Travel insurance for Bali

Whether you’re just focusing on your Balinese holiday or are venturing out to other Indonesian destinations, travel insurance should be an essential part of your trip for your peace of mind. It can cover different instances and costs, including medical treatment expenses, flight cancellations, stolen luggage and more.

Without travel insurance, you’d need to pay for any unforeseen expenses entirely out-of-pocket.

You should consider a travel insurance policy covering hospitalisation, medical treatment and emergency evacuation before heading to Bali in case of injury or illness while overseas. Travellers should also consider comprehensive travel insurance coverage for luggage and personal effects, travel delay expenses, trip cancellations and emergency assistance.

Depending on your level of cover, your travel insurance policy could include the following:

Cover for medical expenses

At the bare minimum, you should consider cover that includes medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation.

Illnesses such as dengue fever, malaria and rabies are concerns in Bali, so consider consulting your doctor beforehand on any vaccines you may need and ways to protect yourself while travelling.

You could also catch the infamous Bali belly from drinking tap water in Bali. Bali’s water sanitation levels are different to Australia’s, so only drink bottled or boiled water during your stay and avoid ice cubes in your drinks.¹ If you do get sick, having medical cover could save your wallet from expensive treatment.

Coverage on the roads

In Bali and wider Indonesia, roads are often congested, and many drivers are reckless and unpredictable. If you hire a rental vehicle, you should consider rental car excess cover in case you get into an accident and need to pay an excess to the rental company.

You typically need to hold a current Australian license and an international driver’s license to drive overseas and therefore be covered. If you’re driving a two-wheeled vehicle, you’ll need to take out motorbike, moped and scooter coverage as an optional extra to have medical cover for any accidents.

Theft and loss of belongings

As seen in many tourist hotspots, petty theft is a real and present risk in Bali. When in public, keep an eye on your personal belongings, such as valuables, travel documents, cash and credit cards. You’ll likely want a travel insurance policy that covers loss of luggage, cash theft and more.

Every travel insurance policy has exclusions that they won’t cover. Often, your travel insurance company may not accept claims under the following circumstances:

• You buy travel insurance after the incident. You must hold a policy before an incident happens that you want to claim for; otherwise, the claim may be rejected.
• Pre-existing medical conditions. If you have any significant medical conditions, you must disclose them to your insurer before taking out a policy and ensure that your insurer agrees to cover claims arising from that condition.
• Unattended luggage is stolen. While travel insurance policies may cover the loss of personal items, they may not cover luggage and belongings if you’ve left them unattended in public, as you didn’t take appropriate steps to protect your possessions.
• Government travel advice is disregarded. If you go to areas of Indonesia that have a warning from Smartraveller, your policy might not cover you. If in doubt, contact your travel insurance provider.
• Injuries while under the influence. Claims made due to drug- or alcohol-related incidents generally won’t be covered.
• Driving vehicles without a license. Riding on scooters is common in Bali, but unfortunately, so are scooter accidents. Medical costs or personal liability expenses that may arise due to unlicensed driving aren’t likely to be covered. If you do ride a scooter, always wear a helmet.

Always check the policy wording of your PDS for your travel insurance cover to know exactly what can be purchased as optional add-ons, along with the inclusions, exclusions, limits and sub-limits.

Even though crime, illness and other potential issues exist, travelling to Bali doesn’t have to be anything short of a safe, fun experience for all Australians.

Monitor the Smartraveller website for any active travel warnings before departure, as claims relating to known events usually aren’t covered. You can get travel insurance cover for natural disasters if it occurs after you depart; however, if you choose to travel during an active disaster, usually you won’t be covered.

Bali is home to a few active volcanoes, most notably Mount Agung. Not only are volcanic eruptions dangerous, but the ash clouds they create can also disrupt air traffic and cause mass flight cancellations. Having travel insurance ahead of time can help cover the cost of cancellation in the event of a volcanic eruption.

In an emergency, you can call the Balinese emergency services on 112 and ask for whatever services are required.

When you next have the opportunity, call your insurer and explain what’s happened (ideally within 24 hours). Make sure you keep all documentation about the incident. You can also call the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra for emergency consular assistance on (+)61 2 6261 3305.