Gap year illness cost 'hitting record high'

The benefits of having comprehensive travel insurance for a gap year abroad has been highlighted by new figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

A report by the organisation revealed that travel insurers helped a record number of people needing emergency medical treatment while overseas last year.

Around £274 million was paid out in meeting the cost of emergency medical treatments for UK travellers who fell ill while abroad.

This is equivalent to £5.3 million every week, with the cost of medical treatment accounting for 60 per cent of the total cost of all claim paid out.

Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health for the ABI, said: "The often high costs of overseas medical treatment make travel insurance essential for anyone travelling abroad."

These statistics were recently backed up by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's British Behaviour Abroad report, which recorded 3,689 cases of hospitalisation last year.

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( Last Updated: 2010-07-20 16:03:28)