Whether it’s Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, or Chile, South America is incredibly diverse. There’s no list about it that could be exhaustive, but here are some of our top tips to help you keep safe in this sprawling and fascinating continent.
1. Many part of South America countries, like parts of Brazil, require you to have a Yellow Fever vaccination before entry. See the Australian Government’s website for more information about yellow fever, including Australian re-entry requirements.
2. The North Yungas Road in Bolivia, also known as the 'Road of Death', is considered by some to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world.. Every year, hundreds of deaths are caused by vehicles plunging off the road while trying risky overtaking manoeuvres.
3. Driving around Chile can be dangerous due to aggressive driving practices. Some roads in Chile, especially in rural areas have no street lighting and are poorly maintained and in a lot of mountainous regions there aren't any guard rails.
4. In South America, avoid looking lost or confused when you’re out in public - especially if you’re alone. Thieves and other criminals look out for people like this, no matter where you’re travelling, so it’s best to look confident and at ease.
5. Travelers generally recommend public transport in South America, especially in countries like Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. It’s always advisable to tour with a reputable bus company.
6. Research whether you need to buy or purify water, especially if you have a sensitive stomach.
7. Scams still happen in South America, such as people spilling things on you and then robbing you while they help clean you up.
8. If you’re planning to travel all over South America, you might need a Worldwide travel insurance policy for this region.
Keep scrolling to find out more…
Comprehensive Travel Insurance is our highest level of cover, with optional add-ons for snow, cruise, extra rental vehicle excess, and high-value items.
If you have pets, we include vet fees if your pet gets sick while you're away, and we'll pay pet boarding fees if you're delayed.
For a detailed outline of benefits and inclusions, as well terms and conditions, please refer to the PDS, or get an instant quote now.
South America Travel Insurance Policy Benefits | Comprehensive | |
---|---|---|
Emergency | ||
24/7 Emergency Assistance Service | included | |
Medical | ||
Overseas Emergency Medical & Hospital Expenses | SO | unlimited |
Dental Expenses | $1,000 | |
Hospital Cash Allowance | SO | $5,000 |
Repatriation Of Remains | $25,000 | |
Permanent Disability | $25,000 | |
Loss of Income | SO | $10,400 |
Luggage & Personal Items | ||
Travel Documents & Transaction Cards | $5,000 | |
Theft of Cash | P | $250 |
Luggage & Personal Effects | ASO | $15,000 |
Luggage & Personal Effects Delay Expenses | ASO | $1,000 |
Cancellation & Delay | ||
Pre-Departure Cancellation Fees & Lost Deposits | PSO | chosen limit |
Pre-Departure Amendments to Journey | A | $2,000 |
On-trip Disruption | ||
On-trip Cancellation Fees & Lost Deposits | PSO | chosen limit |
Additional Accommodation & Travel Expenses — Family Emergency — Emergency Companion Cover | ASO | $50,000 |
Travel Delay Expenses | SO | $2,000 |
Special Event Transport Expenses | $2,000 | |
Other | ||
Personal Liability | P | $5 million |
Domestic Pets | SO | $500 |
Domestic Services | SO | $500 |
This table is a summary of cover only. Sub-limits may apply. Please read the Policy Wording for full terms, conditions, limits, excess payable and exclusions to determine whether our travel insurance is right for you. All benefits are per traveller, unless specified. A Limits are per adult traveller. For accompanying dependants, the policy benefits are shared with the adult traveller. S Sub-limits apply. P Limits are per policy regardless of the number of persons the claim relates to. O There is no cover while travelling in Australia. |
If you’re travelling with expensive new items, going cruising, hitting the ski slopes, or you're worried about car rental insurance excess, then you may want to select the following add-ons.
Cover yourself and your gear on your ski or snowboarding trip with our Winter Sports Pack add-on.
If you’re hiring a car to travel around, you have the option of a $5000 in rental vehicle excess cover or you can chose to increase this cover to $10,000.
If you're travelling on a budget, and looking for cheap travel insurance to the South America, then 1Cover’s Medical Only policy offers a cheaper alternative to comprehensive travel insurance. It's our most basic policy and will only provide cover for any medical expenses and emergency assistance costs.
For a detailed outline of benefits and inclusions, as well as terms and conditions, please refer to the PDS, or get an instant quote now.
South America Single Trip | Medical Only | |
---|---|---|
Emergency | ||
24/7 Emergency Assistance Service | included | |
Medical | ||
Overseas Emergency Medical & Hospital Expenses | SO | unlimited |
Dental Expenses | $1,000 | |
Repatriation Of Remains | $25,000 | |
Other | ||
Personal Liability | P | $5 million |
This table is a summary of cover only. Sub-limits may apply. Please read the Policy Wording for full terms, conditions, limits, excess payable and exclusions to determine whether our travel insurance is right for you. All benefits are per traveller, unless specified. A Limits are per adult traveller. For accompanying dependants, the policy benefits are shared with the adult traveller. S Sub-limits apply. P Limits are per policy regardless of the number of persons the claim relates to. O There is no cover while travelling in Australia. |
Do you travel more than once a year to the South America? Then it might make sense to buy a multi-trip annual policy. This works just like our comprehensive cover (detailed above), except you can take as many trips as you want in a year and you’ll still be covered.
Let us know the maximum trip duration of any one trip before selecting from the options below.
Frequent Traveller 21 days maximum
Frequent Traveller 45 days maximum
Find out which Annual Frequent Traveller cover policy would suit you best here.
For a detailed outline of benefits and inclusions, as well as terms and conditions, please refer to the PDS, or get an instant quote now.
Please refer to the PDS and policy schedule and check if your sickness or injury is a claimable event and is covered. If you are hospitalised, or if you are treated as an outpatient, or if the total cost of the treatment will exceed $1000, please contact our emergency assistance service as soon as possible to obtain their prior approval.
In circumstances where the claim is approved, we can then provide written guarantees of payment of reasonable expenses for emergency hospitalisation that may be required while you are in the South America.
If you have purchased Comprehensive, Medical Only, Frequent Traveller, or Already Overseas, cover is available for your medical transfer or evacuation if you must be brought back to Australia with appropriate medical supervision.
Cover is also available under these plans for the return to Australia of your dependants if they are left without supervision following your hospitalisation or evacuation.
All expenses for medical evacuation must first be approved by 1Cover.
This only applies to the plans listed above, as there is no cover for medical/hospital expenses or repatriation under Domestic plans.
If you are in control of a motorcycle with an engine capacity greater than 125cc, you need to hold a current, valid Australian motorcycle license.
If you are in control of a moped or scooter with an engine capacity up to 125cc, you will need a current, valid Australian driving or motorcycle license
You also need to be aware that cover will not be provided to you if you are a passenger on a moped, scooter or motorcycle, and the person in control does not have a valid motorcylce license for that country.
Please note that it’s compulsory to wear a helmet while riding a motorbike or scooter in many countries. Regardless of local requirements, 1Cover advises you to wear a motorcycle helmet whenever you are a rider or passenger on a scooter or motorbike.
Dependants are your children or grandchildren not in full time employment, who are under the age of 19. In order to be classed as a dependant, the child must be travelling with their parent or grandparent at all times.
If you have a child under 16 years of age that requires a single adult policy you will need to contact our customer service centre to discuss your options.
Whether it’s two adults, multiple adults or just a single adult travelling, we allow for an unlimited amount of dependants to be added to a policy.
Yes, of course. If you want to extend your policy while you’re in South America region, the easiest way to do this is via the Policy Manager.
You'll need your policy number (available in the email confirming your policy), and a few other simple details. Log-in and extend your trip, add destinations, or buy add ons/extras.
Make sure you extend your policy before it expires (please keep in mind Australian AEST/AEDST).
If you have trouble, you can email us at [email protected]
Please note there may be instances where a policy extension is not available.
In the event of a terrorist attack or political unrest, there is no cover for cancellation fees and lost deposits, disruption of journey or alternative transport expenses.
However, if you do get caught up in an unforeseen event while you are in the South America region and you are injured, cover is available for all necessary medical/hospital expenses.
Sure. If you choose a lower excess, it means you'll pay less if you need to claim, but you'll pay a little bit more upfront. If you opt for a higher excess, it means you'll pay less now and a little bit more if you need to claim.
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Our Frequent Traveller policy allows you to take as many trips to the South America and other destinations under the one policy for 12 months - and enjoy comprehensive cover on each one.
Find out more about our annual travel insurance policies here.
We can provide cover to people of all ages. If you have any pre-existing medical conditions we may require a little more information from you and some exclusions may apply. See here for more details.
If you're travelling to the South America while pregnant, you are covered for single foetus pregnancies, up to, and inclusive of, the 24th week of gestation. For multiple pregnancies, you'll be covered up to and inclusive of the 19th week of gestation. If you have had complications fromyour pregnancy, you’ll need to complete a medical assessment.
We will assess your application and decide whether and to what extent we can offer you insurance for your pregnancy and/or journey. If you have not told us about the circumstances of your pregnancy when you were required to do so, we may refuse your claim or reduce it to the amount we would have paid had you given us the required information.
Please note: we will not pay any medical expenses for:
a) Regular antenatal care;
b) Childbirth at any gestation; or
c) Care of the newborn child.
Find more here.
Travel insurance provides cover for weather events as long as they are unforeseen. The most common types of natural disasters in the South America are cyclones, storms, and flooding. Our policies do not cover claims for losses caused by an event that you were aware of at the time of purchasing your policy.
Once an event has become published in the mass media, it is expected that you have purchased your insurance with this knowledge in mind. 1Cover will, where possible, issue travel warnings in relation to such large scale events and the dates and times after which they are not seen as an unforeseen event.
Laptop computers, cameras, mobile phones…they’re all things we need on at home and on holiday. That’s why you can choose a bit of extra protection for your can’t-live-withouts. All you need to do is include and specify certain high-value items that aren't automatically covered when you're buying your policy.
Note: the items cannot be older than 12 month, and you can't specify items like jewellery, watches, bicycles and watercraft (apart from surfboards).
Nearly a quarter of Australian travellers experienced an insurable event on their last trip overseas.*
70% of travellers don’t realise travel insurance won’t cover you if you’re intoxicated at the time of an event.**
35% of Australians think the government would pay to get them home in a medical emergency. Not true – you would be responsible for these costs.
*in 2016/2017
**Research conducted in 2016
You wouldn’t be going to South America if you weren’t going to be doing some activities. Find out all about the 100+ activities we cover.
All sorts of medical issues could affect your travel in South America. Find out about pre-existing medical conditions, as well as pregnancy and emergencies.
We always recommend you read the PDS, but this page will give you an overview of what travel insurance will cover in South America.
We hope nothing goes wrong on your trip to the South America. But if it does, the resources in this section can help you.
The Australian High Commission is located in Trinidad, Tobago, Brazil, and Buenos Aires. It is here you can gain assistance with consular, passport, visa and immigration, citizenship and cultural relations services and enquiries. Full location and contact information can be found here.
Be informed. Be prepared. If you're across The Australian Government's SmartTraveller website, you'll have all the latest information for your trip to South America. SmartTraveller is a trusted resource for Australian travellers and is updated regularly, so make sure you bookmark this handy resource.
If you need emergency assistance in South America, please call our 24/7 emergency medical assistance line on (+) 61 2 8776 3010 or email [email protected].
For non-emergency assistance, you can message our Sydney-based support centre seven days a week.
If something happens to you and it's not an emergency, you can start the claims process whenever it's convenient to you. Visit our online claims platform, and if you have all the necessary documentation, your claim will be processed in 10 business days.