Many Welsh travellers fail to take out travel insurance

Research has recently been released by the Foreign Office, with the data suggesting that Welsh people are more likely to be hospitalised when they go abroad than others people in the UK. However, despite this many fail to take out travel insurance cover, potentially causing themselves a great deal of financial harm.

The figures showed that nearly one third of Welsh people had found themselves in some sort of trouble whilst abroad, and this included being arrested, being involved in road accidents, or ending up in hospital. However, around 16 percent of Welsh travellers do not take out any travel insurance cover when they head abroad.

With the summer holiday season just around the corner the Foreign Office is now appealing to consumers to use their common sense and arrange adequate travel insurance cover if they are heading abroad so that they are protected against mishaps such as those outlined above.

The research also found that Welsh travellers spent an average of nearly £12 on magazines, snacks, and drinks whilst at the airport, which is twice the cost of basic single trip travel insurance cover. Welsh travellers were also found to spend the least time arranging travel insurance cover, with the average time being spent doing this standing at twenty one minutes.

Jeremy Brown, the Foreign Office Minister, said: “This report shines a light on the number of Britons who get into difficulty abroad each year. The worrying fact is that so many of these situations are preventable. Helping out Britons in trouble abroad is part of our job, but we can’t get you out of jail or pay your hospital bills. A bit of preparation before you go, such as arranging travel insurance and checking our website, will ensure you get the most out of your trip without bad memories and big bills.”