UK Travel is Getting Harder
12/6/2009 - Travel
This week saw another small hurdle materialize for people travelling within the UK, and perhaps another infringement of our rights to move freely within our nation. Airport Police in Scotland have added a security initiative under the Terrorism Act that now means you have to produce a passport when you arrive there by plane, even if it was via an internal flight. Such a policy is usually reserved for passengers on international flights.
The new measure was only brought to public attention by the Telegraph newspaper after a member of parliament was stopped and asked to present his identity by police in Prestwick airport. Chris Grayling MP has questioned the legality of checking a person’s identity without proper cause. Normally you only need to confirm your ID when you collect your tickets for domestic flights.
It is another small way that travelling within the country has become harder at a time when the market for UK travel is growing.
Holiday Parks’ Protection
‘Stay-at-home’ holidays are on the rise following the recent world-wide economic instability. People in Britain are increasingly are opting for short weekend breaks or value trips to domestic holiday parks rather than the more expensive alternatives of a beach holidays abroad.
In response to this trend, holiday camp companies have added UK travel insurance options to the payment pages of their websites. The add-on policies cover for accidental damage to park property that may occur during a stay at the holiday camp, but they also cover more usual eventualities that you would expect from UK travel insurance cover, such as cancellation protection and illness requiring hospitalisation during the holiday.
Tellingly, one of the eventualities covered is if redundancy prevents you from being able to pay for your holiday. It is also amusing that the holiday park’s insurance for travelling in the UK mentions a scenario where extreme weather stops holidaymakers from reaching their destination. With the effect of global warming becoming increasingly perceptible, and with localised flooding in areas of Britain again this summer, perhaps this contingency is not so laughable.
Although the cover offered by the holiday parks seems good, travellers should bear in mind that you can get the same ‘single trip’ cover for half the price from companies that specialise in UK travel insurance. There are even deals online that beat offers made by the post office and major supermarket chains.
It is also worth considering that an annual policy could work out cheaper if you take multiple trips within one year, with all those weekends away covered, too. And a UK travel insurance policy from some providers will also cover you for travelling to Ireland or the Channel Isles. It seems insurance companies are less particular than the Scottish Police about where you travel within the UK.
