Five Reasons You Should Never Skip Travel Insurance

What side of the fence do you fall on with travel insurance? Are you a buyer or a denier?

A lot of people are adamant that they just don’t see the point in travel insurance. And it’s true, the majority of holidaymakers never need to make a claim against it. We should be thankful for that.

And then there is an arguably even larger group of people who simply forget all about insurance when they head abroad. It’s not that they are dead set against it or anything. It’s just that, with looking up flight schedules and checking out accommodation options and getting everything ready to pack, it’s easy to forget to buy travel insurance. It’s not high on the priority list.

In 2019, the last summer season unaffected by COVID-19, nearly nine million Brits went abroad without travel insurance. And that was actually down on the 10 million who went on holiday without cover the year before.

The point about travel insurance is that you never realise how important it is until you have to make a claim against it. And then you thank all the lucky stars in the sky that you did decide to buy it after all. Because the financial implications of not having travel insurance in some situations are truly terrifying.

Here are some of the most compelling reasons that will hopefully convince you that buying travel cover is well worth it after all.

COVID complications

Yes, COVID-19 is still a thing. And depending on where you travel, you may well still be required to take a COVID test before you arrive. You might even have your temperature checked before you board a plane, or be screened for basic symptoms like coughing.

It would be dangerous to assume that COVID has gone away and it no longer carries any threat to your holiday. All it takes is one positive test just before you travel and your trip is cancelled. Whether your airline or accommodation provider will refund you is a flip of a coin, at least if you didn’t read your Ts and Cs when you booked.

If the coin falls the wrong side, you could be out of pocket. Unless you have taken out travel insurance with COVID cancellation cover. In which case, you will be able to claim back the cost of that flight and hotel you paid for but couldn’t use.

Medical care charges

If you fall ill or have an accident while abroad, as a foreign national you will have to pay for medical care in the majority of countries. You might not expect a doctor’s appointment and a prescription to ease a stomach complaint to cost much, but you could be looking at hundreds of pounds. For emergency hospital treatment, you could be looking at tens of thousands.

The most valuable part of any travel insurance policy is medical cover. Yes, anyone who falls ill enough or has an accident nasty enough to end up in hospital while abroad is unlucky. But it only has to happen once for you to end up with a bill you might not be able to pay. For the sake of a few pounds every trip, travel insurance always has your back.

Getting home in an emergency

If you suddenly need to get home at short notice, you could well end up having to fork out a small fortune booking the next available flight. A particular issue arises around the need to get home in the event of serious illness or following an accident – so-called repatriation costs can be eye watering. As with the cost of medical care, the only sure way to protect yourself is by taking out travel insurance.

Lost property and theft

We all know that losing your luggage is a risk when you travel. And now that more and more of us travel with high value items such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, the stakes involved for loss, damage or theft of our personal property when we travel are higher than ever. Again, whatever form of cover you have for your most valuable items probably won’t be valid abroad. And if you do lose an entire suitcase, travel insurance will pay out so you can replace your necessaries as quickly as possible.

Causing damage or injury

It isn’t just your own property and person you have to worry about when you travel – there is always the risk that you could do something to cause a mischief to someone else as well. If you are responsible for an accident which leads to someone’s property being damaged or an injury being sustained, you could be in line to pay out compensation, depending on the laws of that country. Travel insurance will cover any damages you have to pay, as well as any legal costs on top.