Click to get a quoteCall us on 0800 170 7704

Why travelling with insurance is a good idea

Travelling with insurance has always been a wise thing to do. Although it’s never been the most exciting item on our holiday kit list, (among the sights we’ll see and foods we’ll taste). Travelling with insurance is important.

Although, COVID and travel restrictions no longer stop us from exploring, taking out suitable travel insurance for a holiday should still be first on our kit list. We might not anticipate becoming ill, before or during a trip. Neither will we consider the other things that could go wrong while away. A holiday’s supposed to be a way to escape any challenges at home after all!

However, while mishaps are unlikely, the consequences of our holiday plans taking a turn for the worse can still be serious. Plus, if you’ve recently booked a trip to a destination on your bucket list, it’ll be an expensive experience to lose.

Are you aware of how a travel insurance policy works, what it covers, and its benefits? At Free Spirit, we’ve always believed that travel insurance should be an important part of our holiday preparation. There are many reasons why travel insurance is a good idea – we’ll explain all…

 

Travel insurance costs vs the price of being uninsured

It can be tempting to think about saving money on travel insurance costs by not declaring all relevant health conditions. As a result, you may receive a cheaper quote. Yet, saving money on a travel insurance policy (which covers your unique health needs), can cost you much more. If you don’t declare a medical condition your claim could be refused and all costs associated with that claim will fall to you.

Healthcare is not free in many parts of the world – its steadily increased since the pandemic. So, if you need to access medical care, particularly in an emergency, you’ll soon discover that healthcare is expensive.

The table below illustrates how costly some medical travel insurance claims can be:

What happened and where?What treatment and/or extra measures were needed?What was the cost?
A stroke while on holiday in the USATreatment in hospital and an air ambulance back to the UK£760,000
A stomach bug while on holiday in the USATreatment in hospital and return flights back to the UK £100,000
A moped accident in GreeceSurgery and repatriation back to the UK£30,000
A fall in Spain causing a broken hipHospital treatment and flights back to the UK£15,000

Sources: The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Finder.com.

Thankfully, claims this large are rare. Although, figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) released in April 2023 highlighted how much financial difficulty you can get yourself into if you’re travelling without a suitable insurance policy.

  • First, a ballpoint figure for most claims for medical expenses is around £700. (In 2022, the average medical claim was £1,750 and higher for people 70 years and older).
  • Complex treatments or incidents which need repatriation to the UK cost more than £211,000. Today, that’s the average price of buying a house.

The ABI’s data also shared examples of different claims insurers have paid:

  • One fall down a waterfall in Thailand holiday was a nightmare. However, their insurance covered the £300,000 medical bill.
  • A payment of £92,000 was provided after someone suffered a heart attack during a Caribbean cruise.

On balance, less serious incidents can make even the most affluent travellers shudder:

  • Online travel magazine, Wanderlust, shared an incident where the medical costs for a broken arm in Spain costed £11,000.
  • In a Californian hospital, the cost to treat a stomach infection (including flights home) was £100,000.

Here lays the importance of taking out a suitable travel insurance. Unexpected financial burdens can and do occur. Don’t cut back on travel insurance.

It may be easy to forget that the cost of having a medical issue while overseas can have a knock-on effect, not directly linked to the treatment itself. For instance, a prolonged stay in the hospital may mean that you can’t return home as planned. This will lead to alternative travel required, such as expensive last-minute flights.

Aside from cover for treatment and repatriation expenses, travel insurance is there to ensure you receive the care you need. Regardless of how much a claim may cost, the most important consideration (while you’re on holiday), is your health. So, a good travel insurance provider should be on hand with help and advice any time of the day or night. This is one of many benefits of having travel insurance. There will be someone to assist you when you need medical help.

Subscription added successfully!
Error: Subscription could not be added.

Travel insurance is important to have before your trip

Reap all the benefits of taking a travel insurance policy before your trip. Then immediately buy it after you’ve made the final financial commitment for your trip.

travelling with insurance

Protect Expensive Trips and Holidays

This summer, despite the cost of living, travellers spent even more on their holidays than usual. Revenge travel had begun! However, they were also wise. Many were keen to protect their dream holidays and bucket list adventures they’d invested in. In fact, 73% of travellers, were more/or equally concerned about safeguarding their holiday’s costs – in contrast to previous years.

Think about it – you might be fit to travel when booking a holiday, a year in advance. However, there may be unknown circumstances that may arise in the months that lead up to your trip. For instance, you may need medical treatment when you planned to be on your holiday. Or, a member of your travelling party may need emergency medical help on the day of your trip.

In a recent survey by Squaremouth.com 68% of travellers stated their biggest reason for buying travel insurance was a concern for becoming ill or injured while away. Next came, concerns over trip cancellation, travel delays and missing connecting flights.

Even if you’re thinking of booking a last-minute trip when everyone’s happy and well – always buy travel insurance ASAYB. Protect that luxury trip.

asayb acronym

Being uninsured for emergency medical insurance can have serious consequences

In rare cases, the consequences of travelling without travel insurance can go beyond financial risk. For example, you may find yourself in a situation you could never have imagined. Our team remembers a case of an elderly lady who fell ill while holidaying in Spain…

Before her trip, she contacted us for a travel insurance quote. Yet, she hadn’t taken out the policy. A Spanish hospital treated her. However, they couldn’t find any evidence of travel insurance. Which lead to her passport being taken until the treatment was paid. Later, the staff at her care home contacted us after finding her quote paperwork but sadly, without a policy in place, there was nothing we could do. We could only refer her carers to the British Embassy.

This is a reminder of how important it is to ensure your medical travel insurance policy is in place – before you set off. Now Coronavirus is present we need to travel safely. We can do so by having emergency medical insurance in place in the event that we need it. If an insurance policy includes Coronavirus Cover that’s even better!

What cover is available under a Free Spirit policy in relation to Coronavirus?

  • Cover if it’s necessary and unavoidable to cancel your trip because you test positive for Coronavirus, within 14 days of your departure date.
  • If you catch Coronavirus on holiday and you’re admitted to hospital after testing positive there’s curtailment cover.
  • Plus there’s cover for Emergency Medical expenses if you contract Coronavirus abroad.

The price of Coronavirus Travel Insurance

You may have noticed that travel insurance has gone up in price.  Premiums are reviewed every year. Yet, a contributing factor to the increase is due to the pandemic. Subsequently, insurers have received and paid high volumes of claims throughout this period.

The factors that can cause an increase in premium include:

  • Your age
  • Any changes in health
  • An increase in medical costs abroad
  • The number of claims made to the insurer
  • Coronavirus

travelling with insurance that includes covid cover

 

Friends and family are included on a travel insurance policy

We can cover your entire travelling party on your specialist travel insurance policy. Even if they do not have existing health conditions or disabilities! With cover for the whole party, you’ll all benefit from the protection of our travel insurance. These include emergency medical, repatriation cover, and personal accident cover.

Crucially, if you need to cancel the trip due for any reason, the whole party will be covered for money already spent on travel plans, such as accommodation and flights*. This is might not be the case if everyone is insured on different policies. So, purchasing one Free Spirit policy will cover everyone. Just pick a level of cover that is most suitable for your trip.

 

Take Free Spirit Travel Insurance on holiday

Overall, travelling with insurance on holiday should give everyone the confidence to travel. We hope you’ll have a great holiday without any challenges. However, if you need help, a Free Spirit travel insurance policy could be the best item you added to your holiday kit list.

If you’ve any questions about a Free Spirit Policy, what it covers and its benefits in more detail contact our knowledgeable, friendly team.

 

Subscription added successfully!
Error: Subscription could not be added.

Stay in touch

Our newsletter gives you the freedom to travel with confidence. Tips, hints and guides – along with the occasional special offer – straight into your inbox. Sign up today!