Choosing the best travel insurance for an overland trip

Why take out road-trip insurance?

Let’s be honest, 9 times out of 10 you won’t need insurance! But, deep down, we all know that no one is – ever – safe from an accident or health problem when traveling.

Whether your road-trip takes place in a wealthy country where healthcare costs a fortune, or deep in the savannah far from any medical infrastructure, you’ll never regret taking out insurance if anything happens to you. On the other hand, if you’re not insured, you could well regret it for the rest of your life…

Let us tell you what happened to our friend Maxence in 2019. That year we set off on a 5-month 4×4 & motorcycle expedition across Kyrgyzstan to publish our travel guide EXPLORE KIRGHIZISTAN.

While we were in a remote, uninhabited area a few kilometers from the Chinese border, Maxence was hit in the leg by a horse’s hoof. A silly and unexpected incident: he passed behind a spooked horse and the shot went off in the wrong place. This incident resulted in an open tibia-peroneal fracture, which had to be operated on within 12 hours due to the high risk of infection. After successfully transporting our friend to the region’s largest hospital, we realized that he couldn’t be treated here. The insurance company (MACIF) paid for our friend’s repatriation to Turkey, where he underwent surgery. A second operation was then carried out in France. Total costs abroad: 20,000 euros. Without his insurance, not only would Maxence have had to pay all these costs himself, but he would not have benefited from the assistance and support of his insurance company, which organized the repatriation.

The main travel insurance benefits

Before choosing your insurance, it’s important to understand the coverage offered by travel insurers. We’ve tried to keep things as simple as possible, but hang on! Here are the 3 essential guarantees for any travel insurance policy:

• Coverage for medical and hospitalization expenses abroadIn the event of an accident or illness contracted during a stay abroad, the insurer will pay the expenses incurred by the insured.
• Third-party liability abroad, i.e. compensation for bodily injury or material damage you may cause to others in the event of an accident. Please note that with travel insurance, this cover does not apply if you drive a motorized vehicle.
• Assistance abroad: coverage of emergency repatriation or the cost of extending your stay if repatriation is impossible, presence of a family member at your bedside in the event of hospitalization, etc.

For each of these coverages, deductibles and indemnity ceilings may vary. Other guarantees are also very useful:

• Cancellation/delay insurance (hotel reservations, flight tickets or any other means of transport)
• Theft or loss of baggage and electronic equipment
• Disability/death cover (repatriation of body in the event of death, coffin or urn expenses, etc.)
• Legal coverage

What insurance is right for a road-trip by car, van, 4×4 or motorcycle?

If you are travelling with your own vehicle

If you’re traveling with your own vehicle, you’ll need both personal and vehicle insurance.

Vehicle insurance covers your civil liability (i.e. coverage for damage caused to others, whether person or property), as well as theft and damage to your vehicle (without an identified liable third party). The latter often comes with a deductible.

When you travel abroad ,you should check the validity of your vehicle insurance in that country. To do this, simply check the list of countries on your green card (generally Europe and a few countries like Switzerland, Norway or Iceland, for example). If your vehicle’s insurance no longer covers you in the country you’re visiting, you’ll need to take out third-party liability, theft and damage insurance in that country. In some cases, you can take out this insurance directly when you enter the country at the border post. You should also be aware that in some countries, such as Central Asia, motorists are rarely insured themselves.

As far as your personal insurance is concerned, make sure you’re covered for driving a motorized vehicle (for treatment, hospitalization and emergency repatriation).

If you rent a vehicle abroad

If you’re renting a vehicle abroad, you’ll need to take out personal insurance, and check that the rental contract includes third-party liability insurance.

Vehicle insurance is normally included in the rental contract. This insurance covers your civil liability (i.e. coverage for damage caused to another person or property), as well as theft and damage to the vehicle (without an identified third party). Please note that this coverage often comes with a very high deductible.

As far as your personal insurance is concerned, make sure you’re covered if you drive a motorized vehicle for treatment, hospitalization abroad and emergency repatriation. This is especially important if you’re renting a two-wheeler. Travel insurance rarely covers motorcycle travelers, especially those over 125cc. On the other hand, some travel insurances may cover the rental company’s deductible in the event of an accident.

What insurance do I need for a bike trip?

Fortunately, accidents are rare! But as a cyclist, you are particularly vulnerable on the roads. Even if you’re not at fault, there’s no guarantee that the person opposite will be able to pay your hospital bills if need be. Without imagining the worst, you may also unintentionally collide with someone and be asked to reimburse the cost of the state-of-the-art phone they were holding in their hand and which fell to the ground…

Unlike drivers of motorized vehicles, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something to suit your needs. That’s right, the vast majority of travel insurance policies cover bicycle travellers, particularly in the event of an accident involving the bike. However, you’ll need to pay close attention to the conditions: wearing a helmet, complying with local traffic regulations, etc. Before you leave, contact your insurer to check that you are covered for treatment, hospitalization abroad, civil liability and repatriation. Check that your liability insurance covers cycling accidents.

What’s more, if you’re more of a mountain biker or downhill biker, the guarantees may change. In this case, there are options adapted to more extreme and high-altitude conditions.

To make your choice, go to our comparison below.

Travel insurance with VISA or MASTERCARD

If you want to take advantage of the travel insurance offered by your bank card, you should know that only certain cards offer attractive coverage: Visa Premier, Visa Infinite, Mastercard Gold and Mastercard Platinium. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the insurance offered by these bank cards:

Travel insurance comparison for a road-trip of more than 3 months

As you can imagine, there are many different types of insurance available for travellers. We can’t present them all here, so we’ve selected the offers and coverages that best meet the needs of a traveler going on a long trip abroad by van, 4×4, bike or motorcycle.

Our choice of travel insurance for a road-trip in Central Asia

There’s no photo, Among French insurance companies, Chapka was the one that best met our needs! We chose the Cap Assistance Annuel offer, which is suitable for frequent travellers (one year’s cover for all your stays abroad of less than 3 months) and for outdoor activities. (trekking, diving to 40m or even surfing!!). Our only regret: riding a > 125 cc motorcycle is not covered by insurance. However, as far as we know, very few insurers offer this coverage (ACS does, with its Globe traveller offer). For a trip of less than 3 months, we recommend Cap Assistance 24/24. And for those planning a trip lasting more than 3 months, we recommend the Cap aventure offer, ideal for round-the-world tours and long stays abroad.

We have chosen to work in partnership with Chapka Assurance for the new edition of our EXPLORE KIRGHIZISTAN guide. We will therefore be covered with the annual Cap Assistance offer for the entire duration of our expeditions in Central Asia.

We’d like to thank them in advance for their responsiveness, but – let’s be honest – we hope we won’t need to get back to you, as that would mean we’d run into trouble 😉

We recommend you take a look at their website, which is very clear. Don’t hesitate to ask them any questions you may have, to make sure you find the offer that best suits your needs!

Our tips for anticipating a travel mishap

Here are a few tips to help you anticipate travel mishaps:

• • Before you leave on your road trip, take stock on your insurance. Contact your insurer to explain your trip (itinerary, mode of transport, activities, length of stay, etc.) and make sure you’re properly covered.
  • Always make copies (paper and digital) of your important documents: passport, driver’s license, vehicle insurance, personal insurance, etc. NB: if you’re travelling in a group, keep a digital copy of your travelling companions’ documents.
  • Keep emergency contact numbers in a safe place (on your phone and in your wallet).
  • Apply for a European Health Insurance Card (or check it’s up to date) if you’re traveling in Europe.
  • Register on the Ariane website before you travel abroad, so that your embassy can be notified of your presence in the country.
  • Keep in close contact with the support team in the event of an incident and follow instructions. Avoid anticipating decisions (plane tickets, repatriation, etc.), as it is more difficult to get reimbursed afterwards.
  • If you are held liable, or if you are mugged or robbed : take photos of the accident, keep contact details for witnesses, make a statement to the police and note down anything that could help you defend yourself if necessary.
  • If you need treatment abroad, always ask for an invoice, a prescription and, if possible, a note from the doctor explaining the treatment carried out.
  • Consider using a satellite phone if you’re traveling in remote areas.