Backpackers need suitable travel cover

A travel operator is encouraging backpackers to consider the travel cover they may need on their trips, depending on destination and trip duration, and also to avoid taking along expensive belongings.

Trailfinders is providing this advice, which follows the findings of recent research conducted by the AA. Respondents indicated that typically an average of £450 worth of personal possessions are kept in the traveller’s backpack during a trip, including electronic items such as mobile phones and MP3 players.

A spokesperson for Trailfinders suggested that travel insurance for a backpacker should include a special type of medical cover such as a 24-hour helpline that may be more suitable for an adventure holiday.

“A backpacker traveller is a very different type of traveller to someone who is on a two week holiday in Europe,” the spokesperson added.

When backpackers travel they often spend time in remote locations, use local transport and eat local foods. Being adventurous can mean that the risk is different from a more typical holiday and a policy should reflect that. For example, a tourist who spends time at a five-star hotel in a major European capital is likely to need a very different type of insurance than someone who goes trekking in a developing country, much farther from home.

www.trailfinders.com