Over a Quarter of Holiday Home Brits Will Forget Travel Insurance this Half Term

London, UK, October 23, 2009 -- This half term thousands of Brits will be heading abroad for a last chance to top up their tan before Christmas. However, new research from Gocompare.com reveals that a large percentage of travellers to second homes; either their own, a friend’s or a family member’s; have a shocking disregard for travel insurance.

Holidaymakers staying in their, a friend’s or a family member’s holiday home, are nine times more likely to travel without insurance than someone on a package holiday. Over 1 in 4 (28.8 per cent) people holidaying in a second home do not take out any travel insurance compared to 1 in 33 (3.2 per cent) travellers on a package holiday. Around 1 in 9 (12.8 per cent) independent travellers – those booking their own flights and accommodation – also ignore the benefits of travel cover.

Respondents who said they wouldn’t be taking travel cover suggested that travel insurance was unnecessary or that they would rather spend the money on something else.

Lee Griffin, business development director of Gocompare.com, said: “A worrying number of British holidaymakers are going abroad without travel insurance, and the group putting themselves most at risk are those travelling to holiday homes. Staying in a home away from home may make you feel safer than if you were staying in a hotel, but you are still just as prone to illness, accident, theft, or travel delays as someone on a package holiday. No matter where you go or how you travel, insurance should be on your holiday shopping list.”

The research also revealed just how many Brits have had disruptions to their travel plans or mishaps whilst on holiday.

• Three out of five people (60 per cent) have been significantly delayed on an outward or return flight.
• Nearly 1 in 5 people (19 per cent) have needed medical treatment due to illness or injury.
• Over 19 per cent have had a camera, satnav, mobile phone or watch lost or stolen or had an item of baggage lost on an outward or return flight.
• Nearly 1 in 20 people (4.6%) have been assaulted by another holidaymaker or local resident whilst on holiday.
• And nearly 1 in 50 people (1.8%) responding to the survey have had to be medically evacuated home after an accident or severe illness abroad.

A travel insurance comparison using Gocompare.com found that a policy, which includes £7.5 million of medical cover for a family of four travelling within Europe during half term week, could cost as little as £16.26*. A worldwide policy for the same family, with £10 million of medical cover, would cost as little as £39.98*.

Lee Griffin continued: “Things can and do go wrong on holiday, and a surprisingly high number of British holidaymakers have encountered circumstances where they’d have probably made a claim on their travel insurance policy. Medical expenses can run to thousands of pounds in some countries; tens of thousands if you need to be medically evacuated. If you have an accident or fall ill and you’re not insured, you could end up in the ludicrous position of having to sell your holiday home to settle your medical bill. For the sake of saving a few pounds on your holiday costs, is it really worth the risk?”

For further information please contact:
Lynsey Walden at Gocompare.com on 01633 654 055
Anders Nilsson at Gocompare.com on 01633 657 599

Gordon at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Jason Wyer-Smith at MAW Communications on 07824 818 242

Notes to Editors:
Research commissioned by Gocompare.com. Carried out with 1601 UK adults in July 2009 by Loudhouse Research.

*Quotes carried out on the 7th October 2009 for a family of four travelling during half term week – 24th October to the 1st November 2009. The cheapest premium returned was £16.26 (Oinc.com) and the worldwide insurance policy premium was £39.98. (Travelinsurance-web.com).

Gocompare.com launched in November 2006 to help people find the right insurance cover at the right price. It was founded by Hayley Parsons who has worked her entire career in the insurance broking and aggregator markets and was the first comparison site to focus on displaying product features rather than just listing prices. It was this philosophy that led to Gocompare.com becoming the first price comparison site to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) in May 2008 and helped force older comparison sites to change their ‘quick quote’ ways and stop using assumptions to calculate estimated figures.

Today, Gocompare.com provides one of the most comprehensive online car insurance comparison services in the UK as well as comparing home, van, pet, motorbike, travel insurance and breakdown cover.

Gocompare.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
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Contact:
Anders Nilsson
Gocompare.com
Unit 6, Imperial Courtyard
Newport, Gwent NP10 8UL
01633 657 599
anders@gocompare.com
http://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance