Reconsider your need to travel areas

[BelindaJK101]

Hi can anyone recommend some good policies that cover ‘reconsider your need to travel’ areas for long trips (like months?) Thanks

 

[RooFlyer]

Hi can anyone recommend some good policies that cover ‘reconsider your need to travel’ areas for long trips (like months?) Thanks

Is 'months' more than two? If so then your main issue will be to get a travel insurance policy, (which is what I think you are asking about) to cover more than 60 days.

I don’t think most policies have a prohibition on 'reconsider your need to travel' but certainly do for 'do not travel'.

 

[Cynicor]

Is 'months' more than two? If so then your main issue will be to get a travel insurance policy, (which is what I think you are asking about) to cover more than 60 days.

I don’t think most policies have a prohibition on 'reconsider your need to travel' but certainly do for 'do not travel'.

Any insurer will cover longer trips, out to 365 days plus.

 

[RooFlyer]

Any insurer will cover longer trips, out to 365 days plus.

They will issue a yearly policy, but I’ve often seen restrictions on individual trips more than 60 days. But you’ve seen full year away from Home policies?

 

[Happy Dude]

There will be many options for you @BelindaJK101 for that classification and duration. Whether or not assistance can be provided in those countries is another matter and there'll be such a clause in the PDS. I once had this pointed out to me when preparing for a work trip to PNG.

Re duration - there is a difference between an annual multi-trip policy, which covers shorter trips up to a certain length (say, 60 days) and a policy that covers a single trip of up to 365 days. Both are common.

 

[Cynicor]

They will issue a yearly policy, but I’ve often seen restrictions on individual trips more than 60 days. But you’ve seen full year away from Home policies?

As I say, single trip policies are the default for most and probably account for 80-90% if policies issued. You can insure any length of trip.
In fact, there is no insurer I’m aware of that doesn’t issue single trip insurance, while many do not sell annual cover.

Go to any insurance quote site right now and you’ll see what I mean.

 

[Lynda2475]

You need to read the PDS as some policies will not cover you if taken out after an area is designated reconsider your need to travel by government.

 

[RooFlyer]

You can insure any length of trip.

Together with what @Happy Dude wrote, I've learned something, so thanks.

In fact, there is no insurer I’m aware of that doesn’t issue single trip insurance, while many do not sell annual cover.

That was never in question - just the length of time they will allow away from home for a single insured trip ( individual trip policy or annual).

 

[BelindaJK101]

Is 'months' more than two? If so then your main issue will be to get a travel insurance policy, (which is what I think you are asking about) to cover more than 60 days.

I don’t think most policies have a prohibition on 'reconsider your need to travel' but certainly do for 'do not travel'.

Thanks @RooFlyer quite a few I’ve come across cover for 6 months. It’s for our son’s gap year trip

 

[BelindaJK101]

Thanks everyone! So far I’ve found Tick insurance only excludes do not travel and same with Go Insurance. Unfortunately our son has inherited the travel bug from us ha

 

[Happy Dude]

You need to read the PDS as some policies will not cover you if taken out after an area is designated reconsider your need to travel by government.

Huh? If a policy doesn't cover "reconsider your need to travel" it won't matter when you bought it. It'll be the classification when you enter the country that matters most regarding coverage.

 

[Lynda2475]

Huh? If a policy doesn't cover "reconsider your need to travel" it won't matter when you bought it. It'll be the classification when you enter the country that matters most regarding coverage.

If you take out a policy when the advice is "exercise a normal degree of caution" and then later before you depart the situation at your destination deteriorates and warning level changes you are often covered for the costs of cancellation or deferring travel due to government warnings.

Similarly if you enter the country while there are no cautions, then something happens and the government changes the status you are covered whilst you arrange to leave; again as you had no expectation re it being unsafe or travel/consular services being disrupted at the time you took out the policy or entered the country.

But if the warning is "reconsider your need to travel" or "do not travel" the day your take our your policy, you cant claim you didn't know it was unsafe to travel and therefore you may not be covered for disruptions to journey in the former and definitely wont be covered for anything in the later.

The situation is similar to having travel booked, then getting a cancer diagnosis and taking out a policy after the fact. You arent covered for cancellation as you already knew you were sick when you bought the policy.

However if you were well and symptom free when you made the booking and bought TI the same day, and then are later diagnosed before you were meant to travel you are covered for cancellation as circumstance was unforeseen.

There are so many places one can visit for a gap year that don't have the "reconsider the need to travel warnings" that personally I wouldn't be supportive of one of my loved ones going against good advice. But if knowing its not recommended if you do still go, just don't expect the insurer and government to come to your rescue (nor Australian public via a go fund me).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I wasn’t aware policies excluded ‘reconsider your need to travel’? I thought it was only ‘don not travel’?

 

[justinbrett]

I wasn’t aware policies excluded ‘reconsider your need to travel’? I thought it was only ‘don not travel’?

The way I read the QF Amex policy is they do cover reconsider, but they will cover cancellation for reconsider and do not travel if declared after you purchase, with a set of caveats.

 

[Lynda2475]

The way I read the QF Amex policy is they do cover reconsider, but they will cover cancellation for reconsider and do not travel if declared after you purchase, with a set of caveats.

Yes Amex is a good example, SCTI and Covermore are others, but each policy is different (and sometimes even different for different destinations with the same warning) so pays to read through all criteria before deciding where to go.



Travel advice explained

For example right now Israel has a "Reconsider Your Need To Travel" warning on SmartTraveler yet Covermore is calling out



because they reasonably expect that there is a high chance that there will be


I also always take a screen shot (with date and time visible) of the travel advice for each country I have made bookings to visit (or am considering possible side trip to) on the day I book flights/accommodation/tours and the day I buy my policy so that I have evidence of the warning status at the time I took the policy out.

 

[Cynicor]

Yes, I haven’t come across a policy that doesn’t cover this.

 

[Pushka]

I've been to many 'reconsider' countries and have found it's only the Do Not travel places that are at risk.

 

[Mattg]

AFF looked into the conditions of various travel insurance policies in 2021. The context was looking into which insurers covered COVID-19, and things may have changed since then, but our research at the time found that Cover-More, Medibank and Qantas covered "reconsider your need to travel" destinations.

International COVID-19 Travel Insurance Guide for Australians

There's a growing number of international travel insurance options for Australians. Photo: Nils Nedel on Unsplash. Given the risks involved with

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Cynicor]

AFF looked into the conditions of various travel insurance policies in 2021. The context was looking into which insurers covered COVID-19, and things may have changed since then, but our research at the time found that Cover-More, Medibank and Qantas covered "reconsider your need to travel" destinations.

International COVID-19 Travel Insurance Guide for Australians

There's a growing number of international travel insurance options for Australians. Photo: Nils Nedel on Unsplash. Given the risks involved with

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Did any not, however?

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:47 AM

QF have also changed insurer since then.

 

[Lynda2475]

As i pointed out upthread Covermore in particular have a secondary page you have to check the specific country, as they sometimes cover "reconsider the need to travel" but do not cover all places with the "reconsider the need to travel" warning level. Israel being the most glaring example right now.

DFAT has Israel listed as:


Travel alerts – world events that may affect your policy | Cover-More Australia directs you to Israel situation | Cover-More Australia however says you wont have cancellation coverage nor be covered for "claims arising as a result of war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection or military or usurped power."

So the reason for Reconsider Your Need To Travel is actually more important than just the category.

It is always unwise to reply on generalizations wrt insurance, clauses and exemptions change frequently and the devil is always in the detail.

Most people get TI predominantly for medical coverage, cancellation and travel disruption. When the insurer can deny claims for these things simply by pointing to DFAT advise that notes conflict/war as the contributing factor to the "Reconsider You Need To Travel" your policy becomes pretty worthless.