Backpacker Travel Insurance

What does backpacker travel insurance cover?

Backpacking is full of freedom and adventure, but spontaneous travel plans, unpredictable transport, shared hostels and living out of a backpack on the go can bring unexpected events. Fast Cover’s travel insurance offers a range of benefits to help backpackers stay prepared and handle unexpected situations throughout their adventures.

This is a summary only. Terms, conditions, exclusions and limits apply. Not all benefits apply to all policies. Read the PDS and TMD before buying.

Non-refundable and pre-paid trip bookings such as flights, hostels, or multi-day tours that you’ve already paid for can be expensive to lose if something goes wrong before you leave for your backpacking trip.

Fast Cover’s Trip Cancellation Expenses benefit may help protect the non-refundable bookings you’ve already paid for if you need to cancel your overseas trip due to circumstances covered under your policy, for example, an unexpected illness or injury. You can take out a travel insurance policy with cancellation cover up to 12 months before your backpacking trip.*

Getting sick or injured overseas can be stressful, especially if you’re backpacking alone, in an unfamiliar destination or far from your accommodation. Fast Cover’s travel insurance for backpackers provides access to our Australian-based Emergency Assistance team any time of the day or night.*

Depending on your situation, the team may be able to help by:

Arranging medical treatment or hospital admission overseas
Coordinating approved medical evacuation or repatriation to Australia
Providing advice on local medical facilities and support services

An overseas hospital visit is the last thing you might want while backpacking, but if you get Bali Belly, break a bone in South America or need surgery in Europe, Fast Cover may be able to help with overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses in circumstances covered under your policy.*

Fast Cover’s backpacker travel insurance may provide cover for overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses if you become unexpectedly sick or injured during your backpacking trip.*

If you experience a serious medical emergency while backpacking, you might need to be transported to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment or brought back to Australia with medical supervision.

Fast Cover’s backpacker travel insurance can provide cover for reasonable additional accommodation and transport expenses, as well as the cost of medical transfer, evacuation, or repatriation when these services are approved under your policy. All medical evacuations and repatriations must be arranged and approved by Fast Cover before they take place.*

When you’re living out of a backpack, every item counts. If your gear or personal items are lost, stolen, or damaged while travelling, Fast Cover’s backpacker travel insurance may include cover for luggage and personal items to repair or replace them.*

This can include belongings like backpacks, clothing, cameras, laptops, or phones when the loss or damage occurs in situations covered by your policy. Benefit limits and sub-limits apply to each item, so always check the PDS to understand how much you can claim and when cover applies.*

Backpacking through multiple destinations often involves lots of transport, and travel delays can be a common part of the journey. If your pre-booked transport is cancelled and rescheduled or delayed in situations covered under your policy, Fast Cover’s Travel Delay Expenses benefit may be able to reimburse you for the reasonable cost of extra meals and accommodation.*

This benefit may include reimbursement of reasonable extra expenses up to $200 for each insured traveller for every 24-hour period your transport is delayed by at least 6 hours due to circumstances outside your control.*

Unexpected events such as a strike, riot, hijack, civil protest, severe weather or natural disaster could cause your scheduled or connecting transport to be cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted, disrupting your backpacking trip.

Fast Cover’s Trip Disruption Expenses may cover reasonable additional travel and accommodation costs you incur during your trip if the disruption happens for a reason covered by your policy. This benefit applies to each insured traveller listed on the policy, as long as those expenses cannot be recovered from another source. The event must have started after your Certificate of Insurance was issued.