Updated November 2026.
Is True Traveller insurance good for an Irish working holiday in Australia? For most people, yes. It’s built for long trips, covers bar, restaurant and office work as standard, covers farm work and fruit picking if you add the Adventure Pack, and you can buy it after you’ve landed. It’s not the one for you if your job involves heavy machinery or working at heights, or if you’ve settled in Australia for good.
Full disclosure: True Traveller is our main insurance partner, so if you buy through our links Irish Around Oz may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I’ve used it myself in Australia, Canada and around Europe. This review is based on its 2026 policy wording for Irish and European residents, so the limits and exclusions are in here too.
Short version
- Who can buy: people living in Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe. Where you live matters, not your passport.
- Medical: EUR 10 million for medical and repatriation on every level, ambulances included.
- Work: bar, restaurant, office and childcare work as standard. Farm work and fruit picking need the Adventure Pack.
- Big exclusion: no cover for work with industrial machinery, non-domestic power tools or above 2 metres.
- Already in Australia? You can still buy, with limited cover for the first 48 hours.
- Price: get a quote. Prices depend on age, trip length, cover level and add-ons.
Who True Traveller suits, and who it doesn’t
It suits you if you live in Ireland and you’re heading out on a working holiday visa, you’ll work in hospitality, an office or childcare, you’re planning farm work for a second visa, or you’re already here and never sorted insurance.
Look elsewhere if:
- Your job means operating site machinery, using trade power tools or working above 2 metres (think scaffolding or roofing).
- You’re on a student visa. Home Affairs requires Overseas Student Health Cover instead.
- You’ve settled here. Cover ends when you take up permanent residency outside your country of residence.
- You’re over 65 and already travelling. Buying after you’ve left home stops at age 65.
What it covers that Ireland’s health agreement doesn’t
Ireland’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreement covers public hospital care and some prescription medicines if you were living in Ireland before you arrived. It doesn’t cover GP visits, ambulances, private hospitals or a flight home (see does Medicare cover Irish people in Australia?). True Traveller fills those gaps:
- Ambulances. Covered. In NSW an emergency ambulance for an overseas visitor costs AUD 948 plus AUD 8.56 per kilometre (NSW Ambulance, from 1 July 2026).
- Getting you home. If the 24-hour assistance team agrees it’s medically necessary, they fly you home to Ireland, by air ambulance if needed.
- Doctors for a sudden illness or injury. Pay and claim it back. Over EUR 600, call the assistance line first.
- Emergency dental and physio, capped at EUR 300, 420 or 600 depending on your level.
It’s travel insurance, not private health insurance. The policy only pays for private treatment where there’s no reciprocal health agreement and no public service available, and it won’t pay costs the agreement covers, so in Australia you’ll usually be a public patient. The wording tells Irish residents to “enrol with Medicare”, but Services Australia says Irish visitors don’t enrol or get a card: you show your Irish passport at the public hospital and ask to be treated under the agreement.
Watch the excess: every claim has one (EUR 90 on the Traveller level), so a single GP visit may come in under it. You can pay to remove the excess when you buy, which True Traveller says is popular with long-term travellers.
Working holiday jobs and your 88 days of farm work
A second working holiday visa needs 3 months of specified work, which Home Affairs defines as at least 88 calendar days. Here’s how True Traveller treats work:
- Standard: professional, clerical or admin work, classroom teacher or assistant, au pair, childminder, and bar and restaurant work.
- With the Adventure Pack: general farm work and fruit picking, including tractors if you hold the right licence, care and nursing work, and light building such as painting, decorating or basic construction with light power tools only.
- Never covered: work involving plant, trade or industrial machinery, non-domestic power tools, or heights over 2 metres.
Two more catches. There’s no personal liability cover while you’re working. And the Adventure Pack must be on your Validation Certificate before you start; if you forgot, True Traveller will add it for the same price you’d have paid upfront, with no admin fee. Our regional work guide covers which jobs count towards your 88 days.
Construction for your 88 days? Ask first. Painting and basic building with light tools can be covered with the Adventure Pack; scaffolding, roofing or trade machinery won’t be. Email True Traveller exactly what the job involves and keep their reply.
Buying True Traveller when you’re already in Australia
You can, as long as you normally live in Ireland, the UK or elsewhere in Europe. Tick “Already Travelling” when you get your quote, or the policy isn’t valid. The catches:
- First 48 hours: no medical cover except a serious injury in an accident an independent witness can confirm, and no cover for baggage, money or documents.
- Nothing already started is covered. An illness or injury you have, or that starts in those 48 hours, counts as pre-existing for the rest of your trip, even symptoms without a diagnosis.
- No cancellation cover and no 14-day cooling-off period.
- It costs more: an extra Already Travelling charge applies.
How long it lasts, extending and trips home
- Up to 18 months to start with (12 months at a time from age 50), enough for a full first-year visa.
- Extend from Australia by up to a year at a time, before it runs out. You get 10% off if the extension is no longer than your current policy, and there’s no exclusion period. They email you 6 days before a single trip policy ends and never auto-renew.
- Don’t let it lapse. An expired policy can’t be extended, so you’d need a new Already Travelling policy, with the extra charge and 48-hour limits.
- Home for Christmas? Cover pauses while you’re in Ireland and restarts when you head back, within your policy dates.
- No refunds for unused time if you come home early, though one long policy is cheaper per day than a short one plus an extension.
- Side trips: Australia & New Zealand cover allows 7 days elsewhere on policies of 2 months or more, and 14 days on 6 months or more.
The three levels, excess and gadget cover
True Value is for under-40s and backpackers, Traveller is the middle option, and Traveller Plus has higher limits. Figures for Irish residents, from the policy wording valid from 1 March 2026:
| Benefit | True Value / Traveller / Traveller Plus |
|---|---|
| Medical and repatriation | EUR 10 million on all three |
| Excess per claim | EUR 150 / EUR 90 / EUR 45 |
| Search and rescue | Not included / EUR 60,000 / EUR 120,000 |
| Baggage (optional add-on) | EUR 1,200 / EUR 2,500 / EUR 3,000 in total |
| Any single item | EUR 180 / EUR 360 / EUR 420 |
| Specified items (optional) | Up to 3 at EUR 600 each (EUR 1,000 on Traveller Plus) |
Phones and laptops: to cover a good phone or laptop properly, add baggage and list it as a specified item. Claims are paid at indemnity value, so electronics are depreciated by 10% a year, up to 60%. Anything left unattended isn’t covered (valuables left in a car included), nor are valuables in checked-in luggage.
Sport: 92 activities are standard, including surfing, scuba diving to 18 metres and a tandem skydive. Playing GAA with a local club? Gaelic football, hurling, rugby and AFL need the Extreme Pack. And claims caused by drinking so much that your judgement is seriously affected aren’t covered.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Up to 18 months, extendable from Australia.
- Farm work and fruit picking can be covered with the Adventure Pack.
- You can buy it after you’ve left Ireland.
- EUR 10 million medical and repatriation on every level.
- Claims are assessed in-house. Its own October 2026 figures: 94.82% of claims paid, in 3.89 days on average.
Cons
- Manual work cover stops at machinery, non-domestic power tools and heights over 2 metres, with no personal liability while working.
- Limited cover for 48 hours, and an extra charge, if you buy after leaving.
- An excess on every claim unless you pay to remove it.
- Baggage and gadget cover cost extra and the limits are modest.
- For Irish residents it’s a Czech group policy under Czech law, and the complaints route runs through AXA Assistance in the Czech Republic, then the Czech National Bank.
Is True Traveller a fit for you?
| Situation | Is True Traveller a fit? |
|---|---|
| Working holiday in a bar, restaurant or office | Yes, covered as standard |
| 88 days of fruit picking or farm work | Yes, with the Adventure Pack |
| Site work with machinery, trade tools or scaffolding | No, excluded even with the Adventure Pack |
| Already in Australia with no insurance | Yes, choose Already Travelling |
| Two weeks in Bali halfway through | Yes, on a policy of 6 months or more |
| Playing GAA or rugby with a club | Only with the Extreme Pack |
| Student visa | No, you need Overseas Student Health Cover |
| Settled in Australia, flying home for a visit | Usually not. Look at an Australian policy |
How to claim on True Traveller
- Emergency or hospital: call AXA Assistance 24/7 on +44 20 7985 7446. You must call for a hospital admission, emergency department visit, ongoing treatment or anything likely to cost over EUR 600. If an ambulance takes you to hospital, you or a mate must call within 48 hours. No SIM? Add the Insurance Card from My TT Policy to your phone’s wallet and call over Wi-Fi.
- Smaller costs: pay and keep every receipt and doctor’s note.
- Theft or loss: get a written report from the police or your accommodation within 24 hours.
- Claim online in My TT Policy within 60 days. True Traveller aims to settle within 10 working days.
The most common reason claims are declined, according to True Traveller, is an undeclared medical condition, even something minor like asthma. Declare everything: a condition is only covered if they accept it in writing.
Is True Traveller legit?
Yes. It has been around since 2010 and policies are underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance S.A., part of the AXA Group. The True Traveller Limited is authorised by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 756107) for UK sales; Irish residents are insured under a group policy held by True Traveller s.r.o. in Prague.
Alternatives worth knowing about
SafetyWing is nomad insurance paid every four weeks that you can cancel any time, which suits long-term travellers hopping between countries, but check its work cover before any manual job. Go Insurance suits family visiting on holiday, or trips home once you live here, but it excludes manual work unless Go agrees first, so it’s not one for farm work. Full comparison in our travel insurance for Australia guide.
FAQ
Is True Traveller insurance good for a working holiday in Australia?
For most Irish working holiday makers, yes: up to 18 months, hospitality and office work as standard, farm work with the Adventure Pack, and you can buy it after you’ve left. It’s not for machinery, power tools or work above 2 metres.
Does True Traveller cover farm work for my 88 days?
Yes, with the Adventure Pack. General farm work, fruit picking and licensed tractor driving are covered; industrial machinery, non-domestic power tools and heights over 2 metres aren’t.
Can I buy True Traveller if I’m already in Australia?
Yes. Choose Already Travelling. For 48 hours there’s no medical cover except a serious, independently witnessed accident, and an extra charge applies.
Does True Traveller cover ambulances in Australia?
Yes. Ireland’s health agreement doesn’t, and in NSW an emergency call-out for an overseas visitor costs AUD 948 plus AUD 8.56 per kilometre.
Can I extend True Traveller from Australia?
Yes, by up to a year at a time, as long as you do it before your policy expires. Extensions no longer than your current policy get 10% off.
Does True Traveller cover my phone?
Only if you add baggage cover. For a decent phone or laptop, add it as a specified item: up to EUR 600, or EUR 1,000 on Traveller Plus.
Is there a True Traveller discount code?
No. True Traveller says it doesn’t offer discount codes.
I live in Northern Ireland. Can I buy it?
Yes. Choose the United Kingdom as where you live, and you’ll get the UK policy, priced in sterling.
Heading out on a working holiday? Our Facebook groups have 250,000+ Irish people around Australia who’ve done it already. Ask about farm work, jobs and where to live before you land.
More for your move: the complete guide to moving to Australia.
General information, checked against True Traveller’s website and 2026 policy wording for European residents, Services Australia, Home Affairs and NSW Ambulance in November 2026. Always read the policy wording before you buy. Some links are affiliate links, which means Irish Around Oz may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
