Don't forget to pack travel insurance for Contiki tours...it's compulsory.
Every year, many young Australian travellers join one of Contiki's famous group tours in search of an epic adventure. Before you set off, make sure you have travel insurance to cover you in case anything goes wrong.
Do I need travel insurance for Contiki Tours?
Not only is travel insurance compulsory on Contiki tours, Contiki strongly recommends that you have comprehensive cover for all tours. Comprehensive travel insurance offers benefits to protect you on your Contiki, including:
Emergency medical expenses
Cancellation cover if you're forced to cancel your Contiki
Cover for personal baggage and money
Compare Contiki compliant travel insurance quotes
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Do I need travel insurance for G Adventures and similar types of tours?
Most tour operators require you to have travel insurance, including other popular companies like G Adventures.
To travel with G Adventures, you must have travel medical insurance with minimum coverage for medical emergency evacuation and repatriation of USD$200,000 (or equivalent). It also highly recommends cancellation cover, although it is not compulsory.
What are the travel insurance requirements for different tours?
| Tour | What service is provided? | Travel insurance? | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contiki | Group tours for 18-35 year olds |
| Travel insurance with cover for medical and evacuations, personal injury and cancellation expenses is compulsory for all travellers. |
| G Adventures | Small group travel tours |
| Travel insurance with medical cover is compulsory. Cover for cancellation expenses is highly recommended for all G Adventure tours. |
| Baz Bus | South Africa's hop-on hop-off service |
| Baz Buss highly recommends travellers have travel insurance with medical cover. |
| Vodkatrain | Small group tours across Asia and beyond |
| Travel insurance with medical cover and for the loss of personal items is compulsory for travellers on all Vodkatrain tours. |
| Busabout | Flexible hop-on hop-off service for backpackers |
| Travel insurance with cover for emergency medical expenses and repatriation is compulsory for trips to Asia and Turkey. |
| Stray Asia | Guided network for adventurous travellers in South-East Asia |
| Travel insurance is compulsory for Stray Asia tours. Travel insurance with cover for medical expenses, personal baggage, cancellation, public liability and personal accident is highly recommended. |
| Bamba Experience | Travel solution for independent traveller in Latin America |
| Travel insurance that can cover whitewater rafting and sand buggies is compulsory for Bamba tours. |
| Dragoman | Truck holidays in a variety of exotic locations |
| Travel insurance with cover for emergency medical expenses and repatriation is compulsory for Dragoman tours. |
| Moose Travel Network | Coast to coast bus tours in Canada |
| The Moose Travel Network strongly recommends travel insurance with cancellation cover is purchased. |
| Bundu Bus | Grand Canyon tours connecting with major American cities |
| Bundu Bus recommends travel insurance for unforeseen circumstances. |
Why is travel insurance compulsory for Contiki Tours and most group tours?
The reason Contiki Tours and most other tour operators insist on travel insurance is because of the risks inherent in travel. Some of the costs that can arise from these risks include:
- Large cancellation fees. Cancellation fees, for instance, can be more than 50% of your tour cost. If you cancel more than 45 days before your trip, Contiki will keep your deposit USD$200. If you cancel a day out from your trip, you will loose100% of your tour cost.
- Airline disruptions. If an airline delays a flight they will move you onto the next flight, but don't expect them to pay for the accommodation and activities you have paid for and missed out on.
- Expensive overseas medical costs. Many of these tours also travel to far-flung corners of the world, where health cover can be practically non-existent or very expensive. If you don’t have travel insurance, you’re directly liable for the costs if you need treatment or hospitalisation.
- Adventurous activities. Additionally, most tour operators cater for young adventurers who partake in high risk sports and activities. In these instances, requiring you to have insurance to cover yourself is not only in your own best interests, but is also good business sense on the part of the tour operator.
Barry's unrecoverable deposit
Barry recently booked a small group adventure holiday to South America. Two weeks before he was due to leave, he was involved in a car accident and was hospitalised with a broken leg. As Barry didn’t have cancellation cover, he lost his deposit on the trip and had to pay 33% of the tour cost in cancellation fees. For the sake saving of a couple of hundred dollars in travel insurance, Barry lost his trip and several thousand dollars from the cancellation.
Cancellation policy by tour provider
Each tour provider has its own cancellation policy. Typically, the closer you are to the commencement of your trip, the more you have pay in cancellation fees. If you need to cancel your trip unexpectedly (e.g. a relative passes away), this is where travel insurance comes in handy.
| Tour | Cancellation fee policy | Fee details |
|---|---|---|
| G Adventures More info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. |
|
| Contiki More info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. |
|
| Baz Bus More info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. |
|
| Vodkatrain More info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. Vodkatrain will only accept cancellations in writing. |
|
| Busabout More info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. Cancellation fee rates also vary between tours. | For all tours
Based on Asia Adventures tour
|
| Stray Asia More info | Depends on how long between when you cancel and when you depart. |
|
| Bamba ExperienceMore info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. Cancellation fee rates may also vary between tours. | Based on buss pass bookings
|
| DragomanMore info | Depends on how many days between when you cancel and when your tour begins. 10% deposit is non refundable. |
|
| Moose Travel Network More info | Depends on how many time between when you cancel and when your tour begins. Cancellation fee rates will vary between tours from the west coast and east coast (of Canada). | East coast tours
West coast tours
|
| Bundu Bus More info | Depends on how many time between when you cancel and when the start date of your pass begins. |
|
What are the must-have policy features for Contiki?
Cancellation
Medical
Personal item cover
Adventure activity cover
What to expect on a Contiki tour
If you’re planning to travel with Contiki Tours, here are some tips on what to expect;
- Contiki caters exclusively for 18 to 35 year olds, so if you’re in this age group and like to have fun, this is the holiday for you.
- You’ll be surprised how much free time is included in a tour, with plenty of down time for sightseeing, shopping or just relaxing.
- Travel times between destinations will vary depending on weather and traffic conditions, so be flexible in your expectations regarding arrivals and departures
- Many things are included such as transport, accommodation, some meals and some sightseeing.
- Things that aren’t included are personal expenses, visas, insurance, medical fees, some entrance fees, lunches and optional excursions.
- The average ratio of females to males on a tour is 60/40, although some of these can be couples.
Selecting travel insurance for your Contiki tour
The type of travel insurance you select for your Contiki trip will depend on the destination and kind of tour you have chosen. If you are travelling to South America or Asia, you will have to take out comprehensive cover as a condition of travel.
Even if you aren’t, travel insurance is always a good idea to cover unforeseen risks such as illness and injury, trip cancellations and lost, stolen or damaged luggage and personal items. Consider how much cover you will need of each of these benefits when comparing policies. Remember, a couple of hundred dollars (or less) is a small price to pay for complete peace of mind and protection from financial hardship.
Compare Contiki compliant travel insurance quotes
Travel insurance guide for South America
Travel insurance guide for the USA
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Just wonder whether you have the figure for Malaysia, Indonesia,India, the Phillipines and Thailand….Being a Malaysian I think Malaysia is one of the most dangerous place to drive ! They have no road manners…very few of them care about speed limits…and few traffic police officers to enforce the law.
Hi Aiikay,
Thanks for getting in touch. Unfortunately, we don’t have that data at the moment. We did recently look at dangerous roads in OECD countries frequented by Australians.
All the best,
Richard