Here’s a summary of the cover our backpacker policies provide. For full details check our policy documents.
Backpacker travel insurance
For travellers aged 18 – 60
Covers one trip of up to 18 months
Return home for up to 7 days on 3 occasions
Make sure you’re properly prepared for your adventure overseas
You've worked out where you're going, sorted out the passport and visas, and taken your vaccinations. Now you're ready to take on the world. Add backpacker cover to our economy travel insurance, and you’ll be good to go.
Medical Assistance Plus: 24/7 holiday health support
Have peace of mind when you travel knowing health professionals are just one click away.
Medical Assistance Plus, powered by Air Doctor, comes free with all our travel insurance policies (1). It gives you access to outpatient medical support while you’re away.
Through the service you can book an in-person or video consultation with a doctor. You can also get prescriptions delivered to your nearest pharmacy.
We’ll send you an SMS reminder about the service the day before you travel (for single-trip and backpacker cover) or the day before your policy begins (for annual multi-trip cover).
What’s covered?
An accident abroad
Few countries have total universal healthcare like the UK’s NHS. Most countries outside of the EU don’t have mutual healthcare agreements with the UK. This means the cost of getting treatment can be very expensive. Travel insurance is there to protect you and help when you’re at your most vulnerable
Lost valuables
Some holiday mishaps are down to sheer bad luck. Getting pickpocketed on a busy street. Your airline mislaying your bags. Or someone picking up the wrong rucksack at the bus stop. You just can’t plan for losing your valuables. But you can plan to get help with the replacement costs by getting a backpacker travel insurance quote with us
Sporting activities included
If you’re off travelling the world with a backpack, we’re willing to bet you can be tempted by the odd adventure sport or two. We cover over 100 sports and activities free of charge, but there are some we don’t cover at all. Check your policy wording for the full list and our terms and conditions, as some aren’t covered for personal injury or personal liability
How much cover do you get?
Our backpacker travel insurance comes with our economy cover. Here are some of the cover highlights.
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Economy £125 excess Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £5 million Cancellation and cutting short your trip Up to £1,000 Baggage (personal possessions) Up to £1,500 Money Up to £250 Travel delay and missed departure n/a |
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Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) |
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Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home |
Emergency medical expenses and getting you back home Up to £5 million |
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Cancellation and cutting short your trip |
Cancellation and cutting short your trip Up to £1,000 |
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Baggage (personal possessions) |
Baggage (personal possessions) Up to £1,500 |
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Money |
Money Up to £250 |
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Travel delay and missed departure |
Travel delay and missed departure n/a |
Upgrade your cover with ease
Need cover for your policy that's not included as standard? Just pay a little more to add these upgrades – optional or mandatory depending on the trip type.
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Trip disruption cover
This optional extra helps protect you from the impact of airspace disruption, natural catastrophes, terrorist acts or Covid-19
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Excess waiver
If you’re happy with the cover offered, but worried about excess fees, you can opt for an excess waiver. For an additional premium, you can add it to any Post Office level of cover for zero excess fees
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Gadget cover
Insure all your devices with our easy-to-add gadget cover. It’s perfect to protect all your smartphones, tablets, laptops and consoles
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Winter sports cover
Specialist cover is mandatory for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. There’s greater risk of emergency costs. Make sure you’re protected on the pistes
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Cruise cover
If you're going on a cruise, specialist cover is both important and mandatory. It covers missed departure due to breakdown, falling ill on board, being confined to your cabin, lost baggage and more
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Trip extensions
Trip extensions are available up to 45 or 60 days, increasing from the standard 31 days
All medical conditions considered
If you have a health condition it shouldn't stop you seeing the world. And, with the right cover, you can travel with peace of mind.
Post Office covers most pre-existing medical conditions. So contact us for a quote, tell us about all your conditions and any prescribed medications you take and we’ll help if we can.
If we can’t help and yours is a serious pre-existing medical condition, check the Money and Pensions Scheme (MaPS) directory. It lists companies that may be able to help you. Or call 0800 138 7777.
Ready to get a quote?
Let’s find the protection that’s right for your travels. Get a quote for Post Office Travel Insurance
Common questions
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Backpacker insurance is designed for those of us who like to travel the world – and we’ve taken a lot into account. So, you can return home for up to seven days as many as three times. And there are over 100 sports and activities included, so it’s designed with you in mind.
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To be eligible for Post Office Backpacker Insurance you must:
- Be aged between 18 and 60 years
- Reside in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
- Be registered with a GP in one of these places
Conditions and exclusions apply. For full details of what's included with your cover, check the policy wording.
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While we’ve included a lot of adventure sports as standard on Post Office Backpacker Insurance, you’ll still need extra cover for winter sports. You can add this to your policy for an additional premium.
You can also add excess waiver cover. With this added cover, you won’t need to pay any part of any claims that you make.
Before you buy travel insurance, you should thoroughly check our policy terms and conditions. This way you’ll be sure that any adventure sports or activities you want to take part in are fully covered.
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Post Office Backpacker Insurance is similar to other forms of travel insurance. It’ll cover you for medical emergency, the cancellation or cutting short of your trip, and loss of your belongings. It’s available with our economy level insurance. It’s a good idea to check our policy documents to make sure it has all the cover you need for your trip.
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Yes. If you’re a student or graduate, you can get money off your travel cover with Student Beans. Just follow these steps:
1. Choose the right page for you: student discount or graduate discount
2. Register for or log into your Student Beans account
3. Share proof that you’re a student or graduate
4. A discount code will be sent to you
5. Add this code when getting a travel insurance quote to apply your discount
- Read more travel insurance FAQs
Travel insurance policy types
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Backpacker cover
- Cover for a one-off trip up to 18 months
- Option to return home for up to 7 days on 3 occasions.
- For people aged 18 – 60 wanting to travel the world for a gap year or career break
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Single-trip cover
- Cover for a one-off trip in the UK or abroad
- Perfect for one-off trips or longer holidays of up to 365 days (3)
- No age limit
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Annual multi-trip cover
- Cover for multiple-trips for a 12-month period
- 31-day trip limit, with extensions available up to 45 and 60 days
- Available for everyone aged up to 75 years
Related travel guides and services
Policy documents
To access your policy documents, select your cover level then tell us the date you bought your cover.
Economy
Policy numbers starting with TC
Policies are underwritten by Collinson Insurance:
About our travel insurance
Post Office® Travel Insurance is arranged by Post Office Limited and Post Office Management Services Limited.
Post Office Limited is an appointed representative of Post Office Management Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 630318. Post Office Limited and Post Office Management Services Limited are registered in England and Wales. Registered numbers 2154540 and 08459718 respectively. Registered Office: 100 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7ER. Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trademarks of Post Office Limited.
The above details can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting the Financial Conduct Authority website and searching by Firm Reference Number (FRN).
Things you need to know
(3) For economy, standard and premier policies, the single-trip policy will cover you for one trip up to:
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365 days for those aged up to and including 70 years
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90 days for those aged between 71 and 75
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31 days for those aged 76 years and above