- Over half of brits (57%) see holidays as a chance to undertake activities and experiences they wouldn’t normally take part in at home
- Over a quarter of Brits (28%) state they are more likely to be care free, (sometimes careless) and eager to seek new adventures whilst they are on holiday
- 6 out of 10 (62%) Brits would expect travel insurance to cover adventure and water based activities including rafting, climbing, banana boating, para-gliding and scuba diving
- Travel Insurance Explained’s informative video, featuring characters Joe and Ellie, uses real life claims experiences to highlight the potential pitfalls of holidays and help customers to understand the importance of taking out appropriate travel insurance.
With the summer firmly upon us, holidaymakers are preparing to relax, unwind and have fun in the sun. However travellers should remember to pack their common sense along with their travel insurance and make sure their planned activities are covered by their policy.
New research from Travel Insurance Explained found that 57% of people think being on holiday is a chance to try new activities that they wouldn’t or couldn’t do at home – with many planning to try paragliding or water skiing amongst other activities.
Out of those polled, 6 out of 10 said that they would expect their travel insurance to cover adventure and water based activities, however not all standard travel insurance policies do.
The research also found that people tend to be much more relaxed and fun loving abroad, with over a quarter (28%) of Brits confirming they are more likely to be carefree and adventurous whilst on holiday.
There are many cases where holidaymakers haven’t considered the risks of adventure activities or whether their insurance policy covers them. Worryingly, there are a higher proportion of cases of Brits abroad getting on motorcycles, mopeds and quadbikes without helmets and other appropriate clothes and footwear, and in some cases not even having the appropriate licence. This has led to a rise in the number of British holidaymakers being involved in accidents abroad, without the appropriate travel insurance cover. The reality is, travel insurance policies do not provide cover if you’re not legally allowed to ride the moped or motorcycle in the UK. Insurers will check licence details and you may find yourself faced with some significant medical bills if you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident. Some insurers will also insist that helmets are worn whether legally required in the holiday destination or not so it’s important to plan ahead.
“A trip overseas provides a great opportunity to try new activities that you don’t get the chance or time to take part in at home. However, it’s important to plan ahead, to take out appropriate travel insurance and to make sure that you are covered for all of the activities you intend to take part in whilst abroad. The FCO Travel Aware campaign provides a host of tips and advice on planning for your trip at gov.uk/travelaware. You can also sign up for travel alerts at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and follow @FCOtravel on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date with the latest travel advice.”
Foreign & Commonwealth Office Spokesperson
Travel Insurance Explained (TIE) aims to help consumers understand travel insurance and encourages people to check that their policy will fully protect them whilst they are on holiday.
Watch Travel Insurance Explained’s summer adventure holidays informative video below.