The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has reminded Australians that travel insurance is as essential as a passport if they are going overseas.

Many countries are open for visitors again after eradicating, or at least gaining control over the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some countries, including Singapore, the UAE, and Thailand, now require travellers to have coverage for COVID-19-related medical treatment.

Some insurers already have cover for various COVID-19-related travel situations to destinations except a few that continue to carry a Level 4 “Do not Travel” advisory.

As a result, the ICA has reminded Australians planning to travel overseas to read their policies carefully to ensure their insurance provides cover for their particular circumstances and destination.

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With many Australians who love to travel, the ICA expects to see the pent-up demand of the last two years turn into a rush to travel overseas in the coming months.

“You can't leave Australia without a passport, and you shouldn't leave Australia without travel insurance,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said. “Travel insurance remains essential for all the reasons it was pre-pandemic: to provide protection when the unexpected occurs far from home.”

Other things to consider when purchasing travel insurance include:

• Research is essential to find the product that best suits the traveller and the specific trip.
• Rather than looking at the price alone, consider inclusions, exclusions, excess, and claims limits.
• Buy travel insurance when booking and paying for big-ticket items.
• Not all travel insurance policies will automatically cover COVID-19.
• Read the product disclosure statement before buying the policy to know how it responds to cancellations and delays.
• Check the destination's COVID-19 requirements.
• Read the product disclosure statements carefully to determine inclusions, exclusions, and limits and how the policy responds to COVID-19 for specific situations and destinations.
• In some countries, hospitals refuse to provide medical assistance if the patient does not have travel insurance or cannot pay upfront.
• Carefully read the terms and conditions if using complimentary travel insurance that comes with credit cards and consider purchasing additional cover.