Travel insurance - a cautionary tale

You have to have a Nationwide Flex plus account which is £13 a month. Over 70 travel insurance isn’t free and all existing medical conditions must be declared and charged accordingly. Last year we went to USA for a wedding and a cruise and it was very reasonable compared to other quotes.

The Nationwide FlexPlus account costs £13 per month. The extra cost for travel insurance for being over 80 varies according to medical circumstances, but is still good value compared with other insurers.

He didn’t chose to travel without insurance he couldn’t get insured? That’s different, feel bad for him and his family, I think it’s great they can get some help and no one has to contribute. However, I have no time for people that just chose to save a few pounds and not get it out of choice!

This is such a divisive issue in many ways but in the end you have to be responsible for your own safety and have funds in place in case of any issues. I have crowdfunded friends and family but only for very specific purposes. My husband no longer travels abroad as insurance would cost over £1000 for just a week in Europe. His/our choice.

JdotJ

welbeck

no one is under any obligation to contribute to a crowdfunding appeal.
i don't understand some of the attitudes espoused here.
let's kick a man when he's down.
i wouldn't want to go there, wherever it is, but if going abroad equals holiday for him and partner, then he they took a calculated risk.
it was only 2 weeks.
might be the last foreign holiday he can manage.
leave him alone, if you don't want to help him.

What would your attitude be if said man, instead of being on holiday with no insurance cover, decided to drive a car while uninsured, because 'it might be the last time he could drive' but sadly crashed the car and killed one of your loved ones.
Oh well !
Let's not kick him while he's down.

Exactly welbeck We all need to weigh up the pros and cons when making decisions. If he didn't want to take out holiday insurance then perhaps he should have holidayed in the UK.

I occasionally donate online for a friend or acquaintance doing something for charity but I steer clear of the crowdfunding pages. There have been instances of some people asking for money because they are having cancer treatment only to find that it's all a scam. I wouldn't be paying anything into this man's donation. He made the decision to go on holiday without cover. If he hasn't the money available to pay any costs he may incur if taken ill abroad then he is foolish to say the least.

welbeck

no one is under any obligation to contribute to a crowdfunding appeal.
i don't understand some of the attitudes espoused here.
let's kick a man when he's down.
i wouldn't want to go there, wherever it is, but if going abroad equals holiday for him and partner, then he they took a calculated risk.
it was only 2 weeks.
might be the last foreign holiday he can manage.
leave him alone, if you don't want to help him.

What would your attitude be if said man, instead of being on holiday with no insurance cover, decided to drive a car while uninsured, because 'it might be the last time he could drive' but sadly crashed the car and killed one of your loved ones.
Oh well !
Let's not kick him while he's down.

I was unexpectedly taken ill while on a cruise a few years ago and ended up in a Greek hospital for ten days. Luckily we had good travel insurance and everything was covered. I was advised then that because this was now a pre-existing condition I should book travel insurance within two weeks of booking any element of a future trip and it would be covered. Needless to say I don’t travel without insurance, but it is very expensive now as my husband is now 82.

I feel sorry for the man’s family having to go through this . But I don’t feel sorry for him . He obviously didn’t try very hard to get insurance. It is possible to get insurance with pre existing conditions as there are specialist companies but it costs .
Martin Lewis on his show is always banging on about getting insurance as soon as you book your trip as it covers cancellations if you can’t go.
Another thing with travel insurance is you have to inform the company of any changes to your health .
And I don’t agree with the Crowd Funding for this situation.

Sillymoo

For my upcoming Cruise I have to have £2 million of cover and can be asked to show proof of this before boarding.

We had to show proof that our policy included Covid cover at Birmingham airport, before we could board the flight for our cruise.
This was as restrictions had largely ended.

For my upcoming Cruise I have to have £2 million of cover and can be asked to show proof of this before boarding.

welbeck

i don't feel guilt tripped into doing anything in regard to this man, do you ?
i still can't see why the condemnation.
people can contribute if they wish, or not.

waving to Granniesunite

I think we are looking at the wider aspect of both crowdfunding, and individual responsibility which this man's plight has highlighted.

Does anyone really wish him ill? He was foolish and some posters have said so. I know there's an element of schadenfreude, which is not very nice, but I don't believe that should prevent us from discussing the wider aspects of the fall-out on this man's family; they are desperate to repatriate their obviously much-loved father, don't have the funds to do it, must be frantic with the worry - wondering if they'll even raise enough to begin to cover the costs, and probably afraid he might die in the meantime.

It's an absolutely awful situation brought about by his self-indulgent 'want' of a cheap holiday in Turkey. Lots of things become closed off to you as you get older - my OH is mourning the loss of his last bit of independence because he's been forced to accept that he's not quite safe behind the wheel of a car anymore. Nine times out of ten he could make a trip into the town centre without any problem... the tenth time, he could injure or kill someone. Life isn't very fair to lots of people, but that's how it is. It's OK to take risks and chances, as long as you are the only one to suffer if you mis-calculate.

I am going to donate to this fund - because his daughters and son have absolutely no other options other than to crowdfund, and that's a dreadful situation to be in.

I still think he's a selfish, inconsiderate and foolish man, though.

The thing with good travel insurance is that, if anything goes wrong, they take it over and deal with it. This poor man's relatives are having to sort it all by themselves now.

nanna8 lucky they still want to insure you😂. Happy cruising.

Just paid $950 insurance for husband and myself to go on a cruise. Also $200 excess. That was with one of our cheaper insurers. I know they are ok, though, because when I was sick on a cruise a couple of years ago they paid up very promptly, no arguments.

maytime2

Westend Girl. Nationwide still offers insurance to people aged eighty and over. You do not have to open a current account, a savings account will suffice. Relatives of mine have taken up this offer.
I would like to say that one has to be scrupulous in being truthful when applying for travel insurance. I know of someone who suffered a bleed on the brain whilst on holiday, they had insurance but had not declared that they were on blood pressure tablets. The insurance company refused to pay out.

We have two Nationwide accounts but no longer get travel insurance with them . My friend has an account with themfor which she pays a monthly free and gets the travel insurance . She has to pay a bit extra because she is not just over 80 she is over 90 .

I have just applied for the GHIC for myself and Mr P. Not having been to Europe for a few years, I didn't bother to find out about it until it was mentioned on here today. Thank you GN.

GHIC is also useful in emergencies, and for minor issues that need attention, but you don't want to show up as an insurance claim. But you do need to check the exact cover for each country now!

Having read this thread I'm now reminded to apply for a GHIC card. We've got travel insurance as well of course but it's probably useful to have it.
Years ago DH was badly sunburnt in Madeira. He was fooled by the grey overcast skies. Anyway, the trusty EHIC card was used. Very helpful service from a local clinic and he only had to pay for dressings and meds.
I hope we never have to use the GHIC or insurance but just in case...

He's a class 1 fool..
I am not covered by my Bank for preexisting conditions, I have AF and had joint replacements. The Bank insurance won't cover these ( one of my Hips replaced 10 years ago) I also had Cancer 10 years ago (that's loaded too) fully understand the AF. So we pay for another company who will insure it. Yes expensive but worth it, for peace of mind.
His is now going to be eyewatering expensive vs Insurance.

Calendargirl

I’ve no sympathy with twerps like this.

If he couldn’t get insurance, he shouldn’t have gone on holiday.

I certainly wouldn’t be contributing to pay for his stupidity.

This 👍

Thank you, Maytime for your advice. I will look into it.

I wonder if anyone else has a good tip for reasonable travel insurance.I really would like to see friends in France.

I’ve no sympathy with twerps like this.

If he couldn’t get insurance, he shouldn’t have gone on holiday.

I certainly wouldn’t be contributing to pay for his stupidity.

Granniesunite

That’s how I see it welbeck kicking a man when he’s down.

I just can’t see the purpose in doing that. But that’s just me in real life too.

We’ve all read horror stories of folks being so badly hurt by things said about them on social media. I will not be drawn into that. No matter what they have or have not done.

1) I don’t believe for a minute he’s reading Gransnet from his Turkish hospital bed
2) More likely to be hurt by comments on FB on his go fund me page!
3)if a person chooses to ignore common sense and comes a cropper, are we meant to say oh dear, poor hard done by person?
He took a risk (clearly not factoring in his medical history) skimped on paying the necessary premium and, sadly for him, reaped what he sowed so to speak.
As somebody said upthread there’s no cure for stupid, but clearly a fat fee for selling your story to a national newspaper!

Motherduck

Joseann

So, welbeck, should we take a calculated risk with driving our cars today and not have insurance?

Slightly different because Third Party Car Insurance is a legal requirement. Whereas Comprehensive cover isn’t and therefore a ‘self risk’ if not opted for.

You have to remember it’s not the cost of car repairs that is the big risk, it’s the cost of any personal injury claim, for which your insurer would be liable.