“Most at risk are younger travellers as almost half (48%) holiday abroad without taking insurance.Almost half of Brits (47%) mistakenly believe it would cost £5,000 or less to treat a broken leg in the USA despite the actual figure being more than eight times than that, costing approximately £40,000. This lack of awareness of the true costs of medical treatment may be to blame for the alarmingly high numbers travelling uninsured.”

(Source ABTA )

“A traveller in Spain was forced to pay £20,000 in treatment costs after developing an infection and suffering bleeding on the brain. The traveller required treatment in two different Spanish hospitals and an air ambulance flight from Spain to the UK.

Another holidaymaker in Spain forked out £11,000 after breaking their arm in an accident abroad.

An American travel agent suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident in Mexico. She was effectively held for ransom at a local hospital until she agreed to wire a bank transfer, which was then halted by the bank as soon as she had landed back in the USA.”

(Source Accident Advice Helpline )

REPATRIATION

Repatriation occurs if it is deemed that it would be best for you, medically, returning back to the UK for treatment, should you become ill or injured whilst abroad.

For most people travelling abroad, this is not an issue, but circumstances can arise, which cannot be predicted or prevented and consequently repatriation is the best recourse, which is where travel insurance proves itself essential.

Repatriation can be quite expensive, so if you do not have adequate travel insurance you may well be stranded in a foreign country with your illness and dwindling funds.

“A British couple was stranded in Spain after giving birth to her daughter 13 weeks before her due date. The new-born baby suffered several serious complications as a result being born prematurely and required thousands of pounds worth of treatment. The couple appealed for donations through the UK press to help fund an air ambulance back to the UK for their daughter.

A British traveller was forced to pay more than $50,000 in fees after falling ill in America; he underwent treatment before being flown back to the UK with a doctor as an escort.”

(Source Accident Advice Helpline )

PERSONAL POSSESSIONS

While you are travelling the continents, you carry with you all that you will need for your journey, your personal possessions, just imagine if your bags were stolen and you were left with just the clothes and sundry items you had on you, how much would it cost to replace even a few clothes?

Without a travel insurance policy the cost would have to come from your pocket, monies that were earmarked for fun and frolics.

With travel insurance, under the personal possessions section, there is provision to claim the cost of these items back.

“A Third of UK Tourists Suffer with Items Stolen on Holiday

A recent study conducted by luxury travel company, eShores, shows that a third of UK tourists have had their belongings stolen while on holiday.”

(Source The Exeter Daily )

HAZARDOUS SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

When you travel around the globe it is very tempting, to indulge in some hazardous sports and activities:

• Bungie jumping in New Zealand.
• Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.
• Camel riding the outback.
• Paragliding in the Alps (to name a few).

Some of which have an increased risk of danger to them, so it is very important to check that you are insured with adequate travel insurance to cover these activities and sports.

Normally you would be covered under the basic policy for a certain amount of sports/activities etc. but the riskier the sport the more likely it will not be covered under the basic policy, so check to see if there is provision to increase the cover to include the activities you have planned.

“FCO research released today has also found that 4 out of 5 (82%) young people admit to taking part in more adventurous behaviour on holiday – yet fewer than half (45%) check that their insurance covers risky pursuits.”

(Source ABTA )

PERSONAL LIABILITY

Legal liability covers you for accidental injury to third parties and/or accidental damage to their property, whilst you are on your holiday/trip.

This cover is applicable only in respect of liability under the law of the country in which the event giving rise to the claim occurred, or under the laws of the Republic of Ireland.

So if you were deemed responsible for damaging a person’s property (not deliberately or maliciously), to a sum of £10,000·00 and you were not covered with the correct travel insurance, then the money would have to come from you personally, whereas if you were covered the Personal Liability section of the policy would pay for it.

You are on holiday and through your actions somebody is injured and you are held responsible for the accident; they awarded damages as a result, of £15,000·00. You would have to pay the compensation out of your own funds if you are not covered by an adequate amount of travel insurance.

You may also be interested in:

• Single Trip Travel Insurance
• Annual Multi–Trip Travel Insurance
• Backpacker–Gap Year–Long Stay Travel Insurance
• Wintersports Travel Insurance
• Winter-Sun Holiday Destinations