61% have had a flight significantly delayed or cancelled

Travel disruption can be a nuisance or a nightmare depending on the situation and is probably the last thing you would want to have to face on your holiday or trip abroad – yet 61% of us have had to. This is according to a recent survey of more than 1000 people in Ireland conducted by Insuremyholiday.ie.

Speaking of the findings, Deidre McCarthy of Insuremyholiday.ie,

“Booking that summer holiday or special weekend getaway is one of the highlights of the year for many, and a major flight delay or cancellation would be the last thing on your mind when thinking of your trip abroad. It’s something that doesn’t seem likely to happen very frequently, maybe just the once, maybe more if you were very unlucky. But I think people might be surprised to learn that as many as 6 in 10 people have experienced the frustration of a significantly delayed or cancelled flight.”

The survey also found that a further 22% of people have had to cancel their trip prior to departure for some reason or another.

According to Ms. McCarthy this is one of the highest reasons for travel insurance claims,

“Life is unpredictable. So, it stands to reason that there are a variety of reasons why people might have to cancel their trip. It could be due to personal or family illness, a sudden change in financial circumstances, or possibly due to unexpected work obligations.”

Just over 4.5 million of these occurred between the peak tourist season of April and September.

Ms. McCarthy continued,

“It stands to reason that the more we travel, the greater the possibility of something going wrong. Whether it’s a flight delay, a cancelled trip, or indeed a medical emergency while abroad – which 15% of our survey group had experienced – unexpected situations can and do occur. It’s not the most enjoyable thing to consider but putting some forethought into such likelihoods could be a smart financial move and save a lot of hassle in the long run. But if like 53% of our survey respondents, you either don’t bother with travel cover or wait until a few weeks before you go on holidays to take it out, then you are leaving yourself financially exposed if you need to cancel. This is one of the primary benefits of an annual travel insurance policy, aside from the cost efficiencies, it reduces the chances of a holidaymaker having to cancel their trip without having cover in place”

Where in the world

Ms. McCarthy said they were “unsurprised” by the firm-favourite holiday for respondents,

“After the long Winter we have just put down we were not at all surprised that when asked what their ideal holiday is, more than half (51%) of participants said they want to be “on a beach somewhere hot”!

Other Insuremyholiday.ie survey highlight included

• 11% of people don’t bother with travel insurance
• 47% take out insurance at the point of booking
• 16% have suffered loss due to theft while away
• City breaks are a popular choice for Irish travellers – 12% say they like the smaller less touristy locations, while a further 9% would opt for the big bustling cities
• 10% believe Ireland is where it’s at in terms of ideal holiday locations.

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