Travel insurance with natural disaster cover

Does travel insurance cover natural disasters?

Yes - as long as you had insurance before the natural disaster occurred. Most comprehensive policies will cover:

• Trip cancellation costs. Insurance can reimburse your costs if you have to cancel your pre-paid flights and other bookings if a natural disaster strikes your destination. It can also apply to natural disasters that strike at home before you leave (for example if you get injured or your home gets destroyed).
• Additional travel expenses. This will cover unexpected travel expenses like brand new flights and alternative accommodation if you're completely rerouted due to natural disaster.
• Travel delay expenses. This is similar to the above but applies to temporary inconveniences you suffer when your transportation is delayed. For example, if a storm delays your flight by 6 hours, your insurance can reimburse you for extras meals at the airport and even temporary accommodation if you need it.
• Alternative transport costs. If a natural disaster delays your transportation and you're due at a special event like a wedding, some policies will pay for alternative transportation to the event.
• Cutting your trip short. Some policies will pay for you to safely return to Australia Australia if a disaster disrupts your plans while you are travelling.
• Resuming your journey. Some policies will pay for you to return to your travel destination when it's safe to do so.
• Damage to your belongings. Insurance can replace your luggage, belongings, passport and other documents if they are damaged in the disaster.
• Emergency medical expenses. International policies can help pay for your medical expenses including emergency evacuation or repatriation to Australia if you are injured in a natural disaster.

In rare cases, some insurers won't cover you for natural disasters at all unless you buy a "natural disaster" add-on. So without the add-on, you wouldn't be able to make a claim if a natural disaster caused you to cancel your trip – even if you had cancellation cover.

What is considered a natural disaster?

Most insurers have a fairly similar list of events they consider to be natural disasters. These natural disasters include the following:

The disaster also has to create significant obstacles to your travel, such as causing your destination to be uninhabitable or triggering a state of emergency.

How do different brands on Finder cover natural disasters?

Brand	Travel insurance that covers natural disasters	Apply
	You're covered for additional accommodation and transportation expenses as a result of natural disasters.	Bonus Get quote
Freely	Pays for reasonable additional accommodation and additional transport expenses, at the same fare class and accommodation standard as originally booked, if a natural disaster occurs.	Bonus Get quote
Zoom	Reimburses you reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises due to a natural disaster.	Get quote
fastcover	Reimburses you reasonable additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses which You cannot recover from any other source if a disruption to your journey arises due to a natural disaster.	Finder AwardBonus Get quote
Insure4less	Catastrophe cover provides a benefit for necessary and reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses incurred in the event that you are forced to move from pre-booked accommodation to continue your trip, or if the trip cannot be continued, to return home as a result of hurricane, storm or other natural disaster.	Get quote
Travel Insuranz	Catastrophe cover provides a benefit for necessary and reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses incurred in the event that you are forced to move from pre-booked accommodation to continue your trip, or if the trip cannot be continued, to return home as a result of hurricane, storm or other natural disaster.	Get quote
InsureandGo	The Natural disaster upgrade will extend your cover for Cancelling your trip before departure, Cutting your trip short, Additional emergency expenses and Travel delay expenses depending on your cover level selected.	Finder AwardBonus Get quote
Tick	The Natural disaster upgrade will extend your cover for Cancelling your trip before departure, Cutting your trip short and Additional emergency expenses depending on your cover level selected.	Finder AwardBonus Get quote
World2cover	Cover for additional accommodation, meal and travel expenses which are of a reasonable nature and equivalent standard to Your pre-booked arrangements, provided that You cannot recover such expenses from someone else, if a natural disaster occurs.	Get quote
Cover-More	Pays for reasonable additional accommodation (room rate only) and additional transport expenses, at the same accommodation standard and fare class as originally booked, incurred on the Journey due to natural disaster.	Bonus Get quote
Travel Insurance Saver	If your pre-paid scheduled public transport services or pre-paid tour have been cancelled or restricted because of severe weather, natural disaster you may be covered for cancellation and additional expenses.	More info
Easy	Pays for reasonable additional accommodation(room rate only) and additional transport expenses, at the same accommodation standard and fare class as originally booked, incurred on the Journey due to natural disaster.	Get quote
	Cover for Cancellation or restriction by the carrier of pre-paid scheduled public transport services and accomodation caused by natural disaster.	Get quote
	Pays for reasonable additional accommodation(room rate only) and additional transport expenses, at the same accommodation standard and fare class as originally booked, incurred on the Journey due to natural disaster.	Get quote
1cover	Pays for reasonable additional travel and accommodation expensesif a disruption to Your Journey Arises from natural disasters.	More info
American Express	Provides Trip Cancellation and Amendment Cover in the event You must Cancel, Curtail or require a Trip Change due to a Natural Disaster that has caused devastation to the destination You were intending to travel.	More info
Skiinsurance.com.au	Cover for reasonable additional travel and accommodation expenses if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, shortened or diverted because of weather or natural disaster.	More info
World Care	Cover for return if a disruption to your journey arises from your scheduled or connecting transport is cancelled, delayed, rescheduled or diverted because of weather or natural disaster affecting your mode of transport.	More info

_{Note: This information was last updated November 2024}

Does travel insurance cover weather delays?

Yes, and it works similarly to the situations described above, with all of the same requirements. If your flight is delayed or your cruise ship is stuck in port because of bad weather, you're eligible to claim for any activity you need to cancel as listed under "cancellation" above, plus food and accommodation charges while you wait (depending on how long the delay is).

What isn't covered by travel insurance for natural disasters?

All insurance policies will contain a list of situations where you would not be covered (called exclusions). Here are some common reasons you wouldn't be covered:

• You take out the policy too late. You have to buy the policy before the disaster becomes public knowledge. This can even be before the disaster strikes. For example, experts know in advance when a cyclone is likely to hit. If you buy your policy after they name the storm, it's already too late and you won't be covered.
• Your expenses are unreasonable. When you are covered for expenses as a result of a delay or for alternate travel arrangements, you will only be covered for a reasonable amount. They won't cover you for a last-minute stay in a 5-star penthouse suite.
• Bad weather. Your destination will need to be uninhabitable for claims to be paid. Bad weather is not enough for an insurer to pay out.
• Ignoring travel warnings. If you disregard governmental travel warnings and travel to a destination that has recently been devastated by a natural disaster, you run the risk of having your claims denied due to acting recklessly.
• You waited too long to cancel certain arrangements. You may be denied if you were charged any cancellation fees that you could have avoided by telling the travel provider as soon as you knew you had to cancel.

Frequently asked questions

• What if disaster strikes and I still decide to go?

  If natural disaster strikes your destination after you buy your insurance but before you depart for your trip, your insurance will pay your cancellation costs. But if you still decide to go, you could have trouble claiming while you are there.

  Remember, to be eligible to claim, a natural disaster must make it impossible for you to travel due to situations like a state of emergency being called or your destination being uninhabitable. Most insurers have clauses in the contract that says they won't cover you if you knowingly put yourself in harm's way or travel somewhere the Australian government has advised travellers to avoid.

  Your best bet is to claim for your cancellation costs and either go somewhere else or wait until it's safe to travel to your original destination.

• Can I cancel because of bad weather?

  No. You won't be covered if you want to cancel your trip because of weather you don't like, for example your beach destination is experiencing minor thunderstorms. On the other hand, a cyclone that rips the beach apart would be an acceptable claim!

• What else does travel insurance for natural disasters cover?

  Travel insurance doesn’t just stop at paying you back for general travel expenses related to natural disasters. It can also cover you if you are injured in a natural disaster as long as your policy includes medical cover. Depending on your level of cover, this can include the following:

  • Medical treatment
  • Dental treatment
  • A daily allowance for everyday hospital expenses

  • Medical evacuation to the nearest hospital
  • Repatriation to Australia if necessary

• What if I have to cut my trip short mid-trip?

  If you have to cancel your plans mid-trip, natural disaster cover really shines. Depending on your policy, you can find cover for the following:

  • Any cancellation expenses from that point forward
  • Additional travel arrangements like meals and a place to stay if you are stranded somewhere
  • Whatever it costs to get you back onto your original schedule once the weather settles
  • Flights back to Australia if your destination is uninhabitable
  • Flights back to your destination at a later date if the disaster forced you to return home

  All the same rules for cancellation cover apply here: you're only covered if you purchased your policy before you knew about the natural disaster, it needs to be outside of your control and you must have no other way of getting your money back.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Jessica Prasida

Publisher

Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification. See full bio

Co-written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Editor, Insurance

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 644 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
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