2024’s real travel insurance stories: 13 surprising claims we approved

Are you wondering, ‘is travel insurance worth it’? Travel is usually all about the good times. But if things suddenly take a turn, our cover can kick in to help you pay for unexpected costs.

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We bet you’ve got great travel tales up your sleeve. Exciting new destinations, bucket-list experiences, ‘quirky’ meals you’d never get at home – these are the memories we all want to come back with when we set off on a trip. That’s why many travellers wonder ‘is travel insurance worth it’ – especially if they’ve never needed to claim.

Unfortunately, sometimes even the best-laid travel plans can go astray. And sometimes, they leave you stressed and out of pocket too. Here's the good news – if that happens, your cover might help ease the burden.  

How? Here are 13 real travel insurance stories from our travellers in 2024. They’ll help you see how our cover comes in handy. The tales are unexpected (and sometimes painful!), and a lot of the claims were costly.  

So, take a read, and then ask yourself this: have you got cover for your next trip?  

13 true travel insurance claim stories... and how much they cost

#1. A snowboarding adventure ends in injury
Total travel claim pay-out = ~$47,000

Snowboarding can be so much fun – but it can also be very expensive if you injure yourself on the slopes. One of our travellers discovered this hard lesson on the blue slopes in Japan. They crushed a vertebrae during a fall (ouch!) and needed time off work once they were back home to recover.  

Thankfully, they’d packed our travel insurance appropriately with Snow Sports Cover. That meant we were able to take care of their medical costs in Japan. Our Loss of Income cover also kicked in, so they got back some of the income they lost while recovering. Phew!

#2: A medical emergency while travelling the USA 
Total travel claim pay-out= ~$115,000

One of our travellers was in the US when they sadly fell ill. A CT scan showed they’d had a stroke, so they hopped in an ambulance to go to a medical facility. The medical staff ordered more tests to help stabilise them. We all know medical care in America is shockingly pricey compared to back home. But! This Cover-More traveller was able to worry less about medical bills and focus more on getting better. Why? Because their unexpected illness was covered, and we paid for their medical expenses in America.  

#3. Bad weather leads to a longer way home 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$3,500

It’s true what they say – you can’t predict the weather! One of our travellers had their flight from Malaysia to Singapore delayed because of bad weather. The plane even had to make an unexpected stop to refuel. This meant they missed their connecting flight from Singapore to Sydney – boo! They had to book new flights, but thankfully, our Missed Connections cover could help pay for the unexpected bill. 

#4. A bout of influenza leads to a hospital stay in Chile 
Total travel claim pay-out = ~$77,000

It’s ‘just the flu’, right? Not always. Influenza not only ruined one of our traveller’s holiday in Chile – it landed them in the ICU on life support. After over a week in hospital, doctors said they were fit to fly home. What a scary situation! Thankfully, our traveller didn't have to stress about paying for medical care or unplanned additional expenses, because their Cover-More policy insured them.  

#5. Out of work after a motorcycle mishap 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$11,500

Motorcycle tours are a fun way to explore your destination – but they can be a little risky too. During a motorcycle tour in Australia, one of our travellers accidentally crashed into a tree while going around a corner. They injured their shoulder (ouch!) and couldn’t go back to work till the injury healed. Because they added appropriate Motorcycle Riding Cover to their domestic travel insurance, we were able to help them. That’s right, our Loss of Income cover kicked in, so they weren’t completely out of pocket while they couldn’t work. 

#6. A surf trip to Hawaii leads to a bunch of hospital visits 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$48,000

One of our travellers had their surfing trip to Hawaii go from ‘cowabunga!’ to ‘where’s the nearest hospital?!’ quite unexpectedly when they had an accident while catching waves. A hospital stay and some surgery later, they were finally given clearance to fly back home – sans worries about medical bills, because we took take care of them. 

#7. A nasty eye infection cancels travel plans  
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$38,000

A pre-travel to-do list rarely involves fighting a bad infection. But that’s what one of our travellers had to do while prepping for their trip. Sadly, the eye infection took a turn for the worse and they ended up in hospital for five nights. They were also asked to be ready for an operation in about a months' time, which meant staying home. Yep, their trip was sadly over before it began. Luckily, they had added appropriate Amendment and Cancellation Costs cover to their travel insurance. When they made a claim, they got back quite a bit of the non-refundable costs they’d spent booking their holiday.  

#8. A 12-day wait for luggage 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$2,500

Finally reaching your destination after a long flight is super exciting! But finding out your bags are still on their way... is not. Two of our travellers had their connecting flight from Dubai to the UK delayed and then cancelled. They finally got on a new flight and made it to London so they could start their outdoorsy holiday. But, alas – all their luggage (with all their hiking gear) didn’t arrive with them. It went missing for 12 days. They had to buy all the must-have gear for their hiking trip while they waited. Thankfully, we could help cover these extra cost, because they were eligible for our Delayed Luggage cover.  

#9. Dengue fever throws a spanner in the works 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$24,500

Some mozzie bites get itchy, others send you to hospital. One of our travellers unfortunately had to deal with the latter when they found out they had Dengue fever in Indonesia. This meant their travel plans had to be put on hold as they recovered. Thankfully, because they added Amendment and Cancellation Costs cover when they bought their travel insurance, they were able to get back some of the money they lost on non-refundable bookings.

#10. An unfortunate incident during a walk in Vanuatu 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$11,500

You wouldn’t expect to be robbed by armed thieves in paradise. Unfortunately, that’s what one of our travellers experienced while on a walk with family in Vanuatu. Thankfully, they were unharmed. But they did have several bags and wallets, an iPad, headphones, phones, sunglasses and some cash stolen. They made a travel insurance claim, and we could cover the cost of some of the stolen items, under our Luggage and Travel Documents cover.  

#11. Freak hailstorm damages rental car 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$5k

You just never know when the weather will turn during summer in Australia! One of our travellers experienced this first hand when a freak hailstorm damaged their rental car on the drive from Sydney airport to their Airbnb. The hailstones were up to 5cm, so you can imagine the damage to the car! Like any smart traveller, they turned around and returned their car and reported the damage ASAP. Our Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess cover paid for the car insurance excess they owed the rental company, so the false start didn’t hurt their hip pocket – phew!

#12. Viral infections put a stop to cruise plans 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$2K  

Most of us would book a cruise holiday expecting a... cruisy time. Sometimes, things can go pear-shaped, even out in the high seas. One of our travellers and their partner became unwell during a cruise. They found out they had the viral trifecta – Influenza A, Influenza B, and COVID-19! They had to visit the onboard doctor and miss a bunch of port stops while they recovered. Thankfully, they had paid for our Cruise Cover, so they were able to claim for some of the non-refundable costs for the port stops they missed. 

#13. Cyclone wreaks havoc on footy competition plans 
Total travel claim pay-out: ~$600 

Imagine how exciting it would be to compete in your favourite sport overseas! One of our travellers was planning to do just that: a touch football competition in Fiji. But, a cyclone passing through the region made getting there in time a little complicated. Their direct flight was cancelled, and the airline didn’t rebook their flight for the next day. To avoid risking missing out on the comp altogether, they booked a domestic flight and international flight out of pocket and got there just in time. The cherry on the cake – our Special Events cover could help. Yep, they got back some of the extra money they spent rebooking new flights.  

Worry-less travel is just around the corner

We can be there for you if things go pear-shaped on your trip.