New travel insurance comparison site launches

Thursday, 3 March 2011 10:32 AM

A new travel insurance website is making it easier for gap year backpackers and travellers to compare travel insurance to determine the best price and cover for their requirements.

The price comparison site, leavingonajetplane.co.uk, is operated by veteran backpackers with extensive travel experience and represents a new resource for travellers who wish to explore the world.

The unique website helps individual travellers compare the different backpackers travel insurance and gap year insurance from major insurance companies as well as more specialist providers.

Comparing the top five UK insurance companies who offer backpacker travel insurance, Direct Travel, Downunder, Essential Travel, Endsleigh and World Nomads, the comparison website obtains the quotes for the traveller. All the traveller has to do is simply provide their destination and duration of trip.

Search results display the type of policy, level of cover, cancellation, baggage and price for each provider in an easy-to-view format.

The site creator and director of Leaving on a Jet Plane Matthew Coe said: “We also offer a personalised service where users can email us their trip details, and we will manually search the providers for them, making sure that all the details of their trip will be covered.”

A guide to gap year travel insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most important things you need to remember when planning for your gap year. Travelling is unpredictable, especially if you are going to be away for a long period of time. Although you have to be sensible when travelling you also don’t want to be worrying all the time about things getting stolen, activities you can and can’t do and costs of potential accidents or cancellations, so you need to make sure you’ve got the right insurance policy.

Backpacker insurance 800% more popular this year

The popularity of taking a year out has been underlined by Virgin Money, who has reported an eight-fold rise in people taking out backpacker insurance, year on year for August. Two-fifths of their backpacker insurance policies sold this year was sold in July and August, but this is expected to rise even further in September.