Guide To Bali Travel Insurance – ALL You Need To Know

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As with the rest of Indonesia, travel insurance for Bali is not mandatory. Immigration won’t send you away if you rock up at Bali Ngurah Rai International without it. But all travellers to Bali should put some serious thought into covering themselves with a decent insurance policy.

First up, there is a fair amount of danger lurking beneath those swoon-worthy palm trees. We’re talking about volcanic activity and tsunamis, tropical diseases and rogue monkeys who don’t take too kindly to you not surrendering your jungle trail mix. And then there are the bike crashes – you may be the most competent motorcyclist out there, but all it takes is one drunken tourist on your side of the road to throw a spanner in the works.

It won’t take you long to suss out that Balinese people are among some of the warmest, friendliest and purest in the world. But sadly, theft and petty crimes are common, even in Bali! It’s also worth noting that not all Bali police will help you if you get your bag swiped.

We encourage all travellers to at least consider taking out some travel insurance in Bali. At the end of the day, you just never know what might happen in those rice paddies!

Need more convincing? Check out these other reasons why you should have travel insurance!

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Healthcare in Bali

As tourism has mushroomed, the boost on the economy and infrastructure in Bali has bolstered the healthcare system. Tourists will find many private hospitals with state of the art, international-standard facilities. Most of the doctors are fluent in English, or at least have a strong command of the language. Geographically, the lion’s share of Bali’s premium healthcare is in the south of the island – tourist central. Kuta, Denpasar and Seminyak are where you will find the majority of the large hospitals. Ubud, a popular Bali destination, also is medically well-equipped.

The cost of seeing a doctor in Bali for minor injuries and medical complaints is low in comparison to Western prices. For a consultation with a doctor at a local clinic, you can expect to pay in the region of 500,000+ IDR ($31 USD). Further tests, laboratory costs, treatment fees, and prescription costs will be added to the bill. Expect rates to be higher at tourist-facing hospitals such as BIMC and Siloam. Ultimately, if you require emergency treatment in Bali, medical attention is going to get pricey without insurance or medical coverage. So, despite being cheap one of my top Bali travel tips would be to make sure you have good insurance.

Check out if your Bali travel insurance policy has a tie-in with a particular hospital or clinic whereby they can bill your insurance provider directly. Otherwise, keep your receipts to be reimbursed.

Crime in Bali

Bali is a peaceful island that is, on the whole, safe for tourists. The region ranked 133rd in a recent survey from Numbeo, with a criminality index of 47.66. Compare this to Caracas, which came top of the crime list with a score of 84.92!

While violent crime is low, sexual assaults and drink spiking are, sadly, all-too-common in Bali. Female travellers need to exercise much more caution, especially when walking alone, or even riding scooters.

The one thing Bali is notorious for is drive-by bag snatches. First-time visitors and digital nomads: you’re very likely to find yourself in the hippy-go-lucky Canggu. When heading out for a night on the Bintang, ensure you hide your money and smartphone! If partying is high on the agenda, all the more reason to consider travel insurance for Bali. Thieves prey on their victims as they leave beachside bars and target pedestrians as well as those driving their own wheels.

In a similar vein, never, ever, leave valuables in your Scoopy while you hit the surf. Lock them away at your hostel and keep essentials on your person. Consider adding valuables insurance to your coverage.

Scams are relatively common. There is a notorious ‘taxi mafia’ who block the usage of taxi apps Grab and Gojek (Indonesian Uber!). Tourists have reported ordering a ride and then seeing local drivers violently assault drivers. Basically, as far as crime goes in Bali, you just need to keep your wits about you.

Issues Facing Travellers in Bali

Besides falling in love and never wanting to leave, there are a few other issues facing travellers visiting Bali. These are where your fancy travel insurance can help you out. As a tropical, humid destination, you’re bound to run into Bali’s mosquitos bringing risk of dengue. In extreme cases, this requires a mini-break in a ward.

You’ve also got to stay clear of the monkeys, which can be particularly aggressive in Ubud. Don’t be fooled by those cute little faces!

Meanwhile, two active volcanoes bubble away in Bali – Mount Agung and Mount Batur. Agung is the one you need to keep an eye on; it’s made a few headlines over the past few years by spewing up lava. Indonesia is known for jolting its tourists with earthquakes on an ad hoc basis. Recently a 6.3 magnitude tremor earthquake was reported in Bali.

Both volcanoes and earthquakes can trigger tsunamis. Basically, what we are trying to say, when you are shopping around for the best travel insurance for Bali, you may want to tick that natural disaster box!

If you plan on hopping on a motorbike in Bali, this is where travel insurance is going to sound super sexy. Police reported that Indonesian motor accidents take around 30,000 lives per year! Back in 2015, a total of 1,492 traffic accidents across Bali occurred. More often than not, tourists are involved, and as Go Fund Me testifies, those tourists often don’t have an insurance plan.. Don’t be that person.

We can’t stress the value of travel insurance in Bali enough if you are planning on driving or riding pillion. Also, ensure that you have the correct license and double-check the small print – at least twice. And never ride without rocking a helmet.

Common Activities in Bali

• Surfing – This small island is packed with awesome things to do! First and foremost, Bali is a surfer’s island. It goes without saying that surfing carries its fair share of risks – and we’re not just referring to how addictive it is. Keeping the watery theme going, Bali is popular with divers and snorkellers. Scuba diving is usually insured to a certain depth, but you’ll need to check the terms on your travel insurance for clarity.
• Yoga – Another popular holiday activity for Bali is ducking into a yoga retreat. You can barely walk through the island for the number of downward dogs and warriors – kinda. Obviously, a yoga holiday in Bali isn’t too high risk, but if you get a bit too eager with that backbend, well, you might want some cover.
• Driving a motorbike is ubiquitous in Bali. If we didn’t terrify you in the previous passage, it’s something you’ll definitely want to look into. There’s no better way to discover this little slice of tropical heaven (and dodge the selfie sticks).

Not all companies will cover these activities by default, so do browse with care and remember that the cheapest Bali travel insurance might not offer the best protection.

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As a rule, most travel insurance for Bali will include the following;

• Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Expenses
• Baggage and Personal Property
• Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation
• Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation
• Trip Cancellation
• Trip Interruption

These are key terms to look out for when comparing insurance policies.

Let’s take a closer look at what each one of these actually means.

Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Expenses

The headline for most travel insurance policies is emergency medical costs. If you are in a car crash or come down with meningitis, you want to rest easy knowing that any ensuing medical costs will be taken care of.

In case you have never seen a medical bill, let us assure you that they CAN be expensive. A member of our team once racked up costs of $10,000 in Costa Rica and then a nasty infection in Thailand cost him $2,000.00 for just 2 days in the hospital. Ouch.

Pre-existing medical and health conditions may not be covered or may come at an additional premium.

Ideally, Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical insurance should offer at least $100,000.00 of coverage.

Baggage and Personal Property

Baggage and Personal Stuff coverage covers the value of your personal property. It’s most common application is for lost luggage and many policies also extend this to cover “on the ground” theft.

The limits on this vary between policies but rarely exceed $1000 with a maximum item value between usually up to $500.

This is fine for many travellers but if you travel with a lot of electrical gear (laptop & camera), you may also wish to think about taking out a separate gadget cover.

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Emergency MedicalEvacuation and Repatriation

Emergency medical evacuation covers the cost of sending you back to your home country in a sickbed. Let’s say that the above-mentioned car crash is a nasty one and the decision is taken to send you home for further treatment; this will take care of the high, associated costs.

Repatriation is the cost of sending your earthly remains home in the tragic event you die overseas. The costs of this are generally huge, and it is not a burden I would want to leave to my family. Whilst this is rare, every now and then I do come across a Facebook or “Go Fund Me” page for somebody’s body to be flown home.

Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation

Non-medical Emergency Evacuation is when you have to be evacuated from your destination because of some unexpected crisis. Classic examples are outbreaks of war/civil unrest and earthquakes that decimate infrastructure. In recent times, the Corona COVID-19 outbreak created the biggest international emergency evacuation situation ever. (FYI – it straddled both the medical and non-medical evacuation boundaries).

Emergency evac insurance covers the costs of having to book a last-minute flight (which can be expensive) and will also cover accommodation costs if you end up being flown to a random, “safe” country rather than going straight home.

Trip Cancellation

Being forced to cancel a trip you were looking forward to sucks. But being left out of pocket just rubs salt into that festering wound. Trip Cancellation cover can help you recover non-refundable costs such as booked flights and hotel costs.

Note that you can’t claim under this simply because you changed your mind or broke up with your boyfriend. Acceptable cancellation reasons are things like sickness, family emergencies, bereavement, natural disaster, pandemics and war – you get the gist.

Trip Interruption

Trip Interruption is when something goes wrong with a part of your trip leaving you out of pocket. For example, when your hotel burns down and you are forced to book another one. Or when your flight home is canceled and you need a few extra nights at your hotel. These are just a few examples of when you may need to reply on trip interruption.

Anything Else?

The above is what we consider to be the basic, bare-bones of travel insurance. However, some policies do offer a few more aspects and the best Bali travel insurances may also offer the following;

Adventure Sports and Activities

Note that some travel insurance options do not cover adventure sports and activities. The definition of adventure sports and activities does vary between providers but for example, can include;

• Trekking
• Rafting
• Muay Thai
• Paragliding
• Diving
• Soccer practice….

If you are even considering doing anything physical or outdoorsy on your trip, it is wise to check that your insurance provider is covering it. Broken ankles hurt enough without having a $5k Doctors bill attached to them.

Accidental Death and Dismemberment

This one doesn’t cover any travel-related expenses but instead it basically provides you, or your family with some compensation in the event that something awful happens to you. If you die, your loved ones get a payout. Or, if you lose a finger or something, YOU get a payout.

It’s like having a bit of life cover attached to your travel insurance. I know that not everybody is altogether comfortable with the concept of pay-outs for life & limb – I guess it kind of goes something like this;

“Well dear, I’m afraid there is good new and bad news. The bad news is that our beloved son little Jimmy died on his trip to Bali. The good news is that we get $10k! Bali here WE come!”

Gear and Electronics Cover

Some insurance policies cover electronic gadgets, and some don’t. Those that do, may charge an additional fee, and they generally limit the maximum item value. If you only travel with a phone or tablet, your travel insurer may well cover it entirely. On the other hand, if you are traveling with a decent laptop then you may wish to consider obtaining gadget cover.

I have personally had gadget cover on my MacBook Pro for years.

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It is fair to say that not all insurers are created equal. Some offer lower prices than others, and others offer more comprehensive cover. Some are notorious for shirking cover, whilst others are applauded for their excellent customer service.

Travel insurers are all the same yet always different, and it is absolutely not the case that anyone of them is the best, or is “better” than the others. Insurance is a complex product which takes into account a whole lot of data and a wide set of variables. The “best” travel insurance always depends on where you are going, when you are going there and ultimately upon you and your needs.

Below, we will introduce a few of the many travel insurance providers on offer. These are firms we have used ourselves over the years.

SafetyWing

SafetyWing is a very interesting travel insurance company. They specialise in covering digital nomads and offer open-ended cover on a monthly subscription basis. Note that because they are primarily covering digital nomads, they don’t offer much in the way of trip cancellation or delay.

They do however excel on health insurance, covering dental and some complimentary treatments, and they even allow young children to be covered for free. If cancellation and delay is not a concern for you, or you will be spending some considerable time on your trip, then maybe SafetyWing are right for you.

If you need more information or want to get a quote, then you can visit the website for yourself.

World Nomads

World Nomads have been supporting and encouraging travellers to explore their boundaries since 2002. Designed by travellers for travellers, they offer simple and flexible travel insurance covering multiple countries and a lot of adventure activities.

If you leave home without travel insurance or your policy runs out, you can buy or extend while on the road.

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

Faye

The savvy fin-tech insurer Faye provides whole-trip travel coverage and care that brings out the best in each journey with industry-leading technology that enables smarter and smoother assistance with faster claims resolutions. Their excellent app-based travel insurance covers your health, your trip and your gear all via an app that provides real-time proactive solutions, quick reimbursements and 24/7 customer support.

If you ever do need to make a claim, then you simply log in to the app and the claim will be assessed super quickly from anywhere in the world! My friend made a claim and was able to manage everything directly on the app. She was even able to purchase ‘Cancel for Any Reason’ Insurance that allows you to quite literally cancel for any reason, and be refunded up to 75% of non-refundable bookings.

Best of all, if the claim is successful then the funds will be immediately credited to the smart wallet on your phone or device and ready for you to spend.

Columbus Direct

Named after one of history’s greatest (and most divisive explorers), Columbus Direct also specialise in insuring adventure-hungry explorers like us. They have been providing award-winning insurance for 30 years. What we like about this plan is that it does cover small amounts of personal cash. However, Gadget Cover is not available.

Columbus Direct actually offers a number of different travel insurance plans. Below we have focused on 1 of these, and have set out the coverage amounts for the Globetrotter plan.

If you need more information or want to get a quote, then you can visit the website for yourself.

Iati Seguros

Iati Seguros is a Spanish based travel insurance company who we have personally used and loved. You will notice that they provide competitive cover amounts for the key travel insurance areas, and are competitively priced. So far we have heard nothing but good things about them.

They also offer multiple options, but we have focused on the Standard Plan. Although, we wholly encourage checking out all plans for yourself to identify the best one for your needs.

If you need more information or want to get a quote, then you can visit the website for yourself.

Insure My Equipment

Insuremyequipment.com is an online insurer for expensive equipment (like camera gear). You can get specific pieces of gear insured so you know exactly what will be covered. Note that this policy is for your gear only!

An Insure My Equipment policy works well in combination with other travel insurance. Insure My Equipment policies are an excellent choice for professionals and backpackers with more than $3000-$4000 worth of camera equipment or expensive laptops.

Choosing the right travel insurance for your Bali holiday is like choosing underwear, only you know what feels good. You need to work out how much your trip is worth, how much equipment you plan to take and what activities you intend to engage in.

And of course, you need to ask yourself how much can you afford – how much you can afford to pay for cover, and how much you can afford to be out of pocket in the unlikely event of a claim.

Sometimes, the cheapest Bali travel insurance will be enough, and sometimes it will be worth spending a bit more. Hopefully, the information provided in this post will help you to decide – if not, then I just wasted 5 hours of my life in writing it!

There you have it – your guide to travel insurance for visitors to Bali in a nutshell. Well done for persevering; you’ve earned yourself your first Bintang at Old Man’s!

Now that’s done and dusted, don’t forget that Bali is one of only 17,000+ islands in the breathtaking nation of Indonesia. We’ve written heaps of insider guides to Bali and its neighbouring islands, including where to stay in Bali and the best things to do in Bali. Off you go to plan your legendary trip!

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