Tag Archives: travel insurance

Travel Insurers Paid Out £370 Million In 2016

Plane The peak overseas holiday season will soon be upon us with schools here in the UK shortly to break up for the summer. Many families will be taking to the sky in planes, boarding cruise liners and ferries as they venture across oceans and travelling by car or train through the Channel Tunnel onward bound to some European destination or an exotic country many thousands of miles from our shores.

With this in mind, it is perhaps rather timely to mention travel insurance that, based upon research carried out by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), rather surprisingly reveals there are a significant number of holidaymakers who are not arranging this potentially valuable form of cover. Apparently, around 1 in 4 people travelling overseas do not bother to take out travel insurance.

When you consider that 480,000 people travelling abroad last year claimed on their travel insurance policies in respect of things like lost luggage and medical treatment there is obviously a need for such cover. In fact, around £1 million was paid out to claimants every day.

Of those people, 154,000 required emergency medical assistance. The cost of such treatment amounted to £199 million. There were 83,000 claims made in respect of cash being lost and luggage going astray totaling £17 million. There were 159,000 claims made by holidaymakers who unfortunately had to cancel a holiday at a total cost of around £130 million.

When you consider that the average amount claimed for cancelling a holiday was £816 and that the average amount claimed in respect of medical treatment amounted to £1,300 yet the average amount of an annual travel insurance policy is £37 it rather puts this into perspective. It is also reassuring to note that insurers approve almost 9 out of every 10 travel insurance claims.

So, if you are looking for quality travel insurance at a competitive price, why not give us a call here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and discuss your requirements with a knowledgeable member of staff. It really is not worth the risk of travelling abroad without suitable cover.

Four World Record Attempts In Wingsuit

Fraser Corsan from the UK is an experienced wingsuit pilot who has made around 1,300 wingsuit jumps. He is attempting to break not one but four world records in respect of this airsport as well as raising a significant sum of money for the armed forces charity known as ssafa.

His first attempt at breaking the world records was scheduled to take place on the 22 May but weather conditions meant that the aircraft he was to jump from could only get to 33,000 feet. Unfortunately, that was less than the current world record.

Another jump was scheduled to take place in Ontario Canada before the end of May but this time he will jump from a hot air balloon from in excess of 40,000 feet. At the time of writing, the weather has not been kind to Mr Corsan so the date of the second attempt is not certain.

The four wingsuit jump records he will hopefully attempt to break are for the highest altitude, the fastest speed, the longest time and the furthest distance.

The current record for the highest altitude is 37,265 feet. He hopes to jump from more than 40,000 feet where the temperature could be as low as between -50 degrees centigrade to -70 degrees centigrade. Aircraft fly at around 36,000 feet. At the moment, the highest speed is 234 mph and Mr Corsan hopes to reach 250 mph. The current Guinness world record for the longest time flown is 9 minutes and 6 seconds and Mr Corsan is going to attempt to stay airborne for 10 minutes. The furthest distance flown so far by someone in a wingsuit is 19.01 miles. He is going to try to travel a distance of 20 miles.

We are sure that our readers who participate in airsports will agree that it would be a remarkable set of achievements if Mr Corsan were to break all four world records in a wingsuit. No doubt you will join us in wishing him the very best and a safe landing.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have been arranging insurance cover for a huge variety of airsports through our extensive panel of insurance companies for many years. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable member of our team to discuss your requirements and obtain a competitive quote without any obligation.

ABTA Travel Trends Report 2017 – An Interesting Read

The ABTA Travel Trends Report 2017 provides some interesting information about the travel industry including a review of 2016, what the prospects are for the industry in 2017 and some destinations that are worth keeping an eye on. Below we highlight some of what the report covers but you can view the full report on the abta.com website.

What happened in 2016?

In 2016, there was a rise in the number of people in Britain going away on holiday with a 7% increase in the year to September of last year in comparison to the previous 12 months. Also, individuals were taking more holidays. Interestingly, British holidaymakers were not jetting off on as many holidays on the beach but the number of breaks to cities rose.

Places like Turkey and Tunisia saw the number of holidaymakers drop due to safety concerns. Countries that benefitted included Portugal, Spain and Cyprus that saw increases in numbers of 23%, 20% and 17% respectively.

Another interesting statistic was that 53% of people enjoyed a package holiday with this being in excess of 10% more than back in 2011.

In 2016, there was a significant increase in the number of domestic holidays in comparison to 2015. In 2015, 64% of holidays taken by British people were domestic ones but in 2016 this had increased to 71%.

Prospects for 2017

It was forecast that this year there would be a rise in the number of people choosing an all-inclusive holiday. In 2016, 18% of holidaymakers enjoyed such a holiday yet it has been predicted that in 2017 25% of people intended to enjoy such a holiday.

More people are expected to take long haul city breaks visiting such cities as Dubai, Cape Town, Los Angeles, Washington, Tokyo and New York to name but some.

There is expected to be an increase in the number of people enjoying adventure holidays such as horse riding expeditions and kayaking.

Possible Destinations

There are many wonderful holiday destinations around the world. One or more of the likes of Bermuda, Croatia, Andalucia, Vietnam, Sardinia, Chile, USA or South Africa may appeal for varying reasons. For instance, Andalucía for the warm climate and South Africa for the exchange rate.

Here at AIB Insurance, we have arranged holiday insurance for a huge number of people whether it is for a short break to the likes of Venice or an all inclusive holiday in the South of France. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 to discuss your requirements and obtain a competitive quotation.

Tandem Skydiving World Record Attempt By 101 Year Old

Skydiving is not for the faint hearted as jumping from a plane at heights of several thousand feet could prove stressful for some people. Well, at the tender age of 101, that does not appear to concern Bryson William Verndun Hayes who likes to be called Verndun.

This brave Second World war veteran plans to do a tandem skydive on the 13th May at Skydive Buzz near Honiton in Devon. Supporting him and making the jump will be several members of his family as well as his doctor.

Apparently, he had wanted to skydive when he was 90 but his family persuaded him otherwise. However, this is not the first time that he has been skydiving as Verdun currently holds the British record for the oldest person to do a tandem skydive from 10,000 feet which he achieved in 2016 when he was 100 years of age and thoroughly enjoyed the thrilling experience. If he is successful on the 13th May he will hold the world record for being the world’s oldest tandem skydiver jumping from 10,000 feet taking the record from a Canadian who was a few days younger than Verndun when setting the record in 2013.

No doubt our many skydiving clients will join us here at AIB Insurance in wishing Verndun good luck for his very special day and that he has a wonderful experience and a safe landing.

Any monies raised by Verndum are for the benefit of the Royal British Legion.

If you do participate in skydiving or another extreme airsport then why not get in touch with us on 02380 268 351 to discuss your insurance requirements without any obligation. We have many years experience in arranging such tailored cover from an extensive panel of insurers for a competitive premium. We look forward to hearing from you.

Cruise Critic Publishes UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards

If you are interested in taking to the high seas for a holiday on a cruise liner then you may find it of interest to visit the website of CruiseCritic.co.uk that has recently published details of the winning ships in their UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards for 2017.

The awards are based upon reviews carried out by a number of people going on cruises in 2016 and cover cruise liners that can accommodate 2,000 or more passengers (Large Ship), 1,200 to 1,999 passengers (Mid-Size Ship) and 1,199 passengers or less (Small Ship).

Below are some of the awards: –

In the Large Ship size, Celebrity Cruises vessel called Celebrity Reflection won the awards for Best Overall, Best for Value and Best for Cabins. Best for Public Rooms and Best for Service were won by Celebrity Silhouette.

In the Mid-Size Ship size, Oceania Cruises vessel called Riviera did particularly well winning six of the awards – Best Overall, Best for Service, Best for Dining, Best for Cabins, Best for Embarkation and Best for Public Rooms.

In the Small Ship size, Viking Ocean Cruises did well. Viking Star won the top awards for Best Overall, Best for Public Rooms, Best for Value, Best for Embarkation and Best for Service. Viking Sea won the top awards for Best for Fitness and Recreation, Best for Cabins and Best for Entertainment.

The Best for First Timers award was won by Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas that is a large ship. The Best for Families award was won by Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas that is also a large ship.

As well as publishing reviews from holidaymakers about cruises they have gone on, Cruise Critic provides other information about cruises. So, as well as doing other research, you may find the website of assistance in helping select a cruise that you feel is suitable for you.

Of course, if you are considering a cruise, you will no doubt wish to make sure that you have suitable travel insurance in place. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team about such cover.

Chancellor Announces Another Increase In Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)

Many of you will be aware that most general insurance policy premiums are subject to Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) at 10%. The sort of policies this applies to include the likes of, motor, home, private health insurance and pet insurance.

That’s all about to change as the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Autumn Statement of a few days ago that this tax was being increased by 2% to 12% with effect from the 1st June 2017. This will be the third time this tax has been increased since November 2015. On the 1st November last year IPT went up from 6% to 9.5% – a rise of 3.5% and then it increased by 0.5% to 10% on the 1st October 2016.

This means that, if you are currently paying say £500 per annum for your motor insurance, say £400 per annum for your home insurance, say £300 per annum for your pet insurance and say £1,000 per annum for your private health cover then you would see your total premiums for these policies increase by £44 per annum which, if you pay monthly, means that you would have to find an extra £3.66 per month. This increase would exceed the forecast saving of £40 per annum that motorists may make if certain changes proposed by the Government were made to how whiplash claims are dealt with as referred to in our news article of the 17th November 2016.

This announcement has not gone down well with many in the insurance industry including the Association of British Insurers (ABI) that is concerned how hard it will hit some people. Of course, this increase will particularly affect those who are paying the highest premiums for their cover such as young drivers and motorists living in some inner city areas. Unfortunately, this rise may result in more uninsured drivers on our roads.

The ABI estimate that in excess of 50 million policies will be affected by this increase. Apparently, in Europe, the UK will have the 6th largest rate for IPT. It is estimated that by 2018/2019 Insurance Premium Tax will add around £6 billion to the Government’s “coffers”. The 20% IPT rate used for what some consider to be luxury insurance products including travel insurance, mechanical/electrical appliances insurance and even spacecraft insurance has remained unchanged.

The government will argue that the general cost of IPT throughout Europe is 19% but this does not take into account that the average motor insurance premium paid by UK’s drivers is significantly higher to begin with. In fact, the UK has the fourth most expensive average motor insurance premium in the world (behind the US, Austria and Germany).

It is to be hoped that this announcement does not encourage some policyholders to cancel any of their insurance policies as they no doubt provide valuable cover. In the case of motor insurance, it is a legal requirement that motorised vehicles are insured unless they are kept off the public road system and declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).

Here at AIB Insurance, whilst we can obviously do nothing to prevent this increase in IPT, we will continue as we always have done to endeavour to provide our customers with competitive quotations for their insurance policies from the extensive panel of insurers at our disposal.

P J Hayman & Company Added To Our Panel

It is with great pleasure that we announce the addition of P J Hayman & Company to our panel of insurers. The insurers that we partner with are carefully chosen and we are extremely pleased to be doing so with this respected business.

P J Hayman & Company, located in Hampshire, was established in 1990 and provides specialist schemes and travel insurance. Over the years their business has grown and now has over 40 staff who pride themselves on providing a quality, professional customer service whether it be in respect of arranging suitable cover or dealing with a claim.

They offer a range of specialist insurance products that are suitable for many of our clients who enjoy adventure based trips as well as long stay holidays. There is also the option of “Independent Traveller” cover. They can even arrange travel cover for many people with pre-existing medical conditions as well as putting travel insurance in place with no upper age limit for people making both annual multi-trips and single trips overseas.

They have an Adventures Activity Travel Insurance policy that is designed to cover individuals and groups who take part in a huge selection of activity holidays or working abroad as well as participating in amateur and professional sports and hazardous pursuits. For instance, cover can be arranged for the likes of hang gliders, skydivers, paragliders, paramotorists, black water canoeing, bobsleigh, caving, gliding, hot air ballooning, mountaineering, parachuting and trekking to name but a few.

A comprehensive level of cover is provided to provide our valued clients with complete peace of mind. For instance, the Adventures policy provides search and rescue cover of up to £50,000 following an accident.

We look forward to working closely with P J Hayman & Company.

Further information about them can be found on their website at http://www.pjhayman.com/

Just Travel Cover Joins Our Panel

AIB Insurance is pleased to announce that Just Travel Cover has been appointed to our panel of specialist insurance companies to provide our clients that participate in air sports such as sky diving, hang gliding, paragliding, parachuting and ballooning with quality travel insurance.

Just Travel Cover has been in existence for some time now and has teamed up with us to enable AIB Insurance to offer our clients even more options when it comes to arranging this niche type of cover.

We have been most impressed with the standard of service that they provide both pre and post sale. The company has built a reputation for arranging suitable cover quickly and without fuss and can often even cater for those clients that have pre-existing medical conditions who may have been having trouble sorting cover out through some other providers. Age is also not usually a barrier.

The company can arrange the likes of single trip travel insurance or annual travel cover and are renowned for providing competitively priced policies. The level of cover provided by either type of policy is ideally suited to those people taking part in one of a variety of air sports who are possibly more likely to have to make a claim than someone else that does not take to the air in this way.

The team here at AIB Insurance look forward to working closely with Just Travel Cover now and in the future to ensure that our valued air sports clients’ unique travel insurance needs are met.

Further information about the company can be found on their website at www.just travelcover.com.

Overseas Holiday Money Saving Tips

In two to three months time you may well be breaking up from work to enjoy a couple of weeks holiday in a far off exotic destination with your family. If so, we thought that you might find the following tips on how you may be able to save yourself some money of benefit.

Finding a flight

If you are arranging your holiday independently, as a lot of people do these days, you will need to book the flight tickets. The sooner that you can do this the better because, as a general rule, as the seats on a plane start to fill up the cost of them rises.

As for finding a flight, why not try a website like Skyscanner as they provide access to numerous airlines, including budget ones, flying from many airports in the UK. It is like a price comparison site so you can see the different prices that each airline charges and you may be able to obtain a fantastic deal.

Hotels

You can register for free on the likes of SecretEscapes’s website that provides access to various hotels around the world often at hugely discounted rates.

Another option is to take advantage of “top secret hotel” offers on the likes of Lastminute.com where big reductions in room rates may be offered on luxury hotels although you will not be told the name of the hotel until you have made and paid for the booking.

Another option is to ring a hotel direct and try to negotiate a reduction in the room rate. You may be surprised at how often they will do this. Prior to doing so, make sure that your home phone provider has put you onto a package offering cheaper international calls for a small monthly fee to help make it financially viable.

Foreign currency

Avoid buying your foreign currency at foreign exchange outlets at the airport as the exchange rate is possibly going to be worse than if you bought it at an outlet in the town or city of where you live.

Baggage allowance

Check the weight of your luggage before leaving home as airlines charge a substantial additional fee if you exceed the weight allowance.

Car hire

Normally, it is cheaper to book your car hire well in advance rather than at the car hirer’s desk on the day of arrival at your destination airport.

Travel accessories

Avoid buying travel accessories such as adaptor plugs at airport departure shops as they are likely to cost more than if you had purchased them in a local high street retail outlet.

Mobile phones/iPads

Let your mobile phone provider know that you are going on holiday overseas as they may offer a suitable package. Use your mobile sparingly, if at all, whilst abroad in view of potentially high charges and make sure that it is switched off when not being used as well as turning off the data roaming facility.

Bring sandwiches

You can pack a few rounds of sandwiches to eat on board the plane to avoid paying the high charges that some airlines make for providing food.

We hope that you have found the above of benefit.

One final point – you will require quality travel insurance. So, why not get in touch with a member of the friendly, knowledgeable team here at our Eastleigh office for a quote by ringing 02380 268 351.