It’s one of the ironies of being a student that you get all the time in the world during long summer vacations to travel the world, but you don’t always have the cash to really make the most of it! Many students, therefore, will work in holidays to save enough money to make a ‘milestone’ trip but—with money still tight—they often don’t pay enough attention to their student travel insurance or backpacker insurance.

So, sometimes you might decide not to take out insurance at all in order to cut costs, or you might take out any old policy. However, going without insurance could leave you in dire financial straits if you have a problem while you are away and buying the wrong kind of policy could leave you out of pocket. The best way to get insurance when you are a student is (unsurprisingly!) to take out some form of student travel insurance either as a short term student travel option for a short holiday or as a backpacker insurance policy.

What is a student travel insurance policy?

As with all kinds of travel insurance policies, a student option will give you various levels of insurance protection for a holiday. The difference between a student travel insurance policy and a standard one is generally all down to cost—student travel insurance policies will cost less. And, they may be more flexibly disposed to student travel needs than general travel insurance policies will be.

What should you look for in a student travel insurance policy?

In general terms, any student travel insurance policy should give you coverage against the same kinds of essential issues, such as:

• Accident, injury, and illness
  
  
• Theft, loss of property, and property damage
  
  
• Cancellation, delays, and curtailment of holidays

A student travel insurance policy or backpacker insurance should also be designed to fit in with student needs. So, for example, in addition to essential travel coverage you may also get extras such as:

• Coverage for extreme sports and activities without having to pay extra.
  
  
• Coverage options for different types of trips, i.e. for standard holidays, backpacking trips, etc.
  
  
• The ability to take out budget options to cut costs by waiving the right to certain policy features and benefits.
  
  
• The ability to extend the time limit for insurance coverage which can be handy if you are need backpacker insurance that lasts more than a year, for example.
  
  
• Discounts for insuring parties of people rather than individuals.
  
  
• Coverage that gives you insurance for trips abroad where you will be studying or working as part of your course.

How to cut the costs of student travel insurance

As a student, the easiest way to cut student travel insurance policy costs is to buy from a specialist insurer. The policies on offer here may be basic, but they will cover essential insurance needs, may give you the kind of extra features you need as a student, and it will also be kept at a low cost (as we all know that students don’t have much money!). So, a backpacker insurance policy, for example, will give you all the essential insurance services you need for the time you want to be away, and it may also throw in coverage for extreme sports, so if you decide to take a bungee jump or to go white-water rafting on the spur of the moment then you’ll have insurance for it.

Another way to cut the costs of student travel insurance is to shop around.  There are plenty of student travel policies out there and they are all competing for your business, so there are savings to be made if you do some research. And, whether you are looking for long term backpacker insurance or for coverage for a week in Mexico after graduation, try buying student travel insurance over the internet as you may even get an online discount which could save you even more money!

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