Travel insurance for solo 17 year old going overseas

[Morereadingthanposting]

Help! Dd is travelling to Australia tomorrow and I’ve got to get her insurance as I looked at the small print of the family policy today (ok that’s late!) and realised she’s not covered because I’m not going, and while most of her trip is to stay with my brother not all of it is so it doesn’t count as a family visit… I’ve checked all the obvious suppliers I can think of ( my bank, post office, confused,com as an aggregator) and can’t find anyone who will do this! Has anyone been in similar situation and who did you use? (We are uk based)

When does her flight leave? Your best bet is to ring a broker first thing in the morning - solo under 18 insurance definitely exists (Post Office for example do it), just not possible to buy online it seems!

6am! Doh!!

Bupa? Used them when DS when to Moscow on school trip - way before the war started

You need to buy it on their behalf according to this. https://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/content/babies-and-under-18s/?AFFCLIE=KH76&SRC=KH76&cmpid=PC--GOG--TR--GEN--rjU8wbMVjRPuoX5&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21608454146&gbraid=0AAAAAD9KMP-nZsHvZU2P5oHWaQampVj2F&gclid=CjwKCAjwpqHTBhAcEiwAj2AfukuBrMqiJsIlABWb9zyqxDqVr6JPQfR-zH5tVnkXh8TycC0ud914dhoCLrQQAvD_BwE

Hope you get it sorted and the insurance isn't needed.

yes this is definitely doable: go compare has lots of offers.. just search for ‘under 18 travelling alone insurance’

Thanks all for your help- hacking the my purchasing as a non travelling party finally got me an online purchase . Avanti turned out to be the answer. Lots do for family or school/sports/club trips but the solo travel and <50% family made it tough. Now I can breathe…. Very glad I spent the time reading my family policy exclusions though!

Btw I tried that, but then having entered loads of details for several of them right at the end they then wouldn’t cover for out circumstances- and given how insurance companies will always try and wriggle out of paying you have to be so careful!

There are plenty of companies that do this. I’ve just bought my dds 17 with ‘love it, cover it’

Glad that got sorted OP! I hope that she has a brilliant time - my DD spent her gap year in Australia and loved it a bit too much. Now hoping to move when she graduates university! It’s a truly fabulous country, so much to see and do.

I used world nomads for my daughter. She travelled solo to namibia earlier this year. She's 17

This is just incorrect. I can’t really respond now but I bought dd17s today online and dd15s for a different trip a few weeks ago online. Took a few minutes!

If you can’t really respond with anything useful then why do so - OP has already got sorted.

It’s fine there are lots of options. I did this last minute for dd going to US at 16 with friends family. Google gap year insurance companies best for this age group. Don’t try to add it to your basic family policy that comes out at thousands!

Because the first post which was incorrect probably panicked her. I was reassuring her it was incorrect, planned to update with the one I used as soon as I could, but can now see it’s sorted so I don’t need to bother. Is that ok?

@Morereadingthanposting I am so glad you are sorted, last minute insurance nightmares are a complete stress, and once you start flying, you are a bit doomed. And you are right, there is small print a plenty that can catch all of us out. I travel a lot, and I was caught out quite badly as although I had insurance through my bank, I did not read the small print, and found that I would not be covered for more than 31 days, and I was going for 35. Only realised when I was in Amsterdam airport en-route to Thailand. Nothing happened, it was all fine, but can remember the stress and panic of trying to get insured once I was en-route, no chance. One thing that I have done with my kids (and they are now over 18) is just bought them annual insurance which renews. It is cheap (less than £15 annual) and although there is a chance that they will ALSO buy it, it makes me feel better. You hear so many stories about people that "assume" "forgot" "thought it was valid" and so on, and then have to do go-fund-me etc. when they are already in a bad situation. Once 18, it is fairly cheap. Obviously sorted this time (hurrah) but thought it worth a mention for others xx