Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
helicopter or Australia’s Royal Flying
Doctor Service airlift. (You might well
need this if you become sick or injured
in the Outback.)
One of the most potentially financially
ruinous situations arising from
getting sick in Australia is evacuation
to your home country. Your policy
should cover the cost to fly you back
home in a stretcher, along with a
nurse, should that be necessary. A
stretcher takes up three coach-class
seats, plus you may need extra seats for
a nurse and medical equipment.
Australia’s national health system,
Medicare, has a reciprocal medical-care
agreement with Great Britain and a
limited agreement with Ireland and
New Zealand in which travelers are
covered for medical expenses for immediately
necessary treatment in a public
hospital (but not evacuation to your
home country, ambulances, funerals,
and dental care). It’s crucial to buy
insurance, though, because medical
care in Australia is expensive and the
national health-care system typically
covers only 85%, sometimes less, of
treatment; you will not be covered for
treatment in a private hospital; and
evacuation insurance is a must. Most
foreign students must take out the Australian
government’s Overseas Student
Health Cover as a condition of entry.
If you require additional medical
insurance, try MEDEX International
9 Health & Safety
STAYING HEALTHY
Hygiene standards in Australia are high,
hospitals are modern, and doctors and
dentists are well qualified. Australia’s
immense distances mean you can sometimes
be a long way from a hospital or a
doctor, but help is never far away thanks
to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
However, standard medical travel insurance
may be advisable (see previous section
on insurance).
(& 800/527-0218 or 410/453-6300;
www.medexassist.com) or Travel-
Assistance International (& 800/
821-2828; www.travelassistance.com).
LOST-LUGGAGE INSURANCE
On domestic flights, checked baggage
is covered up to $2,500 per ticketed
passenger. On international flights
(including U.S. portions of international
trips), baggage is limited to
approximately $9.07 per pound, up to
approximately $635 per checked bag.
If you plan to check items more valuable
than the standard liability, see if
your valuables are covered by your
homeowner’s policy, get baggage
insurance as part of your comprehensive
travel-insurance package, or buy
Travel Guard’s “BagTrak” product.
Don’t buy insurance at the airport, as
it’s usually overpriced. Be sure to take
any valuables or irreplaceable items
with you in your carry-on luggage, as
many valuables (including books,
money, and electronics) aren’t covered
by airline policies.
If your luggage is lost, immediately
file a lost-luggage claim at the airport,
detailing the contents. For most airlines,
you must report delayed, damaged,
or lost baggage within 4 hours of
arrival. The airlines are required to
deliver luggage, once found, directly
to your house or destination free of
charge.
GENERAL AVAILABILITY OF
HEALTH CARE
No vaccinations are needed to enter
Australia unless you have been in a
yellow-fever danger zone—South
America or Africa—in the past 6 days.
Australian pharmacists may only fill
prescriptions written by Australian
doctors, so carry enough medication
with you for your trip. Doctors are
listed under “M” for Medical Practitioners
in the Yellow Pages, and most