One In Seven Holidaymakers Dont Take Travel Insurance With Them

British tourists might sometimes feel like they take the weather with them, but one in seven opt not to take travel insurance on short jaunts, only on their long haul trips.

Research from moneysupermarket.com has found that eight per cent of Brits deliberately shun travel insurance for short trips, only taking it out when they are going further afield or for a longer period of time.

The ‘it-won’t-happen-to-me’ attitude is what moneysupermarket.com thinks deters 14 per cent of people from taking out travel insurance at all, regardless of whether they’re hopping over the channel for a weekend break or flying half way around the world.

The survey reveals that just half of Britons travelling abroad take out travel insurance each time they go away somewhere. A quarter said that they only cover themselves for trips which take them outside of the UK, and almost one in eight only take it out for long haul trips.

Peter Gerrard, head of insurance research at moneysupermarket.com, said: “The excitement of getting away and spending time in the sun, seems to push travel insurance to the back of holidaymakers’ minds. Taking this risk is not such a good idea considering four-fifths (81 per cent) of Brits fall ill whilst on holiday.”

He reminds potential uninsured travelers that adequate cover is essential in case they have to claim for cancellations, public liability, lost cash and possessions, or emergency medical treatment.

“Some people may also consider travel insurance as an unwanted extra expense;” Mr Gerrard continued, “but with annual world-wide cover for a family of four costing as little as £40 there really is no excuse to travel without adequate cover.”

© Fair Investment Company Ltd