Over A Million Travelling Without Insurance

by: Catherine White

Many of us dream about that perfect holiday or that quick getaway and when the time finally arrives to pack everything up and fly off, many want their paradise vacation to run as smoothly as the cocktail in their hand.

However, it has been revealed by a travel insurance company that many of these holiday goers do not purchase travel cover, therefore quickly turning that well planed holiday into an expensive nightmare.

A survey showed that nearly 1.3 million Brits with pre-existing medical conditions travelled abroad without telling their travel insurers about their health conditions. This is a dangerous move, as it could not only endanger a traveller’s finances, but could also jeopardise any future claims.

“Withholding key information such as any medical conditions could, however, mean your cover may be invalidated and in the worst of cases, this could mean facing large hospital bills or arranging your own repatriation,” said Sam Marrs, a travel insurance manager.

Insurance as important as the suitcase

The insurance company revealed that over the past year, an estimated 206,000 individuals concealed the fact that they had respiratory problems, 149,000 cancer sufferers also hid their health issues and 267,000 people with heart problems travelled without telling their travel insurance firm about their condition.

Marrs pointed out that honesty is always the best policy: “It's important to be honest with your insurer and provide all the information they ask for. It's simply not worth taking the risk and travelling with potentially invalid cover or no cover at all.”

Another alarming figure displayed that 500,000 people with medical problems went overseas in the past year with no travel insurance cover at all.

Factors influencing medical concealment

The study found that 19% of holiday makers said they left out information on their travel policies because they believed they would get the cover cheaper, compared to if they were honest.

Therefore, it was found that fear and cost were the two main factors as to why people did not tell their insurer about their medical issues.

A further 15% said they were worried that they would be refused cover altogether if they had told the truth and noted their health problems.

Marrs pointed out that whilst a travel insurer will set a slightly higher premium once they have found out a client’s health history, they still provide cover for most medical conditions.

She stated why travel cover was so vital: “The purpose of travel insurance is to ensure that if a disaster does strike, you'll receive the necessary care and support.”

Marrs furthered: “It's a fiercely competitive market so if you have a common medical condition there's a good chance you'll find an insurer to cover you for a fair and competitive premium.”

Insurers have reminded the public that travel cover should be top of the holiday check list, as it provides financial compensation for delays, picks up the cost if a holidaymaker needs an emergency flight home, covers medical costs and lastly, could pay for damages caused to a property.

Mike Pickard, head of travel insurance said: “accidents do happen and huge medical bills can easily rack up. It's crucial to ensure you're fully covered with quality insurance.”


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