Emma’s trip to Thailand: How travel insurance would have made all the difference
Emma had been planning the trip of her dreams for years. Destination: Thailand. It was her first intercontinental trip and the excitement was huge. She had read all the travel guides, booked the best hotels and planned every detail. The only thing she hadn’t thought about was travel insurance. “I won’t need that,” she thought. But fate had another lesson in store for her.
The journey begins
The departure from Rome went perfectly. Emma arrived in Bangkok without any problems and immediately immersed herself in the local culture. After a few days in the hectic capital, she traveled on to the beautiful islands in the south. The crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches looked like something out of a postcard. But this is where her nightmare began.
The accident
One day, during a boat trip, Emma decided to go snorkeling. The water was calm and the sun was high in the sky. While exploring the wonderful underwater world, Emma didn’t notice the strong current that was pulling her away from the boat. As she tried to return, she hit a submerged rock and badly injured her leg. The pain was unbearable and the water turned red.
Fortunately, the tour guide noticed she was missing and was able to save her. Emma was rushed to the nearest hospital, which was several hours away. But here began a new series of problems. Without travel insurance, Emma faced exorbitant medical costs, and the language barrier made everything even more complicated.
The nightmare
The injury required immediate surgery, followed by days in hospital and ongoing care. The costs quickly added up and Emma soon found herself short of cash. Without travel insurance, she had to rely on her personal savings and financial help from her family to cover the medical costs and extended hospital stay.
Real costs of emergency medical treatment abroad:
- Emergency surgery: In Thailand, emergency surgery can cost between 5,000 and 15,000 euros, depending on the complexity.
- Hospitalization: The daily cost of hospitalization can vary between 200 and 1,000 euros, including the necessary medical treatments.
- Costs for medical evacuation: In the event of a necessary transfer to another hospital or repatriation, the costs can amount to up to 50,000 euros.
- Due to the accident, she was unable to continue her journey as planned and had to rebook her stay and change her flight – this incident cost her several hundred francs.
When she was finally able to return home, her finances were ruined and her dream trip had turned into a financial and emotional nightmare.
Analysis
How could travel insurance have made a difference for Emma? Good travel insurance not only covers medical costs, but also the costs of an emergency evacuation, possible extensions of stay due to health problems and much more. Travel insurance can be taken out as a separate travel policy or can be supplemented by health insurance with cover abroad. With adequate insurance, Emma could have focused on her recovery without worrying about the financial burden. In addition, the multilingual support offered by many insurance companies would have made communication with local doctors much easier.
