Winter getaways are on the increase in the UK but as Brits hit the slopes in 2024, not all holiday goers are aware of the dangers.

New research has revealed that 39 percent are likely to explore a winter sports activity this year – with one in four likely to start skiing.

But make sure you have organised your travel insurance before jetting off and know the intricacies of what you can claim for as bumps and bruises are also on the rise.

As many as 82 percent of those who try winter sports pick up an injury, with most accidents occurring when getting on or off ski lifts (25 percent), exploring off-piste slopes (25 percent), walking around resorts (24 percent), on the on-piste slopes (23 percent) and partying at a bar or restaurant.

What is more, 69 percent of those who had an accident on the slopes had been drinking alcohol – including 41 percent admitting to having multiple drinks. Yet, 67 percent had no idea drinking alcohol could invalidate their travel insurance cover.

It also emerged that 63 percent of people did not know they needed to wear safety equipment; and 66 percent had not realised they would need add-ons for certain activities, while 82 percent had no idea their holiday insurance could be invalid if the injury occurred off-piste.

But despite the perks of winter holidays, Post Office is urging those going away to take out sufficient winter sports travel insurance and check its terms and conditions.

Paul Paddock at the Post Office said: “Our findings show that winter sports breaks are increasingly popular but that awareness of travel insurance requirements for such trips remains low. When taking out travel insurance, it is essential to check and understand what it covers and what might invalidate it, such as failing to wear the correct safety equipment or skiing off piste.”

As many as 39 percent of Gen Z and millennials (16–44 years) say they now prefer winter escapes to sitting on a sun lounger for two weeks, according to the new Post Office Winter Sports survey.

It comes as 45 percent of Brits say they want to be more adventurous, and 48 percent want to do more exercise.

These findings come as almost a third (32 percent) who have suffered an injury on a winter holiday said their travel insurance was insufficient – with a quarter (26 percent) of these respondents simply never thinking to check if their level of cover sufficed.

Gen Z (16–24-year-olds) were the most unlikely to be travel insured because they didn’t think they’d hurt themselves (27%) – despite being the demographic that’s been injured most.

The Post Office research also found that just 10 percent look for public liability cover when purchasing winter sports travel insurance. This is despite the high-profile publicity around the Gwenyth Paltrow ski crash trial last year – which highlighted the importance of public liability cover should anyone accuse you of causing injury to them or their ski equipment in the event of a crash on the slopes.

The most sought-after feature in winter travel insurance policies is medical cover and repatriation (24 percent) to get you home in the event of a significant accident on the slopes.