Why you need travel insurance
Judging from a 69ÌÃ Travel Insurance survey1, over a third of UK people go on holiday without the right cover or sometimes with no travel insurance at all. Are you one of them?
Heading overseas or even holidaying in the UK without sufficient cover could be putting you and your loved ones at risk. If something bad happens, it can cost you a lot of money, cause stress and ruin your trip.
That’s why we’ve written this guide. We’ll explain why travel insurance matters, share what can go wrong and clear up some of the common myths.
What the numbers tell us
In March 2025, we asked 2,000 people in the UK1 about their holidays and what they know about travel insurance. Here’s what we found.
- Over a third (over 36%) of travellers don’t always buy travel insurance for their trips
- That’s despite 70% considering travelling without insurance “risky”
- Nearly 30% wrongly think they don’t need cover for European countries like France, Germany and Spain
- Over 23% said their main reason for claiming was travel delays or cancellations
- Similarly, just under 23% said their main reason for claiming was lost or damaged luggage
- Almost 27% said a medical emergency was the main reason for their claim
Is travel insurance compulsory?
A common question when planning trips is: do you have to have travel insurance?
And no, travel insurance isn’t usually required by law. But some countries, like Cuba, Turkey and Thailand, might ask for proof of insurance before you enter.
You might also need special travel insurance for certain trips, like winter sports or cruise holidays. Cruise companies, for example, might not let you board without it.
And even if you don’t legally have to have travel insurance, it’s still essential. Here are just a few of the unexpected problems it can help you safeguard against.
What can go wrong without travel insurance?
On the face of it, travelling without insurance might seem like a cheaper option. This might explain why over a third of those we surveyed have risked it. But it can cost you a lot more in the long run.
- You could lose all the money you paid for your holiday if it was cancelled
- You might need to pay thousands for medical assistance abroad
- You’d have to pay for any lost, stolen or damaged bags yourself
- If you had to come home early, you’d miss the rest of your holiday and have to pay a new ticket
- If your flight was delayed, you might need to pay for extra for food or a place to stay
Getting sick or injured in a country where you don’t speak the language can be stressful and costly. It can be hard to know where to go or if and how to pay for treatment.
Good travel insurance can help cover these and other costs listed in your policy. It can assist in medical emergencies or even help you get outpatient care if something goes wrong. Connecting you with the right care, in your language, without the stress of sorting it yourself.
The most common holiday problems
These are the problems those who answered our survey said they’d faced the most and where.
| Common travel issues | Countries they’re reported in most |
|---|---|
| Lost or delayed luggage | Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Morocco, Turkey, USA |
| Flight delays/cancellations | Austria, Caribbean, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam |
| Medical emergency treatment | Switzerland |
