Top 10 most expensive travel insurance claims in 2022

Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has released its data on the 10 most expensive international travel claims from Australian travellers in 2022.

This year’s list includes everything from unexpected illnesses to accidents while exploring on a trip, and even an unlucky slip in the shower.

The most expensive international travel insurance claim in 2022 is a whopping $135,375, paid to a 65-year-old traveller who had a heart condition and fluid in the lungs while on holiday in Greece and was hospitalised for around three weeks. He had to fly back to Australia on a business class flight when he was finally fit to fly.

It was followed by a $109,725 claim paid to a 95-year-old man who contracted pneumonia while travelling to Greece and was admitted to the hospital for three weeks. He had to fly back to Australia on a business class flight with two registered nurse escorts when his condition did not improve. Meanwhile, the third most expensive international travel claim is $79,277, paid to a 22-year-old who suffered a collapsed lung and fractured rib following a scooter accident in Indonesia.

The rest of the list includes:

• An 85-year-old returned early from Greece after fracturing a hip when falling while getting out of a car (claim paid: $46,075);
• A 28-year-old with a heart condition was admitted to the hospital while on holiday in America (claim paid: $44,175);
• A 64-year-old woman fractured her ankle after slipping in the shower while on holiday in Switzerland (claim paid: $37,525);
• A 17-year-old returned early from America after sustaining a serious fracture while skiing (claim paid: $36,575);
• A 46-year-old sought emergency treatment after a tear formed in the blood vessel in the heart while on holiday in Canada (claim paid: $34,675);
• An 88-year-old had to return early from Portugal after falling off an e-bike (claim paid: $33,725); and
• An 85-year-old had to return early from Indonesia after suffering a heart attack (claim paid: $33,934).

Travel insurance perspective post-COVID-19

Three in four Australians have become more concerned about their health and safety when travelling in the next two years than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic began – with 80% considering travel insurance a high priority for international travel and 65% seeing domestic travel insurance a high priority.

SCTI CEO Jo McCauley has reminded Australian travellers to prepare for the unexpected when travelling domestically or internationally.

“Following COVID-19, we know there has been an increased appetite for travel. Research we conducted earlier this year showed 92% of Aussies are planning to travel in the next two years. We’ve also seen people travelling for longer, up by an average of 25%, from 20 days to 25 days,” McCauley said.

“Understandably, Aussie travellers have been preoccupied with what would happen if they caught COVID-19 while travelling. But while COVID-19 still remains a reality, our largest claims relate to the same types of accidents and medical events that we were witnessing prior to the pandemic.”