Working holiday insurance: Comprehensive protection for your international adventure

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Why working holiday insurance is essential

Matt Hands, VP, Insurance

October 18, 2024

Embarking on a working holiday is an exciting opportunity to explore new countries, cultures, and career possibilities. Whether you're planning to backpack across Europe, work in Australia, or take on seasonal jobs in Canada, your adventure comes with new challenges. While the experiences are rewarding, it’s important to ensure that you’re fully protected against potential risks.

Working holiday insurance is a specialized type of travel insurance designed to provide coverage for travellers who plan to work abroad during their stay. It can offer a combination of traditional travel coverage, such as for medical emergencies and trip cancellations. You can also seek coverage for unique situations faced by working holidaymakers, like job-related injuries or liability protection.

With the right policy, you can focus on enjoying your experience rather than worrying about unexpected expenses.

What does working holiday insurance cover?

Working holiday insurance offers a range of coverage options, ensuring you’re protected in multiple scenarios. The following are common areas included in most policies:

Medical and emergency coverage
Medical and emergency coverage One of the most crucial aspects of working holiday insurance is medical travel coverage. Whether it's a sudden illness or an injury while hiking, medical emergencies can lead to significant expenses. Coverage typically includes doctor visits, hospital stays, surgeries, and prescription medications. Some policies also cover emergency medical evacuation, ensuring you can return home for treatment if needed.
Trip interruption and cancellation
If your working holiday is cut short due to unexpected events such as family emergencies, illness, or job cancellations, trip interruption coverage can reimburse your unused travel expenses. Additionally, if you need to cancel your trip before departure, cancellation coverage can help recover costs related to flights, accommodation, and prepaid activities.
Lost or stolen belongings
Travelling long-term often involves moving from one location to another, increasing the risk of losing valuable belongings like your passport, electronics, or luggage. Working holiday insurance typically includes coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged personal items, allowing you to replace them without significant out-of-pocket expenses.

What is working holiday insurance?

Working holiday insurance offers extended coverage for travelers working abroad, protecting against medical emergencies, trip interruptions, and work-related risks. Enjoy your adventure with peace of mind.

Key considerations when choosing working holiday insurance

When selecting a working holiday insurance policy, it’s important to tailor it to your destination, work plans, and personal preferences. Here are a few key factors to keep in mind:

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How to choose the right plan for your working holiday

With so many options available, choosing the right working holiday insurance can feel overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you select the best plan for your unique needs:

Compare policies
Take the time to review and compare different policies, paying close attention to the specific coverage limits and exclusions. Look for policies that offer comprehensive protection for both your travel and work activities.
Check for flexibility
If your working holiday plans are fluid, look for policies that allow flexibility. Some providers offer the option to adjust coverage or extend the policy duration if your plans change.
Read reviews and testimonials
Hearing from other travellers who have used the insurance provider can give you valuable insight into their customer service, claims process, and overall reliability.

Additional benefits of working holiday insurance

In addition to the core coverage options, working holiday insurance often includes a variety of extra benefits designed to give you even more peace of mind during your trip. Be sure to consider these additional benefits toenhance your experience and protect you from a wide range of potential issues that may arise while you’re working and travelling abroad.

Adventure and sports coverage

Coverage for pre-existing conditions

Legal assistance

Accidental death or dismemberment

Emergency assistance services

Personal liability

Job-related injuries

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Frequently asking questions about working holiday travel insurance

What is a working holiday visa?

A working holiday visa allows Canadians to work and travel abroad, generally during their youth. Working holidays let you experience a different culture while earning a living. Depending on the market and the visa, jobs can be professional and full-time, or they can be seasonal or short-term jobs such as fruit and vegetable picking, hospitality, and tourism. Working holidays visas are generally only available up to a certain age, and will last between 12 and 24 months.

Canadians have access to working holiday visas in more than 30 countries, mostly thanks to mutual arrangements that allow foreign citizens to have a working holiday in Canada as well. Most people use the International Experience Canada (IEC) visa to take a working holiday here. While the IEC visa is limited to young people ages 18-35, other countries have different age brackets, most capping the working holiday visas at age 30.

Does travel insurance cover working abroad?

Standard travel insurance packages are meant for tourists and leisure travel. While some standard travel insurance can cover you if you’re working abroad, it's not always the case. If you’re going to be employed during your travels, get a quote for working holiday insurance. Some countries may have specific requirements, such as a minimum coverage amount or coverage for specific areas such as emergency medical treatment, hospitalization and repatriation. It's important to get coverage sorted out as early as possible, as your visa may depend on it.

Do you need travel insurance on a working holiday visa?

Whether or not health insurance is required for a working holiday depends on the country, so make sure to check the official government website of your destination country. Many countries require some kind of health insurance to get a working holiday visa, including Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic and Hong Kong. Each country will have its own specific requirements - for example, many European countries require health insurance with a minimum coverage amount of €30,000 (CAD $42,857).

Which countries can Canadians work without a visa?

Many countries allow Canadians to visit as tourists for up to a certain amount of time without needing visas, anywhere from 14 days to six months. However, nearly every developed nation requires visitors to obtain a visa to seek legal employment. Because of Canada’s bilateral agreements with more than 30 countries through the IEC program, Canadians can more easily and affordably get working holiday visas for countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Costa Rica and many countries throughout western and eastern Europe

Do I need health insurance for a working holiday visa in Australia?

Yes. Australia has two types of working holiday visas (subclass 417 and subclass 462), and both are subject to condition 8501, which says visitors “must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia.” Having the right Australian health insurance for a working holiday visa is important - Canada and Australia are more than 13,000 km apart, and medical evacuation or repatriation of remains from Australia to Canada will be very expensive. Because Australia is a popular working holiday destination for Canadians, many companies offer policies for working holiday visa insurance in Australia.