What do you need to know about Gap Year Travel Insurance?

When planning a gap year, you need to plan for the unexpected. While travel insurance should be a part of your travel budget, you need to know what it covers and how much it costs before making your decision.

We will help explain what you need to know about gap year travel insurance and how you can find the best deal possible. Here are some important questions we answered in this guide:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What does gap year travel insurance cover?

What does it cost?

How do I get the best deal?

What are the different types of gap year travel insurance?

What does Gap Year Travel Insurance cover?

Depending on which policy you buy, gap year travel insurance will cover costs associated with hospital and medical care incurred while overseas.

It will also cover your expenses if you have to cancel your trip due to personal reasons, as well as any gear or luggage that gets stolen or damaged while travelling.

World Nomads offers two levels of coverage: Classic and Explorer.

The classic package has a $1 million per-trip max for medical and evacuation services, plus a $500 deductible.

The Explorer policy has no deductible but carries a maximum benefit of $5 million per trip for emergency medical evacuations and similar assistance.

Also note that for people under age 71, it’s important to get insurance that covers repatriation in case of an accident.

What does Gap Year Travel Insurance cost?

World Nomads Travel Insurance is more flexible and costs more, but it can also save you money if you do find yourself in an expensive bind.

It has no excess so costs nothing if there’s a claim; all of your coverage amounts are pre-set, which means we don’t place limits on what we cover like most other companies; and we offer benefit payouts on diagnosis rather than treatment.

What do World Nomads Cover?: Out-of-pocket medical expenses, emergency evacuation, cancellation and curtailment fees for travellers on a package holiday (limited to 10% of your trip cost up to a maximum of $5,000).

 

How do I get The Best Deal?

The best way to get a great deal on travel insurance is to start by comparing quotes from World Nomads, Gopili and RACV. Visit compare sites now for free online quotes and don’t forget your passport.

We also have full in-depth reviews of all three companies on our website that can help make sure you’re getting what you want from your policy. It pays to shop around!

What are the different types of gap year Travel Insurance?

The types of gap year travel insurance vary depending on what it is that you are planning on doing. Commonly, though, there are three basic types of gap year travel insurance: Worldwide Medical Insurance, Cancellation Coverage and Trip Interruption.

Combinations can be purchased or additional coverage can be added once your policy has been accepted by World Nomads. Most often these policies are used to cover activities such as volunteering and teaching overseas, but they can also protect your while you’re backpacking and trekking through a new country or taking a ‘gap-year-long’ round-the-world trip.

Gap Year Travel Insurance Cover

Gap-year travel insurance can help cover any expenses related to gap-year travel, including overseas medical expenses.

Remember: World Nomads is one of only two major gap-year insurance providers approved by STA (Student Travel Association) and ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents).

That means it meets its highest standards for reliable travel insurance that covers adventure sports, outdoor activities and gap year travellers.

Gap Year Medical Expenses

There’s always a risk that something will go wrong on your travels. Just how serious it depends a lot on where you are and what happens. It also depends on whether or not you have Gap Year travel insurance. Most types of Gap Year travel insurance include medical expense coverage, which means they can help out with costs if you end up in the hospital, in an emergency room, or even just at a clinic.

While medical expenses can vary wildly by country and situation, some countries have higher average costs than others; for example, medical expenses in Nepal are usually pretty cheap whereas they can be more expensive in India.

Gap Year Flight Compensation

When it comes to travel insurance for your gap year, there’s nothing worse than having a long flight cancelled, or delayed by hours or days on end. Fortunately, World Nomads can offer compensation for cancellations and delays of four hours or more.

If your flight gets cancelled before departure due to reasons beyond your control – think strike action at an airport or poor weather conditions in a destination country that lead to extensive delays.

We’ll reimburse any non-refundable expenses related to getting your luggage back home. For example: buying food, rebooking train tickets or overnight accommodation costs.

Our aim is for you not to be out of pocket because flights are delayed or cancelled during your gap year travels.

Gap Year Rental Car Damage

Taking a rental car while overseas can provide you with more freedom and flexibility while exploring your destination.

However, just because your credit card may offer some gap year rental car coverage doesn’t mean that your policy will cover you, so be sure to check before setting off on your trip.

If there are any exclusions on your policy, such as driving off-road or racing, you must understand them in advance.

Another thing to watch out for is if an accident occurs outside of Europe—damage or injuries in these situations are not covered by European Credit Cards or Motor Vehicle Insurance policies.

Gap Year Sports Equipment

Carrying sports equipment whilst you travel can be difficult, but luckily there are ways to reduce weight and bulk. When buying new sports equipment it’s always worth going for a lighter version as it will be much easier and cheaper to transport around.

Another option is finding used equipment on forums like gumtree which can be just as good quality if not better. This way you can keep your luggage light by buying used skis or scuba gear.

For example, which is more than fine for a gap year adventure. Another tip could be choosing self-inflating mattresses over regular foam ones.

Gap Year Luggage Coverage

For any unplanned expenses that might arise with your luggage, World Nomads has designed a policy for both checked-in and carry-on baggage.

Our standard cover for checked-in baggage covers up to $1000 per item and up to $200 per day if delays or misplacement of baggage cause loss of valuables.

For your valuable electronics, such as your laptop or camera, our coverage includes loss due to theft; damage from impact, fire, flooding or earthquake; complete electrical failure caused by a power surge; and airport theft.

All digital cameras are covered at full value whilst travelling in case they’re stolen whilst taking pictures.

Gap Year Personal Liability

Your Gap year travel insurance will cover personal liability. You should be covered up to $20 million if a trip-related accident or injury leaves you in legal trouble, or someone sues and wins a settlement.

Some companies will also pay for your legal defence costs; check with your insurer. If you are still going on a working holiday visa, speak with World Nomads as soon as possible. They can advise on gap year travel insurance suitable for working holidaymakers.

Final Words – How do I know if I have Gap Insurance?

The final thing we want our gap year travellers to do is book with World Nomads Travel Insurance.

There’s no better way for a gap year traveller to protect their trip investment and enjoy their travel as much as possible, so don’t be without insurance.

We take care of all kinds of unexpected events that could come up, so make sure you have us on your side! And when you book your next trip get $20 off your first policy – just use code worldnomads20 at checkout.