Posted 17 Aug 2011

Travellers heading on a gap year have been urged by the Foreign Office to make insurance a top priority.

Its comments follow research from Sainsbury's Finance that show the average medical bill for UK travellers heading abroad is £1,333.

The largest claims came from travellers in the US, who topped the scale of medical expenses with an average of £4,725.

However, other places making it into the +£1,000 list included Thailand and the Dominican Republic.

Scott Gorman, Sainsbury's travel insurance manager, said simply having a European Health Insurance Card is not enough, as it will only provide you with the state-provided medical care offered by the destination country, which could leave gap year travellers facing a huge bill if they are injured.

Commenting on the Sainsbury's research, Phil Lord, of the Foreign Office's Know Before You Go Campaign, said: "Such figures highlight the importance of taking out insurance before you travel."
"Getting comprehensive travel insurance means that whilst an accident may disrupt your holiday, it won't bankrupt you," he added.

This week, Lizzie Fane, founder of ThirdYearAbroad.com, urged gap year travellers to avoid shock expenses by getting appropriate travel insurance.

Category: General Travel