Essential Travel Insurance Guide for Backpackers

Backpacking is great fun and often turns out to be one of the biggest adventures upon which a young person can embark. But going on a journey doesn’t always go as smoothly as planned, so you need to prepare accordingly to minimize glitches. One way to do so is to make sure you get a good travel policy to cover potential problems that may arise during the course of your adventure. There are myriad providers that offer single trip insurance plans, most of which come with flexible terms and affordable prices. But you need to think beyond the price you pay up front to what else you need to do after you’ve purchased a package. Consider the following.

Evaluate Value for Money

There are typical activities that many backpackers take on, and many single trip insurance providers take the initiative to clarify what goes into the policy, including terms when it comes to travel period. Pay attention to little details such as these, because if you misunderstand, you could end up paying a higher price in the end. On the other hand, just because a plan is affordable doesn’t necessarily mean it will give you the value for money you are looking for. The bottom line is you need a plan that will provide coverage for the relevant areas and concerns specific to your travel plans. That’s the only real way you will get your money’s worth.

Disclose All Relevant Information

Particularly when you’re travelling internationally, it is crucial to disclose information relevant to getting your single trip insurance plan - such as medical conditions. There are providers who may not cover pre-existing conditions, but it is not wise to keep information like that to yourself, because you’re the one who is going to suffer the consequences later. If you withhold vital information about your health, you could end up either paying a higher fee or not getting your claim paid at all.

Make Multiple Copies of Documents and Receipts

When you travel, of course you're not planning on something bad happening to you just so you can make an insurance claim! But when it comes down to it and if you do have to claim, you'll need to have all the necessary documents and receipts to make the process efficient. Many providers have strict policies when it comes to terms and conditions and you must meet all their requirements or risk not having your claim paid. If you take out a single trip insurance plan, you need to hold on to all your receipts, ATM slips, and make multiple copies of travel documents. Keep them organized in a folder and make sure that you always have them on your person.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Insuremore. We provide low cost travel insurance and offer a range of policies including single trip insurance, annual, multi-trip and family cover. For all your travel cover needs, Insuremore can help you in the quickest and most cost-efficient way.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.