Family Travel Insurance | Cover Options To Suit Your Family

Travel Insurance for families

Whether you’re taking the whole family on an adventure holiday to Bali, relaxing on a cruise around the Pacific Islands, touring cultural icons in Europe, or hitting the ski slopes in Canada, travelling with your family is a fantastic opportunity for all of you to create lifelong memories.

Whatever your family travel plans, family travel insurance is probably going to be part of your essential travel preparation, because, apart from protecting yourself against unexpected trip cancellations or lost or stolen luggage, unfortunately, kids being kids, accidents and mishaps do happen!

If you’re in a foreign country and you or one of your kids needs to go to hospital, it's good to know that your family cover will reimburse you for emergency medical and hospital expenses.

One of the best parts of family travel insurance with Fast Cover is that your dependant children and grandchildren aged 20 and younger can be covered under your family holiday insurance!

What is travel insurance for families?

Family holiday insurance provides cover for the whole family and offers all the benefits you would normally get in a travel insurance policy for a single traveller. The difference is that the benefits are doubled~, and the whole family will have access to those pooled benefits.

For your family to be able to take out a travel insurance policy for your trip, you shoud make sure that you and your spouse or son and daughter are travelling together for at least 75% of the trip itinerary, and your dependant chidren are travelling with at least one of the adults on the policy for 100% of the trip itinerary.

If you’re a single parent or grandparent, or if only one parent or grandparent is travelling with their dependants, a Single policy should be taken out, and the dependants can still be covered under the Single policy.

A family travel insurance policy can make purchasing travel insurance faster and simpler. With family cover you only have one policy number, which will help the emergency assistance team assist you should you experience an emergency while travelling. This makes keeping your policy information together much simpler!

~The benefit limit is not doubled for the following benefits and optional covers:

Benefit 13 – Theft of Cash
Benefit 18 – Personal Liability
Benefit 19 – Rental Vehicle Excess
Benefit 23 – Snow Resort Closure
Benefit 26 – Bicycle Pack

What is included in family travel insurance?

Travel insurance for families can cover you for a range of unexpected costs before and during your travels including:

24 hour emergency assistance: This means that at any time you’ll be able to get in contact with a professional emergency assistance team which can provide advice, manage your case at hospital, organise to have you transferred to another hospital or back to Australia if required. Our Emergency Assistance team can be contacted by both phone and email.
Emergency overseas medical expenses, including the costs of seeing a doctor, medical treatment or being hospitalised.
The costs of emergency repatriation or evacuation if any of your covered family members become sick or injured and require treatment in Australia.
Your lost deposits if you or your child becomes sick or injured before your family holiday and you’re no longer able to travel.
Your luggage and personal effects, including iPads, mobile phones and laptops, just in case they become lost, stolen or get damaged during your family trip.
Other unexpected events that could impact your holiday, such as severe weather or a natural disaster which results in your flight being cancelled or delayed.

Who can buy Fast Cover travel insurance?

Families going on all different types of holidays can purchase a family travel insurance policy with Fast Cover.

We understand that not every family fits the stereotypical 'nuclear family' mould, so our family travel insurance caters for:

Single parent families
Foster families
Step families
Legal guardians
Families with same sex parents
Families including up to 10 dependant children
Grandparents travelling with their grandchildren
Parent travelling with their son or daughter and grandchildren

If you're taking your niece, nephew or friend's child along with you on your family holiday, you should be aware that they don’t qualify as your dependant, so we can’t cover them under your family policy.

However, we can arrange a great value Single or Duo (if there is a total of two friends, nieces or nephews) policy for them at a discounted price compared to buying two single policies so they're still covered to travel with your family group. The same applies if grandparents are travelling with their independent children and grandchildren, they can simply buy a Single or Duo policy for seniors.

What types of travel insurance policies can I choose from?

When looking at family travel insurance quotes to suit your family holiday, you should consider the type of holiday you’re taking, who is going, and what you want to be covered for.

Our policies can provide your family members with cover that suits you, such as:

Comprehensive

Includes cover for unlimited medical expenses, cancellation, lost, stolen or damaged luggage, disruptions to your trip, special event transport expenses, travel delays, accidental death, loss of income, personal liability, delay of your luggage and theft of cash.

Snow Sports Plus

Same cover as for the Comprehensive policy, but with extra cover for snow sports.

Standard Saver

Unlimited medical expenses, cancellation cover, disruptions to your trip, lost, stolen or damaged luggage and personal liability.

Basics

Unlimited medical expenses and personal liability.

Frequent Traveller Saver

And if you’re a family with a large bucket list, or often travel to visit family overseas, you should consider taking out an annual family travel insurance policy for 1 year.

Multi-trip travel insurance policies allow you to buy one policy to travel as often as you like within a 12 month period – you just need to remember to add the family to the policy, choose your region of travel, the maximum length of time you’re going to travel for each trip and you’re good to go!

Now you may be happy with what each policy provides cover for, but we also give you the choice of many optional add-ons to further personalise the above policies to suit your family holiday, including cover for:

Why buy a family travel insurance policy?

Whether you’re planning an exotic trip with the kids to introduce them to new cuisines, experiences and cultures, or visiting Disneyland for the ultimate family adventure, having the right family travel cover in place is an important consideration.

Family travel insurance can provide cover for some of the things that can go wrong on your family holiday, so you can focus on enjoying your trip and making sure everyone has a great experience whilst creating lifetime memories.

You should be aware, your Medicare or Australian private health insurance may not cover you or your family once you leave the country, and without travel insurance your holiday can suddenly become very expensive.

An overnight hospital stay on a family cruise ship could set you back up to $5,000 AUD per night, and the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reports that the cost of a medical evacuation from a cruise ship by helicopter can cost around $100, 000!

Heading overseas with your kids can be both stressful and costly enough as it is, which is why dependants aged 20 and younger can be added on our family and single travel insurance policies.

And with just one policy number to remember and one Emergency Assistance number to find if you ever need it, it makes travelling a bit easier!

Why choose Fast Cover for your family holiday travel insurance?

At Fast Cover, we know that your family holiday will be different to other families. That’s why we offer a range of policy types to suit the different holidays that Australian families can take.

Whether you and your family travel every few years, a few times a year, love action holidays or just want to laze around the beach, we’ve got policies that can cover your family for the important things like medical and cancellation cover and add-on packs to personalise your cover.

Get a quote to see the type of policies that can cover you and your family for your holiday.

5 things you should know about our family holiday insurance

Dependants aged 20 and younger who are not in full time employment can be covered on a Family policy or a Single policy for an additional charge.
Medical screening available for your medical conditions.
We cover a huge list of different sports and activities kids (and you!) may love such as snorkelling, go-karting, aqua zorbing and indoor rock climbing. For thrill-seeking families, the Adventure Pack add-on is available to cover more adventurous activities.
Luggage cover is available, just in case your luggage is lost or stolen.
Our Emergency Assistance team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to assist you in an emergency.

How many people can be covered under one travel insurance policy?

It’s important to check that your family and everyone listed on the policy will actually be covered by a family travel insurance policy before you purchase cover.

First of all, you should make sure your family comes under the definition of ‘Family’.

Our family travel insurance policies can provide cover for a maximum of two adults and up to a maximum of 10 dependant children or grandchildren.

Family groups who can be covered by our family travel insurance policies include:

Married couples and their dependant children
Married couples where one parent is a step-mum or dad to the children
Married or de facto couples who are legal guardians to dependants
De facto couples and their dependant children, whether the parents are mum and dad, mum and mum or dad and dad to their kids
Grandparents travelling with their grandchildren
A single parent travelling with their adult child, and the adult child’s children

Family groups who can’t be covered by our family travel insurance policies include:

Parents who aren’t a legally recognised couple travelling together with their children. This includes divorcees and boyfriends or girlfriends travelling with their significant other and their children.
Parents with children who are no longer recognised as dependants for the purposes of our policies. A 23 year old may still be dependant on their parents, but they can’t be covered as a dependant as they are aged 21 or over – they would need to take out their own single travel insurance
Parents who are also taking their niece, nephew or their children’s friends.

If you’re travelling with extended family and your family group doesn’t match up with the ‘family’ as defined by us, we can still help you! You will still be able to find cover for your extended family – it may simply just mean you’ll need to get more than one policy to provide cover for everyone on your vacation.

For example: Multi-generational groups (grandparents travelling with all their children and their children’s children) are popular and can’t all be insured on the one family travel insurance policy (unless it is just one grandparent, their one adult child and the adult child’s children). They may need to take out a few family policies, or a combination of family, Single and Duo policies.

If you need help to organise travel insurance for your extended family group, we’d be happy to help! Just contact us on 1300 409 322 or send an email to info@fastcover.com.au.

What are “Dependant” children?

Your child may still need your help with forms, laundry and food for many years after they leave home, but for the purposes of our policies, a dependant is defined as your child or grandchild who is aged 20 and younger who:

Can be in part-time employment; or
Can be a part-time apprentice; but
Is NOT in full time employment

Your child is NOT a dependant if:

They are aged 21 and over (even if they are full-time students)
They are working full-time
They have a full-time apprenticeship

If your child or grandchild aren’t classified as a dependant, travel insurance for kids is also available - you can simply organise for them to have a Single or Duo (where more than one child is not classified as a dependant) travel insurance policy instead.

If you’re unsure whether your child is considered a dependant or what type of policy would be appropriate for your type of family holiday, contact us before you purchase your travel insurance policy.

Can I get single parent travel insurance?

Yes you can. If you’re a single parent or grandparent or you are travelling without your adult partner, you won’t need to purchase a family travel insurance policy. Single parent travel insurance is available by simply purchasing a single travel insurance policy, and adding up to 10 of your dependants to your single travel insurance policy.

You and your dependants would all be able to access the benefits on the single parent insurance policy.

What benefits are included with family travel insurance?

From planning the right excursions to finding good places to stay and eat, there’s a lot to consider when you’re organising a family holiday. However, worrying about overseas health expenses, having to cancel your holiday because of illness or the cost of replacing your kid’s iPads because they’ve been stolen shouldn’t be part of that list.

In case of unexpected complications or overseas emergencies, some benefits you may wish to consider when choosing a policy include:

High level of overseas medical and hospital cover

The costs of medical treatment, hospitalisation or emergency evacuation overseas can come to thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Having a high level of medical cover when you’re travelling internationally can help to reduce your financial burden should any of you become sick or injured whilst traveling.

Cancellation cover

Life is unpredictable and when young children are involved, there can often be a higher risk of someone getting unexpectedly sick or injured. If this happens before you travel, you could lose the deposits you’ve made towards your trip, including the costs of flights, accommodation, tours or a cruise. Cancellation cover provides cover for these deposits if you can no longer travel due to unforeseen events.

Cover for luggage and personal effects

If you’re bringing your mobile phones, tablets or iPads, you may be happy to find out these items can be covered in the instances where they’re lost, stolen or damaged, as well as the rest of your luggage.

Trip disruption cover

You may unexpectedly have to cut your holiday short due to a serious medical reason, a family emergency back in Australia or a natural disaster. Having cover for trip disruptions means you can be reimbursed for the cost of returning home, or if you’re not able to travel because you are seriously injured, we can cover your additional accommodation and travel expenses until you are able to travel again.

Your dependants will also be taken care of too – if you’re hospitalised or evacuated and are unable to look after your children or grandchildren, we can organise for them to return to Australia.

Special event transport expenses

If you’re taking the family on a cruise, doing a tour, attending a wedding, funeral, conference or sporting event, and your booked transport is unexpectedly cancelled or delayed, we don’t want you to miss out! With the special event transport expenses benefit, you can have cover to book another reasonable form of transport to get you there on time.

Travel delay expenses

If you’re not able to board your booked transport and you’re delayed for 6 hours or more, you can claim for your additional meals and accommodation expenses.

Cover for your lost travel documents

If your passports and credit / debit cards are lost or stolen from you, or fraudulently used, you can be reimbursed for the cost of replacing them, including your communication costs.

Loss of Income cover

If you’re disabled due to an injury that you sustain on your overseas trip, you can receive a weekly payment for up to 26 weeks after you return for a total of $10 400 on a Comprehensive policy, if you’re unable to return to your usual job in Australia.

Optional benefits

We know every family holiday will be unique to each family group, so we’ve made sure that you can tailor our policies to suit your individual family’s needs.

Adventure Pack

Elephant riding or dog sledding for your family? Older children who’d prefer to scuba dive or water ski? Check out the activities we can cover for, and what activities you’ll need to take out the Adventure Pack to have cover.

Motorcycle Pack

If any of you are planning on riding or being passengers on a motorcycle, moped or scooter, you’ll need to take out the Motorcycle Pack to be covered in case any of you are injured in an accident. Make sure you have the relevant licences for the country that you’re riding in and be safe!

Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess

Taking the family on a self-drive tour? You can add on cover for the rental vehicle insurance excess in your rental vehicle insurance with your car hire company. This may save you from having to pay a large amount of money to reduce the excess.

Specified High Value Items

If you’re taking valuable items like iPads to keep the children occupied, and want to cover them for more than what they’re currently covered for, you can specify the item and we won’t apply depreciation to it.

Standard Excess

If you have to make a claim, an excess for every claim you make will apply. You can choose to reduce the Standard excess on your policy to $100.

Bicycle Pack

If you’re planning on taking the family for a bicycle tour, you can take your own bikes and cover the bikes with the Bicycle Pack.

What exclusions are in my family holiday insurance policy?

It's important to be aware of the exclusions and restrictions which may apply to your family travel insurance policy, as they can impact the cover that you have.

Exclusions and restrictions may include:

Existing medical conditions

Planning to travel but have an existing medical condition? We may be able to help - our travel insurance can provide cover for many existing medical conditions, just in case the unexpected happens on your trip.

Check out our Medical Conditions page for more information about medical screening for your existing medical and pregnancy conditions including information about the General Exclusions that may apply*.

Some sports and leisure activities

We cover a range of sports and leisure activities. If your family are planning on more adrenaline pumping activities and wish to be covered for them, you have the option of adding the Adventure Pack.

Age limits

There are age limits for some activities like snow sports and the more adventurous activities on the Adventure Pack.

Known Events

We aren’t able to provide cover for Known Events. If you purchase your family travel insurance policy after an event has occurred, like a volcanic eruption or earthquake, you won’t be covered if your travel is affected by the event. You should check mass media reports and our Travel Advisories so you are aware of any potential impacts on your travel.

Australian government travel warnings

These can also affect the cover that you have on your family travel insurance policy. There would be no cover for destinations where a 'Do Not Travel' warning has been issued. Check smartraveller before and during your travels.

When should I purchase a family travel insurance single trip policy?

You can purchase your family travel insurance cover for single trips 12 months prior to your departure date and up to the day that you board your plane or cruise. However, one important thing to keep in mind is that you won’t have cover for unexpected cancellations unless the cancellation benefit is included with your policy and you purchased your policy before the event occurred.

So, if your child becomes sick or injured and you have to cancel the holiday, you could be left out of pocket if you don’t already have your family travel insurance policy in place.

You may wish to consider purchasing a policy as soon as you start to book and pay for your flights, accommodation, cruise and tours to get the full advantage of the cancellation cover on your family travel insurance policy.

What is the best family travel insurance for Domestic trips

When going on an around Australia trip, the best family holiday insurance is not necessarily the most expensive, or the cheapest. The best insurance cover for your family holiday in Australia will be the policy that is able to cover you for the things that you want to be covered for.

When looking for the best Australian family travel insurance, you should consider what you want to have cover for, and that will help you to choose the best family cover for you.

Some things to consider are:

Cover for rental car excess

A Fast Cover Domestic Plus policy provides automatic cover for rental car excess up to $5000. This may save you from paying an additional premium to the rental car company to reduce that excess.

Cancellation cover in case you can’t travel

When travelling with families, there is more chances of someone getting unexpectedly sick or injured before you’re able to go on your family holiday than if it is one person travelling alone. Cancellation cover can cover you for the payments that you have already made for your holiday.

Lost luggage

Sure, you’re only travelling around Australia, but things can still get lost or stolen. Being covered for valuable items like the kid’s iPads or tablets, can help you to travel with peace of mind – there’s enough stress when travelling with a family!

How much does family travel insurance cost?

The cost of family travel insurance depends on many factors, and will be specific to your holiday, but we’ve made the process very simple. The best policy for family cover may not be the cheapest policy that you can find.

The cost of travel insurance for families will take into account:

The ages of your family group
Where you’re going
How far out from your departure date you’re purchasing your policy
How long you’re travelling for
The activities that you’ll be doing including cruising, skiing and adventure sports
Whether or not you’re hiring a rental car and want to have cover for the rental vehicle insurance excess
Your excess amount on your policy

How can I get cheap family travel insurance for international travel?

We know that a family holiday overseas can be expensive: whether it be to Europe, the USA or even Asia; whether it’s just your own family travelling, or if it’s with the grandparents and your siblings and their families. And we know that being able to save money on any aspect of your family holiday, including getting cheap family holiday insurance is always welcome.

4 ways to save money on family travel insurance for family holidays:

1. Children and grandchildren can be covered

Remember: your own children or grandchildren who are aged 20 and younger, and not in full time employment can be covered under your single or family travel insurance policy for an additional charge.

2. Buy travel insurance together

Buying in bulk can work out to be cheaper than single policies for each person - even when it comes to travel insurance! If you’re travelling with other family members, contact us about getting a quote for your family group.

3. Buy before your next birthday

Age matters in travel insurance. We use the ages you all are at the time that you buy your travel insurance policy when we calculate your premium. That means it might be cheaper to buy your family travel insurance policy before your next birthday. You can purchase a family travel insurance policy up to a year in advance, so get a quote for your holiday as soon as you’ve decided where you want to go.

4. Become a loyal customer

We offer a loyalty discount to our returning travellers, so the next time you’re planning your family holiday, contact us - it doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount!

To get the best tips to help you save money on travel insurance, check out ‘20 Ways you can Save on Travel Insurance’ for more tips that will help you save money on your family travel insurance.

What do I do in a family emergency situation?

Seek assistance immediately. If you need medical assistance, see a doctor, go to the nearest hospital, call local emergency services or ask for help at hotel reception. If your passport or valuable items are lost or stolen, report it to the police or the hostel/hotel management or airline as soon as practicable, but preferably within 24 hours.
Contact the Emergency Assistance team as soon as possible, especially if you are admitted to or are going to a hospital in the USA. They will be able to provide guidance and organise assistance if required.
If required, contact the Australian Embassy for assistance.

Will the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic affect travel around Australia?

Conditions around the Coronavirus pandemic will evolve and change over time.

If any of your family group require medical care, you would have medical cover under Medicare and/or your private health insurance while you travel around Australia. However, you should still keep an eye on developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic situation before and during your family holiday, as these developments may affect your family travel insurance in Australia.

Useful resources to keep an eye on include:

Please note there is a General Exclusion for Pandemics and Epidemics, which means there is no cover for SARS-CoV-2 virus, the COVID-19 disease or any mutation of either.

Family Travel Insurance FAQs

Do I need family travel insurance?

Your family travel insurance can cover you for the unexpected costs of your family holiday, including overseas medical expenses, rental vehicle insurance excess, cancellations due to illness or injury and the replacement of lost or stolen belongings.

For more information, refer to our Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

What is considered a dependant?

A dependant is your own child or grandchild that you are the legal guardian of who is aged 20 and younger, and who is not in full time employment. Dependants may be going to school, Tafe or university and can have part-time jobs or part-time apprenticeships.

Dependant children must travel with at least one of the adults listed on the certificate of insurance for 100% of the person travellingâ€™s itinerary. Dependant children may be the relevant adultâ€™s children or grandchildren.

Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

Can all travellers under 21 be covered on Family or Single policies?

Travellers who are dependants aged 20 and younger who are not in full-time employment have cover if they areÂ listed on their parentâ€™s or grandparentâ€™s Family or Single policy.Â Dependants must travel with at least one of the adults listed on the certificate of insurance for 100% of the person travellingâ€™s itinerary. There is no cover if they are not dependants or are employed fulltime.

Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

Do you cover nieces and nephews on the same policy?

Nieces and nephews are not considered a dependant and would not be covered under your family holiday insurance. They would be eligible for a single or Duo (if there are more than 1) policy, which means they will have their own cover and access to their own benefits!