Travel Insurance For Students

Why do you need student travel insurance?

Insurance is all about protecting you against risk and potential downfalls. With each traveller comes each unique risk. Students are no different.

Travelling to a whole new country for months on end by yourself can be a daunting experience, especially if it is your first time. Though you will be full of excitement and wonder, it can be a shock to the system when staying in a place you are unfamiliar with. Having travel insurance with Fast Cover means you will have access to our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team just in case you need them, and cover for some of the big financial risks that can arise while travelling, including unexpected medical bills, cancellation fees or lost luggage.

No one plans to lose their luggage, miss a connecting flight or get sick while on holidays, but it does happen!

Wherever you plan to go and for however long, travel insurance provides 24 hour emergency assistance and cover for unexpected medical expenses if you do run into trouble over seas.

Many students don't realise that you're not covered by Medicare or private health insurance while you’re travelling overseas. This means that if something went wrong on your trip and you didn't already have travel insurance, you (or your family) would have to bear the costs!

If you don't think this is bad, please keep in mind that a hospital stay in the United States could set you back around $5, 000 USD per night, and if you need to be medically evacuated home you could expect to pay a staggering $300, 000 AUD.

DFAT (Department of Fair Trading) also handled medical evacuations from Bali in which costs have exceeded $60, 000 AUD in 2016.

Those student loans don't seem so bad, right?

What does student travel insurance include?

Student life is a mixture of study, work and travel. Fast Cover is proud to offer discounted Student Travel Insurance to support Australian students on overseas study exchanges, internships and of course those well-earned semester breaks!

At Fast Cover, we understand student life is unpredictable and exciting. If you are looking for student travel insurance get a quote with us and see the difference. Fast Cover offers affordable and inclusive cover with added benefits to minimise the stress while you are travelling. Whether it is the IEC program or just backpacking from continent to continent, you can purchase cover with us for student travel insurance as you learn and work your way through the world. Within minutes, you can get your child covered with student travel insurance!

You can tailor our policies to include the things that are most important to you, like cover for Overseas emergency medical expenses and Luggage and Personal Effects, without blowing out your entire holiday budget.

Taking out student travel insurance with us can help cover unexpected expenses such as:

• Overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses if you get sick or injured overseas.
• Emergency medical evacuation if you need to be airlifted to hospital.
• Repatriation expenses to fly you home to Australia for treatment if required.
• Special event transport expenses if your scheduled flight is delayed or cancelled.
• Loss or theft of personal items like bags, headphones, mobile phones, laptops, cameras, etc.
• Lost, damaged or stolen travel documents and credit cards.
• Unexpected trip disruption costs if you have to cut your trip short for a medical reason.

What is on your travel insurance checklist?

In our everyday language we easily speak about ‘the best this’ and ‘the best that’, but is there such a thing as the best student travel insurance? To put in bluntly, the answer is no. That is because each one of us has wildly different needs and wants when it comes to travelling and travel insurance. Someone who has asthma or diabetes will be looking at a different sort of travel insurance than someone planning on taking a whole lot of electronic equipment with them. The best student travel insurance will be the one that best caters to your unique needs and wants at just the right price!

Make sure your student travel insurance covers you for cancellations and flight delays. Consider having personal liability cover in your travel insurance policy. While you may not be planning to damage property, these things can unfortunately happen at any time. Having insurance means that you have cover for payment of compensation for any injury or property damages to others in an accepted claim.

Before you travel, there are things that need to be sorted out. This includes researching both the destination you are planning on visiting, and the eligibility requirements you will need to meet in order to study overseas. 

Preparing For Your Trip

There are many requirements that the university you may be travelling to needs before entry and admission is granted. You may need to have a minimum grade average, be enrolled in specific classes or courses, have completed a minimum portion of your degree or classes, and/or have any necessary language skills. It’s a good idea to attend an information session or speak with a relevant advisor before you apply to increase your change of getting into your desired course.

The best thing you can do is research your destination so that you are with the culture, climate and geography of the area. Understanding their particular customs is a must to avoid any trouble. Researching your accommodation options will give you a better scope of your financial needs for your trip.

Apply Early

Applications for students travelling overseas vary from country to country, institution to institution. It is best to start early so you are well prepared for your trip.

Passport and Visas

Having a valid passport and visa is paramount to preparing for your study trip. Some countries will require that you hold a student visa and that may take up to 6 weeks to process. Make sure you have researched and submitted your application as soon as possible.

Visit Your Doctor

Going to the doctor before going overseas is highly recommended for any relevant vaccinations. Your doctor will be able to tell you if you need any additional medications or vaccinations for your country of choice. Booking in an appointment at least a month before will give you enough time to adjust to any medication or vaccinations they give you.

Organise Your Finances

Having a realistic budget including your expected expenditure will alleviate some of the stress of travelling. Researching the cost of living for your country of study will give you a good idea of the budget you need to enjoy your trip comfortably. Be aware of the exchange rates, conversion fees and ATM access fees. You can also open a bank account in the country you are visiting, which may be a better option to avoid fees altogether. Some universities and schools will provide scholarships, grants or loans to assist students with funding their exchange trip – talk to your exchange advisor to find out if there are any financial assistance options available to you.

Register Your Travel Plans

You can also visit the Smartraveller website to register your travel plans with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This will make it easy for the Australian Government to contact and find you in an emergency situation, as well as advise you if you are in an affected area and provide you with relevant safety information and updates.

Understand the importance of student travel insurance for your situation

Travel insurance comes in many shapes and forms and can contain cover for everything from hijacking and snow sports, down to a bare bones medical evacuation policy. When you start looking for student travel insurance for your trip, it pays to do some research before purchasing any insurance policy. To help you along, here are a few points to help guide you to the best possible insurance policy for your student travels:

Fast Cover can help with your questions about studying, travelling and insurance.

The best student travel insurance really depends on your needs. After a bit of researching, you will surely find the best insurance for your budget!

Seasoned travellers of any age can live by this mantra: if you cannot afford the travel insurance, you cannot afford the trip. That is not only because they know how quickly things can go wrong, but also the wide range of things that can go wrong on a trip. While everything may be peachy for 99% of your holiday, once your computer breaks, your camera gets stolen, or you miss the next connecting flight, the realities of travel set in and suddenly your cheaply planned trip becomes a lot more expensive. That is why student travel insurance should be on your checklist before leaving on any long or short holiday!