Many insurers cover overseas volunteer work, but manual labour and work at heights are often excluded from standard policies.
In addition to travel insurance, check if you need separate public liability or personal accident cover for your specific volunteer role.
Research your volunteer organisation thoroughly and always check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for activity-based exclusions.
Are you planning on volunteering? Has the NGO or not-for-profit you are working with requested you get travel insurance?
Many insurers will cover you for volunteer work overseas. However, there will be conditions – the most common condition being you are not permitted to engage in any manual labour. Below are the conditions for a number of the travel insurance brands in the Finder panel and how they treat travel insurance when it comes to overseas volunteer work; even though you're not being paid, these are known as working holidays.
Zoom won't be able to pay any claims for events that occur while you're working - if you slip on some ice behind a bar you're working at, for example - because your work should cover that. However, they can cover you for claims outside of work.
Yes, cover is provided for overseas charity work, however, you will need to check the Product Disclosure Statement to ensure that the specific type of work you will be doing is covered under their policies.
Insure4less allows you to carry out non-manual, non-hazardous work whilst overseas although there is no cover for personal liability whilst working. There is no cover for claims related to any snow sports activity if such activity results in payment or payment in kind for the insured.
Travel Insuranz allows you to carry out non-manual, non-hazardous work whilst overseas although there is no cover for personal liability whilst working. There is no cover for claims related to any snow sports activity if such activity results in payment or payment in kind for the insured.
InsureandGo covers conservation or charity work (educational educational and environmental – working with hand tools only). They will not cover you for engaging in any manual labour, humanitarian, missionary related travel or whilst working with animals.
Tick covers conservation or charity work (educational educational and environmental – working with hand tools only). They will not cover you for engaging in any manual labour, humanitarian, missionary related travel or whilst working with animals.
SCTI covers Non-Manual Work, such as working in an office, attending a trade fair at a conference centre, or going to a training course or business meeting.
Working covered but not any form of manual labour.
Working covered but not any form of manual labour. You are not covered for animal conservation and handling, under appropriate supervision, unless you take out optional Adventure Add-On cover.
What type of insurance is required to cover volunteers?
If you're going overseas to work with a not-for-profit organisation as a volunteer, you will usually need to take out travel insurance for yourself. Travel insurance for volunteers is similar to regular travel insurance, in that it covers the 3 main areas of risk:
Medical and hospital
Theft or loss of belongings
Trip cancellations or delays
But because it's more than just a holiday, you may also want to consider taking out additional cover for things such as personal accidents, public liability and (if you're providing a service or giving advice) professional indemnity insurance. With some organisations, taking out this type of policy is mandatory in order to work with them.
What am I covered for?
Travel insurance for volunteers should cover the 3 main areas of risk, protecting against loss of deposits and additional expenses associated with flight cancellations and delays. It should also cover lost, stolen or damaged baggage and personal items.
As with most insurance policies, all areas of cover are contingent upon the insured being a participant in an approved activity at the time of any incident. In the case of a volunteer, that would mean performing tasks associated with their voluntary work.
A good policy should protect you in the following ways:
24-hour assistance
Accidental death & permanent total disablement
Alternative therapies
Baggage delay over 12 hours
Cancellation costs
Clinical psychology after assault or trauma
Compassionate emergency visit home
Credit repayment for full-time students
Emergency dental treatment
Emergency medical transport & repatriation
Hire of sporting equipment
Kidnap or hijack
Local funeral expenses or repatriation of remains
Out-of-pocket expenses in hospital
Overseas medical costs
Personal liability
Rental vehicle insurance excess
Resumption of trip
Return of rental vehicle
Theft or damage to baggage & personal items
Trip interruption costs
In terms of the specific jobs you are covered for, policies will generally cover a range of volunteering roles, including:
Hospitality, including serving meals to unhoused people.
General farm work, including activities such as conservation and environmental work.
Teaching.
Clerical work.
Childcare.
Retail work, such as assisting in a second-hand shop.
What is generally excluded?
Some exclusions apply to volunteer travel insurance, as they do in any travel insurance policy. Exclusions are instances in which the insurer will not cover the insured and these include:
War or terrorism
An incident that occurs while you're under the influence of alcohol or drugs
An incident that occurs while you're training or competing in an organised sport
An incident that occurs while you're flying in any craft, other than as a passenger on a commercial airline
Suicide or attempted suicide
An incident that occurs while you're driving or riding in a race
Childbirth or pregnancy
An incident that occurs while you're while travelling against medical advice
Non-emergency dental treatment
Precautionary measures such as vaccinations
Loss of personal property left unattended or unsupervised
Sexually transmitted diseases
Radioactive contamination
Irresponsible or illegal activity
Maintenance of a pre-existing medical condition
What other insurances do I need?
As well as travel insurance, when you're volunteering, the not-for-profit organisation may also need require you take out insurance that covers you for public liability insurance to protect against claims of third party injury or property damage.
As well as taking out travel insurance or ensuring that your not-for-profit organisation has taken it out on your behalf, volunteers should also take the following precautions before heading overseas. Due to the political instability and poverty-stricken nature of many countries requiring volunteer assistance, you could find yourself in danger or in trouble with the authorities unless you take certain steps beforehand. These could include:
Researching the organisation you intend to volunteer with to ensure it is reputable and that the work you will be doing will be of value
Studying the culture and learning the language, laws and customs of the country you plan to visit
Obtaining the right paperwork, including visas, work permits and other documentation
Reading and taking note of travel warnings issued by the Australian Government Smartraveller website
Registering your travel plans with Smartraveller and notifying friends and relatives of your intended movements
No students to teach and no school to teach at
When Claire Standish signed up to do volunteer teaching in India through a not-for-profit organisation, she paid nearly $4,000 to access the program. But when Claire arrived in India, she found that there was no volunteer work for her to do.
Nothing had been organised by the subsidiary organisation on the ground and there were no students to teach and no school to teach at. Claire returned to Australia out of pocket and thoroughly disillusioned. She made a formal complaint to the not-for-profit organisation she had signed up with.
Fortunately, the organisation made some attempt at restitution, sending her on a new volunteer trip free of charge and paying half of her airfares. The moral here is to thoroughly research the organisation you plan to volunteer through and to have adequate travel insurance to cover trip cancellations and additional expenses.
How do I find a good volunteer placement?
What am I in for? Make sure that the program is above board.
Should I speak with previous volunteers? Yes, finding out first hand from previous volunteers is a great way of knowing whether or not the organisation does what it says it does.
Should I go off the beaten track? Staying away from popular tourist destinations will help you have a more authentic experience and help those truly in need.
How can I make sure I'm really helping? Find a program that either handles its own projects or is affiliated with a project you are interested in. Avoid those that outsource volunteers.
I like working with children, what about helping in an orphanage? According to Smartraveller, you should steer clear of orphanages unless you are able to spend a lot of time there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Even if your organisation provides cover, it may not be comprehensive enough for your individual needs. Many organisations specifically require you to take out your own travel insurance as a condition of placement. Always check with your volunteer provider to understand their coverage and assess if you need additional personal cover for medical emergencies, trip cancellations or lost belongings.
While many insurers cover general volunteer work, common exclusions often apply. These typically include manual labour such as construction, heavy lifting, or operating machinery. Activities involving large or dangerous animals are also frequently excluded, along with humanitarian aid in conflict zones, missionary work, or any work considered high-risk or hazardous. Always review the Product Disclosure Statement carefully to understand exactly which activities your policy does and does not cover.
Generally, pre-existing medical conditions are excluded from standard travel insurance policies for volunteers. However, some insurers may offer cover for certain conditions if you declare them during the application process and pay an additional premium. It is important to disclose all pre-existing conditions to your insurer to ensure your policy remains valid.
Travel insurance for volunteers typically includes cover for trip cancellations and interruptions. If your volunteer placement is unexpectedly cancelled or significantly changed before or during your trip, you may be able to claim for non-refundable deposits or additional expenses incurred. Be sure to keep all documentation related to your booking and the cancellation or change.
To make a claim, you should contact your insurer as soon as possible after an incident. You will typically need to provide documentation such as medical reports, police reports, receipts for expenses, or confirmation from your volunteer organisation. Many insurers also offer 24-hour emergency assistance to guide you through the claims process.
The maximum duration of cover varies significantly between policies and providers. Many standard policies cover trips up to 12 months, while specialist long-stay or working holiday policies may extend to 24 months. Always check the specific terms and conditions to ensure the policy duration matches your volunteer placement and allows for extensions if your trip is delayed.
Richard Laycock is Finder’s insights editor after spending the last five years writing and editing articles about insurance. His musings can be found across the web including on MoneyMag, Yahoo Finance and Travel Weekly. Richard studied Media at Macquarie University and The Missouri School of Journalism and has a Tier 1 Certification in General Advice for Life Insurance.
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When Claire Standish signed up to do volunteer teaching in India through a not-for-profit organisation, she paid nearly $4,000 to access the program. But when Claire arrived in India, she found that there was no volunteer work for her to do.