You always want your kids to be safe when they travel, but there will be times when you aren’t able to accompany them on their trips across the seas.
Travel insurance can keep your child safe whether they’re visiting family in New Zealand or taking a school trip to Canada. So, what is the process of insuring a child who travels on their own?
International travel insurance when your children are travelling alone is different than the cover needed for a family holiday. When it comes to taking out a travel insurance policy for your child, there are a few different options:
If your child frequently travels overseas or for extended periods of time, you might also want to consider the benefits of an annual multi-trip policy instead of a single trip policy to save on your trip travel insurance. However, bear in mind that there may be a maximum number of travel days per trip for an annual multi-trip policy.
There are a variety of ways that insurers define dependents. Some will allow dependents over 18 years of age to be covered under the adult’s policy as long as they don’t have full-time employment. You should always check the definition provided by your chosen insurer for age limits and other relevant details.
So, one way or another, they’re going to be covered under an adult policy, either as a dependant or as an adult covered under their own policy. The only real difference is when you’re travelling with multiple children; in this situation, most insurers will cover multiple dependent children under the family travel insurance policy.
There are very few differences between travel insurance for a child or an adult. Since your child is being insured by their own cover, they will likely be covered to the same extent as you are when you travel. However, some exclusions may apply depending on the age of the traveller. Before taking out a policy, read through the policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or speak directly to the insurer for full details on their coverage to ensure your cover suits your needs.
If you’re organising a group that’s travelling (whether it’s a group of children under 18 or adults), you can typically cover everyone under one policy, similarly to how travel insurers can cover an adult and their children in one policy. A group policy can be beneficial if you’re travelling as a tour group, school trip, business trip or sporting club. Learn more about group travel insurance here.
Airlines have different rules for kids travelling unaccompanied compared to adult travellers, but those rules often remain consistent across different carriers. Some of these rules can include:
However, as mentioned, children over the age of 12 can usually book as an adult and travel under the same guidelines and restrictions that the rest of us must adhere to.
Always check with your airline prior to making any bookings to ensure your situation meets their conditions. In addition, check your chosen insurance cover aligns with your chosen airline’s rules concerning unaccompanied minors.
Every parent’s nightmare is something going wrong on their child’s journey. The flight could be delayed or there may be cancellations due to bad weather. Once they’re overseas, they could become injured and require medical treatment, or lose their belongings. This isn’t to say these things will happen; however, it’s important to be prepared for these scenarios.
It may be prudent to have a copy of the insurance policy for your child to take with them in case something goes wrong so they can present it to an authority figure. You could also send it to the family member or trusted adult who is meeting your child at the airport too so they can help sort out anything that goes wrong on your child’s trip from their end.
Many travel insurance companies will have 24/7 global assistance on hand to help in case something goes wrong. The phone numbers for these assistance services are designed to be reached from anywhere around the world.
What you should include in your child’s travel insurance policy depends on what their journey will involve. If they’re just flying from point A to point B in Australia, you may wish to include cover for delayed and cancelled flights. Should your child be spending some time overseas, you may want to get a policy which covers medical expenses and lost or stolen belongings.
Your child’s travel insurance cover will likely have exclusions just as regular travel insurance, such as winter sports like skiing or if they have pre-existing medical conditions. Suppose your child is travelling on a school ski trip to Europe, for example. In that case, you may want to check the insurance policy’s PDS for the full details on what level of cover is included and what can be purchased for an additional premium.
In the event something does go wrong, contact your insurance provider for assistance.
Medicare and Australian private health insurance can’t help when you’re overseas, which is where a travel insurance policy can ensure both your and your children’s safety and medical treatment overseas. Some insurers may cover several pre-existing medical conditions automatically. However, others won’t, so checking the policy wording before purchasing can be important. As such, make sure you reach out to your insurer to tell them about your child’s pre-existing conditions before you purchase your policy. Your insurer may be able to cover these conditions at an added cost.
If you don’t tell your insurer and you need to make a claim related to your child’s condition, they may reject your claim.
Travelling is an exciting experience, but it can also be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if your child is travelling alone. Thankfully, a suitable level of cover can provide peace of mind that everyone is covered for a range of scenarios, should the unexpected happen.
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