Millions of cancellations without travel insurance, expert states

Wed, 12 Jul 2006

More than four million UK holidaymakers have had to cancel their trips, according to travel insurance figures from Sainsbury's Bank.

As 13 per cent of UK residents do not take travel insurance policies when heading abroad, many will not be reimbursed for costs incurred by cancellation, the company claims.

The bank's research found that the two most common reasons for cancelling an overseas holiday are sickness or a relative or friend falling ill, while other reasons include having attending a funeral or wedding, or splitting from a partner.

Unexpected things can often go wrong with holidays causing cancellations, which UK residents may not accounts for, claims Robert O'May, travel insurance manager at Sainsbury's Bank.

Mr O'May warns that one of the main reasons that UK residents head abroad without travel insurance may be because they forget to purchase it until it’s "too late".

"It is advisable to sort out your cover a few days after booking your holiday. This is especially important if you are not travelling for a few months," he adds.

Richard Mason of moneysupermarket recently warned UK travellers to be aware that they may need travel insurance cover when taking all breaks, even small trips.

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