ABTA warns Brits lacking travel cover
Figures from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) suggest that many British holidaymakers are travelling with inadequate travel insurance - or worse, with no cover at all.
According to ABTA’s data, 38 per cent of Britons – equating to 9.9 million travellers – who headed overseas over the past year lacked sufficient coverage or opted not to buy insurance of any kind. Twenty-two per cent said they had been completely uninsured, while 27 per cent said that they had risked potentially invalidating the cover they did buy because they either didn’t declare their pre-existing medical conditions or took part in activities that they knew were not covered by their policies.
The most common reason given for travelling uninsured, according to ABTA, was holidaymakers thinking that their European Health Insurance Card would cover them for any medical eventuality, a stubborn misconception that refuses to disappear. One-third, meanwhile, cited cost, while one in seven said that they believed their bank account offered adequate insurance.
“Every year, we see cases of people falling into difficulty due to travelling without sufficient travel insurance,” said Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA. “While many people are still choosing not to take out travel insurance at all, others are travelling unaware their insurance policy is not protecting them as they expect. I would urge all holidaymakers to make sure they take out travel insurance and check that it covers their circumstances and holiday plans.”
In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of travel insurance, ABTA has put together a five-point travel insurance checklist and offers tips to consumers to help them pick the right policy.