Drivalia customers know that because our Ultimate package is a truly all inclusive car hire at Alicante airport and Palma airport you have nothing to worry about with your car and you have the most hassle-free car hire around but now that your car is fully insured it´s time to think about you and what happens if you fall sick in Spain.

The quality of medical care in Spain is equal to that of any other modern country and in fact if you speak to most British expats they will often say that the healthcare in Spain beats other countries so if you do have an accident or fall sick on holiday you can relax in the knowledge that you are in safe hands.

Making sure that you have the right cover in place is really important.  If you are an EU national then you are entitled to free healthcare in any of the state owned “nhs” hospitals in Spain.  To access this you will need an EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card).   UK nationals can obtain this card free from the NHS and find out all there is to know by following this link http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx . This card is designed to give you access to the state run hospitals in European countries when you are on holiday and need emergency treatment.  It is not for planned routine treatment although if you need treatment for certain chronic conditions (dialisis for example) you can get it in Spain through this system (you do have to organise this in advance).

The EHIC card is not a replacement for holiday insurance and we would advise anyone going abroad to take out good cover. It doesn´t have to cost too much and offers protection for a whole host of things. Usually insurance will also give you access to private hospitals in the event of needing urgent care (check with your insurer) and the private hospitals in Spain are, in general absolutely superb.  By choosing insurance you get much more than just the healthcare.  If for example you need repatriating home or to extend your trip as you are unwell these costs are usually covered.

Of course we are not saying there is anything wrong with the state run hospitals but private can often make your trip a little easier.  In busy tourist areas most private hospitals are geared up for dealing with foreigners and have English-speaking staff or translators.  Also, in general you can get seen extremely quickly if you are in a private clinic.

Often foreigners on holiday in Spain worry about the quality of care they will get if they are unfortunate enough to end up in a Spanish hospital.  There really is nothing to worry about.  The Spanish hospitals are clean, modern and well equipped.  In private hospitals you usually get your own room if you need to stay in and even in public hospitals the beds are usually no more than two to a room.  So although we all hope of course that a holiday goes smoothly, it´s good to know that if you need help you will be well taken care of in Spain.

So if the worst happens and you are taken ill what do you do with your hire car?  Well firstly if you are taken ill and need to return home our Ultimate package which offers all inclusive car at Alicante airport and Mallorca airport comes with free curtailment cover which means that you can return your car early and obtain a credit against your next booking (contact us immediately if this happens).

At Drivalia we pride ourselves on the service that we deliver and everything we do is driven by a determination to offer the most hassle-free and honest car hire at Alicante and Mallorca airports.  With this in mind we will always do everything we can to assist in the event of you needing to extend your stay for medical (or any other) reasons. If you need to extend your car hire then contact the office by telephone or email and we will work quickly to make the most convenient arrangements.

So the key a stress-free holiday in Spain?  Contact Drivalia to book an honest and transparent all inclusive car hire from Alicante airport or Mallorca airport.  This means that your car hire will be hassle-free and remember that with Ultimate the price you see is the price you pay with no extras, no deposit and debit card car hire at Alicante airport and Mallorca airport is possible too.  Make sure you plan for the unexpected – get your free EHIC card and get travel insurance to cover yourself and your personal belongings if the worst happens and then relax and enjoy the sun!

Happy holidays!