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

For some people even within the UK it's important.
I used to work in a hospital at a very popular South Coast destination for old people to go on holiday.

They might only be in hospital for a day or 2, but if the coach had gone without them, they were shocked to discover that they weren't entitled to NHS transport all the way back home. Even if you can afford to pay the costs without insurance, having the hassle and expense of organising new accommodation and transport home can be hard when you aren't well.

Yeah. You don't even need to be rich on this - I insure my possessions for the absolute minimum when I go abroad, because even if I lost everything I took, it wouldn't be unaffordable or difficult to replace it all.

Thought I’d look into bank accounts with travel
insurance. Had to declare pre-existing conditions. It would cost dh and I £500 extra on top of the monthly fee. I can honestly see that my foreign holidays have come to an end, sadly.

(we only go abroad once a year, so it’s a lot on top of normal holiday costs)

Sorry OP but your friend is a fool. What on earth would she do if extensive treatment and air lifts home were needed in the event of an accident?

Exactly this, they needed a medivac. European countries won’t just keep you and treat you indefinitely. How do people not know this?

I am a travel insurer by trade. Yes in short it is absolutely worth it. I can see an argument that you might rely on reciprocal care arrangements if you were going to well developed European countries such as France, Germany or Holland, but even then if you were seriously ill you would finish up with a sizeable bill, and you might not be repatriated home for a number of months until you could travel normally. In the US the costs would be life changing. I dealt with a case in Las Vegas recently where a man was admitted for tests to a hospital. No surgery, just tests and supervision. The cost was in excess of $100k and I have seen worse. In other jurisdictions, the emergency cover is not all that good. On Rhodes for example, there are only 12 ipublic ntensive care beds and nursing cover is usually provided by relatives. If you do not have health insurance this could really impact on your survival chances. Please take good cover. Be wary of buying the cheapest option off the internet as well.

Bonkers to travel outside of the UK without insurance. It’s a small amount to pay for peace of mind compared to the cost of the holiday itself. I’d not be able to enjoy the trip knowing I wasn’t covered,

How many people can afford the costs of anything beyond minor health issues treated privately abroad?

You usually need to fly back with a doctor. Ambulances both ends. Sometimes a nurse as well.

either that or stay out there a long time.

That's true. I know of an elderly gent who went to the phillipines regularly He was quoted thousands for travel insurance. He paid outright for any treatment he needed while there at a reasonable price ( mostly minor stuff)

If anything major had happened he could afford hospital treatment from savings and didn't care about being " repatriated" which is what so many people say is the expensive bit

Or rich. Insuring against costs you couldnt afford is wise. Insuring against costs you can afford is stupid.

Why did they need to be repatriated from Barcelona if they were being treated there?

Iits never going to work to " make insurance complusary" though. People could just lies about their ailments/ activities etc and get the cheapest policy just for the paperwork even though it would never pay out

Necessity.

We've used our insurance twice, and got back probably 4 times what we've paid in all insurance ever.

I think stupidity is a factor!

I would never travel without insurance anywhere. My friends husband had a stroke in Tenerife and she was stuck there for a month while he recovered..luckily he had insurance

I always check what’s covered, winter sports for example. My son ended up in ER in the US after an allergic reaction. It could have cost $$$. I’d never go without insurance.

To me its just part of the holiday cost.
I would never travel without it.

It’s a luxury until you need it, then it’s a necessity, but too late if you don’t have it!

I’d never travel without it. I have an annual policy which auto renews and the date is in my diary. I just update with any new medical conditions (literally EVERYTHING) and on we go. I have seen far too many people have accidents/medical emergencies abroad to ever risk it. A friend had a heart attack in Barcelona with no insurance. Treatment was covered but repatriation was £34k which they had to pay. It’s no joke.

Mmm I can see why they wouldn't want lumbered with an uninsured passenger in an emergency. It's quite a different situation to a flight or hotel company.

I once forgot insurance about 18 years ago, it was a last minute holiday, friends and using a family friends villa. Wasn’t until my husband and I were rescued from the sea and I had calmed down I remembered I’d forgot to do it. I have never forgotten again. Imagine how much that would have cost us or our parents should the worst have happened, just total stupidity but a lesson learned.

Not just a double seat -
I jad a medicated flight with two pilots , a paramedic, a doctor .
There was another passenger and his wife on the flight too .

My DH was flown to UK with our luggage .on a standard flight

Depends where I am traveling. We are largely travelling within EU to places with family nearby so lot of health care is covered by ehic/ghic, EU flight delay/cancellation protections are good and we don't have to worry about accomodation costs or visa issue should we need to stay longer (and wouldn't likely push for repatriation). So I generally wouldn't bother with insurance.

For trips outside EU, especially longer trips then yes absolutely I'd get insurance. Even though it can get expensive because lot of the more affordable policies have a lot of exclusions so if you are doing any activities you really need to read the fine print with a magnifying glass to make sure you are covered.

I don't understand people who don't take out holiday insurance. I also don't understand people who don't take it out at the time of booking.

Holiday insurance not only covers the costs of medical help and things like lost luggage, it also covers holiday cancellation.

These irresponsible people clearly lack intelligence and critical thinking.