British travellers may not be suitably insured while on holiday, says a survey by Hiscox, a UK-based insurance provider.
The survey indicates that around 19 percent of the respondents have reported that they have not taken out any travel policy for holidays, or think that they are covered under another policy, such as health etc, or do not know if they are covered or not.
The study showed that around 18 percent of respondents assume that their travel agent or airline will compensate their flight cancellation, 21 percent felt that a travel industry body would cover them for a flight cancellation, 26 percent believe they are covered by a travel policy from their bank account, 13 percent of respondents are not sure if they are covered against flight cancellation, and only 36 percent of adventure sports lovers ever check the status of their travel insurance before going on a holiday.
Colin Wallace, the company insurance expert, said, ‘Recent changes in the rules governing the sales of holidays have further strengthened consumer protection. However understanding what you are covered for can become confusing and there is a worrying degree of complacency when it comes to Britons making sure that they have the right travel insurance, or indeed any cover at all.
Taking the time to think through your travel plans and what type of cover you need can help take the stress out of travel. Comprehensive travel insurance, such as the Hiscox policy, should cover you for eventualities that you may not always be aware of, such as the financial failure of a flight or other travel service disruption.’
