Summer is here at last, which means that most British vacationers are headed to the beach.
According to research by Virgin Money Travel Insurance, an overwhelming 38 per cent of holidaymakers enjoy the traditional beach holiday, with no other holiday coming close in popularity.
Coming in second place were city holidays at 12 per cent.
Of those headed to the beach, 72 per cent leave the UK for foreign sand, usually in France, Spain, or elsewhere in continental Europe.
France and Spain are the most popular European destinations for young families, although families with toddlers prefer to stay in UK beaches and avoid the hassles of an overseas trip.
The same study also found that the average cost of a holiday is £862.
John Franklin, spokesperson for Virgin Money Travel Insurance said: “We Brits certainly love heading for the sea during the summer, but holiday makers should ensure they are covered with travel insurance.”
More: fairinvestment.co.uk
Related Travel Information
Thousands of people could lose their travel cover after the Financial Services Authority (FSA) took action against Whiteley Insurance Consultants.
The West Yorkshire-based firm was placed into provisional liquidation by the High Court at the FSA's behest.
The FSA told the court that Whiteley - a brokerage - was selling travel insurance which was not underwritten by an insurer, invalidating the policies.
The liquidators have set up a hotline, 08705 234803, for policyholders.
More: news.bbc.co.uk
Teenagers awaiting A-level results, due out on August 18, may already be planning a year out before university but parents should insist they make room for travel insurance in their rucksack.
While young travellers may feel immortal and invincible, and reluctant to budget for insurance, the parents left at home may be more concerned about assistance in case of theft, illness or worse.
Joanne Field, marketing manager for American Express Travel Insurance, said: "Not surprisingly many of our gap year policies are bought by parents who are more experienced about what can happen."
Research commissioned by Direct Line revealed that an estimated 200,000
TRAVEL insurance polices should offer better protection to holidaymakers against acts of terrorism, say UK insurance brokers.
The British Insurance Brokers' Association (Biba) claims there has been a 274% increase in terrorist attacks throughout the world since 2003, but the majority of policies don't offer protection. There were 655 separate terrorist attacks last year compared to just 175 in 2003.
Biba said that since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the majority of travel insurers had imposed blanket terrorism exclusions on policies, leaving consumers unprotected from incidents such as the Bali bombing.
If an attack does happen, people travelling abroad will have
A survey by Halifax Travel Insurance has revealed that Brits are getting ever more adventurous - but more than 4.6 million people are failing to take out insurance to cover their trips.
According to the survey, British holidaymakers are likely to travel 248,000 miles to overseas destinations during their lifetime - the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe ten times over.
Almost nine out of ten (89 per cent) of those travellers are so adventurous that they will visit a new destination each time they leave the UK.
However, a third of 18 to 25 year-olds - the group most likely to take three
British travellers still prefer sun, sea and sand when it comes to booking their annual break, according to a new summer survey.
Research by Virgin Money Travel Insurance found that almost four in ten holidaymakers (38 per cent) still enjoy the traditional beach holiday, with just 12 per cent choosing a city break and two per cent opting for a cruise. Other forms of vacation, such as lakes and mountain breaks and coach tours, are also becoming increasingly popular with Brits.
Just 28 per cent of those polled choose a beach holiday in the UK, with 53 per cent heading for sunnier
