Get travel insurance, Lloyds TSB tells risk-taking Brits

Britons on holiday are taking more risks, despite a significant proportion failing to take out insurance, Lloyds TSB Insurance has found.

11:33 24 November 2004

Britons on holiday are taking more risks, despite a significant proportion failing to take out insurance, Lloyds TSB Insurance has found.

Winter holidaymakers have been encouraged to be more responsible with their personal safety and belongings as new research reveals the risks taken by Britons abroad.

Lloyds TSB Insurance has found that despite widespread health warnings, a third of holiday makers (34 per cent) confess to getting badly sunburnt in a bid to get a tan while more than one in four (28 per cent) admit to drinking local tap water.

Furthermore, one person in nine (11 per cent) admits to leaving valuables unattended on the beach while they go for a dip and nine per cent have left their hotel room unlocked or the windows open.

"Our research shows that Brits abroad are ditching their common sense at the departure gate and are potentially putting themselves and their valuables in jeopardy," said Phil Loney, managing director of Lloyds TSB Insurance.

Despite this, seven per cent of those questioned admit that they do not take out travel insurance - with men (nine per cent) more likely ignore cover.

Sixteen to 24-year-olds are least likely to take out insurance (13 per cent) despite being the most likely to take risks while on holiday (43 per cent).

Mr Loney added: "It is vital to make sure that you have adequate travel insurance and that you take the necessary precautions to ensure that you are covered, should the worst happen."

Other risks frequently taken by holidaymakers include partaking in risky watersports (23 per cent), speeding around foreign roads on mopeds (13 per cent) and not wearing a safety belt while driving abroad (nine per cent).