Travel for the over-50s: myths, risks, and fears

A STUDY has revealed that over-50s holidaymakers are paying out £1,700 a year for unexpected medical bills that aren’t covered by their #travelinsurance.

Half of the over-50s surveyed for the study suffer from a medical condition – almost a quarter of which are travelling without being properly insured – while 23 percent admit they fail to declare their medical conditions. This means travellers are not covered should they fall ill on holiday.

The research, conducted by over-50s insurance and travel specialist Staysure, also highlighted the most common misconceptions on insurance cover for medical conditions. Almost 60 percent of Brits surveyed in the study think you can’t get travel insurance cover if you have cancer, while four out of ten believe you won’t find cover if you’ve suffered from a stroke. One in five respondents also claimed they have been prevented from fulfilling all their travel ambitions due to their medical conditions.

Chris Rolland, CEO of Staysure said: ‘The fact that 23 percent of people who have pre-existing conditions fail to declare them when buying travel insurance is a truly shocking statistic, as it means people are putting themselves at risk of potentially extortionate medical bills should they fall ill abroad. They’re also spending money on a policy that won’t cover them for what they need – which is a false economy.

‘Our research also shows that almost one in ten Brits don’t feel confident travelling abroad with existing medical conditions – which suggests that the public don’t feel fully informed on how to approach it, or believe that the cost of cover for their needs may be prohibitive to their travel.’

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