Travel Insurance for Australians

Travel insurance is rarely the most exciting aspect of organising a holiday, unless you're planning an extremely boring trip.

You've just forked out a big wad of cash for airline tickets, hotels, car hire and everything else, and now someone - usually the travel agent - is trying to sell you something else!

But do you really need travel insurance? No, you don't, as long as you can guarantee the following things -

• You're not going to get ill while you're away;
• You're not going to have an accident;
• You're not going to lose anything;
• No-one's going to steal anything;
• Your flights won't be delayed or cancelled;
• Your baggage won't get lost; and
• All your accommodation will be just fine.

"But travel insurance is so expensive!" I can hear you saying. Well, if you're looking at the travel insurance policy the travel agent tried to flog you, you're probably right.

You may not realise it, but travel agents make a lot of their profits from travel insurance. When you've just coughed up thousands for airline tickets, and you're exhausted from all the negotiations, a couple of hundred more for travel insurance may not feel like much in comparison. That's what they want you to think!

That's where we come in. On-line travel insurance is much cheaper and it's just as reliable. On-line travel insurance companies work with much lower overheads and higher volumes, with the same level of security, and pass those savings on to you. Shop around at TID and you'll probably find a policy offering exactly the same benefits for half the price or less of the travel insurance offered by the travel agent.

Not convinced? Even if travel insurance isn't as expensive as you thought, you might be thinking - "But if someone in the pub nicks my mobile, I'm not insured. Why do I need insurance when I go away?"

But things are different when you're away from home. For a start, you're in unfamiliar places. You don't know where to go and where not to go. Secondly, if you get sick or trip and twist your ankle, you can't just 'go to the doctor' as you do at home because, the chances are, the doctor will expect to be paid. If you need hospital treatment, it can cost an absolute fortune, especially in the USA, Canada or Japan. Who would pay it?

And thirdly, you've got your camera around your neck and you look like a tourist! Yes, I'm sorry, but you do. If you were a thief (and I hope you're not), who would you be checking out, the local sitting by the fountain in the square with a rolled-up cigarette in his mouth, or the group of well-dressed individuals with expensive cameras, wallets stuffed with cash, and highly-prized passports?

If you still don't believe us, ask an experienced traveller. If you don't know any experienced travellers, ask Lonely Planet. They've been successfully helping travellers on tight budgets for decades and they have done their homework on travel insurance.

TID can help. We can help you find a travel insurance policy that gives you the cover that you want, without the stuff you don't need, at a price that makes you think "Oh, alright then, maybe it is a good idea."

And travel insurance is not just for holidays, either. We can help you with business travel insurance, backpacker travel insurance, and many other types of cover.

TID's cheap travel insurance can save you money and make sure your holiday is everything you dreamed it would be.