Travel insurance

BriNylon

A relative of mine is looking for travel insurance.  There are no pre existing conditions to consider. However, a friend of theirs was ill on holiday with her husband.  She was in hospital for some weeks and could not be brought back home.  The travel insurer would not pay for relatives to visit or escort them back home. Is this normal or are there some insurers more generous than other on this area.

LinLui

It's normal.  They would often pay for the travel companion,  or if there isn't one,  a close relative, to be with them. But they aren't going to pay for the expenses of people to "just" visit someone abroad.

elsien

Travel insurance isn’t provide an escort service for relatives. If there is a medical need for someone to be accompanied, for example to be air ambulanced home, that should be covered, but if there’s no specific need, then the insurer is not going to pay for that.

When I was a care home manager a client on holiday abroad was hospitalised for a number of weeks. The support  worker with them had to return home for family reasons. The insurer agreed to fly the support worker back and fly another support worker out but only on condition that that person could stay for as long as needed. They would not bring them home and fly someone else out if the stay became more prolonged, And they only agreed to do that because we made it clear when taking out the insurance that the person had a learning disability and clear support needs, and the  premium paid reflected that. 

DullGreyGuy

BriNylon said:

A relative of mine is looking for travel insurance.  There are no pre existing conditions to consider. However, a friend of theirs was ill on holiday with her husband.  She was in hospital for some weeks and could not be brought back home.  The travel insurer would not pay for relatives to visit or escort them back home. Is this normal or are there some insurers more generous than other on this area.

You scenario is unclear... you are saying a random couple went on holiday and one of the travellers became ill but the insurer wouldn't pay for someone who hadn't travelled originally with them to go out? What was the position of the spouse?

Insurers will cover what is medically necessary so if a Doctor says the ill traveller requires someone to be there to support them then the insurer will pay for that. The first view would be to look at their travelling companions and if any of those can stay, so in the example given the spouse. If no one on holiday with them is suitable then an insurer will look at flying over a single person to fulfil that role. 

Travel insurers won't pay for an endless stream of visitors to get a free holiday under the guise of visiting a relative. 

BriNylon

DullGreyGuy said:

Travel insurers won't pay for an endless stream of visitors to get a free holiday under the guise of visiting a relative. 

!!!!!!.  You need to give your head a wobble!

BriNylon

Many thanks for the helpful replies.  

BarelySentientAI

BriNylon said:

DullGreyGuy said:

Travel insurers won't pay for an endless stream of visitors to get a free holiday under the guise of visiting a relative. 

!!!!!!.  You need to give your head a wobble!

You did specifically complain that "The travel insurer would not pay for relatives to visit".

From an insurer's perspective, that is no different from paying for the relatives to go on holiday - if there is no medical need for them to be there.