Do you think holiday insurance is a necessity or a luxury?

I don’t think it’s an age thing. I’m 39 and have bought insurance for every trip, checking that what I need is included. It’s utterly bonkers to travel without insurance, especially with how reasonable the cost can be.

No, being a moron is a factor. I’m mid 30’s and categorically would not leave the country without it and neither would any of my friends.

I would also never pay towards a crowdfunding for someone not having bothered with insurance.

I don't get it when travelling in Europe (I've only been able to afford going further afield twice), but I have a UK Global Health Insurance Card.

As a callow youth I was silly enough to go to the US without it, which makes my blood run cold in retrospect. But these days, no chance! I was anal about it anyway, and then a friend of the family fell very ill in the ME a couple of years back. Sadly died, which from what I can tell was pretty much inevitable, but the lack of insurance meant the family went through even more stress. They too had a crowdfunder, but it didn't stop the estate going on medical expenses. The illness was pure and simple bad luck, one of those that came from nowhere and could've happened to anyone.

Yes, especially ageist Millenials who think common sense is "boomer mentality" as mentioned in an earlier post! Grrrr....(not all millenials, just the one mentioned of course!)

I don’t think you should be allowed to leave the UK without insurance. Am lucky we get it as a benefit through work so don’t even need to think about it but before that I just bought a multi trip annual plan with the best Defacto score. The thing is with insurance a lot of people go for the cheapest cover which won’t include sports or repatriation costs it just covers cancellation and loss of luggage. We’ve had to claim a few times abroad for ear infections I wouldn’t be without it.

I have in the past gone to an ehic country without insurance (and had no problem using it for my broken arm) but I have never travelled with kids without insurance. More recently I lost my nerve and booked as I was worried about the rematriation expenses

Essential. If something goes badly wrong then at least the cost isn’t life ruining.

I’ve only ever made small claims (like a replacement Eurostar when weather disruption meant we missed the first) but even that takes the pressure off a bit.

Those saying insurance is pittance. Yes if you are in your 20s and haven’t seen a doctor in years and have no pre conditions which have to be declared even if they aren’t affecting you at the moment. But if you have it can be very expensive. Also we were burnt once when we had declared all the health problems but then one of us mid policy underwent tests for undiagnosed symptoms and they said none of the declared conditions would be covered either until a diagnosis for the unknown symptoms was found. We changed companies after that.

Travel insurance is one of the only insurances I dread having to claim against if I ever need it even though we try and disclose everything we can.

I have always travelled with insurance. I have annual world-wide cover with my bank account which is comprehensive and they will provide me with a certificate, if required. I checked with them last year when I went to South America due to altitude but, as I wasn't trekking, there was was no need for extra. I've recently been put on meds for high blood pressure and disclosed it to the insurer as I have a trip coming up in the autumn. Have never claimed but would never dream of going away without it.

@honeylulu - a few years ago I had to speak to a neighbour about some damage from their side and was stunned to hear they didn't have insurance!

Do you think age is a factor?
No, Both dons have been travelling independently since they were 18 and had insurance in place when I asked them if they had it. Both times I was about to go into the advantages of sn annual policy but they had already sorted it out.
I do our policy every February whether we are about to go away or not. I know its fine then. I only have to inform them if there is a medical change.

Beware T&C’s. Friend’s 18 yo son hired a scooter in Thailand. Had bad crash. Insurance refused payout as he didn’t have scooter/ motorbike licence in UK.
medical and repatriation costs were £50k

No age- I know a few pensioners taking a risk as insurance is very high for older people with medical conditions such as heart disease. One has gone to the states without any cover despite having a history of COPD and a pacemaker

Two different things here:

Comprehensive international health insurance = absolutely essential
Travel insurance for lost bag or missed flight = not essential and quite often a waste of money

Absolutely essential .

mine costs a fortune as I have many preexisting health conditions but such is life - I have to pay a lot for it.

my healthy teenage daughter - i think was about £30 for the annual worldwide policy. It’s a bargain when you think it gives millions of pounds of medical care and getting you home in the event of an accident.

you have to be crazy to travel without a medical policy - as you never know what will happen and for most people it really isn’t all that expensive.

and if like me it is expensive - you suck up the cost and pay it and accept it’s part of the cost of travel or if too expensive then you don’t go.

personally I would never give money to a crowd fund to pay for treatment where the person didn’t have insurance. I am sorry when people get hurt or ill - but their predicament is within their control as if they had insurance they could get treatment and get home. (My friend was taken very suddenly ill in USA whilst on their holiday - no history of anything but ended up in icu - touch and go at one point - and they were eventually flown home with a nurse etc - excess paid of course - but essentially all paid for by insurance) maybe that makes me a heartless soul - but I just can’t see why you would rely on the goodness of others to get you home / pay for your care - rather than take out a simple policy. Most of us will never use it - but it’s there as we never know what will happen.

I think you should have to present your medical insurance policy on entrance to any country when you go through passport / visa control.

anyone who travels without insurance is insane and I think it should be made compulsory that you have to have medical insurance to travel.

Boomers, or anyone a little bit older, are just seen as being old fashioned and out of touch nowadays.

Recently I was on the thread of the woman who wants to get married now in a civil ceremony, but keep it a secret and hold a fake wedding in two years time once she's saved up. The purpose of having the secret ceremony is to "legally protect the children". I pointed out that if it was that important to protect the DC then she'd have had the ceremony before the kids were born. I was told "It's 2026. I'm a millennial and have had a roof to buy and children to birth". Their thinking is all arse about face. Insurance is never needed..until it is.

I’m 36 - always travel with travel insurance. It does vary which I go for depending on what I’ll be doing on/what type of trip it is. Backpacking with scuba diving, big hiking trips etc - I get a very good insurance package. An AI holiday to Europe, I go for a cheaper one (although still always check it includes whatever I need it to).
I don’t know why on earth people would pay towards someone’s go fund me because they were stupid enough to go on holiday without insurance.

I always get insurance. I think it is true many British people don't underatand that not all healthcare anraod is like the NHS.

A few years ago at a music festival in France I helped a young man who had suffered an eye injury (really freak accident - it was hot and a champagne bottle behind the bar exploded and he got hit around the eye with some glass) he didn't speak French and didn't understand why the paramedics who had been called were asking about insurance before they took him to the nearest hospital.

It was a bit awkward when I had to explain to them he had neither insurance or a GHIC and to him he would have to pay for the ambulance.

My neighbour went to China and broke her ankle out there. Thankfully her husband made sure she was insured and they covered her month stay in the hospital and upgraded her flight back for comfort. Another person I know died on holiday and didn’t have insurance. The family had to pay thousands for his body to be repatriated.

I recently booked insurance for 24hrs on the Isle of Man.

I think it should be a legal requirement.

One thing I always mention on these threads and not sure of it’s relevant to you but do you have health insurance? My worldwide annual travelpolicy for the year for the family is €135 as I don’t need to declare any pre existing conditions. It saves the faff of trying to decide if you need to includ the wart you got treatment for in 1999 and the worry of potentially forgetting something

Agree with this!

I get it through my work but before I did i never once went away without insurance. I find it wild anyone would.

Insurance companies know the risk they pose because they have to pay out for them. If their categories are too generic so you are placed in with higher risk then you need to seek out more specialist insurers.

There are some really stupid people around and often it’s our young people who don’t understand that you cannot just drag yourself onto a plane to get back to the UK. I heard some daft moo from the Greens earlier today on the news saying that they would scrap NATO because it’s never used. She looked all of about 12.

The chap sitting next to her had his mouth open saying it’s a deterrent and is working just fine but she was so ‘Green’ she just couldn’t see the benefit of it.

Definitely necessary. For a year or two at the airport the travel company/airline staff checked you had insurance, they should continue that.

I have a friend, now in her 70's, who has 'never taken insurance out' as she 'only' ever goes to Europe. What about if you're ill on the plane, the hospital won't provide full cover on the state. Never mind lost luggage or having to cancel the holiday due to illness.

Going abroad with my parents in the 80s and 90s, I'm not actually sure if they took insurance out or not. I remember going away for the first time with friends age 17 late 90's and we took insurance out with the travel agent at the same time as booking, I don't seem to remember being asked or told about pre-existing conditions etc.