{"id":1991,"date":"2012-06-18T10:40:50","date_gmt":"2012-06-18T09:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alchealth.com\/news\/?p=1991"},"modified":"2013-02-16T16:39:08","modified_gmt":"2013-02-16T16:39:08","slug":"travelers-using-drugs-alcohol-could-be-left-high-and-dry-without-travel-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alchealth.com\/news\/travelers-using-drugs-alcohol-could-be-left-high-and-dry-without-travel-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Travelers using drugs & alcohol could be left high and dry without travel insurance’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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The British Insurance Brokers\u2019 Association (BIBA) is warning travellers that they could invalidate their travel insurance if they have an incident on holiday while under the influence of alcohol or non-prescription drugs when they come to make a claim.\u00a0 BIBA\u2019s research into 20 leading travel insurance policies shows a clamp down on drunken behaviour with all the insurers surveyed having some form of alcohol and drugs exclusion writes the ADVO<\/a> Group blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

BIBA has warned that the exclusions which have been strengthened in recent years vary dramatically between insurers and could lead to consumer confusion.\u00a0 \u00a0Exclusions range from \u2018excessive alcohol intake\u2019 or \u2018drinking so much alcohol that your judgment is seriously affected\u2019 through to some policies which reject \u2018any claims that result from using alcohol\u2019.<\/p>\n

Graeme Trudgill, BIBA\u2019s Head of Corporate Affairs, said: \u201cWe believe that travellers will be surprised that there is such a variety of exclusions within policies and they need to understand what level of alcohol could invalidate a claim and if excessive, it almost certainly will.\u201d<\/p>\n

BIBA explained that insurance policies are legal contracts and wordings vary due to the individual insurer\u2019s experience with claims and their appetite for risk.\u00a0 Travellers should consequently take reasonable care and not take unnecessary risks while having fun on holiday because having to meet the cost of a rejected claim out their own pocket can run into thousands of pounds.\u00a0 For example, the average cost for medical treatment overseas was \u00a32,040 in 2011*.<\/p>\n

The difference between insurers exclusions is considerable, varying examples from the research include:<\/p>\n