Travelling overseas is usually a fantastic experience, visiting places you haven't been before, trying new things, and basically just living life to the fullest. It can be a great break from the busy bustle of home life, whether it be work, or just the same old boring routine. As great as an OS trip is, there are unfortunately problems that arise from time to time. Some of them are only minor, such as losing a bag at the airport, but some are a lot lot worse.

Human tragedies associated with travel occur more often than you might expect with over 25,000 cases dealt by the Australian Government each year. These include up to 1000 deaths, and a further 1,200 hospitalisations. Hospital stays, medical evacuations and other costs involved with problems when travelling can cost big dollars, with daily hospital stays in Asia costing up to $1000. A week in a Vietnamese hospital could set you back $6000-8000. This is probably more than you have spent on your entire trip!

To protect against these financial burdens, travel insurance is a great option. Especially if you are going somewhere that is foreign to you, or for any decent length of time. Accidents happen, and if your holiday gets ruined by a tragic event, you don't want to make it worse by having to pay thousands of dollars for it!

When taking out an insurance policy, make sure you know exactly what your covered for. If you already have trauma insurance back home in Australia, this will cover your family in the event of your death. But to cover hospital stays, evacuations, and even the return of a deceased remains, you should take out travel insurance.

Be sure to read the fine print. If the Government has issued a 'Do Not Travel' warning to the place that you go, and something happens, your insurance policy will not cover this. Look at the terms and conditions and make sure you are protected for what you need.