Men are three times more likely to injure themselves on holiday than women, a poll by the UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent has found, whilst the most likely way to get hurt on holiday is slipping by the poolside.
The latest research by online travel agent www.sunshine.co.uk of 1,956 holidaymakers has found that men are three times more likely to get hurt on holiday than women. The study also revealed the top five most likely ways to get hurt whilst on holiday.
11% of women that responded to the poll claimed to have suffered an injury whilst on holiday, compared to more than a third, 34%, of men. Of the 45% of total respondents who said they had hurt themselves whilst on holiday, 18% did so by slipping by the side of the pool.
Even though just under half had experienced an accident on holiday, 19% admitted to having previously gone on holiday without taking out a travel insurance policy. Of these, 32% did so to ‘save money’ and 41% claimed they thought it was ‘unnecessary’. 8% of these admitted to having forgotten.
Aside from being injured whilst on holiday, just more than a third, 34%, said they had fallen ill whilst on a trip abroad. The most common illness amongst the holidaymakers asked who had been unwell on a vacation was food poisoning, with 24% claiming to have suffered from it.
The top five most common ways of being injured on holiday, according to the poll by sunshine.co.uk are:
1. Slipping by the poolside – 18%
2. Drunken fall – 15%
3. Road accidents – 11%
4. Water sport injuries – 9%
5. Skiing injuries – 4%
The top five most common illnesses experienced on holiday by the respondents are:
1. Food poisoning – 24%
2. Sunstroke – 13%
3. Traveller’s diarrhoea – 12%
4. Jet lag – 9%
5. Altitude sickness – 7%
Chris Brown, co-founder of http://www.sunshine.co.uk, commented on the findings;
“Unfortunately, illness and injury on holiday can be all too common. The most obvious way to ensure you are protected from the problems found within our poll is to ensure that you take out an adequate travel insurance policy before jetting off abroad. We weren’t expecting to see such a high number of respondents admit to going on holiday without insurance in the past and hope this is something people will reconsider after seeing our research results.”
He continued, “We have produced a quick guide to staying protected whilst on holiday, as a trip can be easily ruined if the right precautions aren’t taken. We’d like to think all travellers would be as determined as we are to ensure they have a good holiday and as so many of these illnesses and injuries can be easily avoided, all it takes is a bit of common sense.”
Sunshine.co.uk have produced the following guide for travellers, to help protect holidaymakers from avoidable injury and illness.
Hydrate – always drink plenty of bottled water to prevent dehydration. If you take ice in your drinks, ensure that they ice cubes are made from mineral water, as tap water abroad should be avoided.
Only eat freshly prepared and thoroughly cooked food – Keep food poisoning at bay by avoiding salads that could have been washed in contaminated water. Try to stay away from fish and shellfish and steer clear of food that has been kept warm for long periods of time.
Leave with the essentials – Take any medication you think you might need on holiday, such as travel sickness pills, paracetamol and Imodium.
Insurance – Don’t leave home without it. Make sure you have the right travel insurance policy and a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which entitles you to free or discounted medical treatment in EEA countries and Switzerland.
Don’t hire a car unless you’re confident – Road accidents abroad account for a high number of insurance claims, so be 100% confident that you can drive on foreign roads before hiring a vehicle.
Apply plenty of sun cream – Sunburn can ruin a holiday, so make sure you pack a high factor cream and apply it regularly, especially after you’ve been in the pool or sea. Take further precautions by drinking water and wearing sunglasses and a hat.
You can’t be too careful – Use your common sense, don’t run by the poolside and don’t drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
LINK http://www.sunshine.co.uk
ENDS
For more information, or to arrange interviews with Chris Brown, please contact Shannon Haigh of 10 Yetis PR Agency on 01452 348211 or email [email protected]
Editors Notes
sunshine.co.uk is the UK’s leading online independent travel agent and was founded by Chris Brown and Chris Clarkson, the same people behind Holiday Watchdog which was bought by TripAdvisor in February 2008 for an undisclosed amount of money. Sunshine.co.uk offers low cost holidays and budget flights to destinations all over the world as well as great deals and discounted hotels.
