I would never go abroad without travel insurance. For a start, if one of you dies while you are out there, the body will need to be brought home. That will involve funeral directors, in both countries, who will need to be paid, not only for the funeral, but for collecting the body from France ( this will take at least two people, a hearse, a coffin and copious paperwork). I have no idea what the French authorities will charge for keeping the body at the undertaker’s there until you can make the necessary arrangements for bringing the body home. If both of you were to die there (for example, in an accident), both bodies would need to be brought home. You don’t say if you have family, but if you do, the cost of this would fall on them. If you have no-one, I have no idea what the French would do if the bodies aren’t claimed. In any event, the cost would be eye-watering!
Insurance would negate most of these worries and in my opinion, you would be very unwise not to have it.
Years ago, my husband and I travelled frequently to our holiday home in France. It was only a three hour trip door to door from our home in Kent and only about two hours of driving abroad, but we always had insurance. We never needed it, but the security of knowing it was there was priceless. We believed that it was tempting fate not to cover the whole trip. Sod’s law and all that!
Try Saga or another Senior citizen site. They may have some guidance.
