Holidays abroad without insurance can turn expensive

Taking a holiday overseas is risky if traveling with no travel insurance.

Travel Insurance News - 07/05/2009

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Each year Brits book trips abroad in the hope of some rest and relaxation. With more and more people booking online to find the best deal, travel insurance is one thing that is often overlooked, which can be a costly mistake.

Lisa Gatt from Malta had an accident with no travel insurance. Whilst travelling around Cambodia she was involved in a motorcycle accident and suffered a broken femur bone. Friends and family managed to raise around 7,000 pounds for a medical flight back home but the rest of the cost was up to her.

Accidents can happen on holiday but it is most likely to happen on foreign roads. Simple things like crossing the road can become a hazard as not knowing which way to look can end in a lengthy and expensive stay in hospital.

There are less than 60 countries worldwide that will provide free emergency treatment to citizens of the UK. Even those that do will still charge for the cost of a bed or medicines given to the patient. In some places, even try to summon an ambulance can be difficult without travel insurance.

So whether it is a ferry ride to Calais or a 14 hour flight to the Far East, without travel insurance it could turn into tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds without the safety net that insurance provides.

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