Every one of us knows the dilemma before traveling abroad – should I get insured, should I not? I’ve been traveling for ten years and nothing has happened to me. I’m just going on a seaside vacation, not planning to do any risky sports. This is exactly how every person thinks who wants to save on travel insurance. I firmly believe that after reading this article, you won’t take a step without travel insurance.
Our 17-day trip in Thailand started promisingly. Everything was going according to plan, we visited Krabi – Ao Nang – Khao Sok – Koh Tao and still had to visit Koh Samui and Bangkok. On the island of Koh Tao, I rented a bike and cycled through the hilly terrain.
At the end of the day, maybe due to fatigue, maybe due to loss of balance, but on the way to the resort on the last beach, I flew forward. Severed elbow, abrasions, and a twisted ankleI am lying on the ground, people around me don’t know what to do, and I don’t know what to do either. I am waiting for salvation. Luckily, a taxi is passing by, which loads me into the back of the truck. He brought me to the clinic, where they immediately treated my wounds and stitched my elbow. Since I limped a bit and didn’t complain about my leg, they didn’t even suggest X-raying it. Everything happened very quickly, and I am sitting in the waiting room with a €130 bill.
I am waiting for my roommate to come pick me up on his motorbike and bring the money. As I later found out, the taxi driver probably took me to the farthest clinic on the island and charged an unchristian €13 for it. We negotiated it down to €8 with my roommate., but of course, we forgot to ask for the bloc. The foot was swelling very slowly, and on the fourth day, just to be sure, I had an X-ray taken. And in the end, it was indeed a fracture!
I have prepared for you a summary of the most important things from how to ensure quality travel insurance, how to proceed in case of an injury abroad, how to manage a flight with a fracture, to reimbursement of costs by the insurance company.
1. How to ensure quality travel insurance
There are several options for obtaining travel insurance:
- You can go directly through your insurance company (probably the most expensive option).
- You can use an aggregator to find the most cost-effective travel insurance across all insurance companies.
- You automatically have insurance with your payment card after meeting the conditions (e.g. a Diners Club card, whose insurance we used in Thailand).
2. After an injury abroad
What will the insurance company reimburse you for:
- Initial wound treatment
- Regular wound dressing
- Medication
- Taxis to the doctor
- X-ray and DVD with images
- Cast and crutches
My mistakes to avoid:
- Ask for taxi receipts
- In hospitals, you can pay by card without a fee, so don’t unnecessarily spend cash
- If you injure your leg, get an X-ray immediately, not four days later
- Ask for medication for thrombosis when flying
- When renting a bike, request a helmet
As proof that these are not small amounts (I had to pay everything on the spot):
| Date | Item | Location | Treatment Description | THB | EUR |
| 30.12.2016 | Taxi to clinic | Koh Tao | Transport | 300 | 8 |
| 30.12.2016 | Ko Tao Physician Clinic | Koh Tao | Initial examination, elbow stitching, wound care, dressings, medications | 4900 | 130.76 |
| 31.12.2016 | Bandon International Hospital | Koh Samui | Initial examination, dressing change | 1800 | 47.73 |
| 1.1.2017 | Bandon International Hospital | Koh Samui | Dressing change, leg bandage | 1500 | 39.78 |
| 3.1.2017 | Bandon International Hospital | Koh Samui | Dressing change, X-ray, leg bandage | 2600 | 69.66 |
| 3.1.2017 | Hua Chiew Hospital | Bangkok | Initial examination, dressing change, X-ray, leg splint, crutches, medications | 4173.5 | 112.17 |
| 5.1.2017 | Hua Chiew Hospital | Bangkok | Dressing change, new shortened leg splint, DVD with images, medications | 2585 | 68.81 |
| Total | 17858.50 THB | 476.91€ | |||
3. Tips on how to manage a flight with a fracture
- The key is to have determination and faith that everything will turn out well.
- Get a confirmation from your doctor that you are cleared to fly and remember to bring thrombosis medication.
- Request a wheelchair at check-in – from this moment on, you will have a personal attendant who will escort you all the way to the airplane. You will go through all the checks as a priority. Also, bring a friend along for company to avoid getting lost.
- In the aircraft, make sure to elevate your leg – ask the flight attendant for pillows so you can elevate your leg either towards the aisle or, for longer flights, request a seat change to the first row (they suggested this to me themselves).
- Upon arrival at your destination, a wheelchair with a personal attendant will also be waiting for you, so there is no need to worry.
4. Upon arrival to home
After returning home, you can start dealing with the insurance event. Report the insurance event to your insurance company by phone, where they will give you further instructions. My subsequent steps were as follows:
- Start with your general practitioner, who will provide you with a confirmation of your condition and a recommendation to a specialist.
- With this confirmation, you can start processing the reimbursement of costs – send the completed insurance form by mail to the insurance company, along with original medical reports and receipts from abroad, and a medical report from Slovakia.
- Wait for confirmation of document acceptance and any additional questions or confirmations.
- Within a month of submitting the insurance event, you should receive a notification by email (in reality 3 weeks), followed by the money in your account within two weeks (in reality a week).
Of course, man is an incorrigible creature. So if you still, despite my experience, consider traveling without insurance, it is your decision. However, if you still want to travel insured and want to know how to save money, you can check out a sample comparison of travel insurance prices. It might help you in making decisions and planning your next trip.
