52 per cent of people aged between 23-35 are putting themselves at risk on holiday as they leave vital insurance papers at home, according to a survey by Thunderhead, the document generation company for customer communication.

Out of the 200 young international travellers questioned, over half revealed that they forgot to take their policy documents away with them this year, leaving them unaware of how to contact their insurance providers if disaster struck. A further 26 per cent said they don’t ever take policy documents with them, while eight per cent didn’t invest in holiday insurance in 2007.

“UK residents take over 40 million trips abroad annually, with more people travelling to exotic locations than ever before,” said Glen Manchester, CEO of Thunderhead. “The problem is that in many countries holiday-makers are denied assistance unless they can produce the necessary proof of an insurance policy, leading to unnecessary delays in processing medical treatment or financial assistance.”

84 per cent of survey respondents stated they would also like to receive details of their information policy, and what to do in the event of a disaster, via SMS, email, or online access. 86 per cent stated that they would like to have the option of resolving a query through the Internet rather over than the phone.

“Insurance companies need to catch up with other sectors and make it easier for their customers to access information in a way that suits them best,” continued Manchester.

“Today, people increasingly rely on modern technology for everyday activities, such as banking, checking in to flights and hotels or communicating with colleagues and friends. It is understandable then that they don’t even think to bring an envelope of paper documents with them when they leave for the airport. Just as airlines provide customers the option of e-tickets, insurance companies need to think about a similar service for travel insurance policies,” he concluded.
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