Travel Insurance: Can You Do Without It?

The following is a guest post on behalf of MoneySupermarket

Many of us will be embarking on expensive holidays to far flung places this year, having scoured the Internet and travel agents for the best deals and most exclusive destinations around. While you may have remembered to book those all-important airport transfers, room upgrades and guided tours, are you sure there’s nothing else you’ve overlooked? If you’ve booked a trip abroad but haven’t yet considered taking out a travel insurance policy, then read on.

Anything can happen on holiday and, as careful as we might try to be, things aren’t always within our control. While we might be able to deal with the potential loss of a suitcase, handbag or camera, the threat of illness and injury are things we should seriously consider when booking a trip abroad.

Those who visit foreign soil aren’t entitled to the same medical treatment as a citizen would be, which means that if you or a member of your party becomes ill or suffers injury of any kind, treatment without insurance could end up costing thousands, tens or hundreds of thousands, or perhaps even millions of pounds. Similarly, if you or a member of your family dies abroad, how will you be able to afford to get them home?

Theft is also a common affliction suffered by holidaymakers. Cash, handbags, wallets, jewellery, gadgets and clothes are all up for grabs, so if one, some or all of the above go missing, are you going to be able to deal with the financial fallout? More importantly, if your passport goes missing, how will you get home, and will you be able to afford the extra costs incurred by an extended stay?

Another big factor to consider is cancellation or postponement of travel due to natural disaster, conflict or poor weather conditions. The latest spell of devastating natural disasters in Japan and North Carolina and problems in places like Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are all we need to remind us that both nature and mankind can cause travel havoc anytime, anywhere, and can completely shatter your dreams of that long-awaited fantasy holiday abroad.

So get online and use the moneysupermarket worldwide travel insurance comparison tool. With a database of some of the country’s top insurers, there are hundreds of fantastic insurance policies up for grabs.