to think I don't need to buy travel insurance for a holiday in Holland as its in the EU

[TheWayItWasnt]

I'm in the UK by the way.

[badidea]

Do you have the E(number forget which) card? I think it depends on your own risk assessment. Personally, I've holidayed in Cuba without travel insurance (as they have a great health system which is open to visitors). I've also travelled in Europe without health insurace but with and E(11?) thingy.

If you were a risk averse person or who knew of terrible things happenign to folk without travelling insurance, you'd probably be having nightmares about this, but if you're laidback about it all and not obsessed with worse case scenarios, then I think it's pretty reasonable.

[bachsingingmum]

Well you can get an E111 that qualifies you for I think just emergency health care in EU countries, at the same rates as the locals.

But that won't cover any loss/theft/damage to possessions and other things that travel insurance usually covers.

And very importantly, if you got seriously ill or injured, it would not cover the costs of getting you back to the UK or the costs of relatives staying.

[Groovee]

The E111 and travel insurance is one thing I would never travel without. How would you pay if you got ill and needed health care?

[Artandco]

No. You need insurance. Eu covers only basics to stop you dying. Insurance pays out for overnight stays, medication, equipment, missed flights, operations etc

Dh once broke his leg in Switzerland. Insurance bill was £18000 for 2 nights in hospital and him having leg operated on and reset. He also had physiotherapy paid via insurance when home twice a week for 4 months ( at £280 a session)

Pay the £20 or whatever for insurance

[Indith]

So if you end up in hospital there long term who will apy for a relative to stay with you?

If you need to be flown home with specialist medical equipment who will pay for that?

They won't just hand out cash just because they are EU. All that the IHIC card means is that you get treated like a local.

[HolidayCriminal]

I haven't bothered for short trips, it's a risk balance thing. Can't tell you what to do.

[Woozlebear]

Not U but don't think it's wise. E111 just covers the healthcare. What about getting back home and/or accomodation and other expenses etc etc etc if something happens? Theft? Cancellation etc? It's so cheap, I have no idea why anyone would not get it.

What kind of attitude you have is a pretty misleading way of deciding this, tbh. Just because you're laid back doesn't mean you have a lower chance of meeting with unfortunate events.

[ruby1234]

Friends of ours went to Crete, he fell on day 1 and broke his hip. Ambulance to hospital, but hospital wouldn't do anything until his DW went back to the hotel for the EHIC.
Xrays showed he needed a hip replacement, which was done. He was kept in hospital, but EHIC cards only cover the care that the locals get; in Crete families do the nursing care, his DW had to buy food, medicine, bandages, bed sheets etc and eventually she had to pay for a private nurse to come in and care for him. After their 2 week 'holiday' was up (him still in hospital) she had to find alternative accommodation to stay in while he was still in hospital. He was in hospital for 3 MONTHS!!! Then he was air ambulanced home to UK and she had to find her own transport and pay for it. She had to pay out herself in advance for everything not covered by the EHIC.

Fortunately they had travel insurance and they could claim on that once they completed the treatment. If they hadn't had insurance, EU country or not, they would have had all that expense themselves.

Buy some insurance - it's really not worth the risk.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

One thing I didn't know (until I watched that Money Advice Programme - Martin Lewis) was you need to produce the card if needed. They won't accept that you have one in the Hotel, you need to carry it.

[gordyslovesheep]

you would be silly not to have insurance - it's not expensive

[gordyslovesheep]

oh and I say that as someone who's appendix burst at 14 weeks pg while in rural Spain! without insurance I'd have been fucked

[Trazzletoes]

I don't understand why people don't buy travel insurance. If you don't have ongoing health needs, it's cheap as chips. If you do have ongoing health needs then it's even more strange not to get travel insurance.

[ilovepowerhoop]

and its an EHIC card you need as E111 no longer exists. They are free to order. I would get travel insurance too.

[bakingaddict]

I think ArtandCo and ruby1234 spell out exactly why you still need travel insurance in the EU. Just relying on the EHIC can give a false sense of security and while i'm sure the likelihood of being in an accident abroad are quite low when considering the millions of people who holiday each year if you are unfortunate enough for it to happen to you or one of your family your costs can run into the 10,000s without proper insurance coverage

[PatriciaHolm]

the EHIC only covers a very basic level of cover. Ambulances, for example, are chargeable in the Netherlands and are not covered by the EHIC unless determined to have been essential for travel by a Doctor.

Surely a travel insurance policy for the Netherlands for a few days would be a matter of a few pounds?

[ibbydibby]

EHIC no good to you (I don't think) if you fall ill/get injured before holiday and can't go. Or if close family fall ill, and you feel need to cancel holiday to be with them. With hol insurance you are (usually) covred for these situations.

[wowfudge]

It's not an E111 anymore - it's the European Health Insurance Card. Depends what you would use travel insurance for: it isn't just for medical emergencies. If someone robbed you and stole your luggage, passport and handbag then you would want insurance to provide assistance and pay out.

Switzerland isn't an EU member btw.

I actually think that insurance is more important on a short trip - the time you would spend trying to resolve things without insurance could easily outweigh the cost of a policy.

[HairyPotter]

I knew a person who didn't buy travel insurance for a 3 day trip to Prague. He fell down concrete steps and was placed on life support and after 2 months was eventually flown home by air ambulance. His family had to sell their house in the end to pay the medical bills.

His policy would have been less than £10.

Yabu

[NotMrsTumble]

having travel insurance meant dd(4) got to have a room that also had a bed for her dad, paid for all his meals and their flights home 5 days after I had to return home with ds (1). At the time I was upset that the insurance wouldn't pay for us all to stay, but I hindsight I realise I was being U! Thank god it was all covered by a small insurance pemium and £35 excess.

YABU.

[NotMrsTumble]

having travel insurance meant dd(4) got to have a room that also had a bed for her dad, paid for all his meals and their flights home 5 days after I had to return home with ds (1). At the time I was upset that the insurance wouldn't pay for us all to stay, but I hindsight I realise I was being U! Thank god it was all covered by a small insurance pemium and £35 excess.

YABU.

[specialsubject]

It costs peanuts for travel insurance to the EU. The EHIC gives you the same treatment that the locals get.

There is a small but non-zero chance of an accident which will put you in hospital, in an air ambulance or in a coffin, just as there is at home. Any of those events will start racking up big bills which will bankrupt you or your family. They could of course choose to leave you to rot where you are and not pay.

hairypotter's story is not an urban myth and not unique.

not a matter of risk assessment. A matter of utter stupidity. If you can afford the holiday, you can afford the insurance.

[specialsubject]

ps cancellation and loss of beepy-beepy toys will also be covered by travel insurance, but neither of these will bankrupt you. That said, there have been recent threads where people have booked trips, not insured, kid gets ill and can't go and they lose all the money.

[PeachandRaspberry]

YABU.

[Trazzletoes]

Absolutely, special.

I booked flights to the US in September 2012 to travel the following years - couldn't afford travel insurance the same month, was planning to buy it in October.

On October 1st DS went in to hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer. BA was going to give us back less than a third of what we actually paid due to taxes etc. I was in tears at the time. Their response? Not our fault - it's what travel insurance is for.

Thank God DH remembered we have a policy through one of our bank accounts and we were refunded in full but it was a lot of money to potentially lose.

I know - what are the chances of it happening? Slim. But it does happen. DF broke his leg on holiday in Italy once too - needed 6(!) seats booked on the flight home to comfortably accommodate him.

[Slipshodsibyl]

Get the ehic at least. The system isn't quite the same as in the uk and there are some charges so having proper cover makes everything far easier if you should have a problem. Also remember that if you end up on life support, they switch it off after a while in the Netherlands unlike in the uk.