Press release -
Revealed: 10 bizarre ways to destroy an electronic gadget on holiday
- Top spot goes to camera that fell into a pint glass being used as a makeshift tripod
Brits have been found to take more than 120m electronic devices worth over £20bn* on holiday with them every year. But, due to a combination of bad luck and theft, many holidaymakers will sadly return home without their prized possessions.
A study carried out by RAC Travel Insurance* reveals as many as 10% of UK holidaymakers have broken or lost a gadget on their travels abroad. Three in 10 (29%) said they had dropped it or cracked the screen while a quarter (26%) said they had had their device stolen. For another 23% it was water that led to its demise while a fifth (20%) said they had managed to lose their gadget.
But one thing is for sure, according to the RAC Travel Insurance study, the demise of most gadgets is far from straightforward – in fact the way many devices get broken or lost is downright bizarre.
Of all those surveyed, RAC Travel Insurance judged the most bizarre to be the case of a man whose idea to use a full pint glass as a makeshift tripod for his digital camera backfired when another customer thumped the bar causing the gadget to fall into his beer.
The second was a high altitude device disaster in an open cockpit plane which involved a phone being blasted out of its owners hand and shattered on the aircraft’s windscreen. Other epic episodes included a grumpy Spanish policeman throwing a phone on the floor and breaking it; a prized device getting crushed by a motorised aeroplane seat; and a camera being dropped down a waterfall in Norway.
10 Bizarre Ways to Destroy an Electronic Device on Holiday
| 1 | While using a pint of beer as a makeshift tripod for a selfie, a large German man along the bar thumped the bar top in enthusiastic conversation with his friend causing my digital camera to jump into the air and land inside my pint with an almighty splooosh |
| 2 | Phone got blasted out of my hand in an open cockpit plane and smashed on the windshield |
| 3 | A grumpy Spanish policeman threw it on the floor |
| 4 | Squashed it with a motorised seat on a plane |
| 5 | Dropped camera down a waterfall in Norway |
| 6 | Camera got soaked on a water raft ride in a Florida theme park in Florida when the person sitting next to me knocked it from my grasp |
| 7 | Capsized in canoe and camera got submerged |
| 8 | Camera broke my fall when I crashed my motorcycle in the Sahara |
| 9 | Dropped a camera down a public toilet in Madeira! |
| 10 | Drenched by a wave on a whale watching boat trip |
RAC Travel Insurance spokesman Simon Williams said: “Wherever we go today – home or abroad, our gadgets go too, whether it’s to record the moment, keep us entertained or to make sure we can always be contacted. This no doubt explains how some devices end up being ruined or lost in some very strange places in ways you really couldn’t make up.
“As our devices now play such big parts in our lives we need to make sure they are properly insured, and that couldn’t be truer than when on holiday, after all losing or breaking a gadget is a sure way to spoil a trip.”
RAC Travel Insurance gives customers peace of mind on their trips away, whether that’s making a claim for a lost or damaged phone, tablet or camera to sorting out medical expenses, helping with the costs of lost baggage or assisting with disrupted travel arrangements. Each RAC Travel Insurance policy provides £200 worth of gadget cover as standard which can be increased to protect up to £3,000 worth of devices.
Travellers can purchase single trip or annual multi-trip insurance, each with three levels of cover. Policies can also be selected to suit your needs, whether travelling alone or with a partner or as part of a larger group.
Topics
Notes to Editors
* Value based on number of gadgets taken away by survey respondents and extrapolated with 37m trips made abroad by Britons - Office of National Statistics Travel Trends Section 3 - Number of visits abroad: by region of visit and purpose of visit 2009 to 2013 – http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/travel-trends/2013/rft-travel-trends--section-3--uk-residents-visits-abroad--2009-to-2013.xls
** Research carried out with 1,216 members of the RAC Opinion Panel
About RAC Insurance
The RAC has provided insurance services for its members since the early days of motoring. Today, RAC Insurance offers a suite of products to its customers including insurance for car, home, motorbike, van, personal accident and travel, along with other niche products aimed at personal and business customers.
In 2014, RAC Insurance generated more 33m quotes while seven out of 10 customers chose to renew their insurance with the RAC.
RAC Car Insurance provides customers with great value insurance by searching a panel of carefully selected insurers to get the best possible prices. Over the years it has won numerous awards and currently holds Defaqto 5 Star status.
In line with the RAC’s mission to be the motorist’s champion, a multicar insurance product was launched in 2015 together with RAC Learner Driver insurance which aims to cut the cost of learning to drive for young or new drivers.
For more information visit RAC Insurance.
