Prepare for natural disasters when travelling

FILE - In this Nov. 29, 2010 file photo, Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials as it erupts in this aerial shot taken from an Indonesian Air Force airplane that flies over Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. The volcano is spewing towering clouds of ash, forcing several international airlines to cancel flights to the popular resort island of Bali Thursday Jan. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/Trisnadi, File)
By Kate Webster


Natural disasters are unavoidable when travelling and can really throw travel plans out, costing travellers over $14.5 million in the past five years.

International assistance provider, Allianz Global Assistance (AGA) revealed that the some $14.5 million in claims paid to travellers in the past five years were relating solely to natural disasters. This is not surprising considering over 2.7 million Australians travelled overseas in 2015 and 317 natural disasters recorded worldwide.

AGA is urging travellers to be vigilant in preparing for their holidays, ensuring they have researched their destination and are aware of the likeliness of extreme weather, earthquakes or volcanic ash clouds.

It is also extremely important travellers invest in travel insurance as soon as any money has been outlaid for the trip, as this will then cover them prior to travel should it be impacted by a natural disaster.

In 2015 alone, AGA paid out over $7 million in natural disaster-related claims. In the five years from 2011 to 2015, the costliest events included the two Bali ash clouds (Mt. Rinjani and Mt. Raung), the volcanic ash cloud in Chile and the European floods.

The most common types of claims made were those pertaining to cancellation fees, lost deposits and additional accommodation expenses.

Allianz Global Assistance Chief Market Manager, Damien Arthur said, “Natural disasters can impact travellers in many ways from cancelled holidays and flights to being stranded in another country. Sadly, consequences can be even more severe, which we’ve seen firsthand through tragic events such as the Nepal earthquake that hit last year. In this instance, we were able to set up an AGA crisis unit and deploy doctors and nurses on the ground to assist around the clock.”

Arthur urges travellers spend time researching the destination, the time of year they plan to travel and checking government sites such as Smartraveller.

“Ensuring you have the right level of travel insurance cover is also important.”

Some of Australians favourite destinations are actually some of the natural disaster hotspots.

Indonesia

Affordability and close proximity make Indonesia a popular holiday destination for Australians. Indonesia sits on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ where volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and unexpected weather events occur often The rainy season takes place from November to March where flooding may occur.

New Zealand

New Zealand is known for its adventure activities and quality snow. At just over three hours’ flight from Australia, it’s a popular destination for travellers. Weather conditions in NZ can change rapidly and unpredictable weather, snowstorms, flooding and cyclones are typical of the weather cycle.

Latest News

  • Luxury

COMO launches new family-sized farmhouse in the heart of Tuscany

COMO Hotels and Resorts has launched its new farmhouse apartments in the heart of Tuscany, just in time for Australians to escape our wet winter. And it’s also an ideal time for Aussies of Italian ancestry to explore their home country as 2024 has been declared the year of Roots and Heritage Tourism by the […]

  • Destinations
  • News

New Caledonia in lockdown and airport closed after violent riots rock Noumea

New Caledonia officials have announced a 6pm-6am curfew, a liquor ban and have closed the country’s main airport after overnight riots in which vehicles were torched and roads blocked in the wake of proposed constitutional reforms. Australian Government website Smartraveller has issued an alert informing visitors to exercise a high degree of caution in metropolitan […]