It’s only natural to be concerned about your loved ones when you’re heading off on holidays.
Whether a family member or travelling companion falls ill or gets injured either before your trip or while you’re away, it’s important to know where you stand when it comes to your travel insurance cover.
A common question that travellers always ask us is:
Does travel insurance cover family emergencies? The short answer is yes, but like all insurances, there are conditions, limits and exclusions that will affect your claim.
Let’s break down what you need to know about how travel insurance deals with family-related emergencies.
Who is classified as ‘Family’?
‘Family’ in the context of travel insurance usually refers to your spouse (or legally recognised defacto partner) and your dependants.
Cover for furbabies
Although we all see our pets as family, they are not usually classed as family when it comes to travel insurance. For those with pets, it may be of some consolation that some insurers provide cover for your travel plans in the event of their illness, injury or death. Read more about cover for furbabies here.
Who is classified as a ‘Relative’?
‘Relatives’ in terms of travel insurance will typically include, your or your travelling companions’ spouse, de facto partner, parent, parent-in-law, daughter, son, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, step-parent, step-son, step-daughter, fiancé, fiancée or guardian.
NOTE: aunties, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends are not often included as a ‘relative’ so it pays to pay attention.
When Does Travel Insurance Cover Family Emergencies?
Your policy will kick in if a family member or relative (as defined above or within your insurers’ definitions);
- Dies unexpectedly
- Is disabled by an injury
- Becomes seriously sick and requires hospitalisation
When Are You Not Covered For Family Emergencies?
Like any type of insurance terms and conditions apply to your cover.
Where your relative lives matters: If your relative lives outside Australia or New Zealand, most Australian insurers won’t cover claims related to their illness or death. Most insurers state that they will only pay claims concerning ‘Relatives’ who reside in Australia or New Zealand. If you have a family member that lives in a different country to you, chances are you wouldn’t be covered for cancelling your trip.
Pre-existing illnesses can cause difficulties: If you were already aware of a Relative’s illness when you booked your travel insurance, you may not be covered should they take a turn for the worse. However, some companies may provide limited cover under these circumstances, provided you were not aware of the likelihood of their hospitalisation or death when purchasing your policy.
How the family member dies matters: If the death was due to the relative committing suicide, or related to alcohol or drug consumption you may find that isn’t covered. Any claims to do with alcohol, drugs or mental illness are typically excluded in Australian travel insurance policies.
Age limits apply: For example many insurers will not cover for any benefits for Relatives who are aged 85 years or older. This means even if a Relative has an unforeseen accident or illness, not relating to a pre-existing illness, travellers would not be covered for any events involving those who are older than the specified age limit.
Can I Resume My Trip If It Was Cut Short Due to a Family Emergency?
Most policies with a family emergency benefit will allow you to resume your journey at a later date after being forced to return home due to the illness or death of a relative and still be covered. This is sometimes included as a sub-limit within the trip cancellation benefit or, it may be under a benefit called “resumption of journey”. This will often include the cost of flights for you to return to the destination where your trip was disrupted.
There are normally specific conditions surrounding this type of cover, including:
- You must have had no knowledge that such an incident might occur prior to your departure
- Your resumption expenses may be limited or must be pre-approved by your insurer
- You must resume your journey before your policy expires
- You may need to resume your journey within a certain time of returning to Australia. Usually within 30 days.
