Don’t forget your toothbrush and don’t forget your travel insurance, if heading abroad. Nearly one-in-five holidaymakers (19%) admit to having accidentally forgotten to buy travel insurance, at some time in the past, with this rising to almost a quarter of men (24.4%).
These are the findings of a consumer research survey, conducted for Europesure Travel Insurance, a provider of comprehensive travel insurance products to residents of the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco and Gibraltar. It says the result of this forgetfulness can be a huge bill, should you fall ill and need medical attention abroad.
Europesure also highlights how medical costs in foreign countries can be astronomical, especially as much care in some destinations is provided through private hospitals. You might have no choice but to be taken to one of these.
Even if you travel with a European Health Insurance Card, this will only entitle you to the same level of care provided to residents of the country you are in, within participating European countries. You pay what they pay effectively. But, the card again only helps you out if you are in a state facility, not a private one. Similarly, if you are an expat, and return to the UK, you cannot expect to receive the free treatment on the NHS, that you previously enjoyed, if you are permanently based overseas.
If you are travelling to a country notoriously expensive when it comes to medical costs, such as the USA or Canada, the cost of any treatment could be eye-watering. A ski injury, such as a cruciate ligament injury, which required ACL reconstruction surgery, could easily lead to a bill of 17,000 Canadian dollars (over €11,500), just for the procedure. Add a stay in hospital on to that, and all the care provided there, and the figures soon mount up.
Then, if you needed an air ambulance, special flight arrangement or road ambulance to get you home, you would have to try to arrange this and pay for the immense cost of it. Unless you have a lot of savings, that could prove very tough to finance. You might even need this sort of medical transportation if you are just returning to the UK from a permanent home abroad and experience a medical issue.
Of course, travel insurance offers you much more than this. You get the assistance of experts who can communicate in the same language as your medical team. You also have access to cancellation cover, if you cannot travel, plus curtailment protection, if plans are cut short. Baggage, money, passport and gadgets can all be covered and you will get liability protection, in case you injure a third party or damage their property whilst on your travels.
The message from Europesure Travel Insurance (europesuretravelinsurance.com) is that the worst thing you can do is forget to buy a policy. It’s bad enough to trust things to fate but even worse if you come unstuck simply because you forget to buy a policy.
Europesure’s sales and marketing director, Paul O’Sullivan, says, “When it comes to travel insurance purchase, it should be a case of forget me not. It’s far too risky to trust things to fate and even worse if you intended to protect yourself, simply forgot to do so and come unstuck.
“The best way to remember to buy travel insurance is to purchase a policy when you book the holiday. It’s also the way you get the very best protection from a policy, as your cancellation cover kicks in from the day of purchase, if you buy single trip protection, or the date you start the cover, if it’s an annual policy. If you leave things until last minute, you risk having to absorb any losses that result from cancellation and also increase the chances of forgetting to buy a policy, because of all the other things you have to think about when going away.”
Europesure offers holidaymakers affordable and comprehensive travel insurance policies that have wide scope, in terms of their policy wording and which are very flexible with regard to pre-existing medical conditions and sporting activities’ cover. The policies are backed by Lloyds of London, offering more security than some competitor products.
Head to www.europesuretravelinsurance.com to buy your travel insurance before you forget. Single trip, annual multi-trip and host of optional add-on options are provided and you can also delete any elements you don’t want. Whatever tier of cover you decide to buy from the three levels available you will at least not be amongst the one-in-five who accidentally forget to buy this vital protection.
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