Insurance advice for Bali travellers

A whopping 30% of travellers to Bali each week do so without adequate travel insurance. So now what? For starters, you shouldn’t be travelling without insurance.

With a majority of flight services now fully resumed between Australia and Bali following a hectic week of delays, travel insurance firms are preparing to be inundated with claims.

According to Southern Cross Travel Insurance ceo Craig Morrison, the company has seen a 47% increase in calls from Australian customers as a result of the ash cloud situation in Bali, and expects the number to rise as travellers land back in the country.

“Our advice to people who have been impacted by the volcano is to keep all documentation of cancellation from your airline (including emails) along with receipts of your additional expenses, including accommodation and meals, to submit a claim to your travel insurer,” Morrison said.

Noting that travel insurance policies vary between each company, Morrison said customers should ensure to check to see what level they are covered for to determine how much they will be able to claim.

“For your insurance to be valid you will need to have taken it out prior to the eruption starting,” Morrison warns.

“At SCTI, all customers who took out travel insurance before 12pm AEST 2 July 2015 will be covered up to $30,000 for delays and cancellations; we also automatically extend all policies until you are able to return home on the next available flight.”

According to the estimates by 1Cover Travel Insurance, around 30% of the 16,000 Australians who travel to Bali each week do so without travel insurance.

“If you haven’t bought travel insurance we strongly advise you to do so in the future. As we always say at Compare Travel Insurance, if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” a company spokesperson told Fairfax.

Travel Insurance Direct, Travel Safety Specialist Phil Sylvester, told Travel Weekly the Bali ash cloud incident should be used to convey the message that every traveller must take out appropriate travel insurance for every trip.

“This is exactly why travel insurance is necessary. Unforeseen events causing you to be stranded in a location with hotel and living expenses mounting. While we can’t get you home any quicker than your airline, and we can’t compensate you for the inconvenience, we can make sure you’re not out-of-pocket because of it,” Sylvester said.