Travel insurance for North America

You should consider purchasing travel insurance so you have medical cover when heading to North America, as the Australian Government and Medicare will not pay for any overseas medical costs.¹ Having medical coverage doesn’t just involve covering costs for hospital treatment for illness and injury; it also extends to medical evacuation and repatriation.

A travel insurance policy can be helpful if you have a medical emergency in North America as without it, you may have to pay thousands for medical care.

Theft can generally happen anywhere, including North America. As long as you keep an eye on your personal belongings when in public places, travel insurance may provide reimbursement for your lost or stolen items up to the limits listed in your PDS. This can include valuables, cash, credit cards and travel documents, such as your passport or ID.

North America can experience earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes and other natural disasters. Travel insurance may help cover the cost of cancelled accommodation, bookings and flights if a natural disaster spoils your plans, or the price of a new ticket and extended accommodation if you need somewhere to stay before your flight home.

If cancellations and delays impact your flight and you aren’t eligible for a refund from your airline, travel insurance may cover additional costs such as emergency accommodation.

By purchasing your policy, as soon as you book your flights or make any deposits, you may be covered for cancellations before you even leave for your trip overseas.

Travel insurance may help cover the cost of your rental vehicle’s excess if you have an accident. If you hire a car, find out what you’re covered for by reading your PDS before you hit the road.

However, if you plan to drive, keep in mind that some countries may only require you to have a valid Australian license while others require an international driver’s permit (IDP). Make sure you have a valid license when driving internationally, as your travel insurer may not cover any losses (e.g. if you were in an accident and had to pay for medical treatment) if you were driving illegally.

If you want to ride a motorcycle in North America, you will need a licence and may need to upgrade your travel insurance cover, depending on your insurer. Ensure you read the travel insurance PDS to see if you’re covered for losses when you hire a motorcycle or if you’ll need to take out additional cover as an optional extra.

North America is brimming with adventure, and if you like to get your adrenaline pumping, you should consider adventure cover. Some travel insurance policies may cover some adventure activities automatically, but riskier activities such as whitewater rafting, trekking and sky diving might require you to purchase this optional extra to be covered.

If you like to hit the slopes, there’re plenty of places to ski and snowboard in North America. However, regular policies typically won’t cover claims relating to the slopes. Consider buying snow sports cover as an optional extra to get cover for medical treatment if you’re injured on the slopes or to be reimbursed if bad weather means you can’t use your ski pass or attend lessons.

Typically speaking, North America is safe. Metropolitan areas of North America may have higher crime incidents than more isolated areas. Depending on where you may want to travel in Mexico, Smartraveller may recommend you reconsider your need to travel due to violent crime and potential drug and gang violence that may occur.²

You might also be worried about gun crime in the USA. Smartraveller advises that you monitor the local media and familiarise yourself with unsafe areas and active shooter drills if you’re concerned about encountering gun violence in North America.²

There are other dangers to look out for in North America as well, such as:

• Pick-pocketing and petty theft in areas popular with tourists
• Swimming at unpatrolled beaches
• Large animals on the road
• Bears in some parts of Canada and the USA.

If you find yourself in an emergency, the emergency number is 911 for the USA, Canada and Mexico. If travelling to a smaller North American country, it may differ so research the relevant emergency numbers before travelling. Your travel insurer will also likely have a 24/7 emergency assistance hotline that you can contact.

Be sure to contact your insurer within 24 hours of an incident occurring and have documentation, like police or medical reports, to support your claim.

Remember that you also have support from the Australian Government through consulates and embassies should you find yourself in need. The Consular Services Charter (available on Smartraveller) can help you understand what the Australian Government can and can’t do for you when you’re overseas.