Skint skiers forced to stay at home or take the budget option

New research from travel insurance company InsureandGo reveals that three out of four people (75%) who have been skiing or snowboarding before are going to stay at home this season, providing more evidence that the economic downturn is starting to hit people in the pocket.

Of those skiers and snowboarders who are opting to stay at home this winter, 25% claim that they are doing so in order to enable them to afford a summer holiday. Even for those who are refusing to give up their winter getaway, three-quarters (76%) are looking to make a range of cost-cutting measures to make their ski holiday cheaper.

The most popular cost-cutting measure is to take packed lunches onto the slopes rather than eat in mountain restaurants, with 36% of people saying they are intending to make this saving. 36% of people also said they intended to downgrade the standard of accommodation they usually stayed in, and one in three (33%) said they would go to a cheaper resort than normal.

Perry Wilson, founder of InsureandGo, said: “People are nervous about spending a lot of money in the current financial climate, but if they look hard there are many ways for skiers and snowboarders to save money on their winter holiday. Some countries are much cheaper to ski in than others and you can make a big saving by borrowing ski clothes off friends or taking packed lunches onto the slopes rather than eating in mountain restaurants, which can be exorbitant. People should also remember to look online for the best deals on travel insurance, and if you are going to go away more than once, get an annual policy rather than a single trip policy.”

Only 18% of people intending to go skiing or snowboarding said they weren’t looking to save any money on their holiday this year.

InsureandGo’s annual policies include winter sports cover automatically so they’re the perfect solution for those off to the slopes and also planning a break abroad in the summer. Plus kids under 18 are included free.

For further information, visit insureandgo.com