Heading for a 2025 European summer to escape the winter chill? For Europe travel made easy-breezy, limoncello-squeezy, here’s how to avoid common travel insurance issues and what to watch for while exploring the Continent.
It’s all fun in the sun during a European summer until something goes wrong.
But many Australians may not be aware that travel insurance won’t cover lost or stolen personal items or belongings left unattended.
Between May and September 2024, Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) reveals that lost or stolen cash, cards and passports netted more than $19,000 in claims, while $326,000 was claimed for lost, stolen or damaged belongings.
SCTI Chief Customer Officer Jess Strange said: “It is important to remember that Southern Cross, like many other insurers, will not cover property stolen whilst left unattended, so always keep bags and valuables with you, or leave them with someone you trust. Thieves often target holiday hotspots waiting for tourists to be momentarily distracted.”
The most common and costly travel insurance issues related to European travel were medical, resulting in almost $1.5 million in medical and related evacuation costs, including emergency evacuations, hospitalisations, additional accommodation costs and emergency dental treatments.
Travel interruptions, cancellations and delayed trips during European holidays resulted in more than $588,000 claimed for changes to journeys after departure.
Meanwhile, rental car excesses totalled more than $77,000 in travel insurance claims during the European summer period in 2024.
SCTI data found the most popular European destinations for Aussie travellers in 2025 are the UK, Italy, France, Greece and Spain.
