Explore Travel Insurance

Tiana Lee-CollinsWritten by Tiana Lee-Collins
Reviewed by Adrian Taylor
Last updated 20/12/2023

Key takeaways

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. Here’s what you should know about getting travel insurance for your kids:

  • If you’re a parent or legal guardian travelling with a dependent child, they may be covered automatically under your policy.
  • If your child is travelling alone, they will need their own policy in order to be covered.
  • If you’re organising a group trip, such as a school excursion, you may benefit from taking out a group travel insurance policy.
  • Before taking out a travel insurance policy, consider reading the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to understand the limits, sub-limits, inclusions and exclusion of the policy. Read the Target Market Determination (TMD) to check if the policy is suitable to your child’s trip.

Adrian Taylor, Executive General Manager

Expert tips for finding the right travel insurance for your children

Travel insurance can give you added peace of mind whether your child is 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? Our Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, has some tips to help you search for a travel insurance policy that covers children.

Make sure the travellers understand the policy specifics

All policies have limits, conditions and exclusions and both you and your travelling child need to understand these to ensure they have the cover they need. For example, check that your children know to never leave their possessions unattended in a public place, since this can mean any theft claims may be rejected.

Consider what cover is most suitable to the trip

For peace of mind, check the policy covers everything your child needs for their trip, like medical expenses, cancellation fees and lost or stolen luggage. If they’ll be skiing or participating in other sports and adventures while travelling, you’ll need to take into account the additional cover needed for these types of holidays. Look for policies that meet all these needs and requirements.

Purchase early for cancellation cover

Purchase your child’s travel insurance as soon as you book or pay any deposits for accommodation or travel. By doing so, any cancellation fees may be covered if you need to cancel their trip due to unforeseen circumstances. Check the PDS for the full list of covered events.

Travel insurance for children – the essentials

Girl travelling alone colouring on plane

How to insure your children for international travel

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 is over 18, you’ll be able to find an insurer that can cover them as an adult.
  • If they’re under 18 and travelling by themselves, you’ll still need to cover them with their own travel insurance policy.
  • If they’re under 18 and a dependant of one or more adults travelling with them, many insurers will likely cover them at no additional cost under your (or the other adult’s) insurance policy. Some insurers will also extend the definition of dependant children to those under 25 years of age.

If your child frequently travels overseas, 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 will be a maximum number of travel days per trip for an annual multi-trip policy.

What is a dependant?

There are a variety of ways that insurers define dependants. For example, some will allow dependants 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.

What should my child’s travel insurance include?

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 with more inclusions including cover for:

  • Medical expenses including repatriation and medical evacuation
  • Lost or stolen belongings
  • Overseas emergency assistance
  • Additional expenses.

Your child’s travel insurance cover will likely have exclusions just as regular travel insurance does, such as winter sports like skiing or if they have pre-existing medical conditions; however, you may be able to purchase additional cover for these situations at an extra cost. Check the insurance policy’s PDS for the full details on the level of cover included and what can be purchased for an additional premium.

In the event something does go wrong, contact your insurance provider for assistance.
 

Important to know

Two children playing and pretending to be on a plane

Are there any differences between travel insurance for children and adults?

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’ll 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.

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. Before taking out a policy, read through the policy’s PDS or speak directly to the insurer for full details on their coverage to ensure your cover suits your needs.

What happens if something goes wrong?

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 get 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 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 if my child has a pre-existing medical condition?

Medicare and Australian private health insurance can’t help when you’re overseas, which is where a travel insurance policy with medical cover 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 the insurer to tell them about your child’s pre-existing conditions before you purchase your policy, as they may be able to cover these conditions at an added cost.

If you don’t tell the insurer and you need to make a claim related to your child’s condition, they may reject your claim.

Do I need group travel insurance?

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 and other travel insurance options here.


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