New research identifies the five factors behind an alarming knowledge gap on the importance of medical travel cover abroad

New annual tracking research from AllClear Travel Insurance reveals a significant knowledge gap on the importance of medical travel cover abroad, which helps to explain why a significant number of UK holidaymakers cut corners with their travel cover: some going for budget policies, some failing to disclose medical conditions when buying a policy – and others risking overseas travel with no cover at all.

1. Affordability of medical bills abroad

Annual tracking data from AllClear reveals a gradual but steady decline in percentage of UK holidaymakers that appreciate they would be unable to afford medical costs abroad if they did not have appropriate medical cover in place. This suggests that many people under-estimate medical costs abroad – at a time when they are in fact rising in many countries.

Percentage of UK adults that know they wouldn’t be able to pay the medical bills themselves if they were to fall ill or have an accident: Results by holiday destination

1. Misplaced perceptions of risk by distance travelled 

AllClear also asked survey respondents with medical conditions about their general approach to buying travel insurance – specifically, whether they would be happy to pay more money for a travel insurance policy with quality medical cover – or whether they would look to pay less on the cost of their cover.

For long-haul destinations, such as Mexico (72%), Australia (70%) Canada (69%) at least two thirds of respondents said they would be inclined to pay more for comprehensive medical cover. However, for short haul destinations – such as Germany, Spain and Italy – there was an even split between paying for comprehensive or cheap cover. This is a concern, given people with medical conditions are more likely to have short-haul holidays (48%), thus risking them not having the right medical cover when they need it most.

1. Skipping cover if a destination is a quick flight home

Many people with medical conditions (54%) said they would be prepared to travel to one or more European countries with no cover at all, on the basis it would be a relatively quick trip home if they were to fall ill or have an accident while away. This represents a growing trend – up from 46% in 2023.

1. How much medical information to disclose

For people with medical conditions, many understand the broad principle of declaring their medical history when buying travel insurance – although the AllClear research suggested there was a perceived grey area on how much information should be disclosed when buying a policy. Medical conditions people didn’t think they needed to declare when buying travel cover included: depression or anxiety (18%), flu (17%), irritable bowel syndrome (14%), food allergies (13%), diabetes (12%), sexually transmitted disease (12%), asthma (11%) and surgery more than a year ago (11%).

1. Confusion over the consequences of medical non-disclosure

The consequences of non-disclosure can range from policy voidance to claims being excluded or not fully met, leading to significant financial implications for customers. However, when asked directly what the consequences of failing to declare medical conditions might be, 40% of people with pre-existing medical conditions were unaware that non-disclosure could invalidate their travel policy. Of these people, 35% thought they would just be reprimanded with no further consequences, while 55% thought they may have to pay costs upfront and get reimbursed by their insurer at a later date. In addition, 68% thought there may be limits on how much of the medical costs the insurer would cover, while 25% believed their insurer might lend them the money, to be repaid at a later date. Beyond this, 25% of respondents believed that as long as they had a policy document, their insurer would pay.

Letitia Smith, Head of Insight at AllClear Travel Insurance comments: “Our research goes beyond quantifying the scale and impact of medical non-disclosure to explore the underlying reasons why people fail to disclose their medical conditions, providing deeper insight into the behaviours, barriers and motivations driving the issue.

“From the data it is clear that there is a range of factors at play and a seismic knowledge gap that needs to be tackled. For several years, we’ve been campaigning to highlight the very real human cost of medical non-disclosure when buying travel insurance. It remains deeply concerning that so many holidaymakers do not fully disclose their medical conditions, potentially putting their financial security and access to vital support at risk when they need it most. This may reflect a lack of understanding of the serious consequences of non-disclosure, reinforcing the need for greater awareness, clearer communication and stronger action across the industry.”

The findings are from a new AllClear annual travel report, released in late November, which looks back on 2026 travel trends and explores attitudes to risk, insurance and medical costs during a turbulent year.