Not riding a scooter reduces the need for medical insurance by at least 98%.
Quite probably! Though I’ve happily ridden one in Bali and Koh Samui with near-empty roads and flow speeds.
If there is anything to be taken from my ‘no insurance’ policy for other people (who can and probably do get insurance for shorter trips and for which insurance is available) it is maybe this:
If you travel without insurance, you don’t assume someone else will look after you. Instead you think, “What is the worst that could happen? How will I handle it?” You become very aware of your own medical conditions if any, and the dangers of illness in specific countries. You fine tune your medicines kit. You know about symptoms to look out for. And what self-medicating treatments are possible. Before undertaking dangerous sports, you think more carefully about your individual capabilities and work out what know and don’t know how to accomplish. You learn to assess the local dangers carefully and expand your safety zone with equal care.
You can do all this of course and still take insurance, but you might do a more thorough job if you think to yourself there is no “somebody else” to call.
In thirty years of travelling or more, I’ve only been to a foreign hospital once (in Bangkok, I was still learning) and only had a semi-serious injury once (in the Amazon — sorted by common sense).
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve helped out panicking tourists on matters like security or simple medical emergencies. That’s another thing: think ahead and the chances are you will be able to think more calmly and logically if an emergency
does arise. You’ve nothing to lose and a lot to gain — and remember, if you do have to claim on insurance it’s probably because you fucked up in some way or other. So travel safely, and know your limits.
Enjoy!