Every year thousands of Australians travel overseas. Unfortunately many of them don’t take out travel insurance of any sort.

According to the government’s Smart Traveller website (www.smartraveller.com.au) too many Australians risk their health by not taking out travel insurance.

The website cites several case studies where travellers have ended up in hospitals due to totally unforeseen circumstances. Because they didn’t have travel insurance of any kind, they’ve had to pay huge sums of money – all out of their own pockets.

Many travellers fail to realise that any medical costs resulting in treatment of any sort in most overseas countries is not free. All costs incurred are borne by the recipient of the medical treatment. And in a worse-case scenario where an Australian citizen loses their life, through whatever means, the cost to return their remains to this country starts at $10,000. A huge amount of money in anyone’s terms, let alone for someone who doesn’t have the money to spare.

The message Smart Traveller is trying to get across is to ensure you take out travel insurance before you leave the country.

With cheap travel insurance being readily available, it’s easy to organise and secure. It’s easier than ever to buy travel insurance, and it’s worth noting that buying travel insurance direct from the insurer can save you up to 60% on your insurance policy. You can get a travel insurance quote online, and the process takes less than a minute.

Getting travel insurance quotes this way means you will end up with a travel insurance direct discount. This means more money in your pocket to spend on the things you want, rather than the necessities.

Travellers should check the fine print on any policy you are considering, ensuring the policy will include everything you think it will include.

Travel insurance is not as expensive as it was many years ago, and many insurers are offering budget travel insurance packages. There are many ways to research insurance for your next overseas trip, including using search engines such as Google, and typing in the words “cheap travel insurance”. Other terms you could use include “travel insurance quote” or “travel insurance online”. You will have a number of options presented to you from these search terms.

Things to consider when buying travel insurance: check if the policy covers such items as emergency evacuation, emergency dental work, a companion to travel home with you if you fall ill or are injured while away, and whether or not you are covered for pre-existing illness.

Verify also that the policy covers cancellation of your trip due to illness, and injury, natural disasters. These are all important issues that travellers need to consider when getting their travel insurance quote.