Skipping travel insurance ‘is a false economy’

Going without travel insurance on holidays to Australia and other long haul destinations has been described as a false economy by one expert.

Going without travel insurance on holidays to Australia and other long haul destinations has been described as a false economy by one expert.

Andy Leadbetter, spokesperson for moneysupermarket.com, said that while it may be tempting to try and cut travel costs during the recession, this should not be done at the expense of holiday cover, since it could compromise people’s safety.

“Travel cover should not be an afterthought or considered as a holiday extra. It’s an important addition for any holiday,” he commented.

Mr Leadbetter pointed out that while single trip cover is often available for only a small fee, the cost of treatment abroad in the case of an accident could be extremely expensive.

James Furze, managing director of financial services company greenbee.com, also recently warned against going without travel cover, saying that doing so would be taking a short-sighted view.

However, esure recently discovered that as many of 20 per cent of travellers would consider going without insurance in order to cut costs.