UK Travel Insurance News

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

 

Sun, sea and a nice cup of tea

When we're lying on the beach without a care in the world, with the sea lapping at our feet, most Brits are dreaming of a decent cup of tea.

Over a third of British holidaymakers claim the thing they miss most when they go on their summer holidays is a good old cup of Rosie Lee according to a new survey conducted by travel insurers InsureandGo.

A nice cuppa beat off stiff competition from other home comforts to secure the honour of what we miss most whilst we're on our hols. Over a quarter of us miss our pets and one in ten of us miss proper English grub when we jet off to sunnier climes.

However, a whopping 83 per cent of us say we're embarrassed by other British holidaymakers when we go on our annual break. And 60 per cent would go a step further and say we are the worst behaved nation when we're on holiday.

The biggest gripe we have with our fellow countrymen is their loutish behaviour, followed by their inability to try new things when abroad according to the poll of over 4000 people. It seems if we're not moaning about missing home we're whinging about everything else. Even three per cent miss the rain!

Over a quarter of us admit to moaning about mosquito's and 21 per cent can't stop complaining about other holidaymakers. A bout of delly-belly and a sore case of sunburn are also grounds for a good whinge. And when it comes to the weather, Mother Nature can't win 15 per cent complain if our holiday destination is too hot and one in twenty will harp on if it's too cold.

30 per cent of people freely admit to moaning when they go abroad with an ignorant eight per cent confessing to grumbling about foreigners. Three quarters of folk reckon that British people can't help moaning and 28 per cent of us say we do it without even realising.

Perry Wilson from InsureandGo said: This survey shows Brits have simple tastes, no matter how luxurious the holiday; everyone likes to return to their home comforts. It's alarming how many of us seem to be embarrassed by fellow British tourists though, but unfortunately we do tend to have a bad reputation with other nations, especially in holiday resorts infamous for partying."

"Holidays are all about relaxing and letting our hair down, but we should remember we're representing our country when we're abroad too.''

A good cuppa definitely seems to be a bone of contention amongst British tourists with over half (55 per cent) of respondents admitting to packing tea-bags in their suitcase. 23 per cent will take washing detergent for their smalls and 18 per cent will take a jar of coffee.

posted by UK Insurance Index  @ 6:21 PM

Monday, August 15, 2005

 

Holiday horrors cost us millions

British holidaymakers have paid out an extra £200 million over the past two years to rectify holiday disappointments according to new research from Direct Line Travel Insurance.

From substandard accommodation to poor hygiene standards, 37 per cent of Brits have had their dream holiday ruined and of these, 12 per cent have shelled out extra money to switch hotels or dine in clean restaurants.

Of those disgruntled, 44 per cent believe that the holiday brochure severely misrepresented their dream destination. Services that had been promised when booking the holiday but not delivered include access to the beach (11 per cent), swimming facilities (7 per cent) and room service (5 per cent).

A further 64 per cent of dissatisfied Brits experienced dirty rooms, 13 per cent found their accommodation located next to a building site and a further 13 per cent were exposed to unsafe facilities.

The Direct Line research also reveals Britons differing approach to resolving their holiday issues. More than two thirds (67 per cent) complained whilst still on holiday, with one in five writing a letter of complaint and 62 per cent voicing their concerns to a holiday rep.

Of the remaining 33 per cent who chose not to take the matter further, nearly half (46 per cent) believed that complaining wouldn't make a difference and 19 per cent said they didn't want it to ruin their holiday anymore.

Chris Price, Head of Direct Line Travel Insurance, said: "On average, people save for months before spending hundreds of pounds on their dream holiday and it is probably one of the only things we buy without actually seeing first. So, if disaster strikes while they're abroad it can lead to an even bigger expense. To minimise the risk of holidays being ruined we would advise people to thoroughly research their destination before going: read up on reviews of the hotel you have in mind, look at maps to ensure it is in your desired location and go on recommendations where you can.

"Holidaymakers who are disappointed by their experience and want to take the matter further, should consider all of their options. They should contact their travel insurance provider as their cover may include support for legal proceedings, should they want to take the issue further."

Top 10 Holiday Complaints:
1. Dirty rooms (64 per cent)
2. Misleading brochure information (44 per cent)
3. Disappointing service from holiday representatives (38 per cent)
4. Location of hotel/resort/apartment (30 per cent)
5. Bad food (21 per cent)
6. Close proximity to a building site (13 per cent)
7. Unsafe facilities, e.g. bad wiring, dirty swimming pools (13 per cent)
8. Failure to deliver promised services e.g. no swimming pool, no beauty spa (13 per cent)
9. Noisy neighbours (13 per cent)
10. Wrong resort/hotel type (7 per cent)

Direct Line's Travel Insurance offers a free legal protection service providing its customers with up to £50,000 worth of cover for legal fees and expenses to help them pursue their rights in the event of a valid holiday contractual dispute.

posted by UK Insurance Index  @ 5:50 PM

News items are intended for information only and should not be relied upon when making insurance decisions. Due to their nature some of the information in these news stories may no longer be current.