Travel insurance a must for holidays

Nearly a quarter of a million UK travellers will require their travel insurance to cover the costs of medical treatment this year, while on holiday.

However, millions are still travelling abroad with travel insurance which often results in travellers being hurt in the wallet as well as physically. It is traumatic enough suffering an injury abroad without the stress and hassle of having to foot expensive medical expenses.

“The excitement of going on holiday means that people can sometimes forget to organise adequate travel insurance for themselves and their families. Good cover is essential for travelling abroad whether it’s for a short break, fortnight’s holiday or a longer trip, so that if problems do occur, the impact can hopefully be kept to a minimum, allowing you to continue to enjoy your holiday,” said Robert O’May, Sainsbury’s Bank travel insurance manager.

According to estimates by Sainsbury’s, the travel insurance industry could receive more than 240,000 claims this year for medical or hospital expenses.

Options Travel Insurance have entered the debate saying that even those who have travel insurance can still find themselves out of pocket on the rare occasion.

The specialist insurer pointed out that holidaymakers often participate in potentially dangerous activities that often lead to insurance policies being invalid if that person suffers an injury as a result of the activity.

Dirk Kelly, from Options Travel Insurance, said: “Horse-riding, scuba diving and white-water rafting are becoming extremely popular activities, either as part of a specialist activity holiday or as a day’s adrenaline-filled excursion. But increasingly people are getting caught out when they come to claim for injuries and cancellations because they did not check the extent of their insurance cover.”

Added to these activities, things like water-skiing, rock climbing and pot-holing are specifically excluded from most travel insurance policies. In these cases it is best to seek out insurance firms who specialise in extreme activities and sports, although expect to pay a high premium due to the high risk nature of these activities.

“ The danger is that the travel agent or person selling the insurance may not have a good understanding of what is covered and what is not, with possibly disastrous consequences for the traveller, who themselves may not have checked to see if they are covered for the activity,” Mr Kelly added.

Options Travel Insurance were keen to point out that the cost of treating certain back injuries, for example, coupled with repatriation to the UK can top £30,000, and typically if any such injury occurs whilst water skiing or horse riding, the holidaymaker them self may find they have to foot the bill, not the insurer