aussie to be insured
 

my first year travelling i insured with medibank which is underwritten by mondial ,had one claim and was no problems.they will only cover you for two years run back to back.i sent an email whilst in morocco for a renewal and as it was expired(by two days) was initially denied re insurance on the phone.they told me to re apply on the web.this proved more problematic re phone numbers etc.
i have now just this week re insured with HC travel which is run by bikers for bikers.you need an english address though.much the same lark i got from progressive in usa.
HC travel seems to ok if you want to parasail , balloon or ride baboons over the himalayas.worth a looky lookybeer

anz bank offer free travel insurance on their credit card if at least $250 is charged to the card for airfare.i confirmed with the insurer that as long as you hold the correct bike licence in australia for the bike you will be using overseas your covered.

OK, so you fly yourself to Timbuktu, where you have shipped your bike, hop on and go. How long does the policy last, then?

Another reason why overlanding on a 125 is the future! My years travel insurance cost 30 odd quid for a multi-trip policy, 90 days max. single trip and motorcycle riding up to 125 is covered with a racing exclusion.

Travel insurance
 

Not sure if this is useful to anyone... but am getting ready for 5 months riding from Uganda down to SA and back up via Namibia - back to Uganda.
So far I have found most travel insurance co's don't do anything over 125cc and won't cover more than 31 days.
So, here's some companies I have been getting quotes with:
MRL Insurance - Travel Insurance, Home Insurance, Life Insurance and more
They say £298.37 with my forces discount of 10%

Advantage Travel
Gold Cover: Affiliate: Scheme Select
They say £360.00 with 20% forces discount.

ihi Bupa*-*Buy health and travel insurance online (IHI - Bupa) - looks like the Rolls Royce of travel insurance... but they quote about £600 +.... bet they are good though!

Travel Insurance - Annual Travel Insurance from £3.53pcm | Endsleigh
They quote £280.98 and seems to cover everything...

I have no idea if these will cover Aussies etc, but good luck!
Cheers
Col

This seemed the most Australian-centric post relating to overseas motorcycle travel insurance, albeit nearly 3yr old.

Seemed to have worked myself into a corner. As an Australian having resided in the UK for 12mth, I surrendered my AUS licence for a UK one in accordance with DVLA (UK motoring and licencing authority) requirements. This was also necessary to obtain the third party, fire and theft bike insurance I needed for long-duration EU coverage.

However this is now working against me with regards to applying for AUS travel insurance that covers motorcycle use. Most of the policies require me to apply back in AUS, or be back in AUS within 12mth and most crucially of all, be in possession of an AUS drivers licence. This has made me ineligible for coverage with all the insurers I've looked at so far, but I'm hoping that World Nomad will reply with good news based on their policy wording.

Has anyone had and resolved this issue before? Other solutions I can think of could be to apply for a replacement AUS licence (is it against the regulations to be in possession of two licences from different countries?), or apply for UK travel insurance (but this wouldnt cover repatriation to AUS, which is highly desireable).

Any feedback appreciated
- Kenny

Travel Insurance
 

Your information is timely as we will be heading to the UK in summer 2015. Will need to do some research on how to get around this problem. I have some ideas but am concerned about the legality. World Nomads are our travel insurers but have always maintained our Australian licence. We renew on the road every 12 months and never use the offer of extending but take out a new policy as you get a better discount. Google for discount coupon codes. Are you returning to Australia eventually? There appears no way around the issue other than to have two licences from two different countries which will make the law enforcement folk a bit annoyed when you produced your "other" licence when applying their revenue raising efforts. What about embassies or say the Automobile Clubs... RACQ... RACV? Can they assist..... You will need to use them to get your Carnet de Passage.. PM us if you need any more info but don't know if we can do too much. Cheers... K & C

Good news on my end. After a couple of aborted attempts at email contact with a seemingly automated 'representative' at World Nomads GB, I managed to get in contact with a human rep at World Nomads AUS; forget the website contact proforma, use infoAUS@worldnomads.com. After that had to to-and-fro a little about proving why I had to surrender my AUS licence, and I made my case that UK licences are recognised in AUS just like AUS licences are recognised in UK, ergo complies with World Nomad policy wording. Got the green light:

Our product specialist has advised that as your UK licence is valid in Australia, you can be covered under the Australian resident policy for the operation of the same classes of motor vehicles while overseas.

In order for cover while riding a motorcycle to be valid, you must wear a helmet wherever it would be required in Australia, regardless of the local laws.

Just be sure to choose the right level of cover for what you want to do. Level 1 adventure sports and activities cover will be the one to choose if you are riding on road or as a pillion passenger with a licensed rider. If you plan to ride ‘off-road’ (and by this we mean on a trail bike going cross country or on dirt tracks, etc) then you will need to choose Level 3 cover in order to be covered should anything go wrong.

What’s covered:

If you have an accident and are injured, you’ll be covered for medical evacuation and medical expenses. If you end up in hospital or if you’re treated as an out-patient, you’ll be covered provided you were taking all the usual safety precautions when driving/riding a motorbike e.g. obeying the local road rules, wearing a helmet and not taking any needless risk.

What you need to know:

You must comply with local laws and legislation when it comes to driving or riding a motorbike or moped overseas; if you don’t, you won’t be covered if something happens.

Be aware: if you own your car or motorbike or even if you’ve borrowed or rented one, we can’t cover the vehicle at all if it’s stolen or damaged, nor can we cover your personal liability while you’re driving/riding it.

If you leave any of your belongings with your motorbike unattended, there’s no cover for this either.


So yay for me and full steam ahead! Naturally, I recommend that everyone query World Nomads (or any insurer for that matter) about your specific circumstances, coverage and caveats.

Ken and Carol, thankyou for the heads up about the discount code, you just saved me $60AUD! Will you be living in the UK for more than 12mth? If not you don't need to surrender your AUS licence. FYI exchanging licences cost £50 (though all-up cost me £68, with the extra cost of a Royal Mail money order and postage), one passport photo and registered post/return of a primary ID (I sent my passport). Carnets I'll have to look at toward end of this year, as with the necessary bike CTP/'green cards' to get back to AUS.

On the point of CTP, for reference, I'll be taking 'ebike insurance' CTP, fire and theft this trip coming up because they seem to be the only provider that provide 365day EU coverage, rather than the 30 or 60 day trip limits most others caveat. Happy to hear about other options, but that's the best I can come up, albeit with a few online cautions about poor customer service (could be all faff), plus they're actually well priced.

Happy trails,
Kenny

Motorcycle touring insurance plus medical while already overseas
 

Any UK resident who requires motorcycle touring insurance that includes medical while already overseas can be found here. Let me know if you can find better as I'm still on the hunt...

Long Stay Travel Insurance Overseas, Travel Insurance Already travelling

Cheers
Lisa and Jason
twowheelednomad.com