Mr. Yip, Mrs. Yip and their son were on vacation in Phuket. One day, they went to a beach for water sports. While Mr. Yip and his son were playing on the beach, Mrs. Yip was taking photos of them while standing close to their travel bag. Towards the evening, Mrs. Yip joined them, leaving their travel bag unattended for just a few moments. When she looked back, two thieves had grabbed the travel bag. Mr. Yip immediately ran after the thieves but failed to catch them. As a result, they lost a digital camera, a pair of earrings and a wallet.

Mrs. Yip reported the incident to the Phuket police and later filed a claim with their travel insurance company when they returned to Hong Kong. However, the insurance company declined the claim for the reason that Mrs. Yip should bear responsibility for the loss since she had not taken reasonable care of their travel bag prior to the theft. Mrs. Yip should have kept the travel bag with her, even though it was just a few steps away when it was stolen.

The travel insurance company stood firm on the fact that the beach was a public area where theft might easily happen, and that keeping an eye open was not enough to prevent theft. Mrs. Yip should have been more cautious with her personal belongings in order to avoid loss, especially of valuable items.

The terms and conditions of most travel insurance policies require the insured person to take reasonable precautions to prevent any potential loss. If the insured person does not take good care of their personal belongings, this may result in a breach of the conditions and the claim may not be covered under the policy.

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