Parents worry about schoolies travel insurance

Worried about your child heading overseas for schoolies week?

InsureandGo urges parents to make sure their children have a sufficient level of travel insurance cover for Schoolies Week

With increasing numbers of school-leavers opting to travel to exotic international destinations for their end-of-school celebrations, award winning online travel insurer, InsureandGo is urging parents to consider the benefits of comprehensive travel insurance.

Schoolies Week is a rite of passage for many young Australians finishing year 12; a time to celebrate all the hard work of the previous year as well as the beginning of adulthood. However, for their parents, it can be a time of anxiousness – especially when it involves travelling to a foreign destination such as Fiji or Bali.

InsureandGo customer, Jayne from Crescent Head, NSW recently purchased an InsureandGo gold travel insurance policy for her 17 year old daughter, Sophie who is travelling to Fiji on an organised schoolies trip in early December. Even though the resort has its own security, Jayne said she is still a bit apprehensive about her daughter heading to Fiji to celebrate schoolies week.

“It’s really concerning sending your 17 year old child overseas, on their own for the first time. Although I have complete faith in my daughter, I wanted to have the peace of mind that she would be fully covered should the unexpected happen during the trip,” said Jayne.

“The fact that InsureandGo’s policy offered unlimited medical expenses was a huge draw for me as other companies that I looked at didn’t offer such extensive cover. I wanted to make sure Sophie would be covered for everything she needed should she get sick on the island.”

InsureandGo General Manager, Sebastian Kaisin said that even if you think your child is covered by their Schoolie Week tour operator you should still consider comprehensive travel insurance that will cover all aspects of their trip. Furthermore, parents will have the peace of mind knowing that there is a 24 hour emergency assistance service should the unforseen happen.

Jayne purchased the policy for her daughter, Sophie, a few months ahead of the schoolies trip so that Sophie was also covered for trip cancellation should something happen prior to the trip that prevented her from travelling.

“I shopped around online and found that InsureandGo’s policy was not only cheaper than the other companies I looked at – including the policy being offered by the schoolies tour operator – but more importantly, their gold policy covered all the big things that a parent worries about such as medical evacuation, unlimited medical expenses, 24 hour emergency assistance and trip cancellation as well as covering the smaller things like theft of valuables, baggage damage and flight disruptions. Above all, I wanted to ensure that Sophie would be covered for everything she needed should she get sick on the island,” said Jayne.

“I found the quote online and then had to telephone the call centre to book due to Sophie’s age however the whole process was really easy and the team were very helpful.

“As a family, we never travel without travel insurance so for as long as I have a say in Sophie’s travel plans, I won’t let her travel without it.”

Last November, InsureandGo saw a significant increase in the number of international policies purchased by or for 16 and 17 year olds, with 166% more polices sold to this age group compared to the previous month. InsureandGo expect to see a similar increase this November as masses of young Australians head overseas to celebrate Schoolies Week.

“In preparation for Schoolies Week, it’s advisable for parents to take out travel insurance for their child, even if they are travelling within Australia but especially if they are going overseas to destinations such as Bali or Fiji,” said Mr Kaisin.

With only a few weeks until Schoolies Week, now is the time for parents with children travelling overseas to remember that when their child leaves Australia, they leave behind essential support systems such as medical facilities and emergency services and they enter a country with unfamiliar laws, service networks and cultural norms.

“With more young Australians taking part in ‘off the beaten track’ adventures and even volunteering packages during Schoolies Week, parents are encouraged to read the PDS (policy disclosure statement) to ensure the policy they purchase covers their child for all the activities they plan to participate in,” Mr Kaisin added.

Having the correct level of travel insurance will ensure that school leavers are covered should the unforseen happen during their trip. This can range from small incidents such as theft or loss of belongings to more serious incidents that require emergency assistance.

Recent InsureandGo claims data shows that the most common claims for 16 and 17 year old travellers is loss of a mobile phone followed by medical expenses, especially dehydration and stomach bugs.

Many parents may not realise that InsureandGo will cover 16 and 17 year olds travelling by themselves, i.e. without adult supervision, although bookings for all children 0-17 years of age must be made by calling the InsureandGo Call Centre on 1300 552 701. Only children under 16 need to be travelling with an adult for their cover to be valid.

Parents can gain peace of mind from as a little as $45*, with InsureandGo’s affordable comprehensive travel insurance policies.

InsureandGo recently was awarded the two top accolades in independent reviewer, CANSTAR’s annual travel Insurance report achieving the highly coveted ‘Outstanding Value in the International Travel Insurance Award’ as well as winning the ‘Outstanding Value in the Domestic Travel Award’, for the second year running.

InsureandGo is one of world’s largest online travel insurance companies. Globally, the company covers over 1.6 million travellers every year.

For further information on InsureandGo’s award winning travel insurance policies, please visit www.insureandgo.com.au.

* Price derived from a single trip of 5 days, Individual, age 30, to New Zealand, Pacific & Bali region. Cover for pre-existing medical may require an extra premium.

About InsureandGo

InsureandGo is one of the world’s largest online travel insurance specialists. InsureandGo sells direct through the internet to consumers who are searching for great products and efficient service. InsureandGo as a worldwide brand covers over 1.6 million travellers a year.

InsureandGo Australia is wholly owned by MAPFRE ASISTENCIA Compania Internacional de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A which forms part of the global MAPFRE Group.

MAPFRE ASISTENCIA is a multinational assistance, service and specialty risk provider. With 57 offices located throughout the 5 continents, MAPFRE ASISTENCIA works with more than 1,500 corporate clients, has more than 100 million people insured and 198 million beneficiaries. It employs over 6000 people, has 12 24-hour assistance centres, with over 2000 multilingual operators and 315,000 health providers.

The InsureandGo brand was established in the UK in 2000 and launched in the Australian marketplace in 2010.