With just a couple of weeks to go until the London Olympics, travel insurance specialist Columbus Direct has found that many Brits are planning their summer holidays around the games. Two out of five people have had to juggle their holidays, with one-in-ten deciding against a foreign trip altogether so they can stay home for the biggest sporting event in the calendar.
Cost is the main factor for those choosing a staycation in the UK with 41% planning to holiday at home and almost half of that number saying they will leave booking until the last minute so they can get a good deal.
Greg Lawson, spokesperson for Columbus Direct said: “With the recent Jubilee celebrations and the Olympics around the corner, and despite the awful weather, a British holiday is proving to be the most popular option for 2012. It’s great to see us all spending more time holidaying at home but people often forget that we take more clothes and valuables with us on holiday in the UK than abroad. With your car, caravan or cottage including mobile phones, laptops, cameras and even a games console, it can make sense to buy travel insurance. Sometimes, possessions can be insured via your home insurance but, if not, travel insurance will provide that protection.”
Holidays in the UK are prone to many of the same problems that holidaymakers insure against when travelling abroad: travel delays and cancellations, accidents and illnesses, lost or stolen valuables. Recent research has shown that 70% of consumers think it is more important to be protected for an overseas holiday rather than one at home, with 55% of domestic holidays uninsured.
Lawson continued: “Even if you have an annual policy, you are often covered for travel in the UK if you are away from home for at least two or three nights. Remember, for many Brits a journey to the Isle of Skye is much further than to Paris so why risk not insuring when holidaying at home!”
