Stay Travel Savvy this Sunshine Saturday

With many travel operators like First Choice and easyJet holidays offering low-cost deals to fill the gap left after Thomas Cook’s collapse in 2019, this year’s Sunshine Saturday could be the biggest and busiest ever. 

Consumer awareness champion travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk is urging consumers to make sure their travel insurance is not just an afterthought when booking their holidays on the travel industry’s busiest day.

The warning follows a disruptive year for the travel sector, with flight cancellations, strike action and the collapse of large travel providers all causing significant issues for travellers.

And while Brexit remains a major debate, some holidaymakers may want to splash out this Sunshine Saturday, take advantage of the discounted deals on offer and book their holidays for 2020.

“More than double the number of travel bookings occur on Sunshine Saturday when compared to any other day of the year, however one critical aspect of the booking experience seems to be ignored: travel insurance,” said Rebecca Kingsley, Brand Manager at travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk.

“Research* has shown that more than one-third of young British travellers are still purchasing their travel insurance the day they go on holiday, which is a significant concern in such a volatile market.” 

Last minute travel insurance inevitably results in not being covered if anything goes wrong before departure, leaving customers exposed in the event of airline failures, accommodation issues or personal issues such as illness.

Another by-product of leaving travel insurance until the last minute is purchasing policies that are not fit for purpose. Buying late often results in bargain hunting for very basic cover that travellers have not appropriately analysed, meaning there are significant gaps in cover.

“Travellers that buy last minute do not have the time to look for the cover that suits. For example, those that want to do activities on their holiday - such as jet skiing or snowboarding - don’t realise that these activities are not covered under a standard policy,” Kingsley added.

“We’ve seen some horrific cases of travellers having to resort to crowdfunding websites following an accident abroad. These instances almost always result from not having the appropriate cover or no cover at all. 

“We urge travellers to do the right thing this Sunshine Saturday; take a moment to consider your trip and do the necessary research on what insurance you may need,” she said.