Aviva has revealed it paid out over £19.2m last year to UK holidaymakers whose holidays had to be cancelled before they started.
Despite the number of holiday cancellations, just a quarter of would-be holidaymakers take out insurance at the same time as booking their trip. A third buy it the month before their trip and 10% of travellers don’t bother with insurance at all, leaving themselves at risk from hefty medical bills or losing the amount(s) they have paid for their trip altogether.
Across its travel insurance business, the insurer received 30,000 claims from disappointed travellers whose holiday plans had to be put on hold due to family bereavements, illness or other circumstances. The data also revealed:
• The average cancellation claim was £640
• It received over 60 claims for cancelled trips worth over £10,000
• The highest claim was for £26,000
Aviva’s research also shows that only 40% of people say they always take out travel cover when going on family holidays and a further 20% say they only take out cover when travelling abroad.
To help holidaymakers make the most of their break away, Aviva has put together the following travel insurance tips:
• Be protected from the start: take out your policy when you book your holiday
• Make sure you inform your insurer of any pre-existing medical conditions
• Check you have the right documentation before you go and check visa/passport requirements. Recent changes to entry requirements in America mean travellers without biometric passports could be left stranded and denied entry to the country
• If you have personal belongings cover as part of your home insurance, you may not need additional baggage cover on your travel insurance
• Check before you go – visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice and follow the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for your holiday destination
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