Around 9.5 million over-65s in the UK struggle to find travel insurers willing to cover them, according to research by the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA).
Its figures show that somebody over 65 searching for a travel insurance policy can expect to be turned down by 30 of the 140 main travel insurance policies on the market.
This figure increases dramatically for those aged 70 or over at which point this age group can expect rejection from as many as 105 policies on the market.
BIBA is worried that the knock on effect is that older travellers facing such difficulty in finding a travel insurance policy will simply go abroad without one.
Peter Staddon, BIBA spokesman, said: “Older travellers need the protection offered by travel insurance as their claims can be more severe.
“Travel insurance is as important as their suitcase and they should always attempt to arrange cover.”
In light of these new figures, BIBA has issued a number of tips to help more senior travellers to reduce their travel premiums.
The advice includes using a broker rather than a travel agent to find the best policy and to avoid ever going abroad without any insurance at all.
BIBA also suggest that older travellers inform insurers of any pre-existing medical conditions as well as avoiding higher excesses in an attempt to save money on a policy.
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