Almost one in five plan to spend over £1,000 per person – yet one in eight will rely on their travel agent for insurance without looking at alternative deals.

“It’s easy to get excited about destinations, resorts and even flights but travel insurance may seem a little mundane,” acknowledged Robert O’May, travel insurance manager at Sainsbury’s Bank, urging customers to look for “competitively priced” insurance.

Meanwhile, Barclays Insurance claims that travellers are increasingly prepared to jet off to the southern hemisphere instead of skiing in Europe over the winter.

Its research showed a 25 per cent increase in Britons visiting Sydney over winter 2007, while European ski resorts plummeted in popularity by 18 per cent compared to winter 2006.

“Brits are prepared to trek further for the chance of some proper winter sunshine,” noted Mark Till, Barclays Insurance marketing director.

Many travel insurance providers stress the risks of active holidays such as skiing, but long-haul trips can be costly – Britons in Melbourne this year spent 178 per cent of what they were spending last winter.

Get more information on Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance

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