Consequences of no travel insurance

[kamchatsky]

I am genuinely sorry to see them suffer, but I really don't understand why people don't take travel insurance when they are overseas ...... If you can afford to fly out of Australia, you can afford to buy travel insurance!

George Dobson | India | Bring George Back | Disabled Australian tourist stranded

 

[markis10]

Got to say that the appeal seems to have been put in place very quickly, hardly likely that all avenues of help have been fully explored, for instance I am sure the gentleman concerned would be able to have access to super etc. And why anyone would risk travel to such a place with out insurance is beyond me, its not like the risk profile was small, he was not in a main city staying at hotels etc!

 

[harvyk]

Because it always happens to everyone else and never to me...
(well it's true)




I have seen so many people justify their reasons why they haven't gotten travel insurance, from the plain lazy, to the risky, to the ludicrous.

Me personally I'd never travel to India (or for that matter OS) without some form of insurance. You'd be crazy to do so...

 

[Travel Guru]

I've seen so many people use so many poor excuses in my time in the industry for not taking out insurance.

Really it comes down to arrogance, stupidity or a combination of the two.

TG

 

[straitman]

I've seen so many people use so many poor excuses in my time in the industry for not taking out insurance.

Really it comes down to arrogance, stupidity or a combination of the two.

TG

Travel Guru,

I have to agree however I also think back many years to when I knew nothing about travel insurance and I have to say that the travel agents never actually did a very good job of explaining why we needed it.

 

[Mal]

Compared to a lot of tools who go travelling, I actually think the family (here) has their head screwed on properly:

Ms Dobson said the family understood that DFAT was limited in what it could do to bring Mr Dobson back.

"It's because he had no travel or medical insurance, which is the big lesson here," she said. "That's the cost."

no Wahhhhhh. Wahhhhhh. The Australian Government has abandoned us. The admission that everything that happened was likely in their control is a refreshing change from other stories out there.

For that, I am tempted to throw in a few $.

 

[brissyflyer]

I've always had travel insurance even for domestic holidays, for the relatively small amount of money it is well worth it. Now its included with my visa card so I don't directly pay for it.

So far I've had one claim where my bag didn't make the "connecting" flight even though it was the same plane and it was 36 hours before I got my bag. I had prepaid train tickets for a day trip in the bag and also had to buy toiletries and some clothing, I got it all back through my citibank visa insurance cover.

 

[Mal]

Bit of an update here:

Injured Aussie George Dobson may be home from India soon | The Courier-Mail

But today a mystery company contacted the family through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with ``an offer of assistance''.

Combined with more than $30,000 raised through a website appeal in the past three days, Mr Dobson could be reunited with his ex-wife and four children in less than two weeks.

 

[harvyk]

Happy to hear...

I can't say I feel sorry for the guy as he was an idiot and gambled with his life to save a few dollars. But that said, I don't like to see people stuck OS in such a predicament, so I am happy it looks like they have raised the funds to get him home...

 

[odysseus]

Happy to hear...

I can't say I feel sorry for the guy as he was an idiot and gambled with his life to save a few dollars. But that said, I don't like to see people stuck OS in such a predicament, so I am happy it looks like they have raised the funds to get him home...

I'm somewhat sympathetic to his situation as well.

While it doesn't mean he's right and he doesn't claim to be, reading his background shows he grew up there and is regularly travelling there. One can then understand that familiarity and exposure may mean he doesn't think about insurance so much (akin to the old 'familiarity breeds contempt') which would be understandable when you know the local environment and regularly spend time there. Hope it works out for him.

 

[bambbbam2]

Someone in another forum has suggested he commit a crime while there - not enough to get put in gaol but enough to get deported!

 

[kamchatsky]

Well, this story had a sad ending. Hope this will give all travellers a thought of getting travel insurance. Surely life is worth more than money.

India | travel | Australian | quadriplegic | Queensland | George Dobson | Australian traveller dies in Indian hospital


"Australian traveller dies in Indian hospital
MARISSA CALLIGEROS

October 12, 2009 - 8:55AM

A retired Queensland school teacher paralysed after a freak mountain fall in India last month has died in hospital.

George Dobson's devastated family announced the 65-year-old's death on Friday on a website set up to raise money to bring him home for further medical treatment.

... "

 

[Soundguy]

That's sad. It also reminded me that India has a very high road toll, amongst the worst in the world and apparently many tourists leave there every year in boxes. Great country to visit, been there several times, but one needs to be careful even if you aren't trekking or going into remote areas.

Personally I have been relying on the travel Insurance included with my AMEX card for OS travel but I do wonder how this might pan out when it is needed most. So far I have only tried to claim a minor $100 charge I incurred related to a delayed flight which was refused. One grey area is when I use FF points for international flights would the CC insurance still cover the trip I wonder?

The other problem is that the major airline CC fees are so high for international flights that the included insurance feature is now costing me anyway compared to paying cash or Bpay for the flights.... I wonder if maybe I am better off overall using the latter payment method and then purchasing separate travel insurance.

 

[harvyk]

Soundguy, I'd be careful with using insurance linked to cards, sometimes those policies are not worth the paper they are written on.

Purchasing actual travel insurance is not an expensive thing, oftan travel insurance costs a fraction of the ticket price. eg a 5 day policy (with no excess which is the one I usually get) depending on where you go can oftan be purchased for under $70, the longer the policy the cheaper per day it gets.

 

[dajop]

Soundguy, I'd be careful with using insurance linked to cards, sometimes those policies are not worth the paper they are written on.

You are correct, that you have to be careful with using insurance linked to cards, but also have to be careful with paid insurance is well, always worth checking the T&C. I've had direct experience of dual cover (paid and credit card) and the credit card insurance came through with the goods whereas the paid insurance DID NOT.

I think the medical/injury/death component of travel insurance definitely is essential, as it could cost a small house in a nice suburb to deal with the consequences. But for a good lot of people the trip cancellation, delay, missed connection, lost luggage etc components are often are accompanied by complicated T&C, exclusions etc such that in many instances - for simple trips - could be done without.

 

[harvyk]

You are correct, that you have to be careful with using insurance linked to cards, but also have to be careful with paid insurance is well, always worth checking the T&C.

That is true, it's the same for all insurance products.

 

[straitman]

Soundguy, I'd be careful with using insurance linked to cards, sometimes those policies are not worth the paper they are written on.

harvyk,

At the same time some of the TI with CC's is exceptionally good. So as you say in a later post it is important to check out what you need in relation to what is being offered and this applies to paid and CC linked insurance.

 

[harvyk]

True, just I also have two friends who are insurance brokers (personal and property) and they have told me some horror stories about "insurance bundled as an extra" contracts.

Of course they have also told me some horror stories around other insurance policies too (oftan the cheap and nasty ones, but not always)...

 

[Soundguy]

Thanks for the advice folks! I think I did read through the AMEX Platinum T&C (which includes the insurance details) once but it was some years ago and one forgets the details. Being a Platinum CC one would hope the insurance was reasonable at least but I've not spoken to anyone who has had a major claim.

So having both a CC included insurance as well as a separate travel insurance policy doesn't lead to conflicts over which is responsible for what if a claim occurs? Are there no safeguards or declarations to be made in such a situation to prevent people claiming from both?

 

[samh004]

Sad that he couldn't make it back for treatment. I wonder if treatment here would have prevented his death, or if the complications he was having would have been too much here too?

Good to see the money will be going to something he was passionate about.