Many Brits looking for budget travel on their gap year scrimp and save in dangerous areas, according to a gap year travel expert.
Though it's easy enough to find cheap hostels, or bargain activities, a worrying number of student travelers are "unwittingly underinsured".
Tom Griffiths, founder of gapyear.com, said that around one in four gap year travelers venture abroad without adequate protection.
"People unwittingly take risks - they don't realise," he said. They'll think: 'okay' … and they'll hire a moped. Most policies cover you … on a moped, but then they might think: 'Okay, I'll take a bigger one.' And then suddenly you're on the more powerful one and that's when you're going to have problems.
"Or you're scuba diving and you think: 'right, I'm covered for the scuba diving'. And a few people take you below 18 metres or whatever and that's when the problems happen.
Mr Griffiths added that the sheer wealth of attractions in some popular gap year destinations meant that many travelers could be at risk without even knowing it.
"The classic one for this market is going to New Zealand and going skiing," he added.
"They're essentially doing a hot round-the-world route, doing all these beaches and places - Australia because of the summer - and then New Zealand where they can ski, or do a glacier walk. And they're not covered."
