Keep hold of holiday insurance, 'Facebook generation' told

Britain's 'Facebook generation' risk being refused medical treatment or emergency financial help if they forget to take holiday insurance documents overseas with them when they travel, data analysts Thunderhead have warned.

More than one in two people aged 23 to 35 confessed that they have omitted to take insurance papers with them on holiday, but their negligence could leave them in a tight corner if they need to contact their insurer in case of accident, theft or loss.

"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," Thunderhead's chief executive Glen Manchester explained.

Meanwhile, a risk-taking eight per cent of the younger age group said they had decided not to invest in holiday insurance at all in 2007.

Twenty-somethings were recently named and shamed as the age group most likely to travel without travel insurance in a recent poll from moneysupermarket.com which found that 13 per cent fail to get insured before they fly.

Anyone flying out of Gatwick Airport or Heathrow Airport to catch the last of the summer is advised to ensure they have all the necessary documents.