A significant number of people with pre-existing medical conditions are set to put themselves at risk abroad this year by travelling with inadequate travel insurance with many seriously under-estimating the cost of medical care abroad – according to new research from AllClear Travel Insurance.
The new poll of a representative sample of 2,000 adults revealed that only 28% of people with medical conditions say they would buy top quality travel insurance before heading off abroad this year. Whilst 38% of respondents said that would get cover with what they regarded to be ‘good features’ – 18% said they would buy the cheapest travel policy available and 17% said they would travel without cover.
The responses for people with medical conditions were remarkably similar to the UK population at large, whereas AllClear would have expected to see people with medical conditions to be far more likely to rate quality cover over cheap price.
The travel insurance people would buy this year
| UK average | People with medical conditions | |
| Top quality cover | 31% | 28% |
| Good cover features | 39% | 38% |
| Cheapest policy | 17% | 18% |
| Won’t buy travel insurance | 13% | 17% |
The findings come at a time when Brits start planning their overseas adventures for the year ahead, with 85% of people with medical conditions telling AllClear Travel Insurance that they plan an overseas holiday at some point during 2026.
With medical costs soaring in many countries, AllClear is urgently encouraging anyone with a medical condition that’s planning to travel abroad to put safety first when buying their travel cover.
Garry Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs at AllClear Travel Insurance comments: “At AllClear, we’re committed to supporting our customers abroad, ensuring they get quick access to the emergency medical care they need if they face an emergency abroad.
Over the last few years, we’ve campaigned on the impact of medical non-disclosure and it’s of great concern that around 25% of UK holidaymakers admitted during 2025 that they didn’t declare all their medical conditions when buying travel insurance.
Not all Travel Insurance is the same. If people with medical conditions are shopping around for cheap policies for 2026, they find their policy doesn’t meet their needs if they have a medical emergency and need looking after abroad. Non-declaration and under-declaration of medical conditions when buying travel cover is a huge issue that needs to be tackled urgently – and it starts with customers shopping for travel policies on quality of cover not the cheapest price.”
The concerning data of people cutting corners on their travel cover is, perhaps, partly explained by a lack of knowledge on the true cost of medical care abroad. Only around half of those with medical conditions (55%) understood they wouldn’t personally be able to foot the bill for medical costs abroad. Around 45% named one or more countries where they believed they would be able to self-fund medical bills if they had no medical insurance to help them. Of significant concern here, the USA did not stand out to survey respondents as a country where medical costs can be extreme and claims as much as £1 million.
| UK average | People with medical conditions | |
| Spain | 20% | 19% |
| Italy | 17% | 14% |
| Germany | 15% | 11% |
| USA | 14% | 12% |
| Portugal | 13% | 11% |
| Canada | 12% | 10% |
| Sweden | 11% | 9% |
| Thailand | 11% | 7% |
| Australia | 11% | 9% |
| India | 10% | 7% |
| Jamaica | 8% | 5% |
| Mexico | 8% | 5% |
| I wouldn’t be able to personally pay medical bills | 47% | 55% |
Garry Nelson adds: “Failure to declare all relevant medical information when buying travel cover can invalidate a policy completely and – more commonly – under-declaration can leave people with a portion of the medical bill to pay themselves.
We pay out on claims, but we need customers to help by fully declaring their medical conditions when buying a travel policy – and make sure you have comprehensive cover. Together, we must all change the industry agenda away from the allure of the headline rate for travel insurance and to make the case for quality and safety first.
