OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for backpackers via OOM
A backpacking trip lasts a long time, crosses many countries and has no fixed itinerary; precisely the three points on which an ordinary continuous travel policy comes unstuck.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Continuous travel policies assume holidays with a home base and apply a maximum uninterrupted length of a trip. If you are away for months without returning home in the meantime, you are left without cover once that limit is passed, even though the policy formally continues. Backpacker cover is built instead around a long, uninterrupted period and a wide area of cover, with North America and sometimes a few individual countries named separately.
Two things go wrong: baggage and activities. Theft from a dormitory without signs of forced entry, a bag left briefly unattended on a night bus, a phone taken from a side pocket. And alongside that, the scooter ridden without a valid licence, the diving course beyond your qualification, and casual work in exchange for a bed. These are not borderline cases but the most frequently reported claims on trips of this kind.
With backpacker cover, Finass looks above all at the maximum trip duration, the baggage conditions and the list of excluded activities. For shorter and more predictable trips, the range under insurance for travelling.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your backpacker insurance. We show what OOM and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare OOM's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with OOM Verzekeringen
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether OOM Verzekeringen is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Trip duration and when you take out the policy
The policy must start before departure and cover the whole trip without interruption. Extending it from abroad often is not possible, or only with fresh acceptance questions. A complaint or loss that has already arisen before you extend counts as an existing risk at the point of extension; Articles 7:928 and 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code then give the insurer scope not to pay out. So set the end date generously rather than tightly.
Baggage: signs of forced entry, unattended items and separate limits
In the event of theft, report it to the local police straight away and keep the police report. Without that document you will get nowhere. Cover normally does not extend to items left unattended, cash and travel documents in hold baggage, loss without demonstrable theft, or breakage of fragile items. There is also a maximum per item, which mainly affects phones, cameras and laptops.
Scooters, diving and other activities
If you ride a hired scooter or motorcycle, a valid licence for that category is a condition, as is a helmet where one is required. Riding without the proper documents does not just void your own cover. You also remain personally liable for damage to others under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code and the local equivalent of the insurance obligation under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). Diving is normally covered up to the level of your qualification and no further.
Working while travelling
Fruit picking, bar shifts, hostel work in exchange for a bed: travel policies exclude manual labour and work with machinery as standard unless it has been notified and accepted in advance. If you are injured during that work, it is an excluded event and the personal accident benefit lapses as well. Injury or damage connected with alcohol or drugs also falls outside all cover, wherever you happen to be.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Total trip duration. The main basis for the calculation. The premium rises with the number of consecutive months.
Area of cover. Worldwide with or without North America makes a considerable difference, because medical costs are higher there.
Age. Above certain age limits, a long trip is assessed differently or no longer offered at all.
Modules chosen. Medical costs, baggage, personal accident and legal expenses are separate building blocks that you can leave out.
Excess on baggage. A higher excess on baggage noticeably reduces the premium, precisely because that is the most frequently reported claim.
Special sports or work activities. Diving, climbing and paid work while travelling must be notified and increase the premium.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Often not, and otherwise only with fresh acceptance. Extending from abroad means the insurer looks at your situation again, and anything that has arisen in the meantime then counts as an existing risk. Set the end date well beyond your planned return. A policy that runs on too long is less of a problem than a trip that lasts too long.
Is my phone covered if it is stolen from the dormitory?
That depends on the circumstances. From a locked locker with signs of forced entry, normally yes; from a bed or table in a shared room, normally not, because it was then unattended. Always report the theft to the police straight away. Bear in mind that a maximum per item applies, which a modern phone reaches quickly.
Am I allowed to ride a scooter?
Only with a valid licence for that vehicle category and with a helmet where one is required. A local hire company that does not ask for documents changes nothing about the policy conditions. If you ride without the proper entitlement, cover for your own injury lapses and you remain personally liable for other people's losses.
Does my Dutch basic health insurance not already cover medical care while I am travelling?
Only to a limited extent. Basic health insurance reimburses foreign medical care up to the Dutch tariff at most. In countries with high medical costs, a large part of the bill is therefore left with you. It also does not cover repatriation, baggage or liability. For a long trip, separate cover is therefore not a luxury but the core.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
