Cruise control
A recent study by 1Cover Travel Insurance has found that 30 per cent of Australian travellers did not take out travel insurance on their last cruise.
According to the study, 14 per cent of all Australians have been on a cruise, while 23 per cent are keen to in the future. Additionally, 27 per cent of people have been sick on a cruise, with one in 10 of them requiring medical assistance.
Richard Warburton, COO at 1Cover Travel Insurance, has highlighted the risks of cruising. “As much as people may like to think it is, cruising is not always smooth sailing. Unfortunately, things can, and do, go wrong,” he said. “Outlaying a small amount for comprehensive travel insurance before you go really can make an enormous difference if anything untoward does happen before or during a cruise.”
Warburton went on to say that many people don’t realise that once they leave Australian soil on their cruise, Medicare may not necessarily cover them. “If they get sick and don’t have travel insurance, they’ll have to foot the bill,” he warned. “With medical costs on board cruise ships generally charged at private healthcare rates, it’s not surprising people often struggle to pay. A visit to the ship’s doctor could easily cost a couple of hundred dollars, while medical evacuation runs into the tens of thousands.”