‘Staycation’ insurance myth busting
Thousands of Brits will be avoiding the ‘airport trudge’ this year by holidaying in the UK and there are many benefits to making the most of what our country has to offer. Indeed, Travel Weekly notes that UK summer searches and bookings are up by a third on last year.
Duncan Sutcliffe, director, Sutcliffe & Co Insurance Brokers commented: “Staycations are now very popular, but many people don’t realise that if they are taking a trip away from home, even though they won’t need their passport, they will still need travel insurance.”
Why?
Most people associate travel insurance with medical cover, and we do have our fantastic NHS to help look after you wherever you are in the UK. However, there are other elements of risk in a holiday, even one close to home.
So while you may think you’ve already got everything covered, that could be a myth:
- Cancellation cover
- If you need to cancel or cut short your holiday for reasons beyond your control, then travel insurance can help you claim back the cost
- Similarly if your holiday home company has gone bust, the travel insurance policy can help cover the loss
- My personal possessions are covered by my home contents cover
- Many people assume that their home contents insurance will cover their personal items when they are out and about. But this does not come as standard so check with your insurer.
- Keep an eye on the limits imposed by the insurer – and whether all your gadgets are included – as you may be taking a lot more with you
- Travel insurance can also include protection for all of your possessions and you’ll have the flexibility for the holiday, rather than increasing the limits on your home insurance
- I already have annual travel insurance
- That’s great, but if you’re used to heading overseas then review the policy for a staycation: you won’t have the same limitations on luggage when throwing things in the car; you’re likely to take more gadgets and even bikes or golf clubs; so you need to check the cover to make sure you aren’t caught out if something were to happen
- I’ve got breakdown cover
- Some basic levels of breakdown cover mean they will try to fix your car at the roadside, or tow it to a nearby garage – if this is near your staycation destination, and that’s a long way from home, you could find yourself stranded
- Check the small print and consider upgrading your policy to avoid this for the duration of your staycation.
Duncan concluded: “Holidays are great for relaxing, recharging and spending time with family and friends but unfortunately things do go wrong wherever you are. Checking your insurance small print, and getting a travel insurance policy in place, before you head off will help protect you, your possessions and, ultimately, your holiday.”