Backpacker insurance

Nobody plans to be ill or have an accident, especially on the trip of a lifetime, but it does happen and if it happens to you, this will cover the expensive business of getting treated overseas. In most cases that includes dental emergencies and repatriation – the cost of having to fly you back to the UK if necessary.

On a slightly more morbid note, most policies cover cremation costs or the repatriation of a body should you, or someone else covered under the policy, die during your trip.

If you can no longer go on your travels, or need to come back early, your backpacker policy will cover cancellation of the trip. However, you'll need a valid reason to abandon your trip before insurers will pay up.

Each insurer will have its own list of valid reasons, which usually include losing your job or serious illness in your family. But, if you have a change of heart or simply get homesick, your claim will probably be rejected.

Unlike standard travel policies, some backpacker insurance even covers failure to pass university exams as a reason for cancellation.

Your backpacker policy will also cover you if your gear is lost, stolen or damaged while you're travelling. Almost everything you take overseas, including computers, phones, cameras and clothing is included. Many insurers will also cover you for the loss of a passport, cash or a driving licence.

However, policies can vary greatly both in the amount covered and in the excess – the amount you have to pay towards the claim yourself. For example, items such as cash or expensive goods can be subject to an additional higher excess.

Personal liability protects others and their property from accidents you may cause on holiday. For example, the personal liability element of your insurance would cover you if you inadvertently injured a fellow traveller. Insurers will typically cover you for up to £2 million, which should be more than enough.

Unfortunately travel schedules are at the mercy of the elements, so delay cover is one of the more important reasons for taking out backpacker insurance. Most policies cover against more than just bad weather though, with many including incidents such as industrial action and mechanical breakdown.

If your flight's been delayed for more than three hours or it's been cancelled you may be able to claim compensation of up to £470 directly from the airline, but the reason for the delay or cancellation must be the airline's fault, so bad weather, for example, won't count.

This compensation is only for EU-regulated flights. An EU flight is where the flight departed from an EU airport, regardless of the airline, OR where an EU airline landed at an EU airport. Under this law, EU airports also include those in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. See our Flight Delay Compensation guide for more info.

If this doesn't apply – perhaps because you flew both to and from an airport outside the EU – you could try making a claim on your travel insurance policy. Insurers typically pay out for each 12-hour period you've been delayed, but the payouts are often tiny compared with what you can get from your airline.

Some backpacker insurance will allow you to do certain types of paid or unpaid work abroad – and pay out if you need to make a claim because of an incident while in employment. Typical casual backpacking jobs such as bar and restaurant work, fruit picking or playing music will normally be covered.

Some policies will also cover teaching posts or coaching sports in paid or voluntary roles. Manual labour, such as construction jobs, is usually excluded from paid work but may well be allowed for voluntary work. However, even volunteers will probably not be covered while using machinery.

What is allowed differs from policy to policy, though, so check the cover you're considering fits with your work plans.

Alcohol- or drug-related injury
Backpackers are bound to let their hair down and some destinations are notoriously hedonistic, but beware because insurers are not going to cover you for drunken pranks or drug-fuelled adventures.

If an insurer suspects you were under the influence of non-prescription drugs or were over the alcohol limit when an accident happened, they may well refuse to pay your claim. Even if an accident happened on an organised activity, like a boat trip or a bungee jump, if you're high as a kite, or even just had one too many beers, your policy could prove worthless.

Insurers have different classifications of 'drunk', with some using blood alcohol limits, so check the policy carefully before you buy.

Pre-existing medical conditions
Insurers will often cover you if you have a pre-existing medical condition, though if you fail to tell your insurer and then need treatment for that condition, or a related condition, you won't be covered. You may also struggle to get a claim paid if you ignore medical advice on medication or jabs required to enter a country or region. So, if you go to Kenya and decide against getting jabs for diphtheria, hepatitis A, poliomyelitis, tetanus and typhoid, do not expect your insurer to foot the bill if the worst happens.

Unattended possessions
Backpacker insurance will cover your personal possessions when you're travelling. But it doesn't mean you can be gung ho with your stuff. If you leave items unattended and they're stolen, your insurer won't pay for their replacement.

Travel to dangerous countries
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) outlines which countries are unsafe for travel. If you travel to a country on the FCO's list your cover is likely to be invalid. Check out the FCO's current travel advice for more.

While you may go on your annual holiday with suitcases bristling with iPads, phones, laptops, luxury gadgets and cameras, a year trekking around the world with just a bag on your back means you physically won't be able to carry 'em all with you.

As well as freeing up extra room (and weight) in your luggage, the fewer goods you carry, the lower your risk of losing them or having them stolen. Hotels, campsites, hostels and other accommodation also increasingly offer internet access via a rented tablet or computer in your room, giving another reason to leave your electronic kit at home.

And apart from the benefit of reducing your security risk, if there ever was a chance to get away from a computer screen, a gap year must surely be it...

Your best bet is to deter opportunistic thieves or outwit them. In many cases, a robust padlock can help. You don't have to spend £50 on a specialist lock; for roughly £10 you can buy a single chunky padlock or pack of three 'digit combination' locks.

Before leaving, tell your bank and credit card provider that you plan to be overseas for some time – and, if you can, where you'll likely be for certain periods.

The more info you give your bank, the better; banks keep a close eye on suspected fraudulent use and will kibosh a card if they think it's been stolen.

While it only usually needs a quick phone call to reactivate a frozen card, this might not be possible if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Jot down the following and keep them in a protected folder in the luggage:

• Bank/credit card 'lost and stolen' numbers on a piece of paper.
  

• Family's and friends' numbers – in case you don't know them off by heart and your phone's lost or stolen.
  

• The British consulate in the countries you're visiting.

• Your travel insurance claims number.

• Local emergency numbers in the countries you're visiting, such as 999, 911.

Many countries require visas if you wish to enter, others if you want to work. Some visas are a mere stamp at the border, others will take days or weeks to process. Do your homework and work out visa arrangements long before leaving home.

British citizens are thankfully welcomed into dozens of countries without any need for a visa, although it's often the case that where it says 'No Visa' is needed, you'll usually need a passport with at least six months left to run on it (when you arrive); proof of enough cash to live/travel; proof of further flights; and documents showing a next destination on your trip.

Try Visa Central or VisaHQ for a guide to how many days you can stay for and whether a tourist visa is easily available. They're only a guide, though: for precise details, you'll need to visit each country's own government information websites.

Get advice from your GP practice about which vaccinations are necessary for your destinations. Some vaccines are given over weeks while others might leave you feeling too unwell to travel for a few days. Give yourself time to recover before you leave. It's also a good idea to check if you'll be travelling to any malaria hotspots and seek anti-malarial tablets from your GP if required.

You'll find plenty of top tips on the NHS's own vaccination help website – it gives advice on the types of vaccination, how to get them, side effects and details of those which are free on the NHS.

It's a good idea to have some local currency ready when you arrive in a new country – especially in your first port of call. Use our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool to get the best rates before you jet off, and 15 of our cheapest tips and tricks to boost your spending power.

So have a look about for a good rate of exchange and convert enough cash to see you through your first few days.

To keep the rest of your travel money as safe as possible, a mix of cash, pre-paid cards and credit cards is a good idea.

Depending on where you're going to be spending large chunks of your time, certain cards for overseas spending will suit you better than others. Don't forget to split your money between cards and keep these in a hidden money belt on you at all times.

Make sure your travel insurance policy – as well as all other travel documents, including a photocopy of your passport – are printed out and kept on you.

Also it'll be worth doing the same for relevant phone numbers – such as the British Embassy at your destination, local emergency service numbers and 24-hour helplines provided by some travel insurers – to save having to look for them in an emergency. It'll be a lot of admin work but could be a lifesaver if you end up in a tight spot.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) launched the Know Before You Go campaign in 2011 to help backpackers be better ready for travelling to different countries. It's jammed with travel tips and loads of tailored country advice. It includes links to the FCO on social media including Twitter, with tips for safety and travel advice. Find more info on the Government's website.

Many people aren't aware that if they have an alcoholic drink on holiday, and lose something or have an accident, their insurance may not cover them – even if they only had the one drink. Insurers all have different interpretations – which we have seen in the T&Cs – ranging from 'drinking too much' to 'approx four pints' to 'alcoholic abuse'.

In practice, what most say is that it's all about if the drink has affected your decision-making ability. As we all have different tolerances, for some this could mean that just one drink could invalidate a claim.

It's also been reported that some insurers have gone as far as testing blood samples for your alcohol level (although we wonder how this works in practice) but as stressed, this does vary from policy to policy.

Having a claim refused could hit hard, possibly excluding you from medical or possessions cover. As a general rule, use your common sense as it's about safety as well as insurance. For example, if you're skiing and have two or three glasses of wine at lunch before hitting the slopes again, you're increasing the chance of an accident – which you also may not be covered for.

See our 8 things many of us do on holiday that could invalidate our insurance blog - it is an eye-opener.

If you currently have a policy but later develop a medical condition, you need to tell your insurer immediately. Insurers need to know about any condition you currently have, or may have had in the past, so they can accurately price your cover. If you have a condition they do not know about it will not be included as part of your policy, and if you fall ill because of it, you would have to foot the medical bill yourself as they will reject your claim.

You will not need any special sign-off from a doctor before you travel if you have pre-existing conditions but your insurer may have to refer back to your doctor for more information when you apply for cover. However, if you are under doctor's orders not to travel but decide to venture overseas anyway, your travel insurance will be invalid.

Yes, we do. One insurer, Holidaysafe (which was listed for a long time in our travel insurance best buys as a cheap 'no frills' provider) is currently excluded because of serious allegations made in The Times in November 2018 about its parent company, TIF. We took the decision to remove Holidaysafe while investigations continue. And as they're ongoing, Holidaysafe (and any TIF – Travel Insurance Facilities – policies) are still excluded.

However, we do link to comparison sites within our travel insurance guides and as they are independent of MSE, they may include providers we wouldn't.

We regularly review our policy on excluded providers and update our guides accordingly.