"I think it's really important to make
sure people have adequate cover in place for any trip, purely
because of the cost involved if something does go wrong", says
Travel Insurance Expert Beth Macer from payingtoomuch.com.
A lot of people don't understand exactly how costly medical
treatment can be if they are not properly covered. A comprehensive
policy for medical expenses, covers not only the cost of the actual
treatment abroad, but also the cost of transportation to hospital -
be it in an ambulance or by airlift (helicopter) - in the event of
an emergency, it covers additional accommodation and travelling
expenses should you have to stay abroad longer than your booked
trip, and it also covers re-patriation should you need to be flown
home.
People don't seem to be aware of how much it can cost if they
are not covered, for example if you need to be flown home in an air
ambulance from somewhere like Spain, the cost of the air ambulance
alone can be £12-£16,000 - not including any treatment needed on
board.
The cost of just getting an ambulance out to you again (by road)
even before any treatment has been given can be between £500-£1000
- and a lot of places won't send one out or treat you if you cannot
prove that you have the means of paying for the treatment - so it's
really important to make sure you have a valid policy in place to
cover these eventualities, as a lot of people don't have easy
access to the sums of money needed if they are not covered by
insurance!
For more information just call our travel team on 01243 784000
or quote online at