Quarter Of Irish Holiday-Goers Require Medical Attention While Abroad – AA

Almost one in four Irish people have required medical attention while abroad due to an unexpected illness or injury, recent research has found.

In response to an AA Travel Insurance survey of over 5,000 Irish holiday-goers, 24.21% of respondents stated that they had required medical attention while abroad on at least one occasion. Meanwhile, a further 27.23% of those surveyed stated that they had to seek medical assistance due to an injury or illness suffered by someone in their travelling party.

Meanwhile, 5.20% of respondents stated that, on at least one occasion, they had been forced to cut a holiday short and return home due to unexpected illness or injury.

“While the summer season may be behind us that doesn’t mean that the holiday season is over for everyone, as interest in short city breaks and winter getaways will start to peak in the coming weeks and months. For shorter breaks away it can be tempting to go without travel insurance, but if you weigh up the cost of cover compared to the potential medical costs you could encounter it really makes no sense to go abroad without insurance in place,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated. “Whenever we go abroad we all hope for a relaxing getaway but unfortunately things do go wrong, from unexpected hospital trips to lost baggage. Having travel insurance in place will at least provide the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re covered if anything goes wrong.

“If you are looking for a way to keep your travel insurance costs down, however, opting for annual cover instead of purchasing a single-trip policy for each visit abroad can help you with that. On average, if you travel abroad more than twice in any 12 month period then opting for a year round policy will best match your needs.”

The survey almost found that over 1 in three Irish people have had their baggage lost or delayed when travelling abroad. 36.55% of respondents stated they their bags had either been lost or delayed for a significant period of time during a previous holiday.

Earlier this year a report from AA Ireland found that 1 in 4 Irish people had been forced to cancel a holiday shortly before departure due to a last-minute emergency.