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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why people don't buy travel insurance?

622 replies

EveningHare · 09/04/2018 07:05

If you can afford a holiday then you should not look at travel insurance as an optional extra

It's vital that you have it, anything could happen and if you don't have lots of money in the bank, how would you pay for it? Go fund me?

OP posts:
larry55 · 09/04/2018 09:58

We have always taken out travel insurance and also had extra cover for our car on top of third party, fire and theft that most car insurers cover you abroad if you have fully comp at home.

One year we had two burst tires (one burst and then dh in regaining control hit the kerb and burst the other one). This was on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of rural France. The insurance co. arranged for the car to be recovered, a hotel was booked for 2 nights and we had a taxi journey that cost 300 euros each way. We sat in the taxi watching the meter go round and stopped at a cash point to get extra money out only to be told when we got to the hotel that it was covered!

Dogsrbarking · 09/04/2018 10:03

All is well. Don't judge. It won't affect you if someone needs insurance and doesn't have it. It's their mistake to get over

I know someone who went on holiday with their mum. She had a stroke and was unconscious. They had no idea if she had travel insurance. It funnily enough did effect them as they had to pay for her treatment(!)

NowToWork · 09/04/2018 10:06

Sprinkle unknown my parents are finding insurance harder but they have pre-existing conditions.

I meant the typical young healthy person setting out across Europe by coach.

Dogsrbarking · 09/04/2018 10:06

Or affect even Blush

On a side note, due to above remember to take paper copy/those credit card things so if you are unconscious/dead that travel insurance can be easily traced.

NowToWork · 09/04/2018 10:06

That should read I know not unknown!

SaucyJane · 09/04/2018 10:07

My SIL had her drink spiked in America and ended up in the ER. Without insurance it would have cost them thousands.

NowToWork · 09/04/2018 10:08

Dogsbarking it's the happy thoughts like those that mean some folk ignore the whole issue maybe!!

VQ1970 · 09/04/2018 10:09

We've been travelling to America regularly since the very early 90s so travel insurance has become ingrained in us and we wouldn't consider holidaying without it. Up until the last three years, we've always done annual insurance. We live in the Channel Islands so the insurance covered us for our many trips to the UK or France (high possibility of cancellations etc). I had to claim years ago for visiting a walk in medical centre in the USA for an unexpected infection. I was perfectly well before we went.

Nearly three years ago my husband become ill with various diabetes related illnesses which resulted in amputation. At the time, we had a cruise booked which we had to cancel because he was in hospital. Both of our insurers refunded everything apart from the excess which was £100 for him and £50 for me.

I still have annual insurance, it costs me £68 a year. My husband can't get annual and we did a cruise last year so his single trip insurance for that holiday was £850 due to existing conditions. We paid it because we wanted to go on holiday and wouldn't consider going without insurance. If we want to go America, he has been quoted between £2,500 and £3,500 for insurance for a single trip.

Posters saying it's only a couple of quid - in some cases it's not. But having said that, we wouldn't consider travelling without. Even before his illnesses, we wouldn't consider travelling without it. We are desperate to go to America again, it's where we like to holiday and have travelled all over the States but if we do, we have to decide if we're willing to pay thousands of pounds in insurance for him.

Or I go on my own........ Grin

Shockaholic · 09/04/2018 10:12

Question on this - we're going on a family holiday soon,within Europe, for 10 days. I will be just 12 weeks pregnant then,does this count as a pre existing medical condition if I were to take out family travel insurance now? And would it increase the price of insurance much? I think we may have travel insurance, for myself and DH at least, as an optional extra on work health insurance policy, but I must double check this and see what it covers.

schnubbins · 09/04/2018 10:13

Sprinkles as stated in my previous post my mom fractured her wrist two years ago while on holidays in Chicago.The bill for pins and plate as a day case came to$40,000.I know from living there that you can calculate all bills to be 100% more expensive in the EU .15 yrs ago a CTScan for my son cost 800 Euros here in DE. 6 months later when we were expats in S.F the CTScan cost $8000.Wouldnt like to know what it costs now.

crunchymint · 09/04/2018 10:13

I always buy travel insurance. But no it is not simply about £20 for many people. For some insurance can be nearly as much as the holiday.

ginghamstarfish · 09/04/2018 10:14

I wonder how many foreign visitors take out medical insurance when visiting the UK? I think - and will probably get flamed for this - that our dear old NHS should be much stricter with regard to non-residents and the bills they incur, just as other countries do. Shouldn't think insurance is so important when you know your host country will not query insurance, and it's taxpayers will pick up the bill.

NowToWork · 09/04/2018 10:16

Crunchy I should have directed my post about cost to the specific poster. I know insurance can get pricy.

Dogsrbarking · 09/04/2018 10:17

shokaholic check your insurance policy but I would expect you'll need to declare it. I travelled to Europe at 12 weeks and took out insurance for that single trip and recall having to tick a box asking if I was pregnant and they wanted to know if there had been any issues with the pregnancy or my health etc

Sprinklesinmyelbow · 09/04/2018 10:18

I don’t know about that starfish. When DH was treated in NY they sent an invoice to our U.K. address (only £70 as I say) and it said at the bottom of the headed paper please note we do not chase debt outside of the US

A couple of years before that he had the same problem whilst on holiday in rural Italy. The treatment was awfully awfully confusing because no one spoke any English and our Italian was very limited. We simple walked out, after trying very unsuccessfully for hours to ask for the bill and show our EU health cards. I’m sure it happens the work over, not just to the NHS

Sprinklesinmyelbow · 09/04/2018 10:20

(The nhs bill non U.K. residents too btw)

Myusernameisunique · 09/04/2018 10:20

I don't understand it either really. I just insured my whole family (me, DH and 2 DDs) for our 1 week holiday and it cost under £10 all in. It's such a tiny expense in the grand scheme of things!

claraschu · 09/04/2018 10:21

I figure that insurance is a game the insurance companies are winning. If they weren't winning, they wouldn't be playing.

I think over a life time of not buying insurance, I am statistically more likely than they are to win the game.

I am willing to gamble with things like phones, pets, flight cancellations, dishwashers, etc, because I am lucky enough to have enough money in the bank to cover even an expensive health crisis with a pet or a flight.

I am not completely reckless; I do have US health insurance...

Tartsamazeballs · 09/04/2018 10:22

Its an absolute must for my family. My husband seems to think it's not a proper holiday without a trip to A&E and my daughter seems to be following suite 🤦 I can't count the number of times I've had to claim 🙄

Ohyesiam · 09/04/2018 10:22

To save money, can’t think of any other reason.

musicposy · 09/04/2018 10:22

For all the people saying it's not a small cost, you obviously are in good health with no chronic conditions.

I went on a day trip to France last year costing £28 each way on the eurotunnel. Insurance for the day - well, almost no one would insure me - and those that would wanted over £300. For a day trip to Calais. I took the risk as it was only a day - stupid, but otherwise I'd have not been going at all.

I haven't been abroad on a long holiday for 10 years for this reason. But for those saying it's a small cost, it maybe for you but when people are quoted £1000+ for a week away, you can see why they might be stupid enough to risk it.

BarbaraofSevillle · 09/04/2018 10:28

But it's rarely the people with poor health or chronic conditions who are travelling without insurance.

It's generally either naive young people or otherwise healthy families like the example last week where the DC had chicken pox or a vomiting bug and in the 'would you risk it' post, the OP divulged that they didn't have any travel insurance for their Easter AI holiday in the sun that had cost several thousand pounds, because they just hadn't bothered.

JamieVardysHavingAParty · 09/04/2018 10:34

I’ve told my family to refuse my body if I die. I don’t give a crap what happens to it, they ain’t getting into financial debt for a funeral and I’m not contributing to it while I’m alive.

Lots of people say this about their own future death. I'm not sure their grieving families ever follow through on the plan.

Personally, I think it's all very well to assure yourself that you've told the family not to pay for it, but the reality is that your grieving family almost certainly will. They perhaps think they will follow your wishes, but in the aftermath of bereavement, as opposed to the mere contemplation of it, it becomes incredibly important to say goodbye.

In terms of your wishes being followed, the 'best case' scenario might be a Public Health Funeral conducted by the local council after your family refused to pay, but the council are legally entitled to pursue the family for the costs afterwards.

crunchymint · 09/04/2018 10:35

My parents with multiple health problems risked it. I did not know until my mum was admitted to hospital the day before they were due to fly out. They lost the cost of their holiday, but it could have been much worse.

WeaselsRising · 09/04/2018 10:35

Oh goody. Another thread full of posters assuming that their experience is universal. Travel insurance for many people isn't just £20. For a week in the US ours is £430. We aren't stupid and will pay that but when we go to Europe or within the uk we just use the free cover from our bank which excludes our existing conditions, or we wouldnt go anywhere.

I do despair of people who fly long haul without insurance, but it isn't cut and dried for everyone. Just because something is a minimal cost for you don't assume it is the same for everyone else.