According to research by ABTA there has been a marked rise in the number of British holiday makers taking the risk of travelling overseas without travel insurance.

24% of holiday makers don’t have travel insurance

The research showed that as many as 24% of holiday makers had travelled without travel insurance in the last year, up from 20% in 2011.

31% of those questioned stated that the cost of travel insurance was a reason for not buying travel insurance for their holiday.

No travel insurance: Could you afford the medical bills?

Travelling without travel insurance, or not declaring pre-existing medical conditions to your travel insurer, in order to save money could be a false economy.

Remember, you are insuring yourself as well as your holiday.

The most important aspect of travel insurance is the protection it provides against the risk of incurring large medical bills if you fall ill or have an accident and need emergency medical treatment whilst you are away.

If you are uninsured you will be liable for the cost of the medical treatment you receive on holiday, which can quickly amount to thousands of pounds.

The case of a cruise ship passenger, whose family faced bills of £23,000, highlighted the speed at which medical bills can mount up if you are not properly insured.

What about the EHIC?

If you are travelling within the EU, carrying the European Health Insurance Card will prove your right to state provided healthcare, but it’s very important to remember that not all countries provide the same level of healthcare as the NHS, and it may not be free.

The EHIC will also not cover treatment in private hospitals, or the cost of repatriating you back to the UK by air ambulance or with a medical escort.

Travel insurance and pre-existing medical conditions

Hopefully have now decided that buying travel insurance is a must before you venture overseas, the other thing you need to consider is cover for any pre-existing medical conditions.

If you have pre-existing medical conditions, even if they are controlled by medication, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, you must declare them when you buy travel insurance to make sure that you are properly covered by your travel insurance.

Goodtogoinsurance.com provides travel insurance to cover all types of medical conditions.

Get a quote for travel insurance for medical conditions >>