Staying at Home? You’ll Need Travel Insurance

By insurance in travel insurance

Jun 17

It’s a common misconception that accidents are more likely to happen abroad. Whilst you’re probably a lot less likely to encounter Delhi belly in Dartmouth or overdo it on the sangria in Scunthorpe there is still a great deal than can go wrong on a United Kingdom holiday, and we’re not just talking about the weather. With UK travelers taking 50 million domestic breaks a year and spending more than ?0.9billion a cheap holiday insurance can save you so much hassle.

Most of the problems that you will encounter on a foreign break are still relevant if you’re traveling in the United Kingdom. Low cost airlines mean that it is often cheaper to travel by aircraft than it is by train or car and airports are notorious breeding grounds for holiday related bad luck, with lost passports, delayed flights, mislaid baggage and even the threat of terrorism still possible when traveling domestically. If you travel a lot within the confines of the United Kingdom for business or pleasure then it may be worth taking out an annual holiday insurance policy which would cover you in the event of any of the above situations occurring whilst on your domestic break.

But even if you’re not flying travel insurance is still a must. You may have booked two weeks off work since January with the intention of staying in a log cabin in the Lake District, but if a family member or a loved one is suddenly taken ill and you can no longer make the trip then without travel insurance you are likely to lose a great deal of money. The same situation occurs in the workplace if your boss or a colleague falls ill and you are needed to cover for them then a lack of travel insurance could end up being a huge problem.

The medical aspect of travel insurance is one of the most important to consider when traveling abroad where foreign medical care is costly and your trusty EHIC card still means that you have to pay a percentage of your medical costs. When traveling in the United Kingdom you may think that the NHS means that you will receive all the medical care and attention you need, and you would be correct except for the small fact that it won’t necessary be in a hospital near your friends and family. So if you live in Motherwell and are holidaying in Minehead then without holiday insurance you would be treated in a NHS hospital in Somerset, meaning a long trek for your friends and family and many wilted bunches of grapes as a treat for you.

When you look at everything that could go wrong, holding a valid holiday insurance policy seems a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Patrick Chong is the Managing Director of Journey’s Travel. Their commercial travel insurance website, Insuremore, offers cheap holiday insurance and a quick and easy online claims feature.

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