Domestic travel insurance TIPS

With travel abroad still a long way off, Australians are eying local travel for their next getaway. But unlike international holidays, domestic breaks often go uninsured. And that’s a mistake, says the Insurance Council of Australia, who urges families to protect themselves from the unexpected, even within Australia. 

“When planning a trip away, few of us think about what could go wrong. But each working day insurers pay $169 million in claims – so the unexpected does happen,” ICA spokesperson Lisa Kable said. 

“Before you leave home it’s worth considering whether you have the right insurance policies and whether they’re up-to-date. 

“Taking a snow holiday? Most of us don’t consider travel insurance for local trips but it can be especially worthwhile for high-cost snow holidays.” 

When it comes to road trips, the council recommends Aussies:

• Make sure vehicles are fully roadworthy
• Check their car, and home and contents insurance is up to date
• Review their motor vehicle insurance policy and understand what it covers (like unsealed roads etc)
• Take precautions against thieves by avoiding leaving a vehicle’s keyless entry fob in an accessible spot, particularly in holiday accommodation or caravans
• Watch out for wild animals (animal collision claims rose from 9,000 in 2017-18 to 21,000 in 2019-20 for one Australian insurer)
• Check they have enough home insurance
• Make sure unoccupied homes are covered in the event of a long trip away
• Check personal valuables are covered by contents insurance
• Check for water leaks before leaving (insurers received more than 30,000 claims and paid out more than $320 million in 2018 for interior water damage caused by the failure of braided flexible hoses)
• Try to make their home look occupied whist away
• For snow holidays, follow alpine driving rules (in particular the use of snow chains) and take out snow sport travel policies
• Buy insurance at the time of making bookings