Travel insurance warning from the Foreign Office

26th August, 2008

Travel insurance is essential for Britons to prevent them from suffering unduly if they get into unforeseen trouble overseas, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The FCO was moved to issue its travel insurance advice in the wake of its British Behaviour Abroad report, which uncovered the trouble that travellers can find themselves in.

According to the report, between April 2006 and March 2007, 8,304 Britons needed assistance in the US, 6,710 passports were lost in Spain. Furthermore, 602 Brits were hospitalised in Greece and 1,591 died in Spain. These would have resulted in huge outgoings for those concerned if they were not covered by travel insurance.

Foreign Office minister Meg Munn, said: "This report highlights what can go wrong on holiday. It is a reminder to all that taking out comprehensive travel insurance is a crucial part of your holiday planning and not something that should be sacrificed to save a few pounds.

"Helping British nationals in distress overseas is one of our most important tasks but many of the problems faced by holidaymakers are preventable. By carrying out some simple research on the laws, customs and health requirements of a country in advance, many people could prevent their holidays being ruined. Our message is: ‘’stay safe and have a great holiday."

News of the findings after separate research conducted by Sainsbury's found that 27 per cent of Britons are planning on going without travel insurance on their holiday this year. The group found to be most likely to shun travel insurance was those in the 55-64 age range.

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