Holiday extras: The unexpected costs Britons face before going abroad

MoneySuperMarket, the UK’s leading price comparison website, reveals British holidaymakers could face up to £700 in additional costs to travel to certain countries this summer, on top of accommodation and travel fares, due to the cost of visas, vaccinations and travel insurance.

The in-depth report looked at 26 countries to reveal the most expensive destinations to visit, with China ranking top at £696. Despite having no visa fee and lower than average travel insurance premiums, it is still the most expensive due to the number of recommended inoculations, which includes hepatitis A and B, rabies, tetanus, tick-borne encephalitis and typhoid. In second place is India at £558, with Japan in third place at £549, particularly timely for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales fans heading to Japan for next month’s Rugby World Cup.

The report also reveals the minimum time needed for the vaccinations to take effect. For diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis, the recommended vaccination schedule is 10 months, plus a recommended extra two weeks to finish the course before travelling [1]. This vaccination is recommended for people at high risk of infection or travelling to countries like China, Japan or Bulgaria.

The top 10 countries with the most expensive extra costs include:

Country	Visa needed?	Cost of vaccinations [2]	Minimum time for vaccinations to take effect	Average travel insurance	Total cost
1. China	No	£0 - £675	10 months, two weeks	£21	£696
2. India	Yes – Average £54 [3]	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£24	£558
3. Japan	No	£0 - £525	10 months, two weeks	£24	£549
4. Bulgaria	No	£0 - £495	10 months, two weeks	£14	£509
5. Malaysia	No	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£24	£504
6. Indonesia	No	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£24	£504
7. Thailand	No	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£23	£503
8. South Korea	No	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£22	£502
9. Taiwan	No	£0 - £480	Six months, one week	£19	£499
10. Greece	No	£0 - £345	10 months, two weeks	£15	£360

Anna Sant, travel insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “If you’re going abroad, it’s essential to check with your GP for any vaccinations you may need." Vaccines like tetanus and hepatitis A are covered by the NHS, but additional jabs for different destinations may not be.

“It’s really important to listen to the advice of your doctor, not only for your own health but in the unfortunate event that you need to make a claim on your travel insurance. For example, if you are advised to have a typhoid jab and choose not to, or ignore the suggested timeframes for a vaccination to take effect, your insurer could refuse to pay out. However, if for any reason you cannot have the recommended vaccinations, for example because you are pregnant, then you would still be covered to travel without it."

“Buying travel insurance takes less than five minutes, with an annual policy costing as little as £10.89, so it’s worth doing as soon as you book your holiday, even if you’re not travelling for another six months [4].”

Source: TravelDailyNews International