More set to holiday in the UK

It is hardly surprising, as the pound slides closer to parity with the Euro and who knows may be worth less than a Euro come the New Year, that travel agents are reporting an increase in domestic holiday bookings. It has been predicted that the number of families choosing to take their annual summer break in Britain next year could increase by at least a million with some operators already reporting a 15% increase in bookings over 2008. This comes on top of the recent Times survey that indicated that a third of people polled said that they were switching plans from a holiday abroad to a holiday in Britain.

A reason given is that they might have one holiday break in the UK where they can manage their budget more easily than they can abroad. This trend is set to rise in 2009. The same rules though apply to holidays in the UK as they do elsewhere so do make sure you are properly covered in case of emergencies. Travel insurance , for example, is not always thought of as a necessity if you take a break in the UK, being so close to home and under the safety net of the NHS should you have an accident but travel insurance covers much more than medical emergencies.

It is a fact that most people buy travel insurance for trips and holidays abroad but these policies do generally provide cover for travel within the UK, though do check the small print rather than assuming that this is always the case. So is travel insurance that covers holidays in the UK worth considering? It can be very useful to have insurance should you subsequently cancel a trip, say for illness, as your holiday costs will be reimbursed subject to any excesses to pay. Your personal effects will probably be covered too which is an important point to consider as theft and loss is not just confined to holidays on the ‘Costas’ – these things happen at home too.

What you will almost certainly not be covered for will be for medical emergencies and expenses as insurers argue that the NHS is available for such instances and will point out that travel insurance is not a substitute for private medical insurance. One final word of advice though is do check the small print as many, if not most, insurers do require you to have proof of booked accommodation for a minimum stay of normally 2 nights away for the policy to be in force so the Sunday ‘trip out’ is definitely outside this definition.

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