It’s that time of the year again – Britain’s unpredictable ‘summer’ weather is here which means that holidaymakers across the UK will takes their chances abroad for warmer weather.
Planning on what one needs to take with them on holiday can usually be a stressful experience. Whilst trying to make sure all the essentials are packed such as tickets and passports; new research has shown that holidaymakers are choosing not to pack one vital item... Travel Insurance.
Around 12 million Brits have made plans to visit friends and family abroad this summer, with many more expected to book last minute deals online. However, despite this huge figure, only half of young people have taken out insurance. Research published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) found that 39% of people who were visiting friends and family in Africa did not take out travel insurance on their previous trip and only 48% took out travel insurance when visiting relatives in South Asia.
Many people feel that travel insurance is redundant when visiting friends or family abroad, regardless of where they are travelling in the world. In reality, it’s the most important item to pack in your suitcase. The foreign office are reminding those who don’t take out travel insurance run the risk of facing a colossal medical bill, whether they are visiting friends and family or not.
In order to tackle these alarming statistics, the FCO have launched a new ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign, which aims to remind Brits to make sure they have obtained appropriate travel insurance before they jet off. The FCO has also released some examples of foreign medical costs. For example, a broken arm in Spain can cost £5,000, whereas getting an air ambulance in Australia can leave you with a bill of £100,000.
The same costs can apply to potential diseases you may catch while abroad. For example the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have recently warned that the rise in malaria cases in UK, which has seen a 30% increase in cases, is potentially down to travellers staying with friends and family abroad and not taking the necessary precautions. The HPA believes that this is because many travellers staying with people they know believed they would not be at risk when they know the area they were visiting. However, those who have not taken out insurance will not be able to rely on the Foreign Office to arrange better medical treatment or pay bills for any British travellers.
Besides these facts, many still see travel insurance as an unnecessary extra when planning a holiday, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. This blog only scratches the surface of potential risks travellers face when going abroad, with many more (for example, ash clouds cancelling flights) that could also be detrimental to travellers and their wallets. Even the slightest injury abroad or losing an item of luggage could leave you with a bill that costs more than the holiday itself.
With the ability now to obtain online travel insurance at a cheap and affordable price, there really is no excuse. It should be a priority after you’ve booked your flight and accommodation. You can then get back to the other important task... looking forward to your holiday!
Check out eTraveller to see how much money you can save on your travel insurance. You can get a quote in seconds, with a choice between Essential and Extra cover to suit your own individual needs. Click here to see how much money you can save.
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