Do you travel with or without travel insurance?

zagfles

janiebquick wrote: »

I would never dream of it for travel in the UK, but we do have an annual policy for travel outside the UK - we shop around and our latest is with Swiftcover. I do have a pre-exisrting condition, but don't bother to declare it as I am very unlikely to either have to cancel a holiday or come home early because of it.

What about needing emergency medical treatment because of it or a side effect of it? That's the main thing to worry about.

wildthing01

i don't bother if holidaying in the UK (which is mostly all we can afford these days) as i can't really see what i'd need it for, but would never holiday abroad without it. My husband had a serious injury requiring hospital stay and surgery on one foreign holiday and even with the insurance and EHIC, it cost us dearly. it didn't help that he also lost his mobile on the same holiday!

GwylimT

I always take insurance, in the UK just to cover the actual holiday but abroad health insurance and actual holiday cover. I have a pre-existing health condition, if I chose not to disclose this an insurance company are within their rights to refuse to pay for any medical treatment so it is always disclosed.

I went to the states with my friends when I was 25 so quite a while ago now and a friend broke his wrist ice skating, he didn't have insurance, it cost more than the two week trip for three adults, they gave him a cast as they have to treat emergencies, however he needed an operation to pin the bones which they were not obliged to do. Upon coming back to the UK he had to have the surgery and as the wrist had started healing some it was more complex than it should of been so it took a very long time to heal and he needed a lot of physio, very costly towards the NHS and something that could have been covered with £40 insurance. He was even charged for things like cups of water it really was ridiculous.

uk2009

I get a bit fed up with newspapers, magazines, web articles, government advice etc etc blabbering on about the necessity for travel insurance without first understanding why some people, myself included, baulk at getting travel insurance when we are quoted quite outrageous premiums and onerous conditions because we do the right thing and have our annual checkups at the GP and take our age related medication for such things as blood pressure and (in my case) a completely non life threatening under active thyroid. You have to tell the agents of these insurance co's the reason for every visit (e.g. the flu) and for every one its an excuse to up the premium another notch.
I would hardly bother with it all except for the fact that I could not afford to be repatriated if I was injured in an accident.
Fortunately there are still a few insurance co's around (found after a lot of searching and recommendations from Which? magazine) that offer near reasonable quotes for those of us who have managable non life threatening 'conditions'. Only whilst they exist I'll continue to take out travel insurance for non EU travel.

BobbinAlong

For UK holidays we have our everyday camper van insurance and breakdown cover but for trips abroad I time it so two years worth of holidays can be covered on one annual policy. I've used Europ Assistance in the past and they were brilliant when OH put petrol in the diesel tank in France - well the hose and nozzle were black not green!

BNT

It depends on the cost of the holiday. Often I am willing to take the chance that I can rearrange flights etc. at a reasonable price if any problems arise.

hogger84

mikeleeds wrote: »

like all insurance policies it's worth understanding that your expected expenditure on medical expenses is below the cost of the policy. That's how insurance companies make money.

WRONG - it is the cost policies x the number of people insured must be more than ALL people's expected medical bills. Most people will not need, it, others may well only have needed to pay £30 or so for a quick check and a perscription.

HOWEVER if it goes seriously wrong, the cost of emergency medical care, an operation and then a repatriation flight to the UK could be more that I probably earn in lifetime

BNT

Our son is about to go to Portugal with a group of friends and we have been reading up on insurance. It seems that most travel insurance insurance is really just an extension to medical insurance, if your main policy does not cover you overseas. The actual travel insurance part of the policy is probably pretty cheap.

duchy

I used to work for a travel company repatriating holidaymakers on behalf on insurance companies. What an eye-opener !!
I wouldn't go on holiday without it after seeing how financially devestating it can be. The EHIC is fine *IF* you have another way of getting home at no cost but what if you are discharged from hospital but not fit to travel a long distance or if it's the driver who is sick,(or dead for that matter) if you need to cover hotel bills for family to stay close to the hospital or a hire car to get to and from hospital daily or if it's a very serious illness and you need another family member to fly out .....and on and on........... Frankly anyone who thinks it is MSE to travel without insurance is deluded.

marleyboy

Have never had holiday insurance and in my 40s. If at all possible I would take that risk and not get insurance, but were it compulsory then I would reluctantly get insurance.