I want to tell you about the first time that I went to Tenerife, in May 2007 three pals and I set off from Luton Airport for a week’s break in the Canary Isles, I had a bit of a cold in the week leading up to holiday and I felt a bit rough when we arrived at our hotel, although I have been abroad many times before I put it down to the traveling and so after dinner I decided to have an early night. The next morning, Saturday, I was feeling as right as rain and spent the day larking around and having a few beers by the pool followed by a good night out with my pals.
On Sunday I woke up feeling rough as hell and I did not want to get out of my bed nor did I want to eat or drink anything even though I felt really thirsty and I was very hot, I stayed in bed all day and on Monday afternoon I was not feeling any better but my pals got me up made me shower and took me down to the restaurant for something to eat, but I could not manage to eat anything except for a slice of an apple. I then went to the reception and asked how I could see a doctor, I was asked what was wrong and told to go to my room and within five minutes of being in there was a knock on the door and a doctor was examining my chest, she told me that she wanted me to go to the hospital and to go by ambulance as I would be seen straight away as opposed to going by taxi where I would be joining the back of a queue in the hospital waiting room. I paid the doctor 70 Euros and waited for the ambulance, another 40 Euros but I was seen straight away.
The doctor at the hospital diagnosed me with bronchial pneumonia and a lung infection and said that I would have to stay in the hospital for a few days, he then asked if I had any insurance, I suddenly remembered that I did have free European travel insurance that came with my bank account but I did not know who it was with, but the hospital managed to trace it using my bank’s debit card. I was covered and able to claim the hospital fees of 1000 Euros per night to stay at the hospital, phew, I thought as I was kept in for four nights, the rest of the holiday and only arrived back at the hotel approx three hours before the coach arrived to take us back to the airport. I had to pay another 40 Euros for my prescription but I claimed this back and the doctors call out fee and the charge for the ambulance.
In the hospital I shared a room with a man that had slipped getting out of the shower in his hotel room and banged his head and although he had bought travel insurance with his holiday package he was not covered because he was not asked and did not think to mention at the time that he had had a mild stroke a few years before and so he could not claim because his insurance checked his medical record when he claimed and would not pay out because of this.
So if you are going abroad for you holidays make sure that you have adequate cover even if you are like me and not normally ill because you never know when you might be.

Simon
05 April 2011

Source: http://simon-b.org/don%27t-travel-abroad-without-insurance.php

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