At a glance
- From 30 June to 26 August inclusive, the number of medical assistance cases opened abroad increased by 26% compared with the same period in 2025.
- Assistance requests for breakdowns or vehicle-related problems abroad also increased by 6%.
- The major wildfires that affected southern Europe, including France and Spain, had no significant impact on medical assistance cases. However, the various heatwaves contributed to an increase in medical and technical assistance cases in the countries concerned.
Summer 2026 was particularly busy for Redion Belgium's teams.
More medical cases abroad
Increase in the number of medical cases compared to last year: Since the start of the summer holidays, Redion Belgium has opened 3,360 medical cases abroad, representing a 26% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
This increase can be explained by the large number of travelers who went on holiday during the summer vacation period (as highlighted in the 2026 Redion Holiday Barometer trends) and by weather conditions.
Heatwaves in Southern Europe: During the summer months, heatwaves successively affected many regions across Europe. The situation was very similar to the episodes experienced during the previous three summers.
While heatwaves do not affect the number of medical cases opened for certain conditions, such as trauma-related injuries, they tend to lead to more cases involving gastrointestinal issues, particularly among younger people, as well as cases related to cardiovascular, respiratory, or neurological conditions (including those caused by heatstroke).
These conditions particularly affect elderly people or those with underlying medical conditions.
As for the major wildfires in southern France and Spain, they fortunately did not result in the opening of medical cases, but rather in calls from people seeking reassurance regarding the assistance available in the event of their stay being interrupted.
Most visited destinations: As usual, the vast majority of medical cases were opened in France (20%) and Spain (mainland Spain + islands: 16%).
These were followed by Italy (7%), Turkey (5%), Greece (4%), and Portugal (3%).
Among long-haul destinations, Thailand, the United States, and Indonesia topped the list (each accounting for 3% of medical cases opened).
"Coolcation" as a new trend?
One notable development is the increase in medical cases opened in Northern European destinations, which are likely becoming more attractive to travelers seeking to avoid high temperatures.
For example, 59 medical cases were opened this year in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland), compared with 35 cases in 2025.
Most common types of medical issues: Medical cases were mainly opened for the following conditions:
- Trauma, fractures, and injuries (more than 40%)
- Infections (more than 10%)
- Gastrointestinal issues (more than 10%)
- Cardiovascular and respiratory conditions (5%)
- Neurological conditions (4%)
Increase in technical assistance cases abroad
Redion Belgium recorded a 6% increase in the number of technical assistance interventions abroad during the period from June 30 to August 26, 2026.
The five countries with the highest number of cases were:
- France (38%)
- The Netherlands (29%)
- Spain (9%)
- Germany (7%)
- Italy (6%)
The most frequent types of technical interventions were:
- Engine or starting problems (70%)
- Technical issues caused inadvertently (keys locked inside the vehicle, battery problems, wrong fuel, flat tires) (22%)
- Accidents (7%)
During the same period, a 3% increase was recorded in the number of technical assistance interventions for vehicles in Belgium.
Assistance operations around the world
Redion Belgium once again opened assistance cases on every continent this summer.
The map below shows that assistance requests came in from all over the world. Using a color-coded system, it illustrates the combined number of medical cases recorded worldwide and vehicle technical assistance interventions carried out in Europe.
