Enjoy Your Gap Year With Travel Insurance

A Gap Year is a dream for many. That precious year off between school and university, or increasingly these days the adult gap year - between one job and the next. Planning a gap year is exciting and thrilling - and little bit scary, all at the same time. The costs can add up, especially when you are looking at round the world airfares out of Australia, and European Contiki tours paid for by the Australian dollar.

One expense anyone planning a gap year should NOT scrimp on is travel insurance.

Fortunately, there are specific long term travel insurance cover policies available. Here are some of the key features you should look for in insurance for your dream gap year:

* online policy - dealing with real paper is so last year! Easy to read documents anytime, day or night and an email contact can be so much easier!
* length of policy – a travel policy should cover you for up to 12 months, and ideally you should be able to extend it while you are overseas
* define “dangerous sport”. Travel insurance often doesn’t cover you for “dangerous” stuff like bungee jumping, white-water rafting, diving, horse riding – yes, just about anything which is any fun at all! Make sure your travel insurance does!
* high medical and hospital expense cover - sure you’re not going to get sick - no one under 30 ever does right? Well actually no, wrong, but more to the point what happens if you get run over when you look the wrong way before you cross the road? That could cost a second mortgage on your parents’ house just to get you home!
* loss of luggage - you aren’t going to be staying in the flashiest hotels, or even private rooms at times. Have you checked the cost of all those electronic (and oh, so easily stolen) gadgets you plan to take: digital camera, laptop etc?
* online discount - you may be happy to say goodbye to study for a year - but make sure you shop around, especially online - there are some fantastic cheap student travel insurance deals out there! Just like the banks, the travel insurance industry wants YOU - or at least your custom!

Although many young travellers plan to head off for their gap year without a care in the world, in fact, many more will need to work along the way. Working holiday schemes, SWAP programs and grandparents born in the UK are the gap year traveller’s best friend. A standard travel insurance policy may not cover you when you are waiting tables in a Greek taverna or pulling pints at a British pub. A good gap year travel policy should cover you - so long as you are working legally.

Remember that all those carefully arranged plans you started with at home have a small chance of actually happening - gap year travel is all about spontaneity - planning to travel through China and ending up on a beach in Goa, is just the sort of thing that happens! Your travel insurance needs to be just as flexible and cover you worldwide.

Oh and the one most important reason you should get travel insurance for your gap year - your mother will be able to sleep at night!