One in three Irish people travel without insurance

LARGE NUMBERS of Irish people do not take out travel insurance when they go abroad, despite the fact that without it an accident or illness could be financially ruinous, according to a survey published this week.

A poll of 4,000 passengers carried out by Ryanair found that over a third travelled without any travel insurance, while many of those who had policies were unaware of the level of cover they offered.

The airline said 46 per cent of people held multitrip insurance, with 19 per cent relying on single-trip cover. It also found that 82 per cent of those with insurance did not know if their policy offered ski, business-travel or sports cover, while 90 per cent were unaware that medical repatriation flights could cost more than €18,000, should they become seriously ill when abroad.

People travelling short-haul for short periods are less likely to bother with travel insurance, a separate UK study published earlier this year found. It said 84 per cent of people thought travel insurance was a good idea when going on holiday for a week or longer, but only 42 per cent bothered if they were travelling overseas for three or four days.

Ryanair’s travel insurance arm said it paid out an average of €2,200 for medical-expense claims last year, a fraction of the bill that could confront someone if they fall ill travelling.

A person unfortunate enough to be hit with acute appendicitis in the US will be out of pocket by more than €27,000. Even a minor heart attack there will cost at least €35,000. Breaking a leg while on a skiing trip in Switzerland will cost about €10,000, while a fractured hip in Spain could set someone back more than €23,000.

According to the VHI, which also offers travel insurance, the top five reasons for treatment abroad last year were trauma resulting from an accident or fall, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, diseases of the digestive system and respiratory diseases. In 2010, the most common claims under VHI Healthcare’s Multitrip travel insurance were for cancellation and curtailment of trips, which amounted to 41 per cent of all claims. Outpatient medical expenses made up 32 per cent, and loss or theft of baggage accounted for 13 per cent of claims.

Speaking as the Ryanair survey was published, the airline’s spokesman Stephen McNamara advised all passengers to buy travel insurance so they could “travel safe in the knowledge their holiday, their possessions and their health is covered”.