Interesting article. Insurance is merely an assessment of risk and loss – which is exactly the process you have been through above – you’re v low risk and importantly, being aware of that, you know that should that low risk occur, you’ll take the loss. Sensible thinking and not irresponsible! The problems occur when people don’t balance the cost of insurance against potential massive costs of travel problems eg overseas medical bills or repatriation from abroad.

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I think many people need to value their belongings before opting for insurance. I know here, in the USA, many credit card companies will insure your baggage when you travel domestic or abroad up to a certain amount like $500 US. But if you are putting valuables like jewelry or a laptop in your check baggage then you may want to opt for insurance to cover your expensive goods. I wonder if the pre-selected check box has anything to do with the number being so low…

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Darren

Inverness to Leeds 600 miles
Calais to Leeds 500 miles

So you in Inverness, you fall break your hip and go to hospital. They wrap you in plaster and fix your legs in place and then discharge you after making sure you can not walk. They even make an appointment at Leeds the next day… How are you going to get there?

Your hotel room is broken into??

This is the reason that UK insurance is half the price of European insurance the medical bit is not included or limited. The rest of the cover is still needed.

For someone who travels a few times a year an annual insurance covering the UK is a good idea.

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hi,
is interesting the topic you put forward, in my country (Romania) i never take insurance when traveling, not even thought of it (maybe I should )

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At least for me, domestic trips including possessions outside the home, are covered by my household insurance.

Won’t cover hotels etc but then again, most travel insurance policies explicitly don’t cover domestic trips. At least the ones I’ve read the T&Cs for.

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Ever since I hurt my knee, I now take out travel insurance for my ski trips. Even if it is in the same country. Just makes sense!

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It’s the fear of the unknown that has people scrambling for overseas insurance and the fact that hey (probably) can’t speak the language.

At ‘home’ they know what to say, where to go, what to do and usually don’t have to cross a ridiculously large expanse of water to get back to HOME!

I’ve never had travel insurance during the UK, but as someone said, house insurance covers possessions, the NHS hospital – but if it was a really expensive holiday, I’d just make sure.

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I think you may have missed a few crucial points with the post. When you book a holiday you are entering into a legally binding contract. As a traveller you are obliged to take the holiday and likewise the accommodation provider (hotel, guest house, self-catering agency) are obliged to provide what you booked. So if you as the consumer cancel your holiday and the provider cannot re-sell the booking you will be obliged to fulfil your contract i.e. if you cancel your holiday you still have to pay for it.

Holiday establishments throughout the UK are increasingly relying on their bookings terms and conditions to ensure they do not lose money when people fall ill, have an accident and cancel their holidays.

Annual travel insurance policies will sometimes cover pre-booked UK accommodation of two nights or more against cancellation but you need to be aware of the policy excess. It’s more often a case that people buy UK specific holiday cancellation insurance cover to protect their UK holiday from both cancellation and curtailment.

Additionally, some of the more popular tourist destinations in the UK will now charge for ambulance transfers. So if for example you have an accident in Newquay and need an ambulance to get you home to Newcastle your UK insurance policy will also come up trumps.

Unfortunately, in conclusion, the reason people dont insure UK holidays is because they do not understand the risk and only think about medical emergencies and the NHS. A lot more can go wrong even before you leave home (cancellation) and whilst you are away (curtailment) which is why people should give insuring UK holidays a second thought.

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I’m surprise that the figure isn’t lower.

Because many bank accounts now offer family travel insurance as standard, with single trip upgrades available.

Ok, these are accounts that cost you a small monthly fee, so they aren’t basic accounts, still…….

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