Is travel insurance really needed for 1 week direct flights trip to the UK?

[Sprucegoose]

I would never travel without insurance period. Flight delays, lost or delayed luggage, Hijacking, Death, Medical emergency...
for such a small cost for a week, I wouldn't even think twice (or if you travel a lot why not purchase a yearly policy?)

You have summed up my thoughts perfectly.

 

[v8Statesman]

Yes, if it's a stopover. But what if it turned into more?.

If it turns into more because of a situation out of your control. It's still a transit. So covered IMHO. it works that way with airport taxes anyway =;-)

 

[chrisb]

Yes that seems a very good reason. And it happned on a domestic trip? I don't think I've ever taken this sort of cover for domestic trips.

Yep. A Simple PER-MEL-PER trip interrupted by a fall down some hotel stairs.

I've only taken travel insurance domestically in order to pickup car excess insurance. I might do it more in future.

 

[Travel Guru]

Personally I think anyone who travels anywhere internationally without travel insurance has rocks in their heads.

Have seen and heard of too many cases of people stuck unable to pay repatriation costs to think it even remotely a good idea to chance it.

TG

 

[Austman]

I would never travel without insurance period. Flight delays, lost or delayed luggage, Hijacking, Death, Medical emergency...
for such a small cost for a week, I wouldn't even think twice (or if you travel a lot why not purchase a yearly policy?)

How about domestic travel? Do you always take it then too?

And the reason for my asking the question is that, when you end up looking at it, a lot of what you think Travel Insurance will cover on a simple trip Australia-UK on QF is actually covered anyway without TI (by QF, reciprocal arrangements, EU law etc) or not covered at all.

The main reason to get TI seems to be medical repatriation?

 

[trooper]

:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Travel Guru.... you left out the words "without travel insurance" which puts a REALLY interesting spin on your post... given this IS a travel forum!

 

[Cynicor]

Most domestic trips will be covered by an annual policy, which most members here would probably have.

I would never embark on an international trip without travel insurance. My thoughts about reciprocal health care are that they will do the minimum to get you stable but you'd be better off having definitive care at home if possible, and for that repatriation cover may assist.

 

[amaroo]

I always purchase cover....even when its just a short trip over the ditch.

Private health insurance works out to be around $10 per day (family with extras) so INT cover seems very reasonable.

 

[Hvr]

Personally I think anyone who travels anywhere internationally has rocks in their heads.

Have seen and heard of too many cases of people stuck unable to pay repatriation costs to think it even remotely a good idea to chance it.

TG

:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Travel Guru.... you left out the words "without travel insurance" which puts a REALLY interesting spin on your post... given this IS a travel forum!

Especially since he is a travel agent who sells international tickets.

I agree with the sentiment though, as soon as I purchase the ticket I purchase the TI. That way if something goes wrong and I can't travel I'm still covered.

 

[Austman]

Most domestic trips will be covered by an annual policy, which most members here would probably have.

I very much doubt that. But the question is not what with "most members" do anyway. It's what do you really get from Travel Insurance on a simple trip on QF from Australia to UK for 1 week?

Edit: I know many rely on Credit Card Travel Insurance. I looked a bit more at mine: On domestic trips it has zero cover for medical matters including repatriation. They call it:

Interstate Flight Inconvenience Insurance

 

[Sprucegoose]

Most domestic trips will be covered by an annual policy, which most members here would probably have.
.

I wasn't aware of that?

 

[Katie]

I wouldn't travel internationally without it. A cousin had a minor problem flare up in NYC (yes, not UK so not NHS or any kind of reciprocal coverage) that ended up with him in surgery, o/night stay in hospital rather than shlepping him back to the hotel. His parents were presented with a $20k bill for that surgery and o/night stay. That was in the late 80s.
Also not UK, but a family friend was involved in a car accident in Africa & her repatriation costs involved removing 3rows of 3 seats from a QF plane for her to be able to lie flat on the journey home (pre Skybed days).

On the UK thought though, and this is extreme/alarmist, but what if there were another tube bombing and you unfortunately were injured in it?
(They were fine, but I had a younger sister living in London and Mr Katie was in London for a conference when the tube was bombed)

 

[Austman]

I wouldn't travel internationally without it.

But would you travel to PER without it? It seems that it's medical repatriation that's most important or not otherwise covered. But people take that risk all the time.

 

[Sprucegoose]

But would you travel to PER without it? It seems that it's medical repatriation that's most important or not otherwise covered. But people take that risk all the time.

Fom a risk assessment it woud be a lower risk generally than somewhere overseas.

 

[ALH]

On the UK thought though, and this is extreme/alarmist, but what if there were another tube bombing and you unfortunately were injured in it?

Check to make sure there is no War & Terrorism Exclusion on the policy.

......If you can't afford Travel Insurance, you definitely cannot afford to Travel

 

[ALH]

Getting injured or sick in the UK might be fine, but what happens if you need an escort home?

Travel Insurance rep told me that airlines can refuse to fly a passenger home, or may even offload a passenger during a stopover if they discover the passeneger has suffered an mental/emotional illness or cognitive injury, (TGA), etc. They would only be allowed to fly with a Registered Nurse accompanying the passenger. Generally the escort would fly Business Class and receive appropriate payment for the round trip. Add meals and accommodation to that and it adds up.

 

[Travel Guru]

:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Travel Guru.... you left out the words "without travel insurance" which puts a REALLY interesting spin on your post... given this IS a travel forum!

Oops thanks for pointing out, have rectified.

TG

 

[serfty]

Yes, if it's a stopover. But what if it turned into more?

...

Now you are getting beyond the terms of your Original post - check the thread title.

Aside from that, TID had several readily findable 10% discount codes.

Look, in 17 years of regular flying and 1000000+ miles I have made a claim but once, but still would not travel without any.

 

[Austman]

Now you are getting beyond the terms of your Original post - check the thread title.

Aside from that, TID had several readily findable 10% discount codes.

Look, in 17 years of regular flying and 1000000+ miles I have made a claim but once, but still would not travel without any.

Yes I know - but that wasn't me - it was another poster saying what would happen if your flight got diverted.

I know about the risks. Flying internationally nearly every week for > 10 years and 2 claims ever. And one of those was just for a delay. And for the other I first had to exhaust all the compensation that the carrier would pay - the end result was a $200.00 benefit and a lot of paperwork.

But I did MEL-BME last year and didn't give travel insurance a second thought. But if medical repatriation/unexpected expenses were the concern, BME would not be a cheap place to get stuck/repatriated from. Flights MEL-BME are high and accommodation is very expensive.

We seems to say get TI always - and hope it'll cover things. But some of us (and just about everyone I know) take trips domestically without giving TI a second thought.

 

[serfty]

...

We seems to say get TI always - and hope it'll cover things. But some of us (and just about everyone I know) take trips domestically without giving TI a second thought.

Domestically, that's "self insuring" and it horses for courses.

In October my daughter, partner & four sons under 11 flew to CNS - I made suite they had TI..