Foreign Office tells skiers to double-check their insurance

FCO warns that failure to carry adequate cover could cost more than a broken arm or leg.

Travel Insurance News - 25/11/2010

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The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which so often has to pick up the pieces when Brit holidays go awry, has warned holidaymakers to ensure they have appropriate insurance if they are going skiing. The FCO highlighted the risk of painful medical bills on top of any injuries should they have an accident.

Many snowboarders and skiers carry some type of insurance when they head abroad for holidays but this is frequently inadequate. Research has shown that the insurance many take on winter sports holidays does not cover the typical injuries, such as broken bones.

Injured Brits who need an emergency flight home in an air ambulance could end up with bills exceeding £5,000. Failure to carry the right insurance could make even getting such a flight, let alone paying for it, an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous problem.

According to the Foreign Office, up to 50 per cent of skiers incorrectly believe that their European healthcare car will cover the cost of such emergency repatriation flights. Research also shows these people also don’t appreciate that alcohol has a greater effect when at altitude.

<< Tourists reassured over cholera in Dominican Republic | Travel News | Air France says Airbus ignored warnings in advance of crash >>