AA Director of Policy Conor Faughnan says travelling without insurance is 'insanity'. “The risk that people are running is extraordinary. Have an accident or a brush with illness, and you could be remortgaging your house to cover the bills.”
The survey revealed that one in five respondents have experienced ill health or injury abroad at least once in their lives.
Young people under 25 years old are more likely to do without Travel Insurance (28 percent had none) whereas those over 65 years are the most prudent, yet even among this group 11.5 percent had no insurance cover when last they were abroad.
“It is a major gamble to travel without insurance, and doubly and trebly so if you are going to America,” says Faughnan. “If people were aware of the risks that they are taking, in some cases risking financial ruin for a family, they simply would not risk it. For instance, an air ambulance from US could cost you 150 times the cost of your flight home.”
Even getting off the slopes can cost more than the holiday itself with the charge for mountainside rescue and transport costing around €12,000 in the Alps. The cost of treatment varies dramatically depending on the extent of the injury and the particular destination. For example, a broken leg in Europe can cost up to €5,000 to repair in contrast with €12,000 in the US.
Below is a breakdown of the most common travel insurance claims reported.
1 night stay on a Spanish hospital ward €660
1 night stay on a Spanish ICU €1,300-€1,600
1 night stay on an ICU in USA €5,500 upwards
Angiogram in USA €16,500-€22,000
Air Ambulance from Spain to Ireland €22,000/Canaries €27,500
Air Ambulance from USA to Ireland €66,000-€77,000
Air Ambulance from Mexico to Ireland €82,500-€110,300
