Australians in Bali during 2017 volcano eruption warn others to take out travel insurance
By
Angelica Silva
, ABC
Passengers look at an electronic board displaying cancelled flights at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban near Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on 21 March 2025, after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano in the archipelago nation's east erupted, shooting dark ash eight kilometres into the sky.
Photo:
Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP
Brisbane woman Teresa was excited about her girls' trip to Bali in 2017.
Her group even extended their trip to enjoy the Indonesian holiday island a little longer.
But when the time came to fly home, Bali's Mount Agung threw their plans into chaos.
The volcano erupted in November of that year, causing some 150,000 residents to evacuate from their homes nearby.
Mount Agung spews ash into the sky on 27 November.
Photo:
AFP / CITIZENSIDE / Nelli Kopylova
Bali's
busy Denpasar airport was also closed
due to ash fall from the mountain.
"The whole thing was a debacle," said Teresa, who is again in Bali for a holiday.
She told the ABC she was "experiencing deja vu".
Bali airport has reopened following
this week's eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki
on the nearby island of Flores, but holiday-makers are warned that disruptions may continue.
Photo:
STR/AFP
But Teresa, who only wants to be identified by her first name, said this time she didn't make the same mistake as in 2017 - not taking out travel insurance.
During the previous trip, only one of Teresa's friends had travel insurance.
"She was able to get a Singapore Airlines flight out quickly, about three days after the eruption," she said.
"One friend was flown to Sydney [as a transit point] where the airport was closed at the time and there was no accommodation available.
"She actually sat on the kerb outside the terminal waiting all night on her own. It was shocking."
It was a similar story for another one of her friends, who was flying home to Perth but had to stay overnight in Darwin.
"The airport there was closed at night. She sat on her suitcase until the next morning," she said.
For Teresa, it took just over a week to leave Bali - and even then it wasn't a direct trip home.
"I had to fly to Melbourne first, then I got put into a run-down motel the airline had booked for the passengers," she said.
Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
They said despite the airport returning to normal operations, a backlog of passengers was expected to take some time to clear.
Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team gather for a roll call as they conclude the search operations on Mount Marapi after all survivors and victims have been found, in Batupalano, Agam, West Sumatra on 7 December 7, 2023.
Photo:
ADI PRIMA / AFP
Several flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Tuesday evening.
Others slated for Wednesday evening were delayed for hours.
Indonesian authorities raised the volcanic alert to the highest level and two villages were evacuated.
Denpasar airport operators said in a statement on Wednesday that 87 flights were affected by the eruption - 66 international and 21 domestic.
The international flights affected included legs to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City.
Andrew was in the Indonesian city of Bandung during Mount Agung's eruption in 2017.
Mount Agung belched smoke as high as 1500 metres above its summit on November 26.
Photo:
AFP / Muhammad Fauzy / NurPhoto
He said, unlike Teresa's experience, having travel insurance covered the cost of his cancelled flight and accommodation.
"My flight from Bandung to Bali was cancelled, so I had to stay a few extra days until a flight was available," he told the ABC.
Andrew managed to get a flight to Lombok, where he stayed overnight.
The next morning, he caught a boat to Bali, where he now lives.
"My travel insurance covered everything," he said.
"You just never know what's going to come up and change all of your plans."
These experiences reiterate how travel insurance is "essential protection" for holidays, said CHOICE insurance expert Jodi Bird.
Jodi Bird says Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's eruption is "a perfect example" of having travel insurance at the right time.
Photo:
Supplied / Jodi Bird
"The volcano affecting travel to Bali is a perfect example. If you bought your travel insurance in time, it will help you with the cost of cancelling or rescheduling your holiday," Bird told the ABC.
Bird said in order to be covered for natural disasters, you need to buy travel insurance before the incident becomes "a known event".
Otherwise, it could be too late.
"Once an event becomes known, it's generally too late to buy insurance to cover you for that specific event."
An event becomes "known" when it is publicised in the media, or official government websites, like the government's Smartraveller.
"For a major event, like the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, many insurers will publish advice on their website about when you needed to buy the policy to be covered," Bird said.
However, he said some insurers have cut off cover in the last few days: "The trick is to know your destination and buy travel insurance when you book your trip."
Travel insurance can be purchased from a direct insurance company, or through travel agencies like Webjet and Flight Centre. In other cases, some credit card providers offer complimentary travel insurance as a perk.
When choosing a policy, it is important to understand the coverage and exclusions.
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By Angelica Silva , ABC Passengers look at an electronic board displaying cancelled flights at the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Tuban near Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on 21 March 2025, after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano in the archipelago nation's east erupted, shooting dark ash eight kilometres into the sky. Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka / AFP Brisbane woman Teresa was excited about her girls' trip to Bali in 2017. Her group even extended their trip to enjoy the Indonesian holiday island a little longer. But when the time came to fly home, Bali's Mount Agung threw their plans into chaos. The volcano erupted in November of that year, causing some 150,000 residents to evacuate from their homes nearby. Mount Agung spews ash into the sky on 27 November. Photo: AFP / CITIZENSIDE / Nelli Kopylova Bali's busy Denpasar airport was also closed due to ash fall from the mountain. "The whole thing was a debacle," said Teresa, who is again in Bali for a holiday. She told the ABC she was "experiencing deja vu". Bali airport has reopened following this week's eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the nearby island of Flores, but holiday-makers are warned that disruptions may continue. Photo: STR/AFP But Teresa, who only wants to be identified by her first name, said this time she didn't make the same mistake as in 2017 - not taking out travel insurance. During the previous trip, only one of Teresa's friends had travel insurance. "She was able to get a Singapore Airlines flight out quickly, about three days after the eruption," she said. "One friend was flown to Sydney [as a transit point] where the airport was closed at the time and there was no accommodation available. "She actually sat on the kerb outside the terminal waiting all night on her own. It was shocking." It was a similar story for another one of her friends, who was flying home to Perth but had to stay overnight in Darwin. "The airport there was closed at night. She sat on her suitcase until the next morning," she said. For Teresa, it took just over a week to leave Bali - and even then it wasn't a direct trip home. "I had to fly to Melbourne first, then I got put into a run-down motel the airline had booked for the passengers," she said. Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. They said despite the airport returning to normal operations, a backlog of passengers was expected to take some time to clear. Members of an Indonesian search and rescue team gather for a roll call as they conclude the search operations on Mount Marapi after all survivors and victims have been found, in Batupalano, Agam, West Sumatra on 7 December 7, 2023. Photo: ADI PRIMA / AFP Several flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Tuesday evening. Others slated for Wednesday evening were delayed for hours. Indonesian authorities raised the volcanic alert to the highest level and two villages were evacuated. Denpasar airport operators said in a statement on Wednesday that 87 flights were affected by the eruption - 66 international and 21 domestic. The international flights affected included legs to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. Andrew was in the Indonesian city of Bandung during Mount Agung's eruption in 2017. Mount Agung belched smoke as high as 1500 metres above its summit on November 26. Photo: AFP / Muhammad Fauzy / NurPhoto He said, unlike Teresa's experience, having travel insurance covered the cost of his cancelled flight and accommodation. "My flight from Bandung to Bali was cancelled, so I had to stay a few extra days until a flight was available," he told the ABC. Andrew managed to get a flight to Lombok, where he stayed overnight. 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An event becomes "known" when it is publicised in the media, or official government websites, like the government's Smartraveller. "For a major event, like the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, many insurers will publish advice on their website about when you needed to buy the policy to be covered," Bird said. However, he said some insurers have cut off cover in the last few days: "The trick is to know your destination and buy travel insurance when you book your trip." Travel insurance can be purchased from a direct insurance company, or through travel agencies like Webjet and Flight Centre. In other cases, some credit card providers offer complimentary travel insurance as a perk. When choosing a policy, it is important to understand the coverage and exclusions. - ABC
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