A large number of British travellers were said to not be keeping receipts of the goods that they take on holiday with them; making any claims they may need to make unnecessary, according to research from a travel insurance provider.

The insurance specialist, Saga Travel Insurance says that only one in ten holiday goers actually keep receipts of the goods that they will take on their holidays. For the holiday goers who don’t keep their receipts, making claims for goods that are lost or stolen will be harder Saga warned. This is due to the fact that there is no proof that the goods were bought by the holiday goer.

Expensive goods taken in winter

Their research also found that this was even more important during the winter months, as holiday goers take more items with them then. Figures show that winter travellers, will take around £238 more at this time than in summer, when they take £643 worth of goods. Almost one in ten or 8 per cent of Britons take a winter holiday during the year.

Yet despite the potential cost of losing a suitcase, 11 per cent of travellers, roughly one in ten, keep the receipts that would identify the exact make and model of any items that are lost or stolen.

However, despite the expensive goods that are contained in suitcases, most travellers were said to be mainly concerned with ensuring that they do not incur the cost for heavy luggage items. Also making sure they are easily identifiable also scored highly among holidaymakers.

Further research showed that men were found to be more conscious of the need for receipts than women, with males 60 per cent more likely to keep the documentation. Also, travellers over 50s were more wary of the risks involved in taking expensive equipment abroad, with 16 per cent recording the serial numbers of any items of value, they took with them.

The travel insurance provider, recommended that people keep the receipt when they buy expensive goods which they may take abroad, such as skis or diving equipment, or at least record the make and model numbers.

Travel cover to protect against providers failure

The insurance company added further advice to travellers, to make sure they have cover that will protect them if the firm they are travelling with goes into bankruptcy.

A growing number of older people now travel independently. Saga Travel Insurance has protected close to 2 million holidays since its inception and the breadth of cover has developed over the years in response to holiday trends and customer feedback.

It was following such feedback from our intrepid over 50s customers that Saga Travel Insurance has introduced extra protection covering scheduled airline failure. The firm will provide the cover for both single and annual trips.

Paul Green, the Head of Communications in Saga Group said: “In today's uncertain economic climate the savvy independent traveller needs to check if their insurance covers airline failure if they want to travel with confidence in 2009.”