Sick in Scotland: Susie’s Trip Insurance Story

Woman being interviewed in a restaurant

Susie and her husband had a wonderful trip to the United Kingdom planned, and then disaster struck. Part way through their vacation, Susie became ill.

Thankfully, Susie had purchased travel insurance from Seven Corners before their trip. “In hindsight,” she said, “it was the best decision ever.”

Here’s Susie’s story.

Ill in Edinburgh

“We left our home base in Atlanta, Georgia, and we arrived in the United Kingdom just excited to be there,” Susie recalled. The plan was for the couple to tour London, England, before heading to parts of Scotland and Ireland.

Their few days in London went off without a hitch, but when Susie and her husband arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, things took a turn for the worse. Susie came down with a mysterious illness and needed medical care.

Do You Have to Pay for Healthcare in Scotland?

Monument in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Getting sick at any time is never fun, but it’s even worse when you’re on vacation. And being sick on vacation can feel more overwhelming when you’re in another country. Where do you go for treatment? What if you need to quarantine? How will you pay for treatment? What if you speak a different language than your medical team?

Being in Scotland, Susie didn’t have to worry about a language barrier, but that doesn’t mean the experience wasn’t without some stress.

While Scotland does have universal healthcare for residents, tourists from outside the European Economic Area do need to pay for their own healthcare. That means the hospital bill would have been Susie’s responsibility. 

But that’s where Seven Corners stepped in.

Susie’s Seven Corners Travel Insurance

Because Susie had Seven Corners travel insurance, she saved thousands of dollars. When doctors determined she was too ill to continue her trip, Seven Corners arranged to fly Susie and her husband home and reimbursed her for:

  • Unused, nonrefundable trip expenses
  • Medical expenses in Scotland that weren’t covered by her health insurance at home
  • Flights for her and her husband when she returned home early

The benefits in Susie’s plan covered the expenses associated with her trip home, while Seven Corners Assist, our travel assistance team, handled all the logistics of her medical repatriation.

“After that initial phone call to Seven Corners and just knowing that they were taking care of things behind the scenes, all I had to worry about was resting at the hospital and getting well,” she said.

“Just knowing that they were paving the way for me to get to my endpoint, to get medical attention in the United States, was a godsend. I had no worries really. I wasn’t afraid on the trip because I knew that they were taking care of things.”

Airplane flying home.

Once back in the United States, Susie underwent abdominal surgery. She has since recovered and was soon planning her next trip. No doubt those plans include purchasing travel insurance again.

“Would I travel again without insurance? Absolutely not. I would definitely purchase the travel insurance for just the comfort and the knowledge of if something does happen during the trip and one of us becomes sick, that’s covered,” she said.

“The folks that helped me at Seven Corners, they were friendly, kind, and my hat’s off to them. I really appreciated it.”

Travel Insurance for England, Scotland, and Beyond

From protecting your money if you have to cancel your trip or come home early, to covering medical expenses if you get sick or hurt during your trip like Susie, Seven Corners has the right travel insurance to help you travel with peace of mind.

Use our interactive guide at SevenCorners.com to find the right plan for you or talk to one of our licensed agents today so you can be prepared when trip happens.

Topics: Testimonials

This website and various social media updates provided by Seven Corners contain content, information, articles, videos, and links to websites created by third parties. Seven Corners, its owners, and its employees neither endorse nor are responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, or reliability of any third-party information, statements, opinions, or advice and are not liable for any loss, harm, or damage caused by your reliance upon them. Use of such information or the linked websites is entirely at your risk. Concerns regarding this third-party content should be directed to the third party. Seek professional advice, as appropriate, regarding your use of such information and websites.

Because the information on this website and in Seven Corners’ blogs and other social media is written and compiled using knowledge and information available at a certain point in time, it may become outdated. For that reason, information, events, legal requirements, and product changes (including benefits, limitations, exclusions, and services) may not be up-to-date, complete, or accurate at the point in time it is being read. Again, use of such information is at your risk.