Age of Gap Year Takers Increases Dramatically In One Year

June 28, 2013 - PRLog -- Once the “must-do” of university graduates, the gap year is now increasingly being taken up by an older demographic, and referred to as a career break, as online travel insurance and airport parking provider Essential Travel found when comparing results of two surveys, completed a year apart. A 2012 survey of career breakers revealed that only 8% of career gappers were over 36. A year later it is a whopping 53% !

It’s a surprising trend that has prompted Essential Travel to raise the age of their backpacker policy from 45 to 55. Now, with ABTA releasing figures that show how almost a quarter of people are travelling without travel insurance, Essential Travel is keen to explain what type of insurance is best suited for this type of extended trip.

“If you are travelling for an extended period, as many career breakers do, you will need to choose a backpacker policy as a normal annual policy just won’t cover you for such a long period. Essential Travel are one of the few insurance companies to offer continual cover for trips of up to two years. We also allow you a visit home for maximum of 14 days for any reason (wedding, illness, homesickness) over a two year period, as well as covering you for many jobs, volunteer positions and over 100 sporting activities.”

Concerned that budgetary reasons may be provoking travellers to forego insurance, Essential Travel has also reduced their Backpacker insurance prices by 15% until 1st September 2013, giving that extra helping hand to wannabee career gappers.

Essential Travel has also created a career break microsite, The Career Gap, gathering together advice from industry experts to help people think through the impact a career break might have on their future, decide what to do, and then how to make the most out of it on your CV.

Essential Travel’s Career Gap campaign is at http://www.essentialtravel.co.uk/travelinsurance/backpack...