‘Bankruptcy risk’ for uninsured Brits

A lack of travel insurance could leave Britons facing bankruptcy should they suffer a mishap while abroad, it has been warned.

Frances Tuke of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) tells the BBC of the costs which could emerge from having to pay for emergency medical treatment elsewhere in the world.

She gives the example of meeting the callout fee for an air ambulance on the east coast of the US.

According to Ms Tuke, the Foreign Office estimates such an emergency as costing anywhere up to £45,000.

“Despite the risk of facing bills that could bankrupt you, millions of people from the UK, for the sake of a few pounds, travel abroad uninsured,” she tells the broadcaster.

Recent figures published by ABTA noted that a greater number of Britons could be heading abroad with their offspring during the summer months.

Despite recent economic turbulence, the organisation discovered that overseas family getaway bookings were up by one per cent year-on-year at the end of June.

By Bob Bardsley