Travel insurance - a cautionary tale

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Holidays - everyone seems to have gone berserk on their right to have a holiday whatever the cost. Why should we contribute towards somebody not taking responsibility for their actions, I feel very sorry for the family but how silly to take that risk at 68 with pre-existing conditions.

When I travel out of the euro zone but including UK, I take out travel insurance to cover a few extra days incase of flight cancellations. Maybe it’s silly but I prefer to have peace of mind.

MillieBoris

Holidays - everyone seems to have gone berserk on their right to have a holiday whatever the cost. Why should we contribute towards somebody not taking responsibility for their actions, I feel very sorry for the family but how silly to take that risk at 68 with pre-existing conditions.

I think this is a very valid point.
Parents taking children out of school so that they can get a cheaper holiday, or insisting that they MUST go away - particularly annoying near exam time.
I’m sure many of us did not go away every year , or possibly went camping for a long weekend or to stay with grandma or auntie because a holiday was a luxury - especially a foreign one.
I remember hearing (and using )the phrase “days out” which meant just that - a bus ride to a city or if you lived near enough the seaside but home again at teatime - because the family finances did not stretch to going away that year.
A holiday is lovely, it can be necessary to have a break, but (cliché alert) you cut your coat according to your cloth don’t you?
We did.

So did we, and amazingly we survived.

A friend had a heat attack whilst on holiday in Spain. He had to pay part of the treatment (still in the EU at the time) and needed a medical repatriation costing thousands.
His insurance company refused to pay out as he had not declared another medical condition, which was not heart related.
Be fully truthful with the insurance company or your claim may be invalidated.

Absolutely right. It’s your duty to make full disclosure when applying for any kind of insurance or renewing it.

As a Holiday rep I often saw the problems that non existent or inadequate travel insurance caused, so I personally would never travel without it. My last holiday abroad was actually cheaper than the travel insurance due to my medical conditions but it was simply a case of biting the bullet and paying up or not going.

It's pity the NHS don't bill those "tourists " who are not entitled to free NHS treatment. It could help balance the books.

I have several medical issues and now my husband does too. I am doubtful that we would get medical insurance and, if we did, I think it might be hugely expensive.

If it was just for holidays, I wouldn't care but we have a daughter and 4 grandkids in the USA. They have been there for 10 years and we intended to visit but various issues prevented us- they moved house a couple of times, I was very ill, then it was lockdown, and my husband later got ill. Now I think it may be impossible.

I am going to get some quotes but I am not optimistic.

Willow68

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!

No, he still CHOSE to travel knowing he wasn't insured.

It’s hard to miss out but very foolish. I can’t get health insurance so I can’t see my daughter and grandchildren probably ever again given my age and bad health. When a crisis situation arose in the family on the other side of the world I so wanted to risk it but the fear of being taken ill on the plane, getting offloaded somewhere in the Middle East and racking up a bill in the millions brings me back to reality.
Still hoping for a big win from my premium bonds so I can afford to bring the family to the U.K. to visit.