Tag Archives: TRAVEL

Travel Insurance For Family Holidays – 48% Of Parents Don’t Arrange Cover

Travel The summer school holidays are with us and many families will be finalising their travel plans, packing their bags and excited children will be getting into a taxi with their parents in the early hours of the morning to drive to the airport to board an early morning flight to a sunny climate overseas where they will spend a week or two perhaps around a hotel pool or on a sandy beech. Let us hope that their break is enjoyable and trouble free.

However, according to research carried out on behalf of Co-op Insurance, you may be interested to read that 37% of parents had one of their children have an injury or be taken ill whilst away on holiday. That is a worrying statistic but what is also concerning is that the research has revealed that 48% of parents do not bother to arrange travel insurance when taking their family on holiday.

We are sure that you will agree these are worrying statistics especially when you consider that the average travel insurance claim for a child taken ill on holiday is £606. Presumably, there will be a number of claims that could run into many thousands of pounds.

Another interesting statistic that has come out of this research that was carried out in April 2018 with 2,000 parents is that 26% of parents either cancelled the family holiday or considered doing so due to one of their children being taken ill prior to departing on their trip.

The top 5 injuries were cuts (38%), insect bites (31%), bruises (30%), sprained wrist (25%) and a bump to the head (17%).Wrist Injury

The top 5 illnesses were stomach bug (24%), flu (22%), chickenpox (17%), food poisoning (12%) and ear infection (12%).

Those parents who had not arranged travel insurance would no doubt have had to find some other way of paying for the medical treatment perhaps either by using a credit card, overdraft facility or savings.

Presumably, some parents made the decision not to take out travel insurance to cover their family due to the cost and/or felt that it was worth taking the risk that none of their party would fall ill or suffer an injury. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but you cannot help but wander how many of those 48% of parents who did not bother to arrange such cover would now do so having digested the above statistics.

So, if you are planning a family holiday or are about to set off on your break and do not have travel insurance, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and speak with a knowledgeable member of our staff who will discuss your requirements and be able to provide a competitive quotation.

Schoolgirls Build Microlight

MicrolightThere are no doubt many schools around the UK at which they encourage their pupils to get involved in constructing things but there surely cannot be many that have built something as large or as complex as a working, flying microlight. Well, that is exactly what has happened at Benenden School.

The boarding school is located in Cranbrook in the Kent countryside and has 551 girls aged 11 to 18 years. It dates back to 1923.

It was back in September 2016 that work started on building the micolight aircraft with 28 girls giving up two hours of their time after school one evening a week. Their work was supervised by a number of members of staff. The British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) was also involved and actually owns the finished microlight. It is interesting that the registration mark on the plane is G-GRLS – what a wonderful idea.

On Sunday the 1st July 2018 all the girls hard work came to fruition when the microlight, having gone through various safety tests, took to the skies taking off from Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent. Various instructors took the pupils up in the micolight on different flights so that they could all experience a trip in the light aircraft. Even the headmistress got to go up in the aircraft. No doubt a wonderful time was had by all and here at AIB Insurance we would like to congratulate the girls on completing such a wonderful project. What will the girls want to build next?

Those of you who are either the owner of a microlight or are considering buying one will no doubt wish to ensure that it is suitably insured. In this respect, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and we will be pleased to discuss your requirements and arrange to provide a competitive quotation for microlight insurance.

Military Jet Has Near Miss With Paragliders

If you participate in paragliding then you will be well aware that there are numerous risks relating to your sport that could potentially lead to a serious accident taking place resulting in injury or death.  Fortunately, such incidents are few and far between both here in the UK and elsewhere around the world.

Well, who would have thought that when four paragliders from the Avon Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club took to the air on the 26th January 2018 they were to have a close encounter with a military jet. In fact so close that one of the paragliders apparently claimed that the heat from the jet’s engine could be felt.

The encounter took place at around 12.33pm on the above date with a Royal Navy Hawk T1 military jet over Bratton Camp that is located near Westbury in Wiltshire at between 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet above the ground. The jet in question was in the throes of a practice bombing run.

Obviously the jet was travelling at a considerable speed and it flew between the four paragliders who were no doubt disturbed at such an incident. The near miss was actually filmed by one of the paragliders who had a camera on his helmet.

A comprehensive report was recently published by the UK Airprox Board a copy of which can be found on their website. We are sure that those of you who enjoy paragliding will find the report of interest. Apparently, the military jet pilot had not previously been aware that the four paragliders would be in the air. The cause was determined as being due to the pilot of the military jet not seeing the four paragliders and was assessed as risk category A.

Here at AIB Insurance we can arrange competitive quality insurance cover for those of you who enjoy paragliding. So, why not give us a call on 02380 268 351 and discuss your requirements with a knowledgeable member of our team. We look forward to being of assistance.

 

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.

CRUISE SHIPThe 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.CRUISE SHIP

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.