Travel coverage has standard exclusions the broker must explain at sale.
- Pre-existing conditions not meeting the stability clause covered above; the single most common denial.
- Substance abuse / impairment, claims arising from intoxication by alcohol or recreational drugs are typically excluded.
- Self-inflicted injury / suicide, standard life-and-health exclusion.
- High-risk activities, hazardous sports (mountain climbing scuba diving below specified depths, motor racing) typically excluded without a rider.
- Travel against medical advice, a traveller whose physician advised against travel has no coverage for resulting claims.
- Travel to a destination under travel advisory, many policies exclude losses arising in destinations the federal government has flagged with "avoid all travel" or "avoid non-essential travel" advisories issued before departure.
- Pregnancy past a specified gestational age, many policies exclude pregnancy-related claims in the final weeks (commonly after 32 weeks).
- War, terrorism, nuclear, civil unrest, standard catastrophic exclusions.
A claim denied at the foreign hospital because the policy excludes the cause leaves the insured personally liable for the bill, a financial outcome that has bankrupted travellers. The broker's explanation of exclusions at sale is part of the duty of care.
Common mistake: assuming "comprehensive" travel coverage covers hazardous sports. It does not by default; an adventure-sports rider is needed for scuba, mountain climbing, motorcycle riding (in some wordings), or organized racing.
🧠 Memory hook, "STAR-PWAR": Stability, Travel advice Alcohol/abuse, Risky sports, Pregnancy late, War, Advisory destination, Recreational drugs, eight families of common exclusion.
Recall: Name four standard travel-insurance exclusions. Why does a travel advisory issued before departure matter?