to think travel insurance is a basic necessity for big trips and not some sort of fringe product aimed at naive/anxious fools easily parted from their cash?

[DirtyMartini]

My dad is visiting from the USA. Ash cloud will hopefully not affect his return, as he's staying until Sunday, but I asked today if he had travel insurance and he said no, and seemed very at my surprise and my suggestion that this was unwise.

Further discussion revealed that in all his 30+ trips across the Atlantic over the decades, not to mention all his domestic US travel, he has never had travel insurance, on the basis that "they have to rebook you" if something goes wrong. He also claimed that NOBODY he knows in America uses travel insurance now or has EVER used it (Me: "But how can you be sure?" Dad: "Well, they would have mentioned it") and that the money he's saved over the years will offset the cost of an extra two nights in a hotel somewhere if he ever gets caught out (yes I'm over-using the eye roll emoticon but seriously, wtf?) And he said he was "confident that Continental will reimburse him" if he got seriously out of pocket as a result of ash cloud delays.

I asked about what would happen if he got seriously ill while travelling or something & he avoided the question. Later he acknowledged I made "a convincing case", but then started talking about the mis-selling of payment protection insurance as reported in recent news, implying that travel insurance is similarly dodgy/fraudulent by its nature.

Is he right -- do people in America really not use travel insurance? Is it a cultural difference to do with their customer service etc being better in the first place? If so maybe I am BU. Or is he being irresponsible and a bit arrogant, as is my instinctive reaction?

He is a moderately well-travelled American, btw, not someone who has stayed put all his life & might be expected to have narrow views on this stuff.

[Pedallleur]

A quick example. Our 8mnth old recently got sick on a holiday in Italy. The hotel called a Dr. who examined her, prescribed certain drugs and billed us ?100. On ringing the Health people on our return I was told that was classed a private visit so we weren't covered. My travel insurance covered us but had a £50 excess so I was going to claim £30. We should have took her to a hospital (to save money) but that's hindsight. The Doc. came and sorted it. Had she been really ill and been admitted, the insurance would have covered one or both of us to stay with her, get new flights and if required get her back home by private plane. If you get ill abroad you may need £1000s subject to the illness. When the ash cloud struck last year, the airline refunded the money and the insurance covered the holiday cancellation. As stated above, it's a gamble but for the sake of £50 it's one I'll take

[QOD]

ANother answer was - yes always - used it when mother in law broke her toes on holiday! WOuldn't travel without it

no 3 - was "no never " - but she's a card - she has 6 kids, 2 in college and hasn't travelled out of Michegan LOL

[Amateurish]

pedallleur you're lucky if your insurer covered you for the ash cloud. My insurer refused to pay up, and left me significantly out of pocket. It's with the ombudsman now...