While you can plan an itinerary for your trip, there’s always a chance a natural disaster could strike and affect your travels. Luckily, travel insurance may be able to protect you financially if a natural disaster knocks your trip off-course.
Many comprehensive travel insurance policies will provide cover for natural disaster-related losses, as long as you take proper precautions when heading to a potentially affected area. You will need to have purchased your policy prior to any natural disaster to have any cover. In some cases, you might also have to pay an additional fee for travel insurance that covers natural disasters.
Cover will vary between insurers, so it’s important to read your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for all inclusions and exclusions impacting your cover for natural disasters. Also, keep up to date on Smartraveller for any warnings and advice relating to natural disaster zones.
When travelling overseas to a potential natural disaster zone, comprehensive travel insurance could provide additional peace of mind, as these policies are likely to provide some level of cover for cancellation costs, emergency evacuation and medical expenses.
Natural disasters are hard to predict and can seriously impact your trip if one occurs near your travel destination. Having travel insurance in case of an unforeseen disaster may save you money if your trip gets cancelled or you become stranded overseas and need to pay for additional accommodation and flights.
However, if you buy a policy after the natural disaster commences, your travel insurance will not cover you. This is because the natural disaster becomes a ‘known event’, and travel insurance is designed to cover you against unforeseen or unexpected events, not those that are known.
Keep in mind that some travel insurance policies include cancellation cover as an optional extra which you must add to your policy when purchasing to be covered for cancellations. Some insurers may also offer travel insurance with cancellation cover for any reason, meaning you may be covered for reasons usually excluded, such as change of mind.
When it comes to natural disasters and the damage they can cause, the following benefits are definitely something to look for in travel insurance policies:
Should you need to pay for additional travel or accommodation if your plans change, you’ll need a policy with additional expense cover. Most comprehensive plans will include this in their cover, but be aware that many standard and basic plans do not. Always check with your insurer before paying for any additional accommodation or travel, so you know what your policy will cover.
As with all aspects of your travel insurance policy, your cover for natural disasters comes with limits and exclusions that may cause your claim to be rejected. Some common exclusions include:
There are different types of natural disasters that can be covered by your travel insurance policy, and getting the right travel cover can help with the financial impact of a natural disaster disrupting your travel plans.
However, it’s important to understand that not all natural disasters may be covered under travel insurance; incidents like volcanic ash clouds and avalanches might require taking out additional cover to be protected.
Natural disasters your policy may cover include:
In the event you’re swept up in a storm or your accommodation is flooded, keeping your important documents (such as your passport) under wraps in water-repellent spaces to keep them safe is recommended. You might also want to protect any receipts, bank or credit card statements and boarding passes in case you need to make a claim.
By understanding the risks and potential natural disasters that may occur at your travel destination and creating an emergency plan, you’re able to enjoy your travels safely. Different locations will have different risks; for example, Bali, Indonesia is known for having floods, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, while Japan frequently deals with earthquakes, all of which could impact your holiday. Keep an eye on the weather reports in your destination and consider taking out travel insurance the minute you book your flight or cruise.
If you’re heading to an area where you think a natural disaster might occur, plan your activities and accommodation with safety in mind. If you’re unsure, talk to a travel agent or the hotel staff in your location, or look it up online.
First of all, stay calm and try to move to a safe place to seek shelter or medical care. Secondly, contact your travel insurer if you need assistance. You can also ring the Consular Emergency Centre from anywhere in the world on +61 2 6261 3305, and they’ll be able to direct you to the nearest English-speaking hospital and contact your family and friends on your behalf.
Travel insurance doesn’t usually include cover pandemics or endemics. This is typically an exclusion in your policy, meaning any pandemic-related losses will have to be paid out of pocket.
The exception to this is COVID-19 cover, which may be included with some comprehensive policies or can be purchased as an add-on. COVID-19 cover may insure you for some losses (up to specified limits) resulting from COVID-19, including medical evacuation, medical treatment and unexpected accommodation and food costs if you have to quarantine overseas, as well as cancellation fees if you need to cancel your trip due to contracting COVID-19.
It is possible to get cover for volcanic ash clouds with travel insurance; it may come automatically with your cover for natural disasters, depending on your insurer and policy. However, if it isn’t included you may need to purchase volcanic ash cloud cover as an additional extra.
It is possible to be covered for avalanches, but typically not under a standard insurance policy. Any on-piste related incidents generally require you to have winter sports cover to be protected against any losses. If you’re going on a ski holiday, winter sports cover can also cover you for any injuries on-piste, medical evacuation from the slopes, damaged or stolen ski gear and unused passes if the ski slope is closed unexpectedly.
If your travel destination is prone to natural disasters, taking out a travel insurance policy with natural disaster cover can give you peace of mind if something goes wrong.
With our free travel insurance comparison service, you can browse policies and insurers for a suitable level of cover for your trip requirements. You can find details in your policy’s PDS to see exactly what you’re covered for, whether it’s domestic or international travel.
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