1. A passenger who was denied boarding to a flight at Manchester Airport.  When he submitted his travel insurance claim, it turned out he had actually booked to fly from Manchester, New Hampshire, USA.

2. Beware of the cononut tree - it may not be the best place to soak up the sun after a lady was hit on the head by a falling coconut.  They can weigh 2 kilos and if falling from a 30 metre tall tree could travel up to 53mph.  This holidaymaker had medical expenses totalling £400.00, although I don't think she would have had much luck trying to pursue a claim against the tree!

3. You may be put off a wedding in paradise abroad when you hear the story of the bride whose wedding dress went up in flames when a briquette fell from a barbeque.  No doubt the advantage of a beach-side location really paid off when the groom whisked her into the water to cool off.

4. Travel insurers are accustomed to lost baggage claims but lost items are not normally as unusual as £300.00 worth of bombay mix.  Given that the weight of all that spicy snack would weigh some 85kg, the insurers refused to honour the claim.

5. A British backpacker was chased down a road in India and attacked by a wild bull.  His medical expenses claim totalled almost £3000.00.

If anything, these stories show you never know what might come to pass while you're on holiday abroad and what type of claim you may have to bring.  They also highlight how important it is to have good comprehensive travel insurance, no matter how far afield you intend to travel.

From my experience in travel claims, I am rarely surprised at some of the situations British holidaymakers find themselves in.  As the saying goes, when in Rome...


Chris Deacon
Solicitor - Travel team