Do you really need to buy travel insurance?

Personally, I'd say it really depends on your own situation, not just how far you're going. Do you have good health insurance that covers you abroad? A premium credit card with insurance included? Then you can honestly skip it for a short trip. But if you travel a lot or do risky stuff (hiking, winter sports, etc), then it's definitely worth it. And yeah, medical bills can explode abroad, but people often forget that travel insurance also covers cancellations, lost luggage, flight delays - sometimes that's what saves your butt, not just health issues.

The vast majority of people massively underestimate what their health insurance actually covers the moment they set foot outside France. It's not just emergency expenses - it's also medical evacuation, repatriation that can cost tens of thousands of euros if something serious happens to you in the mountains or a remote area. Before you say no to travel insurance, call your health service or your insurance company and explicitly ask what they cover abroad, the limits, and whether you have to pay upfront.

Now the thing nobody mentions: premium bank cards or home insurance policies often include basic travel coverage. It's rarely great but it's there. So you're already paying for it sometimes without realizing it. Worth checking before you pull out your wallet for a separate insurance. Honestly if you're going away for less than 15 days somewhere nearby you can probably get by without much, but the moment it's further away or longer, travel insurance becomes a no-brainer: one medical issue and you're broke without it.

The thing is, the question "should I" isn't really the right one. What you need to check first is what coverage you *already* have, because a lot of people end up paying double without realizing it. Before you sign anything, call your health insurance and ask explicitly: coverage abroad yes or no, what's the limit, and do they reimburse on the spot or only after? Get them to send you something in writing, not just a phone conversation. Same thing with your bank if you have a card with insurance included - read the terms, they're annoying but that's where you see the limits that change everything.

After that, here's something nobody mentions: travel insurance that's actually useful isn't really for the minor stuff you'd get treated for in your home country anyway, it's for the unexpected that leaves you stranded. Medical evacuation from a mountain or an island? A flight cancellation that costs you a thousand euros? Lost luggage two weeks into Southeast Asia? Those are the situations where you think "I'm glad I have this". For a weekend in Barcelona with good health insurance, it's peanuts. For two weeks in Thailand or something more adventurous, it's really not expensive compared to the risk.

The hack: check what your credit card insurance covers before you pay for a separate policy. Even a basic card sometimes offers more than you'd think. And if you travel a lot throughout the year, annual travel insurance costs less than buying it case by case.