The most expensive countries to fall ill in

Without travel insurance you could end up paying thousands for medical care if you're ill on holiday. Here are the most expensive countries should you fall sick.

The US, Canada and the Caribbean are the most expensive places to fall ill while on holiday. In Canada, the average claim is £12,130 while the average claim in the US/Caribbean is £9,245.

On the other end of the scale France is one of the cheapest countries to fall ill with the average claim at £3,199, according to data from All Clear Insurance.

The table below shows the full results.

Pre-existing medical conditions

Even when holidaymakers are buying insurance, often they are not declaring pre-existing medical conditions and are therefore not able to claim on the insurance if they fall ill.

In a study of more than 2,000 adults aged over 55, many were unaware of the kind of conditions which should be declared when taking out insurance. When asked which conditions they would leave off; 56% said high cholesterol, 55% wouldn’t mention low blood pressure and 58% would leave asthma off the list.

Back pain was also ignored by 77% of holidaymakers while 76% left off arthritis and 71% didn't mention depression.

When it comes to more serious illnesses, the research shows that 34% of those in the same age bracket do not see cancer or high blood pressure as something to tell an insurer if the illness is in remission or being controlled through medication.

But Mike Rutherford, All Clear Chairman, points out that insurers need to be told about all of these conditions or the policy may be unusable.

“Clearly the insurance industry has an enormous role to play in making travellers aware of what could invalidate their insurance in the event of a claim,” said Rutherford.

How to choose the right travel insurance

Choosing the right travel insurance is extremely important as without it you could end up paying hundreds or thousands as the data above has shown.

There are several different choices available, such as European or worldwide, single or annual, so you need to make sure you’ve got enough cover, and you’ve declared any pre-existing conditions.

It’s also important to factor in everything you’ll do on your trip. For example, if you’re going skiing or snowboarding you’ll need to make sure you have winter sports cover included in the policy.

You can find out more in our article: How to get top travel insurance for your holiday.

More on travel insurance:

Why you still need travel insurance for your UK holiday

How to get travel insurance if you have a pre-existing condition

Five reasons your travel insurance won't pay out

Why travel insurance is essential if you're going to Spain

This trick will double the cost of your cheap travel insurance

One in four travelling without insurance