Travelling with more than one person for your upcoming trip? The good news is you can usually cover everyone under one group travel insurance policy. Up to 25 travellers can enjoy the same benefits that they’d receive from a singles policy, with a few extra advantages:
Whether an individual policy or one for the whole group, we believe that every traveller should consider travel insurance, no matter where or why they’re going. Travelling can be unpredictable, and travel insurance for groups ensures all members of your party are covered.
With a group travel insurance policy, your whole squad will have equal coverage for various scenarios. Depending on the policy you choose, these include cancellations or delays, illness and injury, stolen luggage or even if someone loses their passport overseas.
Travel insurance can vary between insurers, so it’s important to track down suitable travel insurance for groups that works for all travellers in your party. Luckily, many types of policies typically cover what’s most important, like:
| Group cover benefits | Details |
| Cancellations and delays | Trip cancellations and delays can happen at any time, anywhere. So, it makes sense for the whole group to protect themselves against this risk. This is especially important if you’re all travelling from different locations on a strict itinerary. Cancellations and delays can cover costs incurred if part, or all, of your trip is cancelled, such as lost deposits. |
| Medical assistance | While the Australian Government does have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with New Zealand and several European countries, that doesn’t mean your medical expenses are fully covered overseas. If you have travel insurance and you’re hospitalised, fall ill or get injured, you should be able to claim back on your medical treatment and hospital bills. |
| Emergency assistance | Most group travel policies provide emergency phone-based assistance for when things go wrong. Finding a suitable doctor, nearest hospital or dentist can be difficult when you are travelling without this assistance. If you need urgent care, most group travel policies cover emergency transportation such as an ambulance, airlift via helicopter and repatriation costs. |
| Lost or stolen luggage | The theft or loss of your belongings can ruin a trip. With suitable insurance, though, you can claim back on such an incident and continue enjoying your holiday again with the rest of the party. |
| Personal liability | When you injure someone or damage their property, you may face legal expenses as a result. Luckily, group travel insurance policies may cover personal liability costs for everyone in your group. |
| Rental vehicle excess | If a vehicle you hire is damaged or stolen while in your possession, you’ll have to pay your hire car company’s excess. If you have travel insurance, your policy may cover this excess. |
| Remember to always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before purchasing travel insurance for groups to understand how your cover works and what you are and aren’t covered for. | |
While your insurance does protect you in many situations, be mindful that it won’t cover everything (or everyone). For example, policies may not cover adventure sports like mountain biking or rock climbing (unless you opt to have this added to your cover). Of course, exclusions like these vary between policies and insurance providers.
Here are some other standard exclusions to be mindful of:
Before purchasing a policy, you should always read the PDS for inclusions, exclusions, terms and conditions.
Here are some types of travellers who might consider this type of cover:
Basically, if you’re travelling in a group of three or more adults and plan to follow the same itinerary, it’s worth taking a closer look at this product.
Families with children may not need a group travel insurance policy, as most family travel insurance policies cover two adults and any number of dependent children who are travelling together.
When it comes to travel insurance for groups, you can choose between a single trip or an annual multi-trip policy, depending on what suits the needs of the group.
If your group is only planning on taking one trip during the year (e.g. a school group taking an excursion to Thailand), then a single trip policy is usually the best option.
However, if you and your companions are planning to take multiple trips in a single year, an annual multi-trip policy may save you money and hassle as well as giving you peace of mind. For example, if you and your work colleagues need to take frequent business trips to New Zealand, an annual group travel insurance plan may come in handy so you don’t have to organise insurance each time you go (but be sure to check the maximum travel days that are covered, per trip).
To avoid confusion and arguments while on your trip, perhaps get together before you all head off and work out who’ll pay for what. For example, who’ll pay for meals and train or bus tickets?
Should something happen to a mate on your trip, you may need to contact that person’s family. In case they can’t tell you their family’s contact details, it might be a good idea to collate this information early and store it in your phone before you go.
You may find that many places, like hotels or attractions, offer discounted prices for groups. When booking, enquire whether these discounts are available. It could save you all some money!
It’s a good idea to check the travel warnings and advice for your destination on Smartraveller before you leave. If something happens overseas that could impact Australians (e.g., a natural disaster, pandemic or political unrest), Smartraveller will activate a crisis page. When this occurs, you can contact Smartraveller with your details.
No one wants a great trip ruined by arguing and disagreements. Planning ahead of time will lower the risk of arguing over where to go and what to see so you can enjoy your trip. Consider voting amongst your group to decide on your itinerary and allow for free time for everyone to do their own thing. But remember that if you have separate itineraries and destinations, you may not be able to get cover under group travel insurance.
If you’re thinking of travelling with a larger group, consider this type of travel insurance cover early. It’s an easy way for you to make sure that:
Only one person needs to organise all the policies. They just need to know everyone’s full name, date of birth and any pre-existing medical conditions. Once this person has applied for a policy, they’ll receive one certificate of insurance for the entire group. It’s a good idea to share this among the group too, so everyone has access to the policy details.
While Compare the Market doesn’t currently compare group travel insurance policies, if you’re interested in what a travel insurance policy covers and how much it would cost, try our travel insurance quote comparison service. We compare a range of policies from a variety of insurers.
Within minutes and without hassle, you’ll be able to compare policies, their features and more in one location. The best part is our service is free to use!
And if you need a different type of travel insurance, we can help with that too. After all, it pays to compare!
