Brits go holiday crazy reckons major survey – but Insurance4carhire.com says watch out for excess car hire charges
5 March 2008
- 56 per cent of Brits packing travel bags four or more times a year
- Boom in second homes in the sun pushing numbers up
- BUT 40 per cent left in the dark about car hire excess charges
BRITS are sloping off on holiday more than ever before, a major survey* on holiday patterns has revealed.
But the fact that we are now taking more breaks than ever means holidaymakers are increasingly exposed to the perils of car hire excess charge penalties, warns excess waiver insurance provider Insurance4carhire.com.
More than half of UK adults - 56 per cent - are taking a break from their daily routine four or more times a year, according to the survey.
And top of the list of reasons for taking a break is to visit our overseas property,reckons the firm.
"But for travellers who regularly include hiring a car as part of their holiday expenses, they could trip up if they don't check the excess penalty charge," says Insurance4carhire.com Chief Operations Officer Larry Ursich.
An integral part of holidays to second homes is car hire so owners can drive to their homes from the airport, equip their property, carry out maintenance or just stock up from the supermarket - but of those holidaymakers surveyed byInsurance4carhire.com , nearly 40 per cent said they were left in the dark by their car hire company about excess charges.
"Regular car hire either means having to fork out around £10 a day to protect against liability for the excess charge in the event of a claim or running the very pricey risk of having to pick up the tab yourself - which could be as much as £500," says Ursich.
Rather than face this onerous expense every time they travel, holidaymakers can buy one annual policy from Insurance4carhire.com to cover all their trips to Europe and the UK for just £49.
This protects the policyholder and additional drivers on the car rental agreement.
Worldwide cover starts at £59 and there is also a policy to cover drivers aged 75-85, meaning no traveller is prevented from protecting themselves from the financial black hole of car hire excess.
Of the 9,000 people who responded to the survey of UK travel habits, 56.03 per cent took four or more holidays, with just 4.43 per cent restricting themselves to just one. The rest don't stint themselves either, with 39.54 per cent going away two or three times a year.
"Leading the league of most popular overseas destination were France, Italy and Spain, which also feature in the nation's top five favourite places to buy property abroad**, and with over 30 per cent of those surveyed owning property overseas, it's clear to see why nipping out of the country is becoming increasingly commonplace."
* Insurance4carhire.com survey undertaken during 2007
** A Place in the Sun magazine survey, March 2008
Notes
Founded in 2002 Insurance 4 Car Hire is an innovative online insurance company whose core business is the provision of car rental Excess insurance. The business was born out of the high costs being charged by the car rental companies for Excess cover. Insurance4carhire strives to bring customers annual Excess insurance products offering customers convenience, peace of mind and very significant savings when they rent cars.
In 2005, for the second year running, Insurance4carhire received the accolade of "World's Leading Innovative Ecommerce Travel Product" from The World Travel Awards. These annual awards celebrate achievement in the travel industry and are based on votes cast by travel industry professionals throughout Europe.
To reflect the increasingly global reach of its products, Insurance4carhire changed
underwriters to AIG UK Ltd, a member company of American International Group, Inc., (AIG) in December 2007. AIG is one of the worlds leading insurance companies with operations in more than 130 countries.
Insurance 4 Car Hire is now part of the Towergate Partnership the largest independently owned insurance intermediary in Europe.
Source: Insurance4carhire.com
See Also:
Excess Protection Gives a Financial Boost to All - May 2009
Insurance4carhire.com's Best Drives in the US - January 2009
INSURE4EXCESS.COM Launches New Policies at Competitive Rates
insurance4car hire.com - March 2008
Towergate Partnership announces the acquisition of Insurance 4 Car Hire Agents Ltd - January 2008
Lower prices for car hire excess insurance from December - December 2007
Annual Car Rental Insurance Renewal is here again - October 2007
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