Working holiday insurance is different from a normal two-week travel policy. You need cover for manual work, adventure sports and months away from home, not just lost luggage. Here's what it has to include, and how the main providers compare.
Our top pick for working holiday insurance
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
The policy we'd buy again. A flexible monthly subscription with no fixed end date: sign up even after you've already left home, and cancel the moment you're back. It carries a $250,000 medical limit and covers most adventure activities. It's the one built for exactly this kind of trip.
Get a free SafetyWing quote →Real talk on insurance
We get why people skip it. It's the most boring line item in the whole planning process, you're 22 and feel invincible, and it's an easy $500 to $1,000 to cut when you're trying to stretch a budget. We nearly didn't bother either. But a broken ankle on a hike, a scooter spill or a burst appendix in a country where you're not a citizen can cost you five figures out of pocket. That's exactly the kind of bad luck that happens on a working holiday, because you're doing more physical, outdoorsy, unfamiliar stuff than you would at home. This isn't scaremongering. Most trips are fine. But insurance is the one thing on this whole site you genuinely can't fix after the fact, so sort it before you fly, not after something happens.
What working holiday insurance must cover
A working holiday policy is different from a normal two-week travel insurance policy. Here's why.
A high medical cover limit. If you're not from a country with reciprocal healthcare agreements, a single hospital stay can run into five figures. Look for at least $100,000 in medical cover, ideally more.
Cover for manual or outdoor work. A lot of working holiday jobs are physical: farm work, construction, hospitality. A cheap policy that excludes "manual labour" can leave you unprotected exactly when you need it.
A long enough duration, with the option to extend. Your plans will change. Look for policies you can extend from abroad without flying home first.
Adventure sports cover if you're doing any. Bungy, skiing, diving and skydiving are often excluded by default and need an add-on. Check before you assume you're covered.
What working holiday insurance won't cover
The gaps that catch people out usually aren't obvious from the sales page.
Pre-existing conditions, in most cases. Any medical condition you already had before the policy started is usually excluded, unless you declare it and the insurer agrees to cover it, sometimes for a higher premium. Leaving it off the form to save money is the fastest way to have a genuine claim rejected later.
Manual work, beyond a point. "Covers manual work" on a policy summary doesn't always mean every kind of farm labour is included. Machinery, working at height and heavy repetitive lifting can sit in a higher-risk category that needs its own add-on, even on a policy that otherwise ticks the box. Read the actual wording against the jobs on our farm work & 88 days guide, not just the marketing page.
Your car, if you buy one. Travel insurance is not car insurance. It won't pay for damage to a vehicle you own, and it won't cover you as a driver the way a local motor policy does. Our buying a car guide covers what registration and local cover actually handle.
Working holiday insurance compared
We bought insurance for our own working holidays. Here's what we'd buy again, compared honestly.
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| Provider | Monthly cost (approx) | Medical cover limit | Adventure sports | Gear cover | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SafetyWing Top pick | ~$45/mo USD | $250,000 | ✓ Most activities | ✗ Not offered | 4.8 / 5 | Get quote → |
| True Traveller | ~$53/mo (£500/12mo) | £10,000,000 | ✓ 90+ activities | ✓ Gadget add-on | 4.6 / 5 | Get quote → |
| Heymondo | ~$45/mo (€500/12mo) | €5,000,000 | ✓ With add-on | ✓ Electronics pack | 4.5 / 5 | Get quote → |
| Genki Explorer | ~$42/mo (€39/mo) | €2,000,000 | ✓ Standard | ✗ Not offered | 4.3 / 5 | Get quote → |
| World Nomads | ~$83/mo ($1,000/12mo) | $100,000 | ✓ 200+ activities | ✓ Gear cover | 4.4 / 5 | Get quote → |
Prices are indicative and change often. Always confirm current pricing directly with the provider before you buy.
Excess, and how a claim actually works
The boring bit, and the bit that actually matters if something goes wrong.
The excess, sometimes called the deductible, is the amount you pay yourself before the insurer covers the rest. Say your excess is $250 and a GP visit plus a scan comes to $600: you pay the first $250, and the insurer covers the remaining $350. The actual figure varies by provider, and often by claim type too, so check the number for a medical claim specifically rather than the headline figure on the pricing page.
Keep the paperwork as you go. Receipts for anything you might claim, a police report for theft, a doctor's report for treatment. Insurers ask for this as standard, and it's far easier to keep a folder on your phone than to chase it all down afterwards.
Call the emergency line before you pay for anything serious. Most insurers can bill a hospital directly rather than making you front the cost and claim it back later. It's worth having the number saved before you need it, not after.
Expect weeks, not days, for anything complicated. A simple gear claim can be paid out fast. A claim needing hospital records from overseas can take over a month, so keep copies of everything you send. If the payout lands as an international transfer, our banking guide covers what to check before it arrives.
How long cover lasts, and extending it mid-trip
Most working holiday visas run for 12 months, and your policy should run at least as long. If a second year in Australia is part of the plan, that usually means 88 days of specified regional work, with a further stretch unlocking a third year. New Zealand's own extension route works differently: the Working Holiday Extension Work Visa adds three months at a time, after three months of horticulture or viticulture work.
Plans change either way, so buy a policy you can extend or renew from wherever you are, not one that forces you to fly home first to sort it. It's also worth having cover from the day you leave, not just from when you land. Delays, lost luggage and anything that goes wrong in transit are exactly what a policy is there for, before the working holiday part of the trip has even started.
Travelling by yourself? Our solo travel safety guide covers emergency prep and embassy contacts alongside insurance, plus accommodation, transport and farm work safety specific to travelling alone.
FAQs
Quick answers to the questions we get asked most about working holiday insurance.
Is travel insurance mandatory for a working holiday?
For New Zealand, comprehensive medical and travel insurance is a condition of the visa and can be checked at the border. For Australia it isn't always a formal condition but is strongly recommended. Either way, it's the one thing you genuinely can't fix after something goes wrong.
How much does working holiday insurance cost?
Expect somewhere around $500 to $1,000 for a full year, depending on your age, the level of cover and any add-ons like adventure sports. It's a tempting line item to cut, but a single serious injury abroad can cost far more than that out of pocket.
What medical cover limit should I look for?
Aim for at least $100,000 in medical cover, and ideally more. This matters most if you're not from a country with a reciprocal healthcare agreement, since a single hospital stay can otherwise run into five figures.
Does normal travel insurance cover working?
Often not. Many standard short-trip policies exclude manual or outdoor work, which rules out a lot of typical working holiday jobs like farm work, construction and hospitality. Look for a policy that explicitly covers paid manual work.
Are adventure sports like skiing or bungy covered?
Usually not by default. Bungy, skiing, diving and skydiving are commonly excluded and need an add-on, so check your policy before you assume you're covered, and add the cover before you do the activity, not after.
What's an excess, and how much will I actually pay?
The excess is the amount you cover yourself before the insurer pays the rest of a claim, usually a fixed number like $100 or $250 rather than a percentage. It varies by provider and sometimes by claim type, so check the actual figure for a medical claim rather than the headline number on the pricing page.
Will my policy cover a condition I already had before I left?
Usually not, unless you declare it when you buy the policy and the insurer agrees to include it, sometimes for a higher premium. Leaving it off the application to save money is the fastest way to have a genuine claim rejected later.
Can I extend my policy once I'm already travelling?
Most of the providers here let you extend or renew from wherever you are, without flying home first. That matters if you're going for an Australian second or third year through regional work, or planning to use New Zealand's own extension route. Check the terms before you buy if a longer stay is even a possibility.