To think we don't need insurance!

[Charlieboo30]

DP and I are looking at booking a cottage through hoseasons for next august. It will just be the two of us and the cottage we like is in North Wales (about 3 hours from home).

There is an option to book insurance which I'm not sure about. Covers personal liability (if you break anything), motor breakdown and medical. We are already with the AA on their most comprehensive package so would bring us home and I can't see we need the medical if it's in the UK (they do offer European holidays so wonder if that part is aimed at them.)

Whenever I've holidayed in the UK before I've never bothered with insurance so not sure what to do! DP says not to bother. It's an extra £40 which doesn't sound a lot but it's already expensive enough being in the school hols!

What do others think?

Insurance is really expensive.

Until you need it.

When it turns out to be really really cheap.

I wouldn't bother personally when staying in the UK.

Does it cover cancellation? You will probably be liable to pay in full for the cottage if you cancel after a certain date. Depends if you want to risk it I guess.

£40 is astronomical for UK insurance, you should be able to get some for about £6.

Go through the MSE account to get the best deals.

YABU- always always take insurance.

Check if you've got it through house insurance etc or bank already

I probably wouldn't bother but it depends if you're happy to lose the cost of holiday if one of you gets very ill. Plus what are you liable for with hoseasons?

I would still take insurance.

Where would you or your partner stay if the worse did happen.

I would only ever get insurance if I couldn't afford the cost of whatever the insurance was covering. As you're in the UK, I wouldn't bother. The only exception to this is if is a really important holiday and the insurance covers cancellation in case e.g. one of your DC gets chicken pox or something.

40 is mad for a UK holiday! you only really need it for cancellation not for any other reason.

i have never bothered insuring a uk holiday, although if it was a lot of money, i might scan the internet and take out a cheapy cancellation policy.

the normal reason for travel insurance is the possibility of big medical costs; not an issue for UK residents staying within the UK.

the only thing you aren't covered for is cancellation - but you should be able to get that cheaper. NEVER buy travel insurance through travel companies!

The only reason to take it (and agree, it would be a few quid for the uk, £40 is a massive rip off) would be if one of you was so ill you couldn't have the holiday and you lost the cost.

+1 for insuring for the risks I can't afford. So yes yes YES for medical cover abroad. Big fat no for cancelation cover for a UK holiday cottage.

If this holiday was anywhere other than the UK I would have said you were a fool not to get it. As it is in the UK no YANBU as the usual risks aren't applicable.

Are you sure you haven't already got travel insurance through your bank?
If not, an annual policy is much cheaper.

I booked it for a center parcs break - it was £13.

Unfortunately my nan passed away just over a week before we were due to go and there was 8 of us going including my mum. We cancelled and obviously although it wasn't a priority it was nice to know we got £1,000 back for our break.

sorry for that, bubalou.

OP - note this story. If someone gets ill, or worse, and you can't go then can you afford to lose the money?

can you afford to lose the money for the holiday if one of you is ill and you can't go?
can you afford the expense of staying locally after the end of the holiday if one of you is taken ill while away?
£40 is nothing for peace of mind IMO

I wouldn't bother in the UK.

Find it somewhere else and make sure it covers cancellations.

As others have said, £40 is mad.

Thanks for everyone's replies! We have done some research and 'protect your bubble' seems to be the best for us. £11 for both of us which covers us up to £2000 if we have to cancel the holiday. Think we will go with that.

I assume I need to buy it before I book the holiday?

I got some through John Lewis for £7 for our recent break. Which covered 3 of us. I never used to get holiday insurance in the UK but a few years ago I went to the Isle of scilly. We were due to fly from land's end on the sat but it was too foggy. They don't fly on a Sunday so we had to find alternative accommodation for 2 nights at the last minute leaving us £100 out of pocket not to mention the additional food costs as we HD to book a b&b when we were staying in a cottage. Not the end of the world, but for the cost of holiday insurance I could have got that back

You only need insurance for something if you couldn't afford to pay out if the worst did happen.

What is the point of paying for travel insurance for UK holidays? As you said yourself, you already have cover from AA (a form of insurance) and the NHS (another form of insurance, in a way).

I just don't get what are these terrible events that people are telling you to insure against. Say your DP broke his leg and had to go to hospital. You wouldn't stay on in the locality for weeks afterwards would you? Bonkers.