Covid insurance pitfall for some unwary overseas travellers

Beware if you’re planning on heading overseas – you might be ordered off the plane if you don’t have a new kind of insurance.

Unwary travellers preparing to head to popular overseas destinations including Bali and Thailand may be denied boarding at the airport if they do not have the right travel insurance, experts warn.

In Europe and Asia, 29 countries now insist on specific Covid travel insurance to cover the cost of treatment if travellers contract the disease or are forced into quarantine.

RAA Travel manager Gina Norman said the first wave of bookings were families desperate to see relatives in places like the UK, while the surge of inquiries for travel next year included the leisure market.

She said the countries that require travellers to have Covid cover include Bali, Thailand, Singapore and the 26 European nations in the Schengen area.

Covid cover is available to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people – but some countries and airlines refuse to admit unvaccinated travellers.

“I'd really urge people to book with a travel agent as there now is so much red tape involved – it would be terrible to be denied boarding because you didn't have the insurance cover required by the destination nation,” she said.

Demand for overseas travel has skyrocketed, led by the “VFRs” – the “visiting friends and relatives” category among people desperate to see loved ones, from new grandchildren to ageing parents.

RAA Travel reports its international bookings soared 170 per cent from September to October and inquiries have surged from the dozens to the hundreds.

Sharon Baxter can’t wait to see her daughter and grandchildren in the US – her daughter is in the RAAF and was posted to the US before the pandemic. Picture: RAA Travel

Ms Norman said the Covid cover product has comprehensive Covid cover including costs of medical and hospital treatment if a traveller contracts the disease, accommodation if their hotel is suddenly closed for cleaning, and cover for quarantine costs and transport delays.

Sharon and Robert Baxter of Ethelton have booked a trip to the US to see daughter Lisa and their grandchildren.

“Lisa is with the RAAF and was posted to Washington in May 2020, and we haven’t been able to visit her or the grandchildren since,’’ Mrs Baxter said.

“People don’t understand unless they have been in this situation just what it’s like to be separated from your family.’’

The Baxters, who are both double vaccinated, fly out from Australia next month and plan to holiday with the family in California before spending Christmas at their daughter’s home in Washington DC.

“I can’t wait to get over there – we are meeting in Los Angeles and I’m taking the kids to Disneyland,” Mrs Baxter said. “I’ll probably cry the whole trip over.’’