Forgetful Brits Told Why Overlooking Travel Insurance Can Be a Costly Mistake

Nearly one-in-five holidaymakers (19%) admit to having accidentally forgotten to buy travel insurance for a holiday, at some time in the past, with this rising to almost a quarter of male holidaymakers (24.4%).

These are the findings of a consumer research survey conducted for Europesure Travel Insurance through Censuswide.

The age group most likely to have been in the position of accidentally travelling without insurance protection were the 25-34 year olds (31%).  In the over-55 age group, it was only 12% who said the huge risk had been accidentally taken.

Londoners and those in the East Midlands had been most forgetful when it came to purchasing travel cover, with 29% having forgotten to do it, at some point.  Least forgetful were residents of the South West, where only 7% said it had slipped their mind.

Europesure highlights how forgetting to buy travel insurance can lead to thousands of pounds in costs, if a holidaymaker falls ill or is injured abroad and requires medical attention.  

The average cost of having to pay for treatment themselves would vary according to which country they are visiting and whether or not they are taken to a public or private hospital.  Those requiring medical care often have little say in this and may only be in a resort or are where all facilities, including ambulances, are privately operated. 

Whether or not there is any care available via the UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which Brits can still use until the expiry date on their card, or the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which has replaced it, is another factor that can influence what the final bill might be.  The cards offer treatment on the same basis as a resident of the country in which the holidaymaker tries to use them.  Different state systems will provide different levels of free or reduced-cost care.  The cards cannot be used to access or pay for any private care that is provided and can only be used in participating European countries.

If holidaying in a country in which medical care is extremely costly and in which doctors are reluctant to discharge a patient until any possible sign of a medical issue is removed, with the USA and Canada being good examples, the cost of being forgetful could be astronomical.  A ski injury, such as a cruciate ligament injury, which required ACL reconstruction surgery, could easily lead to a bill of 17,000 Canadian dollars (over £10,000), just for the procedure.  Add a stay in hospital on to that, and all the care provided there, and the figures soon mount up.

Some holidaymakers would also be simply unable to travel back home without the assistance of an air ambulance, special flight arrangements or road ambulance.  Arranging for the medical supervisory team, the transport and the flight itself, would be virtually impossible for someone who did not have travel insurance protection in place.  All of this medical repatriation comes as part of the package of cover within with a travel insurance policy.

Having to try to communicate with a foreign medical team could be another issue for a patient, if they are in a country where English is not widely spoken or if medical teams can speak basic English but are not able to communicate the medical situation and translate all the terms from the medical jargon. With a travel insurance policy in place, such liaison with medical teams abroad is covered for the patient.

Other risks inadvertently taken by those who do not buy travel insurance include those of losing the cost of holiday purchase, should they have to cancel, or costs incurred if a holiday has to be cut short for any reason.  Loss of baggage, possessions, money or passport could also knock up a bill.  If they were to injure any third party whilst on holiday, or damage their property, this too would be at their own expense.

Europesure’s sales and marketing director, Paul O’Sullivan, says, “When it comes to travel insurance purchase, it should be a case of forget me not.  It’s far too risky to trust things to fate and even worse if you intended to protect yourself, simply forgot to do so and come unstuck.

“The best way to remember to buy travel insurance is to purchase a policy when you book the holiday.  It’s also the way you get the very best protection from a policy, as your cancellation cover kicks in from the day of purchase, if you buy single trip protection, or the date you start the cover, if it’s an annual policy.  If you leave things until last minute, you risk having to absorb any losses that result from cancellation and also increase the chances of forgetting to buy a policy, because of all the other things you have to think about when going away.”

Europesure offers holidaymakers, who live in locations across the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco and Gibraltar, affordable and comprehensive travel insurance policies that have wide scope, in terms of their policy wording and which are very flexible with regard to pre-existing medical conditions and sporting activities’ cover.  The policies are backed by Lloyds of London, offering more security than some competitor products. 

Single trip and annual multi-trip policies are both available, along with optional extras, such as wintersports, golf, wedding, car hire excess and gadgets protection for whilst away.

Head to www.europesuretravelinsurance.com if you have booked a holiday, so you are not amongst the one-in-five who accidentally forget.

Ends

Editors notes

Europesure Travel Insurance is a respected travel insurance provider, offering a range of travel covers to residents of the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco and Gibraltar. With the added peace of mind of having policies backed by Lloyds of London, holidaymakers and travellers can gain peace of mind of knowing their cover will be comprehensive and ready to step in, to offer whatever level of protection was selected, in line with the policy wording and terms and conditions.