ABTA has today issued a travel insurance warning as they reveal that one in five holidaymakers are now going abroad without taking any out.
The travel association says 22 per cent of people now take a trip uninsured compared with 19 per cent last year. The worrying trend is being driven by younger travellers with over a third (35%) of 16-24 year olds and 36% of 25-34 year olds saying they didn’t take out insurance.
The reasons why not:
They think the Government will pay
One in five (19%) of 16-24 year olds and almost a quarter (23%) of 25-34 year olds think travel insurance is unnecessary as the UK Government will pay for their treatment if they fall ill overseas.
Fact: The FCO will provide consular assistance to sick and injured UK citizens but will never pay medical bills.
They rely on the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
A quarter (25%) of 16-24 year olds and 23% 25-34 year olds say they don’t need insurance in Europe when they have a European Health Insurance Card.
Fact: Although useful to have, EHIC cards have their limitations. They are only accepted in state not private hospitals. Standards in state hospitals can be lower than in the UK and not all state medical services throughout the European Union are provided free of charge. In addition, if an air ambulance back to the UK is required, the costs will run into thousands of pounds as this is not covered by the EHIC.
They don’t want to spend money on insurance
Three in ten (29%) of 16-24 year olds and 31% of 25-34 year olds say that cost is the principal reason they don’t take out travel insurance.
Fact: With comprehensive annual policies available for as little as £60 and the potential for medical costs to run into thousands of pounds, this is very much a false economy.
ABTA chief Mark Tanzer said: “It is a worrying trend that we are seeing an increase in the number of people travelling overseas uninsured. Younger travellers are driving this increase through a mixture of misunderstandings and a desire to save money. Comprehensive travel insurance is available for relatively small amounts and medical bills can quickly mount up to thousands of pounds, so travelling uninsured can prove to be a very costly mistake.”
Sher Houston from the Know Before You Go Team at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We want people to enjoy their holidays but our research shows young people are risking thousands of pounds in medical bills by travelling without an insurance policy that covers them for everything they want to do abroad – including the more risky activities they wouldn’t usually try at home.
“The FCO cannot pay medical bills if you are hospitalised abroad or fly you home. Take out a comprehensive insurance policy and check what it covers you for. It may be an added expense at the time but it’s a worthwhile investment if you compare it to what you could end up paying if something goes wrong on holiday”.
