Am I covered by Travel Insurance if I'm on a working holiday?

Planning on getting a job or volunteering on your next trip? No problem! We can cover you, read on to find out how to get covered for your next working holiday or volunteer placement.

What’s covered

When you have the appropriate working visa for the country you plan to work in and the appropriate qualification, certification, or license for that work (where applicable), there’s cover for:

  • Non-manual paid or volunteer work, e.g. childcare, teaching and clerical.
  • Manual paid or volunteer work, e.g. hospitality, retail, general farm work (including WWOOFING), cleaning and maintenance.
  • Manual paid or volunteer work (including use of power tools or working at a height of 5 metres or less).
  • Paid or volunteer work as an instructor or guide (except in an excluded activity).

What you need to do to be covered

Depending on what type of work you’ll be doing, be sure to list all of the activities you're planning to do on your policy when you get a quote.

You will be charged an additional premium for paid manual work or volunteer manual work (including use of power tools or working at a height of 5 metres or less) and paid or volunteer work as an instructor or guide (except in an excluded activity). Non-manual work (e.g teaching or clerical jobs) are automatically covered on your policy.

You must also add all the work, volunteer and adventure sports and activities you plan to try on your trip before you buy it. You won’t be able to make changes after your policy is issued. 

Read more about how it all works and what restrictions apply to certain activities here

What you need to know:

You’ll need to claim through workers’ compensation (or a similar scheme in the country that you’re in) if you’re injured while participating in a work activity and if this type of cover is required by law. In the event of a claim, you must notify your claims case manager of any insurance cover you have through your employer or under any workers' compensation act.

If something happens to you while at work and you are in need of medical evacuation, or if you are hospitalised and incur emergency medical expenses, you (or someone else) MUST contact our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team.

What’s not covered

The policy isn’t designed to cover everything, so you must take the time to read the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions in the Policy Document, particularly Section 8 – Adventure, Work, Study & Volunteer, so there are no surprises if you do need to use it.

Here are the main things that aren’t covered:

  • Personal liability while you’re working (including volunteer work);
  • Working more than 5 metres above ground;
  • Working offshore;
  • Working underground in mines, caves, etc;
  • Any on-going medical expenses once you return to your home country;
  • Anything else that’s listed in the General Exclusions and section specific exclusions in the Policy Document

This is only a summary of cover and does not include the full terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy. You should read your Policy Document in full, so you understand what is and isn’t covered. If you are unsure about your level of travel cover, please contact us for help.


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We’re here to help if you have a question about travel insurance. We’re available:

  • Monday to Friday 11:00am - 8:00pm (NZST/NZDT)
  • Saturday to Sunday closed (NZST/NZDT)

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