through the jungle in Hong Kong, there are endless things to try. However, adventure sports are usually not covered in a typical policy.

Luckily, you can add cover for adventure sports to your standard travel insurance policy.

Many places in Asia, such as Japan, South Korea and China, are known for having thrilling ski resorts. If hitting the slopes is in your itinerary, you’ll need to consider purchasing a winter sports add-on for coverage on all of your snow-related activities.

If you plan on hiring a vehicle, we recommend adding rental excess cover in case your rental vehicle is in an accident or is stolen and you need to pay the rental company an excess payment. Depending where you travel to, you may need either a local license or an International Driving Permit (IDP); if you don’t have the relevant license when an accident occurs, you may not be covered.

Some travel insurance policies may need you to take out extra cover if you plan to ride a two-wheeled vehicle. If you don’t purchase this additional cover, your medical expenses may not be covered in the event you’re injured in a traffic accident.

Before getting on a bike or scooter, you should also make sure you have the relevant license and are wearing a helmet; otherwise, you might not be covered.