Santa's Travel List
Don’t forget medical expenses
Santa might be an old hand at delivering gifts, but when it comes to visiting all the children around the world, he still needs to make sure he has travel insurance. Long haul travel like his through all types of weather and locations can result in sickness and injuries, and medical cover can be astronomical in certain parts of the world - even for Santa!
Santa knows he has some pre-existing medical conditions that he may not be automatically covered for. He always reads the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and makes sure that his travel insurance policy provides him with the cover that is suitable for his type of overseas trip.
… and dental cover
Santa wouldn’t admit to this, but he sometimes dips into the candy bags he leaves for his Elves as a treat and Mrs Claus has had to pull him up on this many a time!
He makes sure he has dental cover for his sound and natural teeth when he’s travelling, in case he experiences acute pain when on his sleigh deliveries. Last year he cracked a tooth while snacking on a toffee apple, but he was lucky his travel insurance covered him for the emergency dental care.
Mrs Claus hopes he learnt his lesson because that cracked tooth won’t be covered anymore, just his other natural teeth!
Make sure you have cover for lost or damaged pressies!
Santa is carrying some precious cargo with him during his present delivery spree, and the last thing he (or any child) needs is to lose some or all of the gifts! Imagine what Christmas morning would be like…
Santa takes out Specified High Value items on his Comprehensive travel insurance policy for additional cover for the presents. He has also purchased additional cover for his iPad – who can navigate the world without Google Maps?
… and additional expenses
Christmas is such a busy period for Santa and his Elves. If something happened to any of his Elves, Santa would be devastated and would want to return to the North Pole to give them some extra love and care. They’re his family after all!
So if an Elf unexpectedly became seriously sick or injured, Santa’s Comprehensive travel insurance can provide cover for the extra expenses he’ll incur if he has to cut his delivery trip short.
Cover cancellation costs
It’s very rare that Santa Claus won’t be able to make his present delivery run, and sometimes Mrs Claus has been called upon to help her husband out. Santa doesn’t mind though – as Mrs Claus says, she knows best.
Should the unspeakable happen and Santa was unexpectedly sick, or injured himself tripping over the mountains of presents in his warehouse, his travel insurance can provide cover for the cancellation costs he might incur. The cost of hiring his sleigh for an around the world trip doesn’t come cheap!
Cancellation Expenses
Example #: It’s almost Christmas and Santa’s Elf, Pinkie who usually accompanies Santa on his present delivery round is sick and can’t make the trip! Santa has already paid for Pinkie’s travel costs, but she’s unable to leave her bed due to a nasty cold going around the North Pole… luckily he bought a travel insurance policy for her 6 months before Christmas.
Can Santa be covered? Yes, Santa can claim on Trip Cancellation expenses if his travelling companion Pinkie is unexpectedly sick and the doctor has declared her unfit for travel. He would be able to claim for the non-refundable payments and any prepaid expenses he is unable to recover in any other way.
Can another Elf helper be covered to help Santa? Yes, Santa can buy a travel insurance policy for the new Elf helper. He should check if the new Elf has a pre-existing medical condition and if it’s covered under the travel insurance policy. He should make sure that he buys the travel insurance policy before they leave to deliver the presents – an Already Overseas policy can cost more than a policy purchased before departure*.
Trip Disruption Expenses
Example #: An unexpected blizzard has disrupted and delayed Santa’s present delivery over Russia. It meant that he had to stay in Russia for longer than he expected (although this did give him time to get Mrs Claus a Babushka doll, just like she asked for - Santa says she wants it because she has many hats). However, this delay meant that he had to stay overnight in Russia and also means he may not be able to deliver presents to the Southern Hemisphere at the original planned time… : (
Can Santa be covered? Yes, Santa can claim on the accommodation expenses that he incurred as a result of the blizzard, because his trip was disrupted by severe weather (in case you were wondering, he did end up delivering presents to every child in the Southern Hemisphere on time… a quick phone call to Mrs Claus and a quick “tweaking” of time-zones did the trick!)*.
General Exclusions
Example #: After finally finishing his deliveries, Santa enjoys some eggnog as a nightcap at his final stop, on the quiet street of Mayberry Crescent (don’t tell him we told you!). Santa slips when getting into his sleigh and breaks his leg.
Can Santa be covered? Santa will need to submit a claim for the Claims team to assess the situation. Any claims which have resulted, whether directly or indirectly, from the consumption of alcohol may be denied. So if the eggnog was alcoholic and contributed to, or caused him to slip and break his leg, he will not be able to be reimbursed for his medical expenses. We need you Santa - stay sober!
Whether you’re Santa or not, there are certain exclusions and limitations that apply to all policies*.
Are you travelling in 2020? Buying travel insurance can save you from the costs of potential unforeseen events that might pop in between now and your departure date.
As always, wishing you a happy and safe holiday!
*Cover is subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)
Sorry, we can’t do anything about gravity or the laws of physics.
