While they might not be funny when they happen, looking back on mishaps encountered while travelling can often make for the best memories. Some too can be downright scary.
When I think about travel risks, most people, including me, usually think of lost luggage, delayed flights, or the occasional bout of food poisoning. What I don’t typically picture is being mugged by a monkey. Yet here we are.
According to the latest claims data from Southern Cross Travel Insurance, monkey-related incidents have surged by 350% in just two years. At first glance, it sounds almost comical – the sort of travel anecdote you’d trot out at a dinner party for laughs. But dig a little deeper and the story becomes less amusing and more cautionary.
Nearly four in five of these claims were medical, mostly bites and scratches. Anyone who has ever encountered a monkey in a tourist hotspot knows they can look deceptively cute – wide-eyed, curious, seemingly harmless. But they are still wild animals, and wild animals don’t care that you’ve waited three years for this holiday or that your travel wardrobe was meticulously planned.
What really struck me was how quickly a picture-perfect day can turn into a medical emergency. One child reportedly needed multiple rabies shots and antiviral treatment after being struck in the eye. Rabies is not something you want on your souvenir list. It’s the kind of logistical nightmare that can derail an entire trip – hospital visits, language barriers, unexpected costs, and a lingering anxiety that follows you long after you return home.
Then there’s the theft. We tend to think of pickpockets as human, but apparently monkeys have entered the chat. Sunglasses snatched off faces. Prescription lenses gone in a flash. Even a mobile phone allegedly stolen during what sounds like a coordinated villa break-in by a “gang” of monkeys – a phrase I never expected to write seriously.
It’s funny until it’s yours.
And perhaps that’s the real lesson here: travel has a way of lowering our guard. We’re relaxed, curious, eager to experience something different. That openness is part of what makes travel so transformative – but it can also make us complacent.
We inch closer for the perfect photo. We hold out food. We forget that animals accustomed to tourists often associate humans with snacks and shiny objects. Suddenly, your holiday highlight becomes a call to your insurer.
None of this is to say you should skip destinations famous for their wildlife – quite the opposite. Some of the most memorable travel moments come from encountering animals in their natural environments. But admiration should be paired with distance and respect. If a sign says don’t feed the animals, it’s not a suggestion. If guides warn you to secure your belongings, they’re not being overly cautious.
And dare I say it, maybe your phone doesn’t need to star in every travel memory.
Still, as bizarre as monkey crime sounds, it barely scratches the surface of what people have claimed on travel insurance.
Over the years, insurers have quietly compiled a catalogue of mishaps that read less like administrative paperwork and more like rejected sitcom plots.
One traveller fractured a rib after attempting a celebratory backflip upon arriving at their resort. Another injured himself pretending to be Superman – seriously – by jumping from a balcony into a pool that turned out to be shallower than anticipated.
One unlucky holidaymaker required treatment after a coconut fell directly onto their head while they were lounging beneath a palm tree. It sounds slapstick, but coconuts are heavy enough to cause serious injury. Even paradise has gravity.
Another tourist tried to kiss a camel for a photo and was promptly bitten. Romantic, but ill-advised.
A traveller once filed a claim after tripping over a suitcase while sneaking around in the dark to avoid waking their partner. Another broke a toe kicking a vending machine that refused to surrender a snack – proof that hunger can override common sense anywhere in the world.
My personal favourite might be the person who fell out of bed while dreaming they were playing sport and woke up mid-dive onto a very solid hotel floor. Imagine explaining that to both a doctor and an insurer.
What ties all these stories together isn’t stupidity, though occasionally you wonder, but the simple unpredictability of being outside our routines. Travel places us in unfamiliar settings where judgement can wobble just enough for chaos to step in.
If anything, these claims reinforce a truth seasoned travellers already know: preparation isn’t pessimism; it’s freedom. Good insurance doesn’t mean you expect disaster – it means you won’t be financially crushed if a monkey makes off with your sunglasses or you’re a fingertip away from winning the hotel floor 100-metre swim.
By all means, chase the adventure. Wander the markets, explore the temples, seek out the wildlife. Just keep a respectful distance from anything with teeth.
And maybe hold onto your phone a little tighter.
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