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AIBU?

to think I don't need to buy travel insurance for a holiday in Holland as its in the EU

63 replies

TheWayItWasnt · 22/04/2014 14:39

I'm in the UK by the way.

OP posts:

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IamInvisible · 22/04/2014 21:17

So sorry Wigglesrock.

DS1 was taken into hospital vomiting blood on the morning we were due to fly to Spain one year. As we had travel insurance we got the price of our holiday back, this were able to book another one.

One thing I never scrimp on is travel insurance. All pre-existing conditions are declared and I makesure we have far more cover than should need because you just never know.

wigglesrock · 22/04/2014 21:04

Thanks, it was and is a particularly difficult time. I've done it too, nipped over for a quick city break & threw my eyes up to heaven when my husband mentioned travel insurance. Obviously any very sudden death is so shocking & difficult to accept, but having to panic & cry about how to afford getting a body home it's very hard to comprehend. I think what surprised me was how many other people I then heard of that it happened to as well.

EarSlaps · 22/04/2014 20:04

And on the other side- even if you have insurance you must carry your EHIC. A lot of insurers won't cover any costs that should be covered by the EHIC.

Policies are so cheap now and lots of bank accounts etc provide them now, it is incredibly foolish not to get insurance.

Haggischucker · 22/04/2014 19:51

Always, always get insurance! Peace of mind is priceless and the costs can potentially be massive if something goes wrong. Best safe than sorry :)

KnappShappeyShipwright · 22/04/2014 19:50

I used to work for a travel insurance assistance company. I could fill pages with anecdotes of people who thought the E111 (as it was back then) was as good as travel insurance, only to find themselves too ill to travel as planned - which meant stranded children, extra accommodation costs and flights home - with a medical escort as the airline won't let them travel without one. It's not worth the risk, IMO. You only know how good insurance is until you have to use it.

Birdsgottafly · 22/04/2014 19:48

I agree with everything that has been said about the need for insurance.

My FIL died whilst my DP's Brother and family were away. Their insurance covered getting them home quickly and partly refunded the cost of their holiday.

It isn't so much for your care, it's the people in your party and getting home, being treated "like a local", is useless, because your family and yourself don't live a car journey away and there is a cost for transferring medical information for your GP and employer.

phantomnamechanger · 22/04/2014 19:45

I'm so sorry wigglesrock, thats awful. Absolute worst case scenario and thankfully rare, but it does happen OP. A friend of mine works on cruise ships - they expect at least one death every trip, generally OAPs but not always.

But OP, I cannot fathom why anyone even considers not buying this. For the sake of an extra tenner or even £30, to spend on booze/duty free/ice cream. Why think it'll never be you it happens to? You probably have significantly more chance of something going wrong on holiday than you do of winning the lottery which millions of people every week hope will be them. I know 2 people who have won £25K, I know 4 families who havee had serious medical mishaps whilst abroad.

You cannot afford NOT to, as numerous high profile news stories and personal stories on here wil tell you.

Oldraver · 22/04/2014 19:32

Why risk it when it costs bugger all, especially if you have no existing medical problems and can get Tesco's. Even the Post Office will cover some conditions and they are reasonable

ConferencePear · 22/04/2014 19:19

I've just checked my EHIC card.
The first thing it says is
Make sure you have valid health insurance.

redexpat · 22/04/2014 18:34

If you die your family and friends will have to stump up for repatriation. Not a risk worth taking IMO.

See wriggles post.

AnotherFurry · 22/04/2014 18:04

The thing is why do you think they list emergency medical insurance of usually at least up to 10million. This is because you can be raking in 10's 100's of thousands of pounds depending on what happens.

I think we get complacent with our NHS system because we expect an ambulance to turn up, all medical treatment, free transfers to specialist hospitals, food, scans, medicine etc all free without question.

I always feel so sorry for relatives that have to sell everything they own to help their relative that decided that travel insurance was too much trouble or just couldn't be bothered paying the £20 extra and tbh I wouldn't do it unless it happened to be my DH so if you do risk it you had better make sure you have nicer relatives than me.

BellaVita · 22/04/2014 17:57

You need insurance.

Rosa · 22/04/2014 17:56

DON't EVEN CONSIDER IT..... yes I am shouting. I have dealt with too many situations where somebody thought .... I was covered as i booked via credit card - Diddn't read the T&C with the card.
I was covered as I have an E111 ( or whatever) .... yep so now we have to medically fly you home with a broken leg and you need 3 seats and a nurse escort.
I was covered as in the Eu its all the same thing right ? - As we have to repatriate a body home and it took ages and ages and the distress the poor family were going through was heartbreaking.

dannychampionoftheworld · 22/04/2014 17:51

Please just get it, if only to make sure that your family won't have to sell their house should you get hit by a car.

Insurance can be a mug's game. If you can afford to replace it/pay for it, don't bother with insurance. I haven't bothered to insure my engagement ring because I can either buy another one or do without one. Unless you have a spare £100k you need insurance.

HPparent · 22/04/2014 17:45

Wigglesrock - so sorry.

I was going to say that I took out insurance for a day trip dd2 and I took to France just for the peace if mind. Hours after arriving home, I had to go to a & e with a gynae problem - if that had happened there without insurance..doesn't bear thinking about.

I am half Dutch and they do like to dot the i's and cross the t's - it would be a bureaucratic nightmare apart from anything else to have to use the healthcare system without insurance.

wigglesrock · 22/04/2014 17:34

Having spent 2 weeks earlier this year organising the repatriation of a body of a relative who died as the result of a road accident while on a 2 day break within the EU who went without insurance, YABVU to travel without insurance.

My relative didn't think he was going to die, sure he was only away for 48 hours - the added grief & worry that the cost of getting the body home was heartbreaking.

SnookyPooky · 22/04/2014 16:59

When I was a rep I met many people who did not have travel insurance, only the EHIC. It is an extremely stupid thing to do.

niceguy2 · 22/04/2014 16:55

It's about a tenner for a family of four if you search around Google.

With that in mind it's a bit of a no brainer really. As others have said the Dutch pay for treatment and claim back on the insurance and even with a EHIC card you'd have to pay.

£10.......JFDI

SolomanDaisy · 22/04/2014 16:54

That should say Dutch residents are legally required to have health insurance.

SolomanDaisy · 22/04/2014 16:53

The EHIC entitles you to emergency treatment of the same type that would be received by residents. Dutch residents are legally required to have travel insurance. If you don't have it you will have to pay for treatment.

My DH has been repatriated through medical insurance, bloody glad we didn't have to pay for that.

AnotherFurry · 22/04/2014 16:48

First check that you don't have insurance with any of your bank accounts as they are frequently bundled up with them by default.

Second even though it is in the EU you are taking a massive risk not having travel insurance. If anything happened how would you fund it, do you have family that would pay thousands and thousands to fly you home or fly people to be with you or to fund any extra treatment?

Really it isn't worth taking the risk as you can get it fairly cheap by shopping around.

Taffeta · 22/04/2014 16:46

I would spend the holiday worrying. It's worth a tenner just to rid yourself of that.

Trazzletoes - shame on BA.

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specialsubject · 22/04/2014 16:46

thrillseekerbunny Edinburgh is currently within the reach of the NHS, and any transfers/repatriation would be covered, so the fact that Lille is no further is not really relevant.

and yes, some EU countries are not as nice as us and expect you to speak the local language to be treated, or to pay for someone who does.

Amateurish · 22/04/2014 16:45

YANBU

The EHIC will get you the same level of cover as the locals. If you have to make any payments, you should be able to claim these back from the Overseas Healthcare Team at the DWP.

GreatSoprendo · 22/04/2014 16:39

I always get it, less worried about falling ill as I always have an E111, but you might need to cancel for some reason, or lose your luggage, be robbed etc etc. it's so cheap these days, I wouldn't consider travelling without it

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