New research shows 87% of Irish holidaymakers have taken a chance on heading away without having travel insurance in place.
The study commissioned by Multitrip.com and carried out by Opinium1 questioned 1,000 people about their approach to cover for various destinations and types of trip.
When asked why they didn’t get insurance for a holiday, the top five reasons given were:
My trip was too short to need it - 33%
I didn’t think it was needed - 33%
My EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) would cover me if needed - 26%
It was too expensive - 24%
I was willing to take the risk rather than pay for insurance - 20%
A confident 18% of people said they didn’t get insurance because they were healthy.
The results have prompted a reminder for Irish holidaymakers about the importance of having travel insurance, particularly as 78% of holidaymakers have experienced problems while abroad or travelled with someone who has.
MD of Multitrip.com Jason Whelan says these issues can impact anyone's holiday regardless of how long it is, the person’s health or whether they have an EHIC. He believes there are many misconceptions about what travel insurance can help with:
''It’s worrying that so many people feel they don’t need travel insurance, given how high medical expenses can be. While health issues can happen, which may result in high medical costs, unexpected accidents can also happen. We have seen rising medical expenses for medical treatment abroad in some cases reaching tens of thousands of Euros. For example, we had a recent medical claim for a Broken bone in Spain that was €34,000.”
Even if you feel you don’t really need travel insurance, it’s good to have protection in place just in case something unexpected happens on your trip. At Multitrip.com annual travel insurance policies start at just €19.953. It really is a small price to pay for year-round peace of mind.’’
Sources
1 Survey of 1,000 holidaymakers from Ireland who go on holiday abroad at least once a year, carried out online between 27th March and 1st April 2026.
2 Multitrip.com analysed claims data from Europe between 2025-2026
3 €19.95. Based on European Essential 1 year cover for 1 adult under 66 years holding Private Health Insurance with medical cover abroad.
