Relax knowing you're fully insured

Travel Insurance

12 February 2009

Over 14 million British holidaymakers - or one in five people - will travel abroad without travel insurance this year, according to a recent report by the BBC.

The recession is prompting people to cut corners where they can afford it least, and, the reports concludes, it's a mistake that could cost people their life savings and even their homes.

Hundreds of British holidaymakers are hospitalised abroad each year, with visitors to Spain needing the most medical attention (695), followed by Greece (602) and Thailand 324), according to the Foreign Office's ‘British Behaviour Abroad' 2007 report.

Aside from ruining their holiday, medical care can cost holidaymakers thousands of pounds. The FCO estimates that an air ambulance from the Canary Islands to the UK would cost between £12-16,000, a scheduled flight, stretcher and Doctor escort from Australia between £15-20,000, and an air ambulance from the East cost of the USA would cost between £35-45,000.

"We are appealing to British holidaymakers not to cut corners on travel insurance as our third annual British Behaviour Abroad report reveals that Brits are continuing to get into trouble overseas" the FCO stated last year.

Sandy Murray, a spokeswoman for he Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), also urged travellers to make sure that they had adequate insurance before going abroad. "It's not expensive and you've got peace of mind for if anything goes wrong and that's the main thing," she told the BBC. "If anything goes wrong it's going to cost you. You could have your house up for sale to try and raise extra money. Anything could happen."

Essential Travel - fully comprehensive Travel Insurance at a great price