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The backpacker's Travel insurance guide

backpackers


Backpacking is full of life lessons and is an incredible experience. Whether you’re taking a sabbatical around Australia, trekking around South America, exploring Europe, or volunteering in Asia, it’s probably a good idea to take travel insurance with you. That way you'll maximise the adventure, while minimising the risk.

What do backpackers need to know?

It's extremely important that people planning to travel abroad have medical cover. The cost of overseas medical expenses can leave you in a financially difficult situation if you don't have travel insurance.

If you want a budget travel insurance option, 1Cover has a medical-only policy, designed for those who has been designed for those who are only concerned about medical expenses while travelling. 

For those who want coverage for things like cancellation, lost deposits, lost luggage and a lot more, 1Cover offers Comprehensive travel insurance.

If you’re going round the world, you can buy Worldwide travel insurance.  LIkewise, if you’re travelling to certain regions like Europe or Africa, you can select those regions for your policy if you’re not sure about the countries that you’re visiting.

1Cover offers long term travel insurance which can cover you for up to 12 months abroad. Then, if you want to extend your policy, you can purchase an Already Overseas policy and that can cover you for an additional 12 months. (Just make sure you extend your policy before it expires). 

If you’re backpacking around Australia only, and you’re a resident of Australia, you might want to purchase a Domestic travel insurance policy only. 

 

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Backpacking and Travel insurance

What's Covered?
  • Your Belongings. You're most likely to have at least a mobile phone and a laptop to keep you connected, we cover your stuff if it's lost, stolen or damaged.*
  • Medical Expenses. Medical claims are the most common and come at the highest cost, we cover unlimited overseas medical expenses.*
  • 100+ activities. We cover a multitude of activities, including water rafting, moped riding, and bungee jumping.* See the full list here.
  • Cancellation & Lost Deposits. If you have to cancel your plans due to unforeseen circumstances outside of your control.
  • Rental car excess. Whether you’re hiring a car in Italy or doing a road trip in the US, or driving a caravan around Australia, don’t leave yourself open to nasty car rental excess.

Terms and conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please see Policy Wording for full details.

what's not covered?
  • Drugs & Alcohol. If you're intoxicated, taking drugs (that haven't been prescribed) and your claim results from these actions, then you're not covered.
  • Unsupervised Belongings. Leaving your things laying around is just asking for someone to take them so if you leave anything unattended or unsupervised, we won't cover this.

  • Ignoring Official Warnings. If a government or other official body have issued a specific "Do Not Travel" or "Reconsider Your Need to Travel" warning and you go anyway, we won't cover any claim you make relating to this.

  • Breaking The Law. For obvious reasons we can't help you out here. Always adhere to local laws.

For a full list of what's not covered please refer to the Policy Wording for details.

 

Travel Insurance FAQS For Backpackers

  • Can I Apply to extend my travel insurance policy?
  • Yes. You must extend your policy before it expires (11.59pm NZST). To extend your policy, you simply need to do it online using the policy manager or email us at [email protected].co.nz or speak to a call centre representative via online chat. One of our trained travel insurance specialists will assist you in the policy extension. You'll be issued with a quote for the policy extension period. And you'll need to process a payment for this extended period. Please note there may be instances where a policy extension is not available. 

  • What do i do if i lose my policy documentation? 
  • If you lose your policy documentation, please check your email inbox to see if the originals are there. If you are still unable to find the documents and relevant information, please contact us as soon as possible to retrieve them.

  • What Happens if i go home early?
  • Your policy covers the full duration of your trip as stated on your Certificate of Insurance. There are no refunds should you go home earlier than planned.

  • Will I be Covered if i travel to a country with an official travel warning?
  • All countries have travel advice levels and you always check these prior to travelling. If a government or other official body have issued a specific "Do Not Travel" or "Reconsider your need to travel" warning and you go, you will not be covered. For more information, please see Safetravel.govt.nz

  • Do i need to let you know about pre-existing medical conditions?
  • Make sure you tell us about any pre-existing medical conditions. If you’re going away for a long time, anything can happen, and if you have a condition you haven’t told us about, and something happens to you, you might not be covered.

  • Can I get travel insurance even if I’m just backpacking around New Zealand? 
  • Yes, you definitely can. You just need to be a resident of New Zealand. Note that, our Domestic policy doesn’t cover medical costs, as these are covered by Pubilcly Funded Healthcare

READ ALL FAQS

 

 

Do you need to know About...

Long Term Travel Insurance

You’re going overseas for a good time AND a long time. 1Cover offers long-term travel insurance which can cover you for up to 12 months abroad - and you can extend if you need to. Find out more. 

Ski Guide

And if you want some insider advice the best places to go skiing, look no further than our in-depth Guide to Your Best Skiing holiday

Bali survival guide

Our beloved neighbour is extremely popular for backpackers. Here’s a handy survival guide to keep you safe and ensure you have the best time that you can.

What travel insurance covers 

From lost luggage, to cancellation, to repatriation. Travel with peace of mind and find out what else you're covered for and what you're not. 

 

Still Need Some Help? 

If you have any other questions or queries, please send us a message via our Contact Us page. 
If you are experiencing an emergency, please use the details on our Emergency Assistance page