Why all Aussies should take out travel insurance on holiday

IT WAS supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, instead this Aussie family found themselves with their daughter in the intensive care unit racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. 
 
Just three days into their US holiday, four year old Freya Connelly became ill. Her parents thought she had contracted a stomach bug and took her to the doctors however it was far more serious with Freya suffering pneumonia and a collapsed lung in what became a life-threatening condition.

The Connelly family’s experience is a reminder to Australian travellers about the importance of investing in travel insurance. Their $180 insurance policy covered the $715,000 bill racked up by Freya’s medical treatment.

“Terrified. That’s the only word I can use to describe [how I was feeling]. Absolutely shell shocked, it’s every parent’s nightmare,” said Stephen Connelly, Freya’s father.
“The hospital approached us about payment pretty much as soon as we got through the emergency doors,” said Joanne, her mother.

Family Travel Insurance

"While most vacations go as planned, something can always go wrong, whether it's a child's illness, an accident or a parent's work-related emergency.

It's important to ask yourself 'what if,' to consider the alternatives, and to protect your family and your wallet against any number of possible mishaps that can occur," says Ed Walker, US Travel Insurance Association president. He adds that many companies offer family travel insurance that includes children at no additional cost.

Travel Insurance Is It The Protection You Need

A simple travel insurance policy for a flight can cost as little as $10, protecting you in the event of a flight cancellation, delay, re-booking or even a crash!

Other travel insurance plans can cost between 3 or 8 percent of the cost of your trip, to cover things like lost luggage, terrorist attacks, emergency evacuations, hospital stays and rental car collision protection. The best thing about these plans is that they are very flexible, letting you pick and choose what coverage you need most.

However before you race out and pay for some insurance you don't need let's discuss what the three main covers are when you travel. These are Medical, Trip and Luggage we will explain each in more detail below.