If you're looking for ultimate peace of mind while travelling, you'll want comprehensive travel insurance. Compare quotes from 15
brands – that’s more than any other site in Australia.
Comprehensive travel insurance is the highest level of cover you can get.
It can cover medical costs, cancellations, lost luggage, personal liability and more.
While most brands have a comprehensive policy, not all policies are created equal.
What is covered by comprehensive travel insurance?
24/7 medical assistance
Most comprehensive travel insurance policies cover you for unlimited medical expenses and 24/7 medical care, including repatriation.
Delays and cancellations
Comprehensive travel insurance can cover you for cancelled or delayed flights. This is the most common reason for claims. According to Finder research, 29% of Australians, equivalent to around 5.8 million people, have had their flight delayed or cancelled in the last 12 months.
COVID-19 expenses
Comprehensive travel insurance policies now cover COVID. This includes medical expenses, cancellations and rearrangement costs.
Luggage and personal belongings
Unlike a basic policy, comprehensive policies typically cover lost and delayed luggage and personal items. They also come with high limits so it can cover all of your expenses.
Accidental death
Overseas emergency dental expenses
Hospital cash allowance
Loss of income
Overseas emergency assistance
Unlimited medical and hospital expenses
Permanent disability
Resumption of journey
Alternative transport for special events
Cancellation and amendment fees
Travel delay expenses
Daily delayed luggage allowance
Lost or stolen luggage and personal belongings
Theft of cash
Personal liability
Rental car excess insurance
COVID-19 medical expenses
Rearrangement costs if you get COVID-19
Is comprehensive travel insurance worth it?
Almost 1 in 3 Australians, equivalent to 3.5 million people, suffered a travel mishap while abroad in the past 12 months, according to a July 2023 Finder survey. 14% have endured travel delays, while 8% lost personal items. Comprehensive travel insurance can cover this but a basic policy often won't.
Reasons you might need better cover
If you're travelling with family. Because there are more of you travelling, there's more chance something could go wrong – and when it does, it's often very expensive.
If you're going on an expensive holiday. Planning that trip of a lifetime to North America or Europe costs a lot of money before you even get there. Cancellation cover here is vital. Can you imagine getting a bad flu or COVID a few days before take-off and your doctor advising against travel?
If you're going to a country where medical care is expensive. Making sure you have unlimited medical cover can be hugely important in countries such as US, Japan and Singapor.
If your luggage is expensive. Travelling for a longer period or as a family usually means your luggage is worth a lot. If it was to get lost, you could be out of pocket for hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars.
If you're going to a country where petty crimes are common. It's so important to see different places in the world but that can sometimes mean theft and petty crimes are more common. A comprehensive policy can cover you for things like a stolen passport, phone or camera.
2024 Finder Travel Insurance Award winners
2024 Finder Award for Best Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Tick Travel insurance won the 2024 comprehensive award because it goes further than the majority of insurers. It scored highly for cancellation costs and rental car excess. It's also competitive on price compared to the other 30 international policies we analysed. Full list of 2024 winners
2024 Highly Commended for Best Comprehensive Travel Insurance
Travel Protect ranked in highly commended for comprehensiveness. This is because it offers generous coverage limits yet remains comparatively well-priced.
2024 Highly Commended for Best Comprehensive Travel Insurance
World2Cover Travel Insurance ranked in highly commended for comprehensiveness out of the 30 international policies we analysed. It scored highly for features including rearrangement costs and rental car excess insurance.
Basic travel insurance is cheap and affordable, but it doesn't cover you for everything that's available in a top policy. Cheap travel insurance will generally cover basic medical costs, and some extra travel related costs, like delays or cancellations. However, a basic policy won't cover everything, and might have lower claim limits on some benefits.
Comprehensive travel insurance is a little more expensive, but still quite affordable for most people. A top policy will likely offer higher limits for common claims, and cover more of the 'nice to have' benefits like luggage delays, resumption of trip and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Comprehensive travel insurance is the highest level of cover you can buy. It typically covers medical expenses, cancellations, lost or damaged luggage, personal liability, family emergencies, alternative transport expenses, hospital cash allowance and dental expenses.
If you have a pre-existing condition, travel insurance can often cover you for that condition while you're travelling. You'll likely want a comprehensive travel insurance policy, and you'll need to declare all of your pre-existing conditions when you sign up - if you don't, you risk not being covered. You can often get cover for your condition at no extra cost, but more complex conditions may increase your premium.
Most comprehensive travel insurance policies now cover COVID related medical expenses and cancellation or rearrangement costs.
The best travel insurance policy in Australia depends on your needs – for example, what you want cover for and the price you're willing to pay. The Finder Award winners are Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Fast Cover.
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To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 647 Finder guides across topics including:
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However, just as with any other type of insurance, these policies feature a range of limits and exclusions that you should be wary of before setting off on a trip. It also pays to compare credit card travel insurance policies closely before deciding which card offers the right cover for you.
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I am an amateur photographer travelling overseas with a suite of camera equipment; what options do have for insuring a more expensive camera body and lens? My current travel insurance cover will not cover two of the most expensive pieces of equipment.
Finder
GarySeptember 29, 2023Finder
Hi Denes,
Thanks for getting in touch. You should look at our guide on travel insurance for expensive items. There are a handful of policies that will allow you to increase your cover on certain items for up to $10,000. Hopefully this helps.
Thanks,
Gary
KelJuly 22, 2017
I am traveling to Fiji for business what insurance do I need?
JonathanJuly 22, 2017
Hello Kel,
Thank you for sending your inquiry. :)
Please feel free to compare travel insurance for Fiji. Kindly input the travel details on the form and click “Get Quote Now” green button.
Please take note of their benefits, exclusions and fees by looking at their individual product T&Cs.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan
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I am an amateur photographer travelling overseas with a suite of camera equipment; what options do have for insuring a more expensive camera body and lens? My current travel insurance cover will not cover two of the most expensive pieces of equipment.
Hi Denes,
Thanks for getting in touch. You should look at our guide on travel insurance for expensive items. There are a handful of policies that will allow you to increase your cover on certain items for up to $10,000. Hopefully this helps.
Thanks,
Gary
I am traveling to Fiji for business what insurance do I need?
Hello Kel,
Thank you for sending your inquiry. :)
Please feel free to compare travel insurance for Fiji. Kindly input the travel details on the form and click “Get Quote Now” green button.
Please take note of their benefits, exclusions and fees by looking at their individual product T&Cs.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Jonathan