Travellers to North Africa and the Middle East have been urged to heed government travel advice or face losing insurance cover.
Stuart Bensusan of Thomas Cook-owned EssentialTravel.co.uk said: “Consumers need to listen and adhere to the advice given by the Foreign Office as travel insurance does not cover anybody travelling to an area once it has been deemed unsafe.
“If passengers travel prior to the Foreign Office warnings, they will be covered for medical expenses and repatriation, hospital benefit and personal accident as normal.”
He was speaking as foreign secretary William Hague admitted Britons trying to escape the violent crisis in Libya were facing “significant difficulties”.
Many are stuck at Tripoli airport without immediate flights out of the country following flight cancellations, closures of airspace and difficulties securing permits from the appropriate authorities.
A chartered aircraft is due to travel to Libya in the next 48 hours on a rescue mission but is subject to landing clearances and permissions from the Libyan government.
British Airways and Bmi were among carriers forced to cancel flights to Libya yesterday as violence across the country escalated.
Royal Navy Frigate HMS Cumberland is being redeployed from the Eastern Mediterranean to international waters near Libya in case it is required to play a role in assisting British nationals.
"We are working closely with airlines to assist as many British nationals as possible to depart Libya,” he said. “In addition, I have decided to mobilise further resources in support of an assisted departure.”
Bensusan added: “Further to the widespread civil unrest across the Middle East and Northern Africa, protests have now spread to Morocco, including the popular city of Marrakech.
“Although we understand that there is less chance of a full scale uprising in the area, we would still advise passengers due to travel to keep abreast of this fast moving situation.
"We are advising all our customers to be vigilant when travelling to the Middle East and Africa. They should seek the help of their tour operator or airline where necessary.”
วันพุธที่ 9 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2554
Holidaymakers to get more protection as ministers plan to reform travel protection
Proposed government reforms could give holidaymakers more protection if their tour operator collapses.
Theresa Villiers, Transport Minister, recently announced the plans to the Commons. She said: "The proportion of holidays with ATOL protection has fallen and it can be difficult for consumers and the travel industry to know which holidays are protected and which are not. The proposed reforms will make it easier for everyone to understand which holidays are covered and will restore protection to what looks like a package holiday, but now falls outside the legal definition.’’
Ms Villiers told MPs that flaws in the system were exposed by the recent big tour operator collapses, including Goldtrail and Sun4U last year, Freedom Direct in 2009 and XL in 2008.
The Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing scheme was established to offer financial protection to consumers buying package holidays, however the recent trend of buying holidays online and purchasing flights and hotels separately has meant that many holidaymakers are no longer covered by the system.
Theresa Villiers, Transport Minister, recently announced the plans to the Commons. She said: "The proportion of holidays with ATOL protection has fallen and it can be difficult for consumers and the travel industry to know which holidays are protected and which are not. The proposed reforms will make it easier for everyone to understand which holidays are covered and will restore protection to what looks like a package holiday, but now falls outside the legal definition.’’Ms Villiers told MPs that flaws in the system were exposed by the recent big tour operator collapses, including Goldtrail and Sun4U last year, Freedom Direct in 2009 and XL in 2008.
The Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing scheme was established to offer financial protection to consumers buying package holidays, however the recent trend of buying holidays online and purchasing flights and hotels separately has meant that many holidaymakers are no longer covered by the system.
Travellers with congenital heart defects advised to take out adequate insurance
Those who have a pre-existing medical condition, such as a congenital heart defect (CHD), are being offered competitive travel insurance by goodtogoinsurance.com so they can travel abroad with adequate protection.
Congenital heart defects are birth defects of the heart which are lethal. They affect millions of newborn infants worldwide and lead to thousands of deaths every year.
Sarah Findlay, Marketing Manager for goodtogoinsurance.com, explained: "Living with a congenital heart defect doesn’t have to mean the end of holidays abroad. However, our research has identified that all too often CHD sufferers and their families face very high insurance premiums or can’t find the right level of cover for their specific needs. The result is that some sufferers may choose to travel without declaring their condition, leaving them with no protection if the worst should happen on their trip."
She added that the travel insurance provider can screen anyone and offer travel insurance for most cases.
Congenital heart defects are birth defects of the heart which are lethal. They affect millions of newborn infants worldwide and lead to thousands of deaths every year.Sarah Findlay, Marketing Manager for goodtogoinsurance.com, explained: "Living with a congenital heart defect doesn’t have to mean the end of holidays abroad. However, our research has identified that all too often CHD sufferers and their families face very high insurance premiums or can’t find the right level of cover for their specific needs. The result is that some sufferers may choose to travel without declaring their condition, leaving them with no protection if the worst should happen on their trip."
She added that the travel insurance provider can screen anyone and offer travel insurance for most cases.
How to ensure your travel insurance meets your needs
While many people focus on their eventual destination, securing the best possible deal they can find from any number of travel agents, searching for the best value flights at the most convenient airport and ensuring that they get value on almost all aspects of their holiday, too often holiday insurance is a last minute, impulsive buy.
Such a move in 2011 and beyond could prove to be expensive. Industry experts have reported that due to the rising costs of insurance in general, not to mention events around the globe; such as the problems in popular tourist destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia of late, that travel insurance policies are set for a considerable rise over the next few months.
There are many other factors to be considered, especially in light of recent events, which mean it may be wise to consider the finer print on any travel insurance policy in more detail and could mean that an annual holiday insurance policy could be the best deal for you.
So, what are the key details that any holidaymaker in the UK should to consider from their travel insurance?
The first is of course that it applies to your situation. If you are a single person travelling abroad for a skiing holiday for example, then you are going to require a very different policy to that of a family travelling abroad for a couple of weeks in the sun. Ensure that your policy relates specifically to your holiday, your circumstances and also any activities, especially those that involve a degree of risk or expensive specialist equipment, which you may be undertaking while away.
The reason for this is simple. It could be false economy to take out the cheapest possible policy for your holiday if the cover is not going to be sufficient for your needs. There is little point in obtaining cheap cover for a holiday if your skis are lost, or stolen, or you or a member of your party is seriously injured while away, and your policy does not cover you for such incidents.
This is particularly important to consider when looking for family travel insurance. Families, especially those with younger children, can often encounter unforeseen and unavoidable problems while on holiday. Children are unique beings in that, as joyous as they are, they can encounter problems in almost any situation, regardless of whether you are at home or abroad. Ensuring that your family holiday insurance covers you and your loved ones in the event of accident, theft or emergency is vital to ensure you can enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.
It is important also to bear in mind that recent events, such as the problems that have flared up in Egypt and Tunisia, can often have a serious impact on travellers in that region. It is therefore vital to read the small print of any policy and ensure wherever possible that insurance companies will sufficiently compensate any holidaymaker, should their holiday be cut short.
Very many holiday insurance policies will state categorically that they will not pay out in the event of civil or social unrest, categorising this along with other major unforeseeable events, such as natural disasters or war. Given what has occurred in North Africa of late, it makes sense for people considering going to countries where this may be a problem to ensure that their travel insurance covers them should the worst occur.
Another item to look for on any travel insurance policy includes compensation for airport delays. Some policies offer their holders a cash sum as compensation if they are stranded at an airport beyond a stated period.
Finally, if any member of your party is travelling with a known medical condition, it is vital they contact the travel insurance provider to discuss the options available to them.
Not all Travel Insurance policies are the same and it would be wise to investigate the options to ensure that your loved ones and your holiday are properly protected.
Such a move in 2011 and beyond could prove to be expensive. Industry experts have reported that due to the rising costs of insurance in general, not to mention events around the globe; such as the problems in popular tourist destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia of late, that travel insurance policies are set for a considerable rise over the next few months.
There are many other factors to be considered, especially in light of recent events, which mean it may be wise to consider the finer print on any travel insurance policy in more detail and could mean that an annual holiday insurance policy could be the best deal for you.
So, what are the key details that any holidaymaker in the UK should to consider from their travel insurance?
The first is of course that it applies to your situation. If you are a single person travelling abroad for a skiing holiday for example, then you are going to require a very different policy to that of a family travelling abroad for a couple of weeks in the sun. Ensure that your policy relates specifically to your holiday, your circumstances and also any activities, especially those that involve a degree of risk or expensive specialist equipment, which you may be undertaking while away.
The reason for this is simple. It could be false economy to take out the cheapest possible policy for your holiday if the cover is not going to be sufficient for your needs. There is little point in obtaining cheap cover for a holiday if your skis are lost, or stolen, or you or a member of your party is seriously injured while away, and your policy does not cover you for such incidents.
This is particularly important to consider when looking for family travel insurance. Families, especially those with younger children, can often encounter unforeseen and unavoidable problems while on holiday. Children are unique beings in that, as joyous as they are, they can encounter problems in almost any situation, regardless of whether you are at home or abroad. Ensuring that your family holiday insurance covers you and your loved ones in the event of accident, theft or emergency is vital to ensure you can enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.
It is important also to bear in mind that recent events, such as the problems that have flared up in Egypt and Tunisia, can often have a serious impact on travellers in that region. It is therefore vital to read the small print of any policy and ensure wherever possible that insurance companies will sufficiently compensate any holidaymaker, should their holiday be cut short.
Very many holiday insurance policies will state categorically that they will not pay out in the event of civil or social unrest, categorising this along with other major unforeseeable events, such as natural disasters or war. Given what has occurred in North Africa of late, it makes sense for people considering going to countries where this may be a problem to ensure that their travel insurance covers them should the worst occur.
Another item to look for on any travel insurance policy includes compensation for airport delays. Some policies offer their holders a cash sum as compensation if they are stranded at an airport beyond a stated period.
Finally, if any member of your party is travelling with a known medical condition, it is vital they contact the travel insurance provider to discuss the options available to them.
Not all Travel Insurance policies are the same and it would be wise to investigate the options to ensure that your loved ones and your holiday are properly protected.
Over 50 per cent of people purchase travel insurance online
According to research conducted by travel insurance specialist World First Travel Insurance, over 50 per cent of their past customers decided to buy their travel insurance policy online, direct with their chosen insurer .
Independent research company, PFA Research, targeted over 600 people throughout the UK who had previously taken out insurance with World First Travel Insurance. The research was carried out to observe trends in booking patterns. World First Travel Insurance has seen a sharp rise in online bookings over six months and wanted to establish if this was at the cost of other, more traditional methods of buying travel insurance .
Overall, 63 percent of respondents said they buy their travel insurance online . Of those people, a surprising 51 percent said they would buy it direct with their chosen insurer with just 12 percent buying through a price comparison site . The second most favoured way for people to buy travel insurance is over the telephone .
Independent research company, PFA Research, targeted over 600 people throughout the UK who had previously taken out insurance with World First Travel Insurance. The research was carried out to observe trends in booking patterns. World First Travel Insurance has seen a sharp rise in online bookings over six months and wanted to establish if this was at the cost of other, more traditional methods of buying travel insurance .
Overall, 63 percent of respondents said they buy their travel insurance online . Of those people, a surprising 51 percent said they would buy it direct with their chosen insurer with just 12 percent buying through a price comparison site . The second most favoured way for people to buy travel insurance is over the telephone .
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