Travel Insurance for Teenager Travelling without Parents

GordonR on 23/07/2018 - 13:17
Last edited 23/07/2018 - 13:34

I am looking for travel insurance for my 15-year old daughter who is going overseas on a school trip.

The insurers that I have tried so far simply do not offer insurance for unaccompanied minors (she is not actually an unaccompanied minor as teachers etc will be leading the trip, but as far as the insurers as concerned, if a parent is not going, then she is unaccompanied). Ditto for travel insurance from my credit card.

Rather than wading through yet more PDS, I thought that as this must come up over and over again, other OzBargainers must have resolved this somehow.

Any advice gratefully received.

(Please note that the school's involvement is limited to the organisation of the trip, and selection and purchase of insurance is entirely my responsibility)

Travel

Comments

  • HighAndDry on 23/07/2018 - 13:25
    +4

    It's a school trip… have you asked if the school has already taken out insurance? Any school that's well off enough to be arranging trips to Europe should also be able to afford insurance.

    • GordonR on 23/07/2018 - 13:30

      The school is arranging it, but all costs are borne by the parent, including travel insurance.

      The school says that the Education Department rules mean that they are not even permitted to recommend a travel insurer, to avoid any perception of conflict of interest etc.

      • HighAndDry on 23/07/2018 - 13:33
        +1

        Hmmm. Is it possible to nominate a teacher as a guardian for purposes of "travelling not unaccompanied"?

      • redforever on 23/07/2018 - 14:00
        +1

        If the school is arranging it, why are you looking at your own? maybe just ask the school to provide the pds for their policy to make sure you are happy with the level of cover.

        • HighAndDry on 23/07/2018 - 14:01

          I think OP means school's arranging the trip, not the insurance.

      • Caped Baldy on 23/07/2018 - 14:49

        Are you booking flights as well or is the school doing this?

  • Godric on 23/07/2018 - 13:26
    +4

    I would think the school would cover it, no?

  • chumlee on 23/07/2018 - 13:33

    Google is your friend

    https://easytravelinsurance.com.au/school-groups

    • GordonR on 23/07/2018 - 13:36

      Thanks for looking, but unfortunately that is for insurance for the entire group, not for a single person in a group.

      (I have done quite a bit of unsuccessful Googling, and the devil really seems to be in the detail)

      • try2bhelpful on 23/07/2018 - 13:40
        +1

        Is it possible to get together with the other parents and use the "school-groups" insurance. I presume the school holds meetings on the trip, maybe it is something you can raise in the meeting or get a list of the parents and send out an email.

  • Fake News on 23/07/2018 - 13:45

    The school trips I have been on (World Challenge, visiting sister school in foreign country) included insurance in the fee for the whole trip - is it worth double checking with the school? I would have thought an insurance policy would have been a requirement for the Department of Education's guidelines before a student leaves the country

    • GordonR on 23/07/2018 - 15:09

      This is what we were told:

      One of the school/ DoE requirements for an International trip is that each student must acquire individual travel insurance prior to departure.

      We are not legally allowed to be seen to influence your decision to take insurance with any specific provider.

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