Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
1300 635 500Mon-Fri, AEST
Buy Now
Japan Rail Pass NowAustralia's No.1 Choice
Why You Should Purchase Travel InsuranceTravelling involves various risks that may considerably leave you out of pocket. Many things can and do go wrong whilst on holidays including cases like flight cancellations, lost baggage, emergencies, weather events and so on. There are many factors which can inconvenience your trip so we suggest to always get travel insurance.
So, to minimise the impact of any finance inconvenience, it is advised to do your home work and purchase travel insurance.
CancellationsDid something just come up and you have to pull out of that trip you have been looking forward to for months? With travel insurance, you do not have to worry about not getting a single cent back from the cost of cancelling your plane tickets, hotel bookings, and other reservations.
Usually, travel insurance policies cover cancellations due to death or sickness of a family member, a member of your travelling party, or yourself. Other acceptable reasons are inclement weather, strikes, car accidents, and the airline or tour company going out of business. We advise you to read through the policy terms and conditions to make sure that your cover is suitable to your needs.
Lost or stolen luggageIf you check-in baggage gets delayed, damaged, or even lost, you may ask for reimbursement for certain items if you have travel insurance.
Just make sure to read the insurance’s terms of agreement as some common electronics, gadgets, and personal effects may be capped with more stringent reimbursement regulations.
Weather and natural disastersDifferent travel insurance policies have different rules regarding bad weather and natural disasters affecting your trip.
A good policy should cover the following:
due to typhoon, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, snow storms, tsunami, and others.
Medical emergenciesThere have been numerous cases of travellers suffering from food poisoning, sprained ankles, and other medical accidents acquired while on their trip, and a lot of them ended up with sky-high hospital bills because they failed to purchase travel insurance prior to their trips.
With a travel insurance policy that has good medical coverage, you can avail of treatment and care in a medical facility without hassle or leaving your credit cards and wallets empty.
Emergency evacuationIn case you need to be airlifted for medical reasons or taken to a safe area due to danger or disaster, travel insurance can cover the costs of these and ensure that your safety is top priority.
Japanese healthcare is excellent, and as a visitor you will pay full price for it, so travel insurance is not the place to economise. A few things worth checking in the fine print before you buy. If your trip includes skiing or boarding in Niseko, Hakuba or Nozawa, confirm snow sports are covered and read the off-piste wording carefully, because backcountry incidents are the classic excluded claim. If you plan to use luggage forwarding, good news: bags in the care of a courier are generally covered, while bags left unattended in public are generally not. Check for natural disaster cover too. Typhoon season can scramble flights and trains between August and October, and decent policies cover the resulting delays and extra nights. Finally, if you are relying on complimentary credit card insurance, read the activation rules. Most cards require a portion of the trip to be paid on that card before cover exists, and the excess is often higher than a standalone policy.
Save a digital copy of your policy and the insurer’s 24 hour number somewhere you can reach without data, and carry your policy number in your day bag. Japanese hospitals in tourist areas increasingly have direct billing arrangements with the big insurers, which turns a stressful day into paperwork rather than a five figure credit card hold.
