5 Countries Where You Must Have Travel Insurance

Many people are still tempted to scrimp on travel insurance, especially with short trips or visits to 'safe? destinations. But with cheap travel insurance now so widely and easily available, there's really no excuse to travel uninsured, especially given how common insurance claims are for certain destinations. Here are five countries that have some of the highest numbers of insurance claims'and the one country that has the least!

Thailand

Thailand is one of the most popular holiday destinations for travellers from the UK, but it is also the places that is most likely to see visitors making a claim on their travel insurance. Unlike the other countries on this list, no single cause in particular dominates Thailand travel insurance claims, which included a large number of claims for theft, illness, traffic accidents and lost items. Just what it is about Thailand that makes it such a common place to claim on insurance isn't known, but any visitor to this country should make sure they take out some good travel insurance.

Mexico

?Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun? is how the old saying goes, and UK residents are famed for overindulging in the sun when traveling abroad. Few people would think that sunburn is worth claiming for on your travel insurance, but severe sunburn and sunstroke are no laughing matter, and can seriously affect your health. Mexico has the highest number of travel insurance claims for overexposure to the sun, so make sure that you pack both a high factor sun cream and your travel insurance policy for any trip to Mexico!

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is one of many Eastern European nations that draws many travelers with a combination of handsome architecture and very cheap beer. But visitors should be careful of overindulging in the latter, as the Czech Republic sees the highest number of travel insurance claims for pick pocketing. So keep your wallet out of sight and go easy on the Staropramen!

South Africa

South Africa has achieved massive popularity as a holiday destination in recent years, with safaris, shark diving and visits to Cape Town all common elements of holidays in South Africa. Unfortunately, South Africa also has the most travel insurance claims for muggings and armed robbery, so visitors there should be careful. Luckily, most muggings are non violent, so in the unlikely event that you are mugged, it shouldn't cost you any more than the time it takes to fill out a travel insurance claim.

Caribbean Islands

Idyllic and beautiful they may be, but the Caribbean Islands feature one particular danger - insect bites. While most insect bites will only be a minor inconvenience, allergic reactions or infected injuries can require professional medical attention, and nothing runs up a bill like uninsured medical expenses abroad. Insect bites may seem like nothing to worry about, but any visitor to the Caribbean should make sure they have good travel insurance in case something goes wrong.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and if the thought of robbery in South Africa or pickpockets in the Czech Republic grows too much, you could always consider a trip to Ireland, which has the smallest number of travel insurance claims from visitors who go there. But no matter where you are going you should still get some basic, cheap travel insurance at the very least. After all, wherever you are traveling, there's always the danger of your luggage going AWOL at the airport - especially if you are traveling through Heathrow Terminal 5!

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey's Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore, offers cheap travel insurance cover for families, singles, children and skiers with free cover against acts of terrorism and a quick and easy online claims feature.