One of the first things we consider when travelling overseas is travel insurance. But why don’t we consider the same for domestic journeys? Domestic travel insurance is something that is frequently neglected by Australians. The risk of complications arising is not minimised, so there is no conceivable logic behind not covering yourself for trips within Australia.

Of course, a large amount of people hold health insurance and life insurance policies, which eliminates the need to cover yourself for medical treatments and the elements covered by your life insurance policy. However, there are many other travel mishaps that can ruin a trip and put you out of pocket.

What does domestic travel insurance cover?

Domestic travel insurance does not typically include medical expenses, but policies are packed with a bunch of other useful levels of coverage. Some things a domestic travel insurance policy should cover include:

Cancellation costs – This reimburses you for any pre-booked travel arrangements, such as accommodation, that have been cancelled.
Personal liability – This is a very important element of the policy. It covers you if you accidentally damage another person’s property.
Luggage cover – This covers loss, damage and theft of luggage and other personal items. It also covers losses due to credit card theft.
Additional expenses – In the event of illness of one of your travelling group or delayed pre-booked travel arrangements, this will cover you for extra accommodation costs and any other costs you may incur.
Rental vehicle insurance excess – Covers the excess if you have an accident in or damage a rental car.
Skiing piste closure – Cover if the skiing resort is closed due to weather or other complications when you have pre-booked.
Skiing/golfing equipment – Covers you for loss, theft or damage of hired ski or golf equipment.

Good reasons to purchase domestic travel insurance

Apart from the peace of mind that travel insurance offers, there are common scenarios that people don’t consider before travelling without insurance. Not all claims on travel insurance are rare occurrences. Some very real situations you may encounter that your travel insurance will cover include:

You’re on a family holiday and one of the kids gets sick. Due to this you must book an extra few nights accommodation for the whole family and miss your non-refundable flights.
You’ve packed your whole wardrobe in your suitcase and your luggage gets lost in transit.
You’ve pre-paid for a ski trip with your friends and the site is closed due to extreme weather conditions.

This article has been provided to you by Ian d. Jackson General Manager of Travel Insurance Direct. For more information on Domestic travel Insurance cover, Travel Insurance in Australia & Cheap Travel Insurance click the links & visit the TID site