Over 10% of Easter holidaymakers could travel without insurance

With thousands of people heading overseas on holiday this Easter, Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance estimates that as many as 10% could travel without cover. Its research reveals that over 4.2 million people did not have travel insurance the last time they went abroad on holiday. This equates to 10.68% of UK overseas holidaymakers.

The top three most common claims received by Sainsbury's Travel Insurance last Easter were stolen or lost money, baggage or documents (27% of all travel insurance claims made over Easter); cancellation of the holiday due to personal or family illness (16%); and delayed travel (12%).

Londoners are by far the most likely to risk travelling abroad without insurance. A staggering one in four making overseas trips did not have cover the last time they travelled. London is followed by the North of England and Scotland as the next two most likely locations for travellers going away without cover.

Neil Laird, Travel Insurance Manager, Sainsbury’s Finance said: “Easter can be a great time to get away, but these are alarming figures because taking travel insurance on holiday is as important as packing your passport.

"It doesn't matter if it's an Easter break, a weekend away or your main summer holiday, if something happens whilst you're abroad, you need to know that you have adequate cover in place to take care of things, whether it's to reimburse you for lost or stolen belongings, to pay for any medical treatment you may need or even to cover the cost of flying home early as a result of an emergency.”

On an age basis, 18% of those aged 25 – 34 who have been abroad on holiday admitted to not having cover the last time they went away – the highest of any age group.

To obtain a Sainsbury’s Bank travel insurance quote you can log onto sainsburysbank.co.uk.