One in five young Australians is heading to Southeast Asia without travel insurance, while 75% of young travellers engage in risky behaviours that are unlikely to be covered, even if they had insurance, according to new research from Understand Insurance and Smartraveller.
Lisa Kable, understandinsurance.com.au spokesperson, said that with thousands of Year-12 graduates travelling to SE Asia for the Schoolies break, it is necessary that they take up the right travel insurance in case they get injured.
“The Australian government does not pay for medical treatment or emergency flights home if something goes wrong, despite 25% of travellers wrongly believing the government will assist with medical and related costs,” Kable said.
More that 10,000 teens visited SE Asian destinations last year, including Bali, which is one of the top four destinations for Australian deaths overseas.
Insured travellers are also at risk of losing a small fortune on medical fees by engaging in dangerous activities.
“They should understand they may not be covered by their insurance if they make a claim for an event caused by alcohol, drugs, use of a motorbike, or failing to declare a pre-existing medical condition,” Kable said. “There are hundreds of travel insurance policies on the market, so choosing a policy that covers the destinations and the activities is of utmost importance.”
Only a few insurers cover the high-risk activity of motorbike riding with strict conditions. Some insurers require a full Australian motorbike licence and an international or local driving permit for bikes over 125cc, while others require a temporary Indonesian driving permit for a motorcycle under 125cc.
