Consumers Advised Against Overlooking Travel Insurance

It has been reported that those holidaymakers who fail to take the time to think about the cover ahead of jetting abroad could be putting both their health and their finances in trouble.

In research conducted by Sainsburys Travel Insurance, it was indicated that a significant number of Britons have gone on a holiday to Europe without taking out travel insurance. According to the financial services provider, an estimated 3.5 million people are pointed out to have done this over the last 12 months, claiming to feel acquiring cover was not necessary for them as they are in possession of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, it was revealed that although such a document will offer travelers with the same level of state-provided healthcare as a resident of the country that they are visiting, they may still discover their spending comes under strain.

Generally, a tenth of Britons travelling to Europe during the past year claim to have medical consideration through an EHIC, with three per cent of these having treatment for food poisoning and 12 per cent for flu-type symptoms. The firm also reveals that just over half of those Britons who got treatment on the continent through their EHIC still had to pay for the initial cost of treatment, at an average of 386 pounds.

By not having travel insurance consumers it could force the consumers to spend money from their own pockets and purses in order to meet the cost of medical treatment. As such, consumers could find that this affects their capability to manage other financial areas such as credit card repayments and other utility bills. However, taking out personal loans may prove to be helpful, as it provides monetary support to the customers to cope with their all financial commitments on time.

Furthermore, Sainsburys reveals that an EHIC will be of no use in the event of non-medical holiday disasters like stolen belongings or losing money. Thus via personal loans consumers can easily finance their dream holiday and buy appropriate insurance plan as per their requirements, without putting themselves under pressure.

Commenting on the report, Sam Marrs, Sainsburys Travel Insurance manager stated that "Many people by mistake overlook travel insurance because they think their EHIC will cover them when they are abroad, but neither will it cover you for private medical care, nor will it pay for you to be airlifted off a ski slope or repatriated to the UK. By not having travel insurance, many people are at highest risk when they travel in Europe."

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