Medical expenses claims on travel insurance policies have nearly quadrupled in recent years because larger numbers of older people are enjoying exotic holidays or 'a gap year for grown-ups'.

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) the cost of illness overseas soared from £74m in 2004 to £275m last year, with the number of claims rising from 120,000 to 337,000 over the same period.

While medical costs have risen faster than most forms of inflation, the ABI says the age of holidaymakers also played a major part in raising claims.

Spokesman Malcolm Tarling explained: "People are living longer and travelling further afield but the sad fact is that the older you are, the more likely you are to fall ill.

"Travellers aged over 65 are three times more likely to make a travel insurance claim than those aged 35, and people over 85 are eight times more likely. The average claim made by a person over 65 is nearly three and a half times more expensive than one made by a person under 50

"This combination of increased cost and frequency of claims means that customers in their 80s are around eight to 12 times more risky than customers under 65."