Bottoms up? Maybe not.
Part of the appeal of a holiday is to let your hair down, explore a new city, and maybe enjoy a couple of drinks by the pool.
And while you're certainly allowed to have a drink on holiday, what many people don't know is that alcohol consumption can invalidate your travel insurance policy should you need to make a claim.
This means that if you're intoxicated, slip and break your arm while on a trip overseas, your travel insurance company likely won't approve your claim nor cover your medical expenses.
West Australian police officer Ella Cutler, 25, was denied cover by her travel insurer after she suffered critical injuries from a 10-metre fall in Croatia. It was reported alcohol was present in her system at the time of the accident.
The question whether you're covered for alcohol comes down to how each insurer interprets its own exclusions.
So, here's what you need to know before you jet off on your overseas trip.
Why are alcohol-fuelled accidents not covered?
Choice's travel expert Jodi Bird said insurance may not be the safety net people expect it to be.
"Travel insurance covers you for unforeseen events, but insurers rely to an extent on your own ability to foresee events and take evasive action," Mr Bird said.
"If you've had a few too many drinks, your ability to foresee events is blurred.
"So there's a much higher risk of something going wrong, and if an event has too high a risk of actually occurring, then insurers don't want to cover it."
How can I find out if my insurer covers alcohol-related claims?
Read the fine print.
The fine print of a travel insurance policy is known as the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
The PDS lays out the terms and conditions of your policy, including what you're covered for (inclusions) and what you're not (exclusions). Here is where you'll find the exclusion that relates to the consumption of liquor and drugs.
Generally, most travel insurance policies will have an exclusion that reads along the lines of:
We will not pay for claims arising directly or indirectly from you while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, unless prescribed by a medical practitioner.
If you're looking to locate the exact section in the PDS that mentions alcohol, you can use the Ctrl-F keys to search the document.
"If you're searching your PDS for the alcohol exclusions, it's worth checking the full list of general exclusions while you're there. It's a sobering read," Mr Bird said.
How does an insurer know if you were under the influence?
Insurers will look at police and medical records, and hotel reports, to determine whether the intentional consumption of alcohol caused the accident.
Your social media account may also come back to bite you as insurance investigators could use these sites to verify your claim.
Mr Bird says your policy may include a clause that obliges you to agree to a blood alcohol or breath analysis.
"So if the insurer suspects you've had some drinks they may get you to take a test before they agree to cover your claim," he said.
"Alternatively, we've seen insurers get their hands on the bar bill where you've been drinking, and come up with their own estimate of your blood alcohol content based on how much you've had and how much you weigh."
Todd Nelson, the CEO of insurer Cover-More, said his company would undertake extensive enquiries before making a decision on any claim where alcohol may be a factor.
"This may involve obtaining an independent report from a specialist toxicologist as to the potential amount of alcohol consumed and the impact this could have had in contributing to the incident," Mr Nelson said.
He also noted they could look at securing:
- The report of a medical practitioner or forensic expert
- The witness report of a third party
- A person's own admission
- The description of events described to them by the policyholder or the treating medical professional (e.g. paramedic, nurse, or doctor) as documented in their records
How much is too much?
It all comes down to the insurer you're with and what they deem an indirect or direct claim arising from alcohol consumption.
While some travel insurance policies are quite vague when it comes to this, there are a few that specifically refer to an individual's blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Cover-More, NRMA, and Budget Direct all state the following in their exclusions sections:
Claims involving, arising from or related to Your impairment due to You drinking too much alcohol: which is evidenced by the results of a blood test which show that your blood alcohol concentration level is 0.19% or above.
This is almost four times above the legal driving BAC limit range in Australia, which is 0.05%.
"Many travel insurers will just exclude cover for claims that arise from you 'being under the influence of alcohol'," Mr Bird said.
"That's a grey line, but it generally comes into play at the point where the event that caused your claim wouldn't have occurred if it weren't for you being drunk."
Can your claim be voided if drugs are detected?
Yes.
The PDS will likely state that your insurer won't pay out for any claim related to drug use (even if it's legal at your destination), unless the drugs were prescribed by a medical professional and taken in accordance.
"Policies have a general exclusion relating to substance abuse, including drug abuse (whether over the counter, prescription or otherwise) or ingestion of any non-prescription drug or substance such as marijuana, ecstasy, and heroin," Mr Nelson said.
What are other common exclusions from travel insurance policies?
Along with alcohol and drug use, there are some other common circumstances where you won't be covered by your travel insurance policy.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Visiting a country or region to which Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has applied a 'Do Not Travel' advisory
- Leaving possessions unattended in a public place
- Claiming against an unapproved medical condition
- Participating in high-risk sports and activities without the proper level of cover
- Hopping on a motorcycle or moped without a helmet, valid licence, or the appropriate cover
- Breaking laws in the country of travel
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