Travel insurance 'vital' for gap year
That is according to STA Travel, which has warned that the cost of being repatriated due to sickness or serious accident would leave many hapless travellers financially destitute.
On top of the need for standard holiday insurance, a company spokesperson noted that many adventurous backpackers will require additional travel insurance for sports and activities.
"There are a number of reasons [why] insurance becomes particularly important when taking part in one of these holidays," she explained.
"The further you are away from home, or the more secluded your location, the more expensive it would be to repatriate the traveller back to the UK in the case of an accident or illness."
According to government statistics, an estimated quarter of the 230,000 young people who go backpacking each year fail to take out appropriate gap year travel insurance.
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