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Afternoon all. My 18yr old will shortly (3 weeks time) be heading to Thailand (as well as Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam as takes his fancy). I'd appreciate any thoughts/advice/experiences re travel insurance providers and what should be included in a policy. I'm inclined towards an abundance of caution btw, but any input would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance
I found trailfinders cheapest for me. Lower levels of cover than some but does include activities that others do not
I did some research last year and went with Alpha Backpacker Insurance for my son's travels. As TJ said it is all about what they actually cover. I was only really interested in medical cover and was never really looking at claiming if he lost his phone.
Lower levels of cover than some but does include activities that others do not
e.g. moped hire, because he’s 18 and you know he will
Big Cat Travel Insurance.
Great cover, including adventure sports. We've experience of it paying out - quick and painless. We've had it on multiple occasions for round the world year long and shorter Alps trips.
https://www.bigcattravelinsurance.com/
Re Big Cat 8nsurance - when I checked if Search and Rescue was covered they advised Rescue was included but Search was not....
PM me. Live and work all over the place so got some useful info for you on VN, Cambodia and Laos. Thailand less so.
BTW Thailand most dangerous for riding around, they drive fast and some aggression, way way too many cars in the cities and not much space for bikes anymore. Net result, beware. VN is mostly extremely chill for driving and riding, apart from HCMC and where all the pro Putin Russian young lads are hanging out in Nha Trang and Quy Nhon, is very calm and low speed. But still, get insurance with expatriation for medical reasons (or death, not nice to think about, but its extremely expensive and extremely paperwork heavy to get a body of a loved one out of many countries in the world), and with adventure sports, motorbike cover (beware no UK license/CBT only does not constitute a licence in most SE asian countries so your insurance is void anyways). I would however recommend getting a scoot or better yet a Honda Wave/Blade which is a semi automatic and buy your own legit helmet (most of the worlds MC helmets are made there and are good quality, VN is very ANTI chinese fake trash products, so your usually OK buying from most places, I actually end up with more fake parts, components and clothing when buying in the UK than I do when in VN), knee pads, gloves and then just ride gentle, its safer than walking and I say that with a few years of experience in any given country.
Laos and Cambodia, I can give you some info that may be of use, some of its maybe not PC for public forums but will keep him safe against the forces at play in those areas.
Thanks all, much appreciated, I'll check out your recommendations for sure. Brinkman, I'll be in touch, sounds like you've a ton of experiences to impart! I'm willing to bet there's some juicy war stories in there too!
He's a good lad and sensible enough for one of his age, but you can't be too careful!
Cheers
Be absolutely crystal clear about any prior medical issues when you take out the insurance.
Check the cover for motorbike engine size, mine maxed out at 125cc which resulted in me being stuck on a Honda Click for 1500 miles around Thailand. Leaving Bangkok on a scooter is an interesting experience. Avoid riding in the dark. I have a full UK motorcycle and car licence and obtained international driving licences to cover all countries I visited, I never had to show my documents to anyone, at the road blocks along the Myanmar boarder as soon as I lowered my buff to reveal a pale face they waved me through. Endura BaaBaa long sleeve tops are UV proof and ok in 35' heat - until you stop.
If setting off to altitude, check what height the policy covers up to.
Maybe consider if repatriation to Thailand for any medical work is covered, not sure what's on offer in Laos or Cambodia quality wise.
I think I used the Post Office for Thailand and Nepal.
iirc you need an international driving permit in thailand, uk one is not recognised.
check if offroad motorcycling i covered, and how many ccs. most dirtbikes are 250/300cc.
dont expect the drivers there to drive the way we do, and dont expect them, to have any consideration for others(stopping at red lights,making u turns from the inside lane without looking/indicating, buses on the wrong side in a corner) you have to look out for yourself
and accidents are ALWAYS the foreigner's fault