How many people travel without insurance?

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I have an annual policy so I'm insured without really thinking about it.

I have lots of weekends away with a group of friends, almost always in Europe.

I have realised only about half take insurance for these trips, with the others believing it's not needed for these short trips, they'll take the hit on any cancellation/ lost luggage and rely on GHIC for anything medical that can't wait until they get home.

I don't love this as I fear it will be me trying to get their bodies repatriated!

I was talking to a colleague who is very well travelled and she agreed it's not necessary for European travel...

But would I need evacuation?
No. If you don't pay the bills then they cremate you before you die...

Some insurers seem to pick out any tiny loop hole to avoid paying. Remember the baby girl recently who fell very ill while abroad and the insurance wouldnt pay because the mother hadn't declared a visit to the GP for a minor ailment?
I wonder how they slept at night in the knowledge that they would let a baby die because of one tiny error.
Thankfully the general public and a charity stepped in and the little girl was airlifted back to the UK

Travel insurance many years ago paid for a friend's husband to have emergency surgery in europe, all his hospital bills, a flight back once he was discharged, for her and her children to fly home without him and for their car to be driven back from europe. Friend has always said best £30 she ever spent. We always get it.

Travel insurance many years ago paid for a friend's husband to have emergency surgery in europe, all his hospital bills, a flight back once he was discharged, for her and her children to fly home without him and for their car to be driven back from europe. Friend has always said best £30 she ever spent. We always get it.

But what if you were seriously injured but ready to be discharged but not well enough to fly home to Portugal (or indeed Ireland) on a normal flight? Medivacs cost tens of thousdands plus additioanl
expenses of extended stay

You don’t though do you? I’ve just checked mine and it says you only have to inform them of “serious chronic or reoccurring injury or disease” (Barclays)

which insurers state you have to inform them
of every GP visit? This would be quite discriminatory.

@MyDeftHedgehog Yes, exactly & many Gofunds me do have insurance. I get it but I don't trust it tbh.

I have ongoing coverage with my bank, so always insured, but I’m always clear with my travel companions not to bother having my body repatriated, I’d be delighted to be buried on holiday (ideally overlooking the sea).

funny though, these threads were going on on mumsnet about how terrible it was to travel without insurance well before we left the EU, so people didn’t think it was good enough cover then….

@Bambamhoohoo my mum has high blood pressure and asthma & had to go through all appointment for the last few yrs related to both.

And I think mental health conditions come under pre existing too.

I always travel with it. A friend stupidly thought he didn’t need it to travel to Spain as he’s a Spanish citizen, he suffered from a bowel problem and two very badly broken legs in a car accident, he ended up in Spain for five months as he couldn’t afford medivac.

I'm wondering now how many people think they have insurance, but it isn't valid.

Btw, in my EU country, for the standard travel insurance you don't declare anything, and it covers accidents and things not connected to your known health conditions ( like chronicle illness), if you need that as well, then it is an individual quote.
Seems it would be practical to have an option like that to cover the majority of situations for reasonable price.

@FourIsNewSix that sounds like a much better system

With all the people using weight loss drugs I wonder if insurance companies will use that get out of things.

“And I think mental health conditions come under pre existing too”

What does that mean? If they’re not pre existing for the customer why would they come under that?

I honestly think this is how the majority of policies work in the uk.

We always have insurance (and it's expensive because of DH's existing conditions) but I resent it - I know it would be a massive battle to get most companies to pay out for a valid claim.

I’ve done medical flights to bring people home a fair bit, people need to check that repatriation is covered on their policy, because it’s not universal.

it’s shocking how many have no insurance at all any the return gets covered by a go fund me.

Re Mental health - they do. Some say “Have you ever been diagnosed with depression or anxiety or an eating disorder?”

So much for the advice that you should always seek help for depression etc.

I'd deal with it. I'm assuming if I'm (hypothetically) well enough to be discharged I can get on – with or without a wheelchair – a plane or a train.

Yes, some will insure for anything unknown but may exclude what is known. You still must tell them first though.

No idea, sorry.

You would at the time you take it out (although group policies like the ones that come with your bank account often don’t make this a condition because it’s so blanket) but not the ringing up to update them every time you go to GP described above

What if you fall, break your hip, then while in hospital get an infection, or pneumonia, and end up in hospital for two months?

@Bambamhoohoo before I read about it I wouldn't necessarily have classed a bout of depression etc as a pre existing condition.