Passport woes for Brits
British holidaymakers seem to be having difficulty remembering their essential travel documents, according to new research from Sainsbury’s Bank Travel Insurance.
The study found that a staggering 1.4 million travellers from the UK have managed to forget crucial documentation like passports before they leave for the airport – and 64 per cent of Brits admitted that they would be more likely to check the weather in their holiday destination in the week leading up to their departure than they would be to check their passports.
Compounding the image of Brits as a particularly hapless travelling demographic, Sainsbury’s also found that 2.7 million people have managed to miss their flights at the beginning of their holiday, and 2.3 million go away without taking out travel insurance.
“Holidays should mean a break from the stress of everyday life,” said Karen Hogg, Head of Insurance at Sainsbury’s Bank. “Making sure you have all of your travel documents in place, and with you when you leave the house, is as important as having good quality travel insurance in place. It’s worth noting that insurers are unlikely to cover you if you’ve left your passport at home.
With recent issues such as flight disruption as airports and adverse weather conditions in parts of Europe, you may want to ensure that your travel insurance policy provides disruption cover, particularly if you have connecting flights. We offer a range of insurance policies to cover different travel needs.”
The research also found that students are the demographic most likely to miss flights and leave travel documentation behind, while families tend to make it to their holiday destination with minimal stress (relatively speaking) but are more likely to discover that they have left items such as medicine or jewellery at home.