Gap year backpacker travel insurance

As far as we’re concerned, buying travel insurance is an absolute must before you go off on your backpacking travels. This is definitely not an area that you can look at for cutting costs. A good insurance policy should only cost you a few hundred pounds and will cover you for medical expenses, cancellations, personal liability (damaging other people/property) and personal belongings, among other things. Don’t leave buying your travel insurance until the last minute as you will need your cancellation cover as soon as you start to make bookings. Find out more about what's included in your travel insurance policy.

Did you know that if you break a leg abroad without insurance, this could cost you £2,500 in Europe or up to £14,000 in the USA! How are you going to paying for that? If something more serious happens and you need to be repatriated (flown home), you could be looking at several £100,000’s. Travelling without insurance is a risk that you should never take.

Travel insurance companies for backpackers

We found the following companies to offer very competitively priced travel insurance. Be sure to check what is and isn't included in your policy - don't just go for the cheapest without checking whether your essential requirements are covered. Read our advice on travel insurance below for tips and advice on getting the best travel insurance policy.

 

Essential Travel

Essential travel provide long stay cover for backpackers taking extended trips of up to 12 months. Suitable for extended trips and working holidays. There are a number of sporting activities that are covered as standard on their backpacker policies. These include Bungee Jumping, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Sailing and Canoeing.

Staysure backpacker insurance

Staysure offer very competitive policy pricing with policies exclusively available to travellers aged 16-45. If you have an EHIC card they have no medical excess. They have a great golfing "hole in one" cover included as standard - they pay you up to £75 towards the cost of celebratory drinks, if you complete a hole in one shot!

Useful tips for when you’re looking for your travel insurance policy

• The government recommends a policy with £1 million of medical cover when travelling within the EU or £2 million when travelling outside the EU.
• As a guideline, we recommend £2 million for medical expenses, £1 million for personal liability cover, cancellation cover of at least the value of your holiday, £1,500 for your baggage and £250 for your cash
• Always purchase cover from a well known and recognized insurer – they can usually be depended on to honour valid claims quickly and in full.
• Where are you going and how long are you going for? Make sure you’re covered for every destination and the whole of your trip.
• Are the activities you intend to try covered? Make a list of anything you think you might do while you’re away – bungee jumping, sky diving, riding a scooter with greater than 50cc engine, skiing, scuba diving, horse riding, jet-skiing.
• Can you add an activity easily at a later date if you decide to do something not originally covered?
• Check the details for your activities – eg. Is there a depth limit for scuba diving? Can you ski off piste?
• Check third party liability – especially when you will be skiing where collisions are quite common.
• Make sure you tell your insurer about any pre-existing medical conditions you or your family may have – if you don’t, it is likely to affect your claim.
• Check for any age restrictions
• Do you have any expensive equipment that you should name individually? If you have a fancy digital camera, consider taking a cheaper alternative that is less likely to be nicked.
• Check the FCO website for travel advice. If they advise against travelling in the country you will be going to, your insurance may be invalid.

Travel insurance tips when you’re travelling

• Make sure you have a copy of your policy with you. A good tip is to also scan it and email it to yourself so you can get another copy if you lose your paper copy.
• Keep the 24 hour emergency contact phone number with you at all times
• Contact your insurance company ASAP if something happens
• Make sure you know what to do if something happens. Your insurance company may insist you take certain action and may have companies they prefer to use. You may not be paid back for money you spend if you sort things out yourself. You usually need to fill out a police report if something is stolen and are unlikely to be able to claim at a later date if you don’t.
• Keep all paperwork, receipts, tickets, police reports etc if something does happen.

A word of warning:
Most policies will not cover drink or drug related incidents. You must take reasonable care of your possessions or your policy will not cover you.