Two backpackers travelling around Australia in a campervan before settling down in our favourite part of the country. We hold permanent residency and, as such, have questions about what kind of insurance policies we may need...
Hi,
As above really...
I am just about to take out a travel insurance policy for UK residents travelling to Australia, which will cover the first couple of weeks of our trip. Perhaps two weeks is excessive? As new Ozzie residents, maybe the UK policy need only cover us to arrival in Australia... What do you think?
I have also been looking at travel insurance for domestic travel for Australian residents, which will cover the length of our road trip. A quote of $2,500 for 12 months travel is a little more than I expected, so just wondering if this is really required? Our trip could last anything from 12-18-24 months, and will be spent in a to-be-purchased-on-arrival 4wd campervan.
Which leads me onto motor insurance. As we will have no fixed address in Australia, how easy will it be to take out motor insurance for the campervan that we buy?
As permanent residents we qualify for MediCare, which we need to arrange when we arrive. However, is additional health insurance required?
Thanks =)
Reply to this Hi Simon and Sarah 😊
A comprehensive car insurance (which covers accidents, theft, damage to vehicle, public liability etc.) and breakdown service (ie. Ultimate or Ultra Care) are a must-have if you'll be travelling with your own car.
Majority of our insurance cover are with
RACQ. You can check their website if you want to get a quote and more info. Not having a home address might become an issue as they will want to know where you'll be parking your car for risk assessment, thus adjust your insurance premium accordingly.
If you have a permanent resident visa, Medicare should cover majority of your medical bills. Additional Private Health Insurance is only necessary if you have a chronic medical condition or will be needing an elective surgery and wants to choose your own doctor and when and where you want to be treated instead of being put on the waiting list. Please note that any medical emergencies are looked after straight away and covered by medicare with no cost in public hospitals. Additional Private Heath Insurance is also sometimes necessary for tax purposes to avoid paying tax surcharge. You might want to read more about this.
Hope this helps.
Have a safe and happy trip.
cheers,
Jo
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