Travel mishaps

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:00
Most regard travel insurance as a way of covering the costs should you require medical attention while on holiday, however, it also provides the added benefit of being there for other little 'mishaps' — not necessarily of a medical nature.

George Novis of Santam’s Travel Insurance underwriter TIC says, "One never expects to be involved in any kind of holiday blunder but travel cover has bailed many holidaymakers out of bizarre and costly situations.

"A basic insurance package can cost as little as R285, depending on the duration of your trip, paying out as much as R25-million, no matter the nature of the mishap."

The hotel disaster

In one example, a client travelling in Europe walking down a flight of stairs in her hotel lost her footing and tried to regain it by grabbing on to an expensive painting on the wall beside her.

"Unfortunately she continued to tumble down the stairs, knocking over an expensive vase, in addition to the painting, as she went."

The woman may not have been injured — but the cost of the mishap still amounted to R10 000 which the hotel demanded from her.

Shaky skiers

As another example, a South African skier inadvertently knocked a fellow skier while on the slopes in Colorado. Minimal injuries were caused; however he was tracked down in Cape Town and served with a $100 000 summons.

"The client’s travel insurance allowed us to investigate the incident on his behalf which revealed that the 'victim' was, in fact, a serial litigant. Although suffering injuries, the victim causes accidents of this nature all the time, trapping unsuspecting tourists. We were able to settle out of court (inclusive of legal expenses) to the value of R430 000."

These expenses are insignificant if compared to those that can be incurred if a traveller requires medical attention — as hospitalisation and operation costs can easily go into the millions.

"These examples illustrate how easily expensive mistakes can happen and how one can inexpensively ensure that museum entries and restaurant bills are the only expenses leaving a dent in the bank account while on holiday."