Half of holiday victims 'lack travel insurance'

Many people experience holiday disruption.

Two-fifths of Scottish holidaymakers have been the victim of an incident abroad, new research shows.

A survey by Bank of Scotland found that 39% of Scots had experienced delayed or lost luggage, theft, medical emergencies or flight cancellations at some point.

Half of those respondents who reported experiencing an incident admitted that they did not have travel insurance in place at the time.

Despite the large number of people whose holidays have been disrupted in the past, 38% of Scots who are going away this year revealed that they are yet to take out travel insurance.

Lisa Stephenson, head of customer experience, marketing and communications at Bank of Scotland, commented: "It's all too easy to dismiss the idea of securing cover against an incident that might never happen.

"However ... most of us don't realise the benefits of insurance until it's too late. The cost of not taking out insurance can far outweigh the cost of being well prepared."

The report follows recent YouGov research, commissioned by Laterooms.com, which found that 47% of holidaymakers spend less than an hour comparing travel insurancedeals.