Even though people don’t often regard a day cruise to Finland or a weekend car trip to the Baltics as a real journey and falling ill in a neighbouring country is therefore considered less likely, insurance statistics show something else.

“The proximity of neighbouring countries often makes people underestimate the risks related to travelling and situations aren’t rare where a person decides to go on a trip at the last moment, and the resulting frenzy of planning and packing simply makes them forget about insurance,” said Marit Raag, Seesam’s Travel Insurance Product Manager.

Seesam’s statistics show that one in five travel insurance medical care cases occurs in a neighbouring country and sudden accidents too often end up in thousands of euros in medical bills even close to home.

20,000 euros for the return journey and 7,000 euros for falling off a scooter

Children most frequently require medical aid on trips, followed by persons aged 35 and slightly older, in turn followed by travellers over 70.

“In Finland, which is popular among Estonians, the average claim in the last few years has been around 400 euros. Among the more recent claims, unexpected appendicitis, which required immediate surgical intervention, amounted to more than 1,000 euros. In other Scandinavian countries, medical care damage also ranges between 300-400 euros and is mainly related to illnesses such as upset stomach or the common cold. In winter, however, ski accidents are the most common cause in this region,” explained the insurer.

Even though the average amount of damage is several times lower in neighbouring countries compared to the rest of the world, no one probably anticipates such an unexpected cost when going on a day trip to Latvia for a flower fair or to Helsinki to enjoy the amusement park.

“In addition to stomach upset and the common cold, city tours can involve falls, allergies and food poisoning. Falls are mainly related to bicycles and scooters, with damage ranging from 600 to 7,000 euros in neighbouring countries even in the case of falls that do not result in broken bones,” Raag noted examples of common damage.

The insurer said that the necessity for special transport is the main reason for increased amounts of damage. For example, an insured person was admitted to hospital in Sweden last year with a sudden heart problem, and since overland travel was not allowed for the client due to medical reasons, Air Ambulance had to be ordered for returning home, which raised the damage to 20,000 euros.

Insuring children is often forgotten

“Even though statistics show that children are the most frequent users of medical aid during journeys, insuring the youngest family members is often neglected. For example, children going to a foreign country for a class field trip or a sporting competition are not insured. We recently had a case where a competition in a foreign country ended in a fracture for a child, and in order for the under 18-year old to be released from the medical institution, the presence of an adult family member was required. In that case, too, travel insurance helped both the child and the adult who needed transport,” Raag explained the importance of insuring children.

For all persons travelling in neighbouring countries and elsewhere in Europe, the insurer draws attention to the European Health Insurance Card, which people often tend to forget.

“Upon a need for unexpected medical care, the European Health Insurance Card grants the right to medical care in public hospitals on conditions equal to local citizens. Depending on the country, the person will have to cover the transport to the hospital, appointment fees and in-patient fees. This means that the most comprehensive cover and peace of mind when travelling in Europe is granted by travel insurance along with the European Health Insurance Card, and the latter can be ordered by everyone free of charge,” said Raag.