Adventurous young ignoring travel insurance

Young people are travelling further and farther than ever before - but are also the most likely group to ignore travel insurance, Halifax has found.

The insurer discovered that Britain is fast becoming the jet-set capital of the world, with British holidaymakers set to cover 248,000 miles in their lifetimes - equivalent to circumnavigating the globe ten times.

But while continent-hopping is becoming ever more common, Halifax also discovered that more than 4.6 million people freely admit to never taking out travel insurance.

And it is the nation's youth that is leading the way both in overseas journeys and lack of travel cover.

Halifax found that one young traveller in three does not bother with travel insurance at all, while teenagers make more overseas trips than any other age group. The average 18-20 year old heads overseas three times a year - with 14 per cent saying they have already visited 25 different countries.

"It is a concern to see that many younger people are going abroad without insurance, especially as they are travelling so far and so frequently. Ironically this generation are more likely to be tempted to bungee jump or go off the beaten track and therefore should be thinking more about the need for insurance," said Vicky Emmott, senior underwriting manager at Halifax Travel Insurance.

"Any travellers planning to visit the USA without insurance could set themselves up for a disaster if they have an accident. Repatriating a patient with a fractured leg from America could cost in excess of $18,000 [£9,900] without travel insurance," she added.

The research also discovered that Britons are becoming more adventurous in their holiday choices as time goes by, with nine out of ten travellers visiting a new country each time they leave the UK.

But it was our nearest neighbour that remained the most popular destination, with 83 per cent of Brits having holidayed in France.

A close second favourite, with just over three quarters of the population visiting, was Spain.

However, more far-flung countries are becoming increasing popular - with the USA rated as third favourite and Australia, Thailand and Malaysia all in the top 20 destinations.

"The world is a much smaller place today and many of the destinations we travel to now were just not considered for holidays 20 years ago. We are also seeing a new breed of traveller emerge, with older generations taking time off work to visit countries more usually associated with backpacking students," Ms Emmott noted.

"But regardless of age one thing is sure: anyone who fails to take travel insurance puts themselves and their party at risk. We would advise anyone planning to go away to take an annual multi-trip policy that provides comprehensive cover and cover for impromptu breaks away," she added.