How One Man Flew Across The Atlantic For Just $28

Can you imagine scoring a flight across the Atlantic for just $28? What if it was on your own private plane with personal attendants? Seems like a dream, doesn't it?
For one man, it was a reality. And I can assure you – it was not a dream. In fact, it was a nightmare.

The Trip to Europe

It all started when Jim* and Sue* took a trip to Europe last summer. Jim started experiencing nausea and had stomach problems. Over the next few days, Jim's symptoms turned worse: he was disoriented and unable to walk. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with kidney failure, placed on dialysis and monitored.
Sue remembered she had a RoamRight travel insurance policy, and called our 24/7 emergency assistance number. Upon receiving the call for help, our assistance provider worked with the treating physicians to assess Jim's situation. When his condition did not improve over several days, the doctors began consider options for flying Jim home to the United States. RoamRight's medical transport specialists were called in to arrange an air ambulance return , and with the guidance and support of our emergency assistance provider, Jim was flown home in a private air ambulance with certified medical personnel on board to care for him. Once home, he was hospitalized for further care and treatment.

The Flight Home

Between his hospitalization in Europe and his air ambulance transport, Jim's bills totaled to more than $117,000. At home, Jim was on Medicare, which does not pay to foreign medical providers. Jim and Sue would have had to come up with $117,000 to pay for his medical bills themselves; fortunately, though, Jim had purchased a low-cost travel insurance policy before he left the country. The cost of that plan? Just $28.

With the coverage provided by his RoamRight Preferred plan, Jim had up to $50,000 in emergency accident and sickness coverage and $500,000 of evacuation coverage. He also had unlimited access to our 24/7 assistance provider, which has a network of more than 4,500 global medical providers in more than 200 countries.

A Quick Calculation

Here's a short summary of Jim's expenses:

In all fairness, I suppose it wasn't a $28 flight. If you add in his deductible, it was a $78 flight. Still, that beats a $70,000 flight (plus another $47,000 in medical expenses!)

* names have been changed 

At RoamRight, it’s our job to help protect you – and travelers like Jim. If you have a great travel insurance story, we’d love to hear from you! Simply share it with us by visiting roamright.com/stories. Or share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram!

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.