From travel delays to lost luggage and medical emergencies, 24 per cent of Australian travellers or the equivalent of five million Aussies reported experiencing travel mishaps while on holiday in the last 12 months to May 2024, according to new Finder research.
The good news is that while 76 per cent of those surveyed said they had not encountered any problems while travelling overseas, it’s still a compelling reason to have travel insurance and an opportunity for travel advisors to have that chat with clients.
Those who did experience travel mishaps were more likely to be younger travellers with Gen Z (38%) and Millennials (32%) reporting an issue in the last 12 months compared to 16 per cent of Gen X and 15 per cent of Baby Boomers.
Travel delays were responsible for most travel mishaps with one in seven (15%) Aussies experiencing disruptions on holiday while three per cent also copped to missing their flight.
Lost luggage and misplacing items (5% each) were the second-most problems encountered by Aussies.
A further four per cent reported being scammed on holiday while having their credit card skimmed (2%) and being pickpocketed or having items stolen (1%) were also on the list.
From travel inconveniences to medical emergencies, two per cent of Aussies surveyed said they ended up in hospital on holiday with another one per cent reported being in a motorbike or car accident.
The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) found one in six Aussies (16%) are flying overseas without any travel insurance coverage.
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, more than 1.5 million Australians flew overseas in May 2024, a year-on-year increase of 14.7 per cent.
