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While Asia is close destination to Australia, there are many differences in safety that cause an unsuspecting traveller grief. Travel insurance can protect you from the following:
Continue reading our guide useful safety tips and travel insurance information for Asia, or if you're ready:
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Asia is a made up of a mix of countries with different safety concerns.
There are major safety concerns in Asia, but this doesn't mean you should avoid travelling to this amazing part of the world. Make sure you:
When looking for travel insurance for Asia, you need to find a policy that provides cover in several important areas. These include:
Asia is famous among Australian travellers for its delicious and varied cuisine. However, some Asian countries have much lower standards of food hygiene than Australia, so it’s not uncommon for visitors to Asia to come down with a bout of food poisoning.
If you're unlucky enough to suffer a nasty case of food poisoning, travel insurance can cover the overseas medical and hospital expenses you incur. Your hip pocket doesn’t have to suffer along with your stomach.
If your doctor advises you to stay in hospital for travel destination for a few days to recover, you can get cover for:
Australian tourist Craig thought the family-run restaurant in a Hong Kong alley looked clean enough, and the seafood noodle dish he devoured for lunch certainly tasted delicious. But when Craig woke up after a nap in his hotel room a couple of hours later and needed to rush to the toilet, he knew he’d made a big mistake.
With severe vomiting and diarrhoea plus a fever and other flu-like symptoms, Craig was diagnosed with a bad case of food poisoning and ended up spending two nights on a drip in hospital. After being discharged from hospital, Craig’s doctor also recommended that he stay on in Hong Kong for a few extra days to recover, meaning Craig had additional accommodation expenses to cover and also that he missed his flight to Tokyo and two nights of pre-booked accommodation.
Luckily, Craig had taken out comprehensive travel insurance cover for food poisoning before departing on his trip.
Purchasing a $110 travel insurance policy ensured that food poisoning didn’t leave Craig more than $3,000 out of pocket.
In order to get travel insurance cover riding a motor bike or a moped, you will need to follow the road laws of the country you're visiting.
Asian countries require you to have a licence of some kind to ride a motor bike, usually an equivalent Australian motorbike licence.
An Australian car licence is not enough, as it must be a motor bike licence and you will need to obtain it before you leave home. Although it's easy simply hire a motor bike from a street vendor without a motorbike license, if you're injured, your travel insurance will not cover you in the event of an accident.
Some countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam require you to have a valid local motorbike licence as well. In these countries you will need to pay about $40 and pass a riding test before you can head out legally on two wheels.
There’s a misconception among some travellers that travel insurance isn’t an essential inclusion for a trip to Asia. After all, Asia is cheap and does seem like pretty safe destination, right?
1. Asia is safer than most of the world
From petty crime to violent crime, to natural disasters and even terrorism, there are plenty of travel risks you may encounter in Asia.
2. The cost of a hospital will be cheap
Don’t be fooled into thinking hospitals in Asia are cheap. A finder.com.au study of the 20 most popular destinations for Aussie travellers revealed Singapore as the most expensive place in the world to spend a night in hospital. You’ll usually need to provide proof of travel insurance with medical coverage or some guarantee of payment before you will be admitted to hospital.
When you take the risks and potential costs into consideration, travel insurance for Asia really is essential.
Food, accommodation and a range of other items are ridiculously cheap in many Asian countries, so some travellers make the mistake of thinking that healthcare will simply be affordable. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
The quality of medical facilities varies greatly between major cities and rural areas in Asia. If you suffer an injury or illness in some parts of Asia, for example in rural Thailand, the best option may be to medically evacuate you to the nearest appropriate medical facility or even repatriate you to Australia. This can be a very expensive operation.
Travel insurance can cover both:
Yes you can. If you don’t want to pay for the broad range of benefits provided by a comprehensive travel insurance policy, consider a medical-only travel insurance policy:
In some Asian countries, theft is a common problem for travellers. According to Smart Traveller, this is particularly true for:
Look for a policy that has these features:
Yes, you can get cover for Russia.
Most policies will typically include Russia in the same region as Asia. You should however always double check before you apply for your policy as Russia may be included in the 'Worldwide' region.
Here are some easy ways to get cheap travel insurance for Asia.
You can find more ways to get cheap travel insurance here.
Once you have purchased your travel insurance for Asia, you need to make sure you get the most from it, so that if anything untoward was to happen, you would be assured of receiving a benefit when you made a claim. Things you can do to ensure you get the most from your cover include:
The only thing better than having travel insurance is having an uneventful trip and not having to claim on it. With that in mind, here are some handy tips when travelling in Asia.
If you find yourself in an emergency in the Asia, some useful contacts include:
A: It can cover you for unexpected events, including medical emergencies, lost or stolen luggage and travel delays.
A: Any defect, condition, disease or illness that has been diagnosed or treated by a doctor 90 days or less before taking out travel cover.
A: Yes, you can normally get cover for up to the 26th week of pregnancy, but cover is not provided for childbirth expenses, only for unexpected serious complications.
A: Yes, but you must take all reasonable precautions to avoid any loss or damage, report any loss or damage within 24 hours and obtain a police report before making a claim.
A: No. Most travel insurance is designed for leisure travellers and does not cover events linked to overseas employment. You would need to take out special cover for this, or ensure you are covered by your employer’s insurance.
A: If you cancel your policy usually within 15 days of issue you can get a full refund, as long as you have not started your journey or made a claim.
A: You may need original documents such as medical reports, police reports, invoices and receipts, depending on the nature of the claim.
Travelling to Asia is a life-changing experience for many people. The fascinating cultures, friendly people and incredible scenery draw thousands of Australians to places like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam and China every year. And the travel insurance they take out before they leave performs a vital role in helping to ensure that they return with wonderful memories, rather than horror stories and debts they can’t afford to pay.
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*Price based on quote for basic policy for a 2 day trip for 18 year old traveller. Please note that prices are subject to change. Price last checked as correct on October 2015.
*The use of terms 'Best' and 'Top' are not product ratings and are subject to our disclaimer. You should consider seeking independent financial advice and consider your personal financial circumstances when comparing products.
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