Over-50s UK travel insurance provider AllClear recently conducted a survey of of 2,021 British adults, asking them about their travel plans for the year ahead. The findings revealed that while as many as 50 per cent of adults say they will be making their first trip abroad in the next 12 months, half of them (48 per cent) are travelling for reasons that have nothing to do with a holiday.

Twenty-seven per cent of respondents revealed that they are planning to visit family abroad while 10 per cent told AllClear that they were travelling to attend a wedding or a christening. A further nine per cent said that they were travelling to check in on properties they owned abroad.

“The reality is that people will always need to travel,” Chris Rolland, CEO of AllClear, said. “Despite the government warnings we need to observe, some people need to travel in these unprecedented times. We know that for a lot of people, they aren’t just looking for a nice holiday abroad, but instead are travelling for specific purposes that lockdown has taken away from them. People want to reunite with family and friends across the globe or to visit their property abroad.”

For whatever reason individuals are planning trips abroad, whether it be for a much-needed break or for familial duties, we already know that safety and wellbeing are very much front of mind. As recent research from Travelport highlighted, travellers now expect numerous safety measures to be implemented at airports, on airlines, in hotels and at car rentals for them to seriously consider making their move, and flexible booking is now also among the top list of priorities when booking trips abroad.

Rolland is right, people do still need to travel, and it is proving to be increasingly important for mental health that people are able to spend nourishing time with friends and family. But in a time of Covid-19, it’s critical that insurers and travel agencies do their utmost to promote confidence in the travel experience to get the industry back up and running again.