Travel insurance for Southeast Asia

Do you need travel insurance?

Absolutely. You would be mad to travel to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand or Vietnam without it. Medical care in Cambodia and Laos is mediaeval, with expats and many residents in both countries having medical insurance covering air evacuation to Thailand or Singapore for anything serious. You do not want to end up in a hospital in these countries requiring serious medical attention. And while care in Thailand is world-class, it's not free and can get very expensive bery quickly.

Medical care aside, travellers are regularly robbed, lose their luggage, miss their flights or need to cut a trip short. Travel insurance can mitigate the pain in all these circumstances. If you die while travelling, filling out forms won't be an issue for you, but it will be for your next of kin. The bureaucracy and costs of repatriation after death are expensive, upsetting and time-consuming. Travel insurance won't bring you back to life but it can help speed up and streamline your resting in peace.

World Nomads

If you're planning an adventure then World Nomads travel insurance is a very popular choice amongst backpackers. Their travel insurance covers a range of adventure activities such as skiing, white water rafting and scuba diving. World Nomads also provides members with a free travel journal and SMS security alerts to make sure you well informed on the road and keep travelling safely. Their policies can also be extended online and residents of over 30 countries are able to apply. For more information, contact World Nomads.

World First

World First is a leading provider of holiday and travel insurance for UK residents. They specialise in providing good value instant cover and offer single-trip, annual multi-trip, long-stay policies for international trips lasting anything up to a year and backpacking travel insurance. All policies include cancellation, curtailment, travel delay and 24-hour emergency medical assistance as standard. Applicants can choose whether to cover their luggage, money and valuables and immediate coverage is available on last minute trips. The inclusion of sporting activities including winter sports and the ability to insure most pre-existing medical conditions in a simple follow-up call are unique selling points not usually available from other travel insurers. For more information, contact World First.

JS Insurance

JS Insurance has backpacker policies aimed specifically at Gap Year travellers under the age of 35 years. Coverage ranges from four months to a year and includes medical emergencies and repatriation, personal liability, legal expenses and personal belongings. Other more general policies include coverage for those over 35. Residents of the UK and Europe can apply to be insured by JS. For more information, contact JS Insurance.

Insure & Go

Insure and Go provides cheaper quotes and cover online, from cheap car insurance to travel insurance. Their backpacker policies (35 years and under) include cover from 31 days to 18 months of travel, over 40 adventure sports covered automatically including scuba diving and white water rafting, cover for medical emergencies, personal belongings, repayment of student loan, personal accident, personal liability, legal costs and more -- including an excess waiver for a small additional premium.For more information, contact Insure & Go.

Travelfish may receive commissions for purchases from these insurance providers, and while we can't vouch from personal experience for all of them, we believe them to be quality providers with long track records in the region.