Why would you take you family on holiday without travel insurance?!

[IsitaHatOrACat]

AIBU to think that this is part of the cost of the holiday.

Yet again there's a family raising funds to pay for medical care abroad. This time for a 15 year old old. This must be a terribly distressing situation to be in however why take the risk?

totally don’t get it ! We just have a yearly one always on the go and then never have to think about it !

we were recently in Asia when our toddler and baby and ended up in hospital 3 times with the kids - high temperatures we couldn’t get down, my daughter had a really bad bacterial infection and we needed various medicines

I got an infected mosquito bite so was in a medical centre

Even little things like that added up to around 600£ and we have gotten it all back!

I really think you shouldn't be able to book a holiday without it.

Insurance must have been such a tiny amount compared to the rest of the original trip costs.

@Schoolchoicesucks fair enough, I didn't see the article just that paragliding was involved . Also people forget GHIC does not apply to non EEA counties like Turkey and only covers limited healthcare costs, not all ongoing treatment.

To cruise (with P and O at least) you have to provide details of your insurance provider before you are allowed to board. They also provide very clear guidance on what level of cover is needed.

I just add a yearly policy onto my medical insurance and renew it each year. No need to add any pre-existing conditions. It cost I believe less than 150euro for the year for the whole family for worldwide policy. I wouldn't rest easy without it

If you book a package or flights direct with an airline you will normally be prompted, but not necessarily if you book independently.

I thought the same thing too although I clicked on the article to see if it was the same place in Turkey I went paragliding. However I am sure they know they have been stupid and they cant go back in time so getting it plastered in the press is a good way to promote the gofundme even if they have to deal with thousands of strangers on the Internet calling them thick.

What happened to her was pure fluke and couldn’t have been predicted but that’s the point of travel insurance- you can’t predict what will happen so get insurance to cover that. £20 compared to £45k- I know what I would pick!

I know! It's ridiculous. Have seen a number of Go Fund Me appeals for huge sums to cover medical expenses abroad.

Yanbu! Terrible situation for the family but why would you even consider going without insurance?

My Facebook is full of people trying to sell holidays because they can no longer travel due to ill health or bereavement or other reasons meaning they're set to.lose thousands. I sympathise but if they were insured they wouldn't be in that situation.

Totally agree. Our family's holiday insurance for a week in tenerife, next month is nearly £200(due to health conditions) but to re its £200 well spent. I'd not be able to relax pn holiday without it..Most people can get it for as little as £40 a week.

Because people are stupid.

Absolutely no chance we’d go away without it.

Quite expensive for me due to a couple of health issues. Extortionate for my dad (more than the holiday sometimes!) but still better than paying to be airlifted from a cruise ship and treated abroad.

Incredibly stupid of the parents to have no insurance and then to ask for donations.

They want 45k but I’m sure it only started at 7k.

There was another thread about holiday insurance recently. nice lady with cancer struggling to get reasonably priced insurance. People giving terrible advice and bragging that they never get insurance.

Here is the result of being that irresponsible.

Did they just not have the right cover for such activities, or did they actively not bother to buy any? It's only like 30 quid!

We don't get it for Europe as apart from repatriation anything that can't wait till you get home is covered by GHIC card. We don't ski so that's not an issue. In the last twenty years we'd have spent thousands on insurance we didn't need so no regrets there.

If we go long haul then we do get travel insurance, my experience of any insurance though is that they'll wriggle out of paying out any way they can so it really doesn't make me sleep better.

No I don’t travel without it.
When I went to the USA I paid for the top whack cover. I wasn’t bothered about personal belongings, but I wanted the best health care cover. A friend of mine had ended up in hospital in the USA and they were not even allowed on hospital grounds until they had shown their travel insurance documents. Even then, the hospital took a $1000 deposit from her credit card as a back up.

I'm another who gets frustrated by those who travel without insurance and then expect others to pick up their bills.

There is no transparency in these cases and people could raise significantly more than their actual costs..

In this case I would assume the girl could take a case against the paraglider who hit her - if he was with a paragliding school they should have insurance? Won't help with their immediate costs but may ensure reimbursement in the longer term.

I think my DP falls into this category. I don't get it at all but he has never purchased insurance for the holidays he has himself. The last one he went on I bought insurance for him. The family holiday I sorted it. He has seen the result of no insurance as his friend's family had to pay a lot of money to get his body transported home.

I think he just doesn't think anything will happen, thinks they won't pay out or understand the costs involved when they do - for example surgery etc. He is a successful person who is intelligent. But not about this. 🔔

tell them about every minor medical issue you saw a dr for in last 2 years

Too bloody right. Friends are currently dealing with an insurer refusing to pay because insurer says they weren’t told about an existing condition’

Never risk it. Just truly stupid to risk it.

Isn't there often travel insurance with bank accounts?

I wouldn't like to calculate the amount of money I've spent on various types of insurance over my 40+ adult years, most of which I've never claimed on. But I've paid it because the risk of the alternative without insurance was enough to justify it.
If you can't afford the travel insurance then you can't afford the holiday. And buy the insurance as soon as you book your holiday NOT just before you travel.

Just in case people don’t realise this, if you have travel insurance included with your bank account don’t assume that’s it you are covered - you still have to call the insurers (ideally as soon as you book your holiday but the last time I did it 3 days before we travelled!) and make them aware of any pre existing conditions, plus any illness or medical visit/treatment in the 6 months prior to booking, however minor.

Or you might not be covered.

we also have insurance with our bank. My little boy has eczema and suspected asthma, I have a clotting condition (antiphospholipid syndrome). Costs us £60 each a year to get these covered. DH has asthma. Costs £42 to get this covered.

They weren't doing the activity themselves. It was a freak accident and they were hit by someone else who was paragliding.