Nearly 14% or one in seven Australian travellers went on their most recent travel without a valid travel insurance cover according to a recent survey by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). The survey found that this trend is particularly pronounced among younger travellers, with 23% of under-30s going uninsured.
The survey conducted by Quantum Market Research on behalf of ICA included 1001 travellers and found that two thirds (65%) of those who travelled without insurance gave it some thought before deciding to go without, with a third of those travellers (31%) deciding to forgo insurance due to travelling to a destination they perceived as safe.
Australian department of foreign affairs and Trade's Smartraveller also participated in conducting the survey. Other findings of the survey include:
- Willingness to take risks: A large portion of travellers (45%) were willing to take risks in pursuit of unique or memorable experiences, such as trying unfamiliar foods (49%) and visiting challenging environments (33%).
- Alarmingly, a third (36%) of travellers agreed they had seen risky destinations promoted in a positive way in media / social media.
- Medical tourism: Almost half (46%) of travellers had, or would personally consider, travelling overseas for a medical procedure – most commonly dental care (30%). The most common motivation among considerers was the lower cost of treatment, mentioned by 69%, far above any other motivation.
- The current global political environment was also a motivator to travel or defer their travel to a specific location. Over half (56%) of travellers agreed that the current global political environment has meant that there are countries they had planned to visit but they will now avoid. A similar proportion agreed they feel less comfortable travelling overseas (53%), while two in five (41%) said it had made them less likely to go overseas altogether.
ICA CEO Andrew Hall said, “Travelling anywhere, whether it’s overseas or domestically, is the highlight of many people’s years, but even when travelling to destinations perceived to be safe the unexpected can still happen. Understanding your policy and assessing what kinds of activities you plan on undertaking while you’re travelling is the best way to make sure you’re protected.
“We encourage travellers to understand their exclusions and assess whether they need additional cover for any risky behaviours they're considering.”
He said those who undertake the journey should check product disclosure statements and speak directly to their insurers with any questions.