World Nomads reveals 40% have faced health issues abroad, but many still neglect to purchase insurance
Photo © Getty Images / Oscar Wong Falls Commercial
London, UK - September 3 2024 – Despite ongoing global health threats, such as Covid-19 and Mpox, the World Nomads Travel Anxiety Report 2024* has revealed more than a quarter (26%) don’t know how they would handle a medical emergency abroad if they didn’t have insurance.
Worryingly, 28% of UK travellers only sometimes purchase travel insurance, with 5% never doing so—even though 40% of Brits admit to having experienced medical issues while travelling abroad.
A quarter of respondents (25%) without insurance indicated they would pay out-of-pocket for treatment at a local doctor or hospital while another 17% would hope to avoid costs completely.
Alternative ways respondents cited for covering costs include relying on their Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to help cover expenses (19%), turning to friends and family for financial support (13%), or seeking help through online crowdfunding (5%).
A further 19% of respondents stated they would wait until returning home to receive medical care, a decision that could pose significant health risks.
Jonathan Frankham, General Manager UK and Europe at World Nomads, says:
“With over 1 in 4 don’t know how they would handle a medical emergency abroad without insurance, and many choosing to forgo insurance regularly, it is clear there is a significant gap in preparedness among British travellers.
“The reliance on out-of-pocket expenses, limited coverage options like the GHIC, or simply hoping for the best or relying on others can lead to risky financial and health consequences for all parties involved. What’s more, these approaches often fail to cover the full scope of costs, such as repatriation or additional family expenses, which can quickly add up to thousands of pounds.
“We advise travellers to take out travel insurance before their journey. At World Nomads, our policies cover a wide range of unforeseen medical expenses, including hospitalisation, emergency treatment, and even repatriation if necessary. For frequent travellers, an annual policy is a smart option - providing protection across multiple trips in the face of ongoing health crises”.
World Nomads launched an annual multi-trip policy in June 2024. To find out more or purchase a policy, visit www.worldnomads.com/uk
ENDS
*The study of 2,000 UK adults was carried out between 16 and 19 August by Opinium Research on behalf of travel insurance provider World Nomads to look at the immediate motivators and barriers to international travel and insurance considerations for 2024.
ABOUT WORLD NOMADS
Since 2002, World Nomads has been protecting, connecting and inspiring adventurous and independent travelers by offering specialized travel insurance and safety advice.
Our travel insurance products cover travelers from more than 100 countries. World Nomads focuses on what we believe is important to travelers: emergency medical and evacuation costs, baggage cover, trip cancellation, trip delay and trip interruption costs. We offer cover for more than 150 adventure sports and activities, plus tech and gear. We believe travelers have the responsibility to give back, and through our Footprints program, customers can add a small donation to the price of their policy to help fund a community development project with one of World Nomads’ global nonprofit and charity partners.
We are part of a suite of global specialist travel insurers owned by nib Group, Australia’s third-largest provider of travel insurance and a leading global distributor of travel insurance through nib Travel. nib Group also provides health and medical insurance to more than 1.6 million Australian and New Zealand residents and more than 200,000 international students and workers in Australia.
Media Contacts:
Graham Lynch, World Nomads, UK & Europe
+353 876 831 784
LOTUS
worldnomads@wearelotus.co.uk
+44 20 7953 7470