With the weather getting warmer, there are plenty of people getting ready to take a break from the Monday to Friday slog. Although many people are looking forward to jumping on a plane and jetting off to somewhere exotic, there’s an increasing number of people who are deciding to take a staycation and explore the UK.
What many may be unaware of is that just because you’re not going abroad, it doesn’t mean you don’t need cover.
Recent studies from Policy Expert have looked into the number of people planning a staycation and the valuables they will take with them.
The results of their research showed 75% of respondents were looking to take a holiday in the UK this summer and also plan on taking an average &676 of valuables along with them.
This is obviously a considerable amount of valuables at risk, but the study also revealed that only 50% of these respondents have the necessary cover for taking their valuables away from home.
In addition to this, the study also found that 1 in 10 respondents have lost valuables - most commonly phones, cameras, wallets/purses and jewellery - to damage, theft or just simply misplacing them whilst on a previous staycation.
It’s not just your valuables you need to think of before planning a trip. While approximately 90% of people take out travel insurance when taking a trip overseas, just under a third of those respondents (32%) felt it was necessary to take out insurance for a domestic holiday, meaning they’d be out of pocket if the worst were to happen and the holiday needed to be called off.
Rebecca Hollingsworth, the policy adviser for travel at the Association of British Insurers, said: 'People may not be aware that a number of travel insurance policies offer cover for UK breaks.
'This means you could get your money back for pre-booked accommodation if your holiday has to be cancelled at short notice - for example because you fall seriously ill or suffer a bereavement.
'Policies may also provide cover if valuables such as cameras or laptops are lost or stolen, although it's also worth checking whether this is already offered as part of your home insurance.'
So before you start packing your bags in your car, why not have a check of your current policies and exactly what they do and don’t cover. It’s considerably cheap to update your policy to cover you away from home and the peace of mind and potential long term savings are undoubtedly worth it.