How do I find the best travel insurance in Australia?

With so many options out there, finding the best travel insurance for your trip can be difficult. Hidden fees and exclusions, legal jargon and flashy marketing can leave you confused and frustrated when all you want is the best cover at the best price.

The best travel insurance doesn’t always mean the cheapest insurance. Make sure that you choose a policy that has the right level of cover for you, so you can travel with peace of mind. For example, if you only travel once a year, then a single trip policy might be your best option. However, if you’re a frequent flier who is likely to be overseas more than twice a year, an annual multi-trip policy might save you time and money.

When comparing travel insurance, look at the different benefits and excess options, and decide what is most important to you. The best place to find this information is in the Product Disclosure Statement, where you’ll also find any exclusions. While this might not be the most thrilling read, it’s important to understand how you’re covered, as it could mean the difference between your claim being paid or declined.

At Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI), we’re committed to providing comprehensive cover, so you can better protect yourself and your family overseas.

 

What should the best travel insurance cover?

When you choose to cover yourself with an International Comprehensive policy from SCTI, you’ll be able to travel with confidence knowing we're here to help if the unexpected happens overseas and you need to make a claim. Our policy includes cover for:

  • Unlimited medical and evacuation expenses
  • Cancellation fees and lost deposits – with the option to increase your cover depending on the cost of your journey
  • Damaged or lost baggage
  • Personal items if they are stolen or damaged
  • Rental vehicle excess
  • Emergency dental treatment
  • Funeral costs
Two surfers 

Activities we cover

Whether it’s getting out of your comfort zone, ticking off items on your bucket list, or simply exploring a new city with the family, travel is all about adventure. That’s why our International Comprehensive policy includes cover for adventure activities like:

  • Snorkelling
  • Surfing
  • Mountain biking
  • Skateboarding
  • Zip lining
  • Canoeing
  • Horse riding
  • Water skiing
  • Windsurfing

Always read the Product Disclosure Statement when participating in any of these activities to check that you're adhering to the requirements and are aware of activities that are not covered.

 

Why choose us

Below are just some of the reasons why travellers chose cover with SCTI for themselves and their families.

Award winning travel insurance

We’re proud to have received several travel insurance awards in recent years, including:

  • ITIJ International Travel and Health Insurer of the Year 2022
  • ProductReview Travel Insurance Award 2023
  • Canstar Outstanding Value International Travel Insurance 2022
  • Mozo Exceptional Value Travel Insurance Annual Multitrip 2022

We’re also proud to have achieved a 4.7/5 star rating on ProductReview, Australia’s largest independent review website. Over 2,900 of our customers have left their reviews of SCTI, with the vast majority rating us as excellent. Data is correct as of 31 August 2023.

 

We provide service directly to you.

At SCTI, we provide travel insurance direct to you. We’re the underwriter and the insurer, meaning you deal with us directly, whatever stage of your journey you’re on – instead of having to speak to a different company that you bought from, in the event that you have to claim.

Doctor checking patients heart 

Worldwide emergency assistance

When you purchase a policy from SCTI, you also gain access to our dedicated worldwide emergency assistance team, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our Emergency Assistance team has many years of experience and include multilingual staff who can liaise directly with your overseas doctors and hospital staff.

If you get sick overseas and need an air ambulance to take you home, we have access to medical professionals who can escort you back to Australia. We can also help with other aspects of travel, such as arranging flights home if you’ve missed a flight through no fault of your own. Find out more >> 

 

Unlimited medical and evacuation cover

Getting sick or injured on holiday can be a traveller’s nightmare. If you buy an International Comprehensive or Working Overseas policy, we offer unlimited medical and evacuation cover for unexpected events that arise while overseas on your journey because we want to ensure you get the help you need to be able to return home safe and sound. We can also provide a cash allowance to make your hospital stay more comfortable, cover extra travel and accommodation expenses, and pay for a support person or family member to be by your side if required. 

Family relaxing on the beach 

Cruise cover

Cruises are a great way to unwind on the open seas and enjoy a hassle-free holiday with comfort at your fingertips.

If you're heading on an overseas cruise, our International Comprehensive policy has an optional add-on for cruise cover, so you can sail away with confidence. If you're staying close to home and planning a cruise around Australia, our Domestic policy may be the right choice as – we also offer an add-on for cruise cover with our domestic insurance.

 

Find the best travel insurance for you

Whether you’re travelling with family or friends, going on a two-month holiday or a two-day escape, going snorkelling or food tasting, or anything in between, make sure the cover that you buy meets your own specific needs. 


What you need to know

This page includes some information about our products but, as with all insurance policies, terms and conditions apply. For our terms and conditions (including information about exclusions, excesses and sub limits) we recommend you read the relevant Financial Services Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to ensure our travel insurance products are right for you.  

You can find the relevant documents here: International Comprehensive, Annual Multi-trip, International Medical Only, Working Overseas, Domestic.


The content of this article is general and provided for information purposes only. Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) doesn’t guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness or currency of any article.

This article may contain hyperlinks to other websites owned or operated by third parties, or references to third party products or services. SCTI isn’t responsible for, and makes no recommendation about, the content or accuracy of any third party website, or for the suitability or performance of any product or service. The inclusion of a link in this article doesn’t imply that SCTI endorses the website or third party product/service.