A good gap year insurance policy will cover for cancellation of your trip. For most people the most expensive up-front cost is the round-the-world flight so it is worth buying insurance soon after paying for your flight to protect any payment or deposit. (You buy the policy to start from the date that you leave your home country, but cancellation cover is usually applied from the date you buy the policy.)

These countries have a reciprocal health care agreement which means that some treatments will be either free or subsidised. However, certain aspects are excluded. For example the ambulance service in Australia is privatised so you would be responsible for any associated costs, which can be significant. On arrival to Australia most insurance companies will require that you enroll with Medicare (Medicare is a publicly funded universal health care scheme in Australia) to ensure that, if you have the need, you can receive care under the reciprocal agreement.

A good travel insurance policy will also cover repatriation (flying you home if medically necessary), will fly a family member to be with you in the case of serious hospitalisation and it would also cover the cost to fly you back if a relative at home became seriously ill. So, despite the reciprocal healthcare agreements you should still have a good gap year insurance policy.

Not all policies include cover for accidents in the work place. When you shop around make sure that the insurance you choose will include the types of work you intend to do. (Remember that on a working holiday you may be tempted to do an unusual job or something that you wouldn’t normally consider doing at home – working on a ranch, harvesting, waiting tables, factory work, etc.)

Note: cover for “working” is normally limited to accident/injury. It would be unusual to cover for loss of earnings or liability. Liability would normally be covered through your employers insurance.

Some insurance companies differentiate between “working” and “volunteering”. Where it is included, the definition for “work” may exclude anything manual or working with machinery. Some companies define “volunteering” as working for a registered charity – which may not always be the case.

If there is a chance that you will be skiing or snowboarding while you are away it would be sensible to include this in your cover from the outset. Cover can vary enormously from one company to another; when looking at your options you may want to consider the following:

• How long does the season last and is the winter sports element of the cover available for the whole season? Some companies limit winter sports by days/weeks or as a percentage of your overall trip.
• Is there an option to add winter sports while you are already away? Where available it is a useful option, but if you are travelling with skiing/boarding equipment it will usually only be covered where you have paid for winter sports cover from the outset.
• Are there any limitations – can you ski/board off-piste, with or without a guide? Can you guide or instruct and still be covered?
• If you are working a season, remember that your skiing will improve daily. Skiing off-piste could be off the radar now but, how about after 5 months on the slopes..?

If you are a non-skier working in a winter resort environment you may well find yourself sliding down the slopes before the season is out. Just because you don’t fancy it now doesn’t mean you won’t do it.

Activities defined as “Winter sports” aren’t limited to skiing or snowboarding. If you are ice-skating, sledging, snow shoe walking or snow mobiling you will, most likely, need to have winter sports cover.

Some winter sports may be excluded, even if you buy a winter sports add-on. Examples could include heli-skiing and ski-jumping.

If you will be using a snow park, always check that the policy has appropriate cover.

Annual Multi-trip policies are intended for people who go away on short trips several times in a year. They limit the cover to journeys of 30, 60 or sometimes 90 consecutive days at a time. If your total time away will be less than the maximum period covered then it may be appropriate for your trip.

Free policies associated with a bank account or credit card tend to have similar time limitations.

You’ll need to check the policy wording specifically or call the insurance company. However, in general if you know that you will be away for more than the maximum period allowed by the cover then your multi-trip policy would be void. In these cases you would need to take a policy specific to your trip starting from the day you depart your home country.

Some insurers will allow this, others won’t. If you are uncertain of your plans make sure that you purchase an insurance policy that allows you to lengthen the cover.

In general terms, yes. A local company policy is unlikely to cover any international needs that you have. For example repatriation for medical reasons, loss of personal items, replacement of passport or return home in an emergency situation.

Additionally, it may not cover for trips to other countries; for example if you are working in Whistler, Canada and want to travel to America for a couple of weeks. Finally, if you leave your job (by choice or otherwise) the policy will terminate and you will find it hard to get a new one.

Excess charges apply to most travel insurance policies. The excess is the amount of the claim that you have to pay yourself. Cheaper policies may have higher excess charges, some have a variable excess that fluctuates depending on the activity that you do. Always read the policy exclusions and excess sections of the policy. Sometimes its more helpful to read about what isn’t covered rather than what is.

You can buy insurance from a dedicated insurance company or through a travel agent either in person, over the phone or online. Most companies provide a summary of cover at the point of sale which gives a broad overview of the policy. However, to fully understand what is and (more importantly) what isn’t included you will need to read the policy wording. This should be available to you before you buy, but sometimes it is hard to locate on a website. If you can’t find it, contact the company and ask for a copy.

Price comparison website are a popular way of selecting insurance based on price. However, there are so many different types of cover it is very difficult to make an exact like-for-like comparison. Additionally, the summary of the policy provided rarely goes in to enough detail to allow you make an informed choice. Always seek out the policy wording (and exclusions) to know that the policy is not only the right price but also provides the right level of protection.

We feature two insurance companies which provide a broad selection of cover types. You can find out more, get quotes and buy online here.

Once you have purchased a policy you will normally be sent/emailed 2 documents:

1. a certificate or schedule which confirms the type of insurance you have bought, your personal details and the dates of cover
   and
2. the policy wording which contains the specific details relating to all aspects of the cover.

You must check both documents very carefully. For accuracy (spelling, dates etc) but just as important, to be sure that you are happy that the policy will meet your needs. The policy wording is the document that sets out the conditions of your cover.

It is your responsibility to check that the policy meets your needs. There is normally a 14 day cooling off period during which you can cancel a policy and receive a full refund (as long as you haven’t started your trip).