Nearly seven million Brits have never been on holiday abroad

As many as 15% of British adults - some 6.96 million people - have never been on holiday abroad. Sainsbury's Travel Insurance, warns however that calamity can still strike whilst in the UK and that travel insurance is just as essential for UK holidays to cover instances such as lost or stolen luggage and belongings or travel delays. Indeed UK residents take more than 50 million domestic holidays a year, spending £10.9 billion.

Neil Laird, Travel Insurance Manager, Sainsbury's Finance said: "British people often holiday in the UK, whether it be their main get-away or a short break or long weekend. It can be easy to overlook travel insurance if you are not going on a foreign break but many of the problems that you can encounter abroad can also happen here in the UK on holiday, so it is important to ensure that you have adequate cover."

Sainsbury's Finance says that millions of British people will make travel insurance claims on UK holidays this year. These claims may include holidays cancelled for medical reasons, cancellations due to death or an illness and claims for lost money, baggage and documents.

It may not be obviously apparent why you might need UK travel insurance - Sainsbury's Travel Insurance offers the following advice:

Whilst the NHS would ensure that you get hospital treatment if you need it, it won't transfer you back to where you live. Travel insurance would allow you to be transferred to a hospital near your home whether you are somewhere else in the UK on holiday or abroad

You could be ill before you leave for your holiday and have to cancel the trip losing money on your travel accommodation booking.

You may be unable to go on your holiday because a loved one becomes very ill

If you are taking an internal flight, your flight might be cancelled or delayed

A valuable item could be lost or stolen whilst you are on holiday

On a location basis, nearly one in four people in the East Midlands and Anglia regions (23%), have not been abroad on holiday, the highest of any part of the UK.