Insurance

Have just brought a round the world ticket with my twin sister which will take us through Asia, Europe and America and am having trouble deciding which travel insurance to get. Have been doing a lot of research and because we've booked through STA so they gave us some brochures (obviously pushing their products but am not too fussed about that) so I am leaning towards a moderately cheap insurance through STA which covers just about everything from what I can tell for $1000 for 12 months.
My sister on the other hand is looking at a policy through World Nomads which only costs $585 but covers about half as much as mine.
Does anyone have any advice on insurance policies??
Is STA good company to go through for insurance or does anyone have an horror stories about insurance policies they would advise against?!
HELP!!

Insurance is like anything else - you get what you pay for. Different policies vary enormously and some contain restrictions and exclusions which make it difficult to claim for theft of your baggage. You really need to study the different policies (especially the exclusions) and make your decision based on that. Having said that, the most important part of any travel policy is the medical cover and you need to be sure to disclose any medical condition which might influence the insurer's view of the risk.

If you intend to do any hazardous activity like a bungee jump, make sure it's not excluded - it probably will be but cover is available. Even the you need to be wary. Some off-piste skiers thought they had cover but were caught out by an exclusion of 'wilful exposure to needless peril'

Whatever you do, don't travel without insurance.

it depends what you want to be covered for. i persoanlly only want to cover my ass for huge emergency bills of a medical nature. I don't need coverage if my bag is damaged or i loose my camera. So i go with the cheap, basic one. You might find you get a good price if you get the same policy together.

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<hr>My sister on the other hand is looking at a policy through World Nomads which only costs $585 but covers about half as much as mine.<hr></blockquote>
Hi OP,

Pass the following on to your twin sis and she will love you even more!

1. Tell her to sign up for Buckscoop and when she goes to buy the policy, she should go through the link on that site. It's an Aussie cashback site, and it gives you 4% cashback (which I make to be $23)

2. Also when she is buying the policy, she should look for the "promotional code" box. If she enters STPJMS as a code it will give her a further 5% off :D (That's another $30)

So you can save your sis over $50 :p

Yes, maybe you only want to be covered for medical expenses as #2 suggests, but this issue is what activities you can do and still be covered for medical cover.

Many of the cheap, basic policies will not cover you for the tamest of adventure sports. I dont know about STA in Australia, but their UK policy does cover you for just about anything and that's the reason I bought it- I do a bit of climbing and winter sports and it would cost more to add this onto a basic policy than to just go with STA.

Remember also that some of the things you think you might be covered for, like missed departure, they will wriggle out of. For example, I am only covered for missed departure if I aimed to arrive at the airport at a "reasonable time". When I emailed to ask what a reasonable time was, they said 3 hours (and that's for a European flight!). Check in isnt even open then- there's no way I would arrive at the airport that early. You might also find restrictions on what circumstances they will cover your luggage e.g. is it covered when left unlocked under your bunk in a hostel? Read the small print carefully!

I'd say go for the cheapest policy you can get that gives you medical coverage but will cover you for whatever activites you think you might do. It's worth paying a bit extra for one that allows you to go and climb a mountain if you feel like it.

This is speaking from a UK point of view- I dont know if Australian policies will necessarily be the same.

Im setting off for Everest Base Camp on the 31st March, and would appreciate any advice on Insurance. Do you know of any reputable companies that will cover me above 3000metres?

Thanks!

There is a whoe heap of travel insurance here....

Hi, I'm after some insurance advice too.
I'm currently living in Japan and planning to head home to the UK via SE Asia, for which I need to buy insurance. So far I've only found policies that require me to be a permanent resident of the UK, which I'm not. I'm really not sure what to do about it all. Any advice?