Backpacker Travel Insurance - the GAP year
Overview: cheap rates, terms, conditions and exclusions.
Specialists in backpacker travel insurance, providing
comparisons of leading providers for students gap year or career breaks. Age limit: 45 Long stay travel insurance options
available covering the elderly, including over 65s. Current
maximum trip length ranges from 18 months for the under 50 to 5 months (Europe) otherwise 3
months (Worldwide including America) for those over 85 - with no upper age limit.
Backpacker travel insurance policies vary. Although minimum cover provided
includes medical expenses, together with some liability, prospective purchasers should compare
maximum benefits, policy excesses and particularly, hazardous or dangerous sporting activities
covered in the insurance, especially winter sports.
Travel out of Area
Premiums for backpacker travel insurance depend on countries visited.
Traditionally, the world is split into five regions: UK, Europe, Australia & New Zealand,
Worldwide Excluding USA and Worldwide Including USA. Travel out of area need not result with
insurance rated on higher regions. Many insurance contracts permit visiting higher-rated
countries on an occasional basis, providing the period isn't too long. Obvious example is
flight to Australia requiring stop-over in Singapore, Bali or other Indonesian Country.
Examples of reduced cover
Backpacker travel insurance is stripped to the bone. To produce
competitive, cheap, rates insurers have removed benefits usually found on long stay travel
insurance policies and reduced the maximum benefits on others. For example: treatment costs
may be reduced from £5,000,000 to £1,000,000 or luggage lowered to £250 from £1,500.
Insurance for Hazardous/ dangerous activities
Students having a gap year travelling, by nature, are those
interested in participating in sports of a hazardous nature. Travel insurers extend backpacker
policies to cover many dangerous activities e.g. bungee jumping, zorbing, canyoning. Ensure
the insurance purchased covers intended games and sports: recommended is perusal of a 'key
facts' / 'policy summary' if not the actual policy wording itself.
Since many activities may be undertaken on a one-off basis, it
is unfair that the total premium for insurance should be affected just for one day! An adventures
insurance is available to cover specific high-risk activities and can be arranged separately
from the principle insurance.
Return Home Option
Some backpacker travel insurance policies allow the policyholder to return
home during the course of the gap year, before parting on a second leg of the trip. The
summaries below provide information as to those insurance policies permitting return.
European Area
This varies depending on the travel insurance, but generally Europe = Albania, Andorra, Armenia,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegivina, Bulgariam Croatia. Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (Inc
The Faeroes). Also included may be: Egypt,
Estonia, Finland, France (Inc Corsica), Georgia, Germany, Gibralter,
Greece (Inc The Islands), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland. It extends to Italy (Inc Aeolian
islands, Sardinia, Sicily), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg.
Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway (Inc Jan Mayen, Svalbard Islands),
Poland. Finally Portugal (Including The Azores, The Madeiras), Romania, Russia (European), San Marino, Serbia/ Montenegro
(Including Kosovo), Slovakia, Slovenia. Spain (including The Balearics,
Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican
City and the UK are included.
Worldwide (EX USA) Area
Insurance covering anywhere in the world other than the USA, Canada,
The Caribbean, Mexico. With, some stopping over in the USA etc for a short
period en route, yet remain insured.
Travel Insurance to America
Policies are available to cover students studying in America
needing insurance. See our America Travel
Insurance web page for further information. America is the one region where
the traveler may wish considering buying some better gap year policy to cover their medical expenses further.
Australia and New Zealand
On arrival in Australia and New Zealand, it is probably
necessary the registration with Medicare is required. Certainly, this will be required upon
the first claim for medical treatment in these countries.
Excess on your insurance
The insurance excess is the amount the backpacker may pay towards each
insurance claim. Rather than a cheap travel insurance, consider suggest the policy
with a low excess. Travel funds may be low. Having to pay the hospital £300 (e.g. in
the local
currency) will make a large dent. The results page on the system will show
the
usual excess for each insurance. Make sure you won't break the bank as well as your leg!
Decide, also, whether medical treatment after a terrorist attack
must be insured. If going to the Middle or the Far East in the gap year then there is a much higher
risk of a terrorist attack.
Finally in your gap year - we hope you remain
healthy and don't need insurance. If there are any pre existing illnesses then check with the
travel insurer to ensure that they will be
covered. The contact details are provided with each quote to help.
Please call us: we'll answer any queries about any travel
insurance schemes. Our staff are only too pleased to advise on the correct policy.
The contact number is 0844 8262617.
Our
range of backpacker travel insurance policies
As brokers, we compare the following backpacker travel
insurance schemes on our comparative quotation system (see above). Policies are sorted on
cheapness, not policy cover. Purchase can be made online and medical screening processes are
highlighted to help those with pre-existing medical conditions.
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