Where am I? » home » Travel Insurance News

Good insurance vital against holiday theft

Halifax Travel Insurance has released figures indicating that holiday theft is a serious problem for vacationing Britons, with 1.4 million incidents occurring each year. As the problem is so widespread, the company urges both reasonable caution and preventative protection by purchasing good travel insurance before leaving on vacation.

Numbers indicate that 13 per cent of the robberies occur at the beach or pool while almost half (48 per cent) happen in Southern Europe. Statistics from online insurance company swiftcover.com show that one in six British travellers were robbed while vacationing in Europe. In fact, 13 per cent of travellers had been robbed more than once.

Craig Staniland, Director of Underwriting at swiftcover.com comments: For years Spain and France have been the top holiday destinations for Brits, but unfortunately they are also the top holiday theft hotspots.

With many travellers carrying expensive equipment like cameras, MP3 players, and mobile phones with them, the value of a passenger's belongings quickly add up. Halifax Travel says that the average traveller carries about £1,000 worth of belongings with them which could be lost or stolen when travelling, not to mention valuables like passports and money.

Paul Birkhead, Underwriting Manager at Halifax Travel Insurance says: While you can minimise the risks you can never eliminate them, which is why having travel insurance is so important when you are abroad. It's not only important having travel insurance, but having adequate travel insurance that will cover the full amount of the goods stolen. Single item and upper limits apply to travel insurance policies and holidaymakers need to do their research.

Travel insurance companies recommend that valuable belongings are kept low profile while on vacation, left at home, or kept in a hotel safe. But since theft can never entirely be prevented, it's always a good idea to take out travel insurance before leaving home.

Follow these links to find out more or to get a quote on Travel insurance, UK airport parking, UK airport hotels or UK airport lounges.

Jennifer Jones Editorial

14/08/2007