Summer safety abroad

Going abroad during the summer is pretty much everybody's idea of a great time. The sun, the sea, the nightlife - not to mention the food, the shopping, the sports activities. Plus the general summer happiness and fun.

But with all the fun of going abroad there are a couple of things that we all need to make sure we remember. The first one is to remember your passport and your sun screen. And the second one is to make sure you've got the right medical cover. For instance if you're doing any sports such as kitesurfing or maybe even playing rugby - then you'll need to make sure you're covered for all eventualities. Even if you're not planning on anything spectacularly energetic, health cover is still a must.

And if this is a point that needs highlighting, then recent news figures posted by the Foreign Office should help to do this very well indeed. The annual British Behaviour Abroad report published by the government shows that last year an average of seventy people a week were hospitalised overseas. Incredibly, out of 2000 people interviewed for the survey very nearly half (48%) of respondents didn't know that without travel insurance they'd have to pay for medical bills in the event of treatment being required. In addition to this, the Foreign Office say they see many instances where people have invalidated their policy by things like not declaring a pre existing condition.

The moral of the story is this: make sure you get travel or international medical insurance before you set off on your travels.