To think that people who don't use travel insurance are crazy?

[cwtch4967]

Why on earth would you book a holiday abroad and not take out insurance? So many people ignore the need to be properly insured, I just don't get it?

I've read posts where people say they don't bother in Europe - who is going to pay to get them home if something serious happens?

Is it just me???

their choice. maybe they cant afford it. maybe they dont feel it is necessary. they are not crazy because of it.

so yeah yabu

YANBU

my friend had a very bad RTA whilst abroad and wad severely brain damaged- after hospitalisation for months there and numerous operations was flown home on life support with medical staff in attendance

I Haye to think what would have happened without travel insurance

We take our safety nets here for granted

YANBU - if people can afford a holiday abroad then (major illnesses precluded) they should be able to pay £30 for a weeks travel insurance

YANBU .... For the sake of as little as ten quid, it is important to have insurance in case of illness, accidents etc. it is even more important if you have kids. Do people really want to risk huge medical bills, being stranded overseas, being sued for the sake of ten to fifty quid? Stupid.

YANBU if they can't afford insurance then they shouldn't take a holiday.

a family of 5 going with young kids going abroad for 2 weeks ... should take out insurance. silly not to.

couple in their twenties going on a city break weekend away may not take it out.

Scuzy

Why would the family need it more than the couple? The couple are just as likely to have an accident, be ill, miss flights or be victims of crime.

I agree with you.

My mother's bf ended up having a triple heart bypass in Japan whilst on holiday - was there for nearly a month and was flown back with a Dr by his side.

If they hadn't had insurance - well goodness knows what they'd have done.

YANBU, a friend of mine had an accident in Greece and broke his leg. It cost his parents £10k in medical bills and to get him home. Travel insurance is what, £25? No brainer really.

I didn't realise it was optional tbh

My own experience is somewhat coloured by the fact that when we did have an accident abroad, our travel insurance didn't cover it and we were left well and truly scuppered. The only reason we were able to get home was because we had also taken out European roadside recovery, and they arranged for us and all our luggage to be brought back home. Travel insurance was shockingly useless.

Having said that, I do still take it out, as I think our circumstances were unlucky, but I am less confident that it will actually be of any use.

cwtch thats true.

You make a good point about making sure you have the right cover and make sure you know what is covered. Too many people invalidate their insurance by failing to declare medical conditions.

I would urge people to be extra careful about taking out travel insurance for travel to the USA.

It's not just about having accidents while you are abroad. We had to cancel our holiday last year due to DD#3 being taken unexpectedly seriously ill. Thank goodness we had travel insurance in place long before she was sick and we were able to reclaim the money we had paid for our holiday. If we had left it until the last minute to get cover then it would have been too late and we would have lost the whole costs.

I've read posts where people say they don't bother in Europe - who is going to pay to get them home if something serious happens?

Based on the standards I've experienced in UK hospitals and those I've experienced in Europe, not being able to get back to the UK would be a bonus.

EH11 card is the business.

We only take it out for trips to the USA where medical insurance is extortionate. Europe is no big deal, really.

We are in our late 40s and have never claimed on insurance, or had any cause to. We could put all those premiums together now and they would pay any reasonable expense, were it to arise.

A reminder that EH11 card only gives you the same medical cover that the people living in that country are entitled to for free.Not the complete cover that you get with the NHS.

The £10, £25 policies don't really cover you for anything realistic.

yanbu. My dad knew blokes his age who had heart conditions who never bothered to get insured as it was so expensive. Seems like madness to me.

Equivalent hospital care elsewhere in Europe wouldn't fund you to be sent home on a medical flight, though, or pay for a family member to go/stay with you, or any of the other things that you can get insurance to cover. And the ski season is a classic time when people who cut corners suddenly realise how senseless it is. Then we have sob stories about families in the UK having fundraising events to pay for their loved ones to travel home. Definitely the most important expense when travelling overseas.

The European countries I've visited also have an NHS with complete cover. Just like the UK, only better. [bugrin]

(We don't need travel insurance as we have household insurance. Unlike UK house insurance our household insurance covers absolutely everything. Wasps nests; holidays; criminal fines and compensation incurred by your errant teenager; solicitors fees to sue your neighbour for putting up a shed without your permission; all covered.)

You have to react to the risks as you see them.

A car trip to Normandy/Brittany/Vendee does not realistically foresee the need for a Medivac. You can put the casualty in your car and drive them home.

First aid and simple medical care may cost, what, £50 at worst. Suck it up and pay it.

If your holiday is more complicated, then perhaps it is worthwhile to get good holiday coverage, carefully checking the small print. But the £10 policies are worth every penny, yep.

Well it works the other way round. DD once needed an emergency operation three days before we were due to go on holiday and we couldn't go. If we hadn't been insured that would have been £4,000 down and it was very welcome for a much needed break at 1/2 term after what turned out to be a truly disastrous summer.