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Adventure travel insurance

Planning a holiday full of fun activities like scuba diving or rock climbing? These adventure sports might not be covered as standard by travel insurance. Our guide can help you find the right cover and buy adventure travel insurance.

Alvaro Iturmendi - Confused.com travel insurance expert

Reviewed by Alvaro Iturmendi Travel insurance expert 8 min read | Published 12/03/2025

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How you could benefit from adventure travel insurance

You could benefit from adventure travel insurance if you're doing high-risk activities - like skydiving, bungee jumping or rock climbing, for example. These aren't always covered by your typical travel insurance policy, so adventure travel insurance is a good option.

With these types of activities, there's a higher risk of serious injury. So, it's important that you have the right travel insurance. This means that, ideally, you'd plan your activities in advance to make sure they're covered. For example, let's say you were injured while paragliding. Without travel insurance, you would have to pay for any treatment you need. Depending on where you're travelling, this could leave you paying thousands for medical bills.

How to compare adventure travel insurance quotes

Head to our quote form

Click 'Get a quote' to head to our quote form. Here, we'll ask what kind of insurance you want, where you're going, and for how long. We'll also need some personal details, like your age and details of any medical conditions you have.

Tailor your quotes

Let us know if you want to include any policy add-ons to cover your activities. For example, if you're planning to go skiing, you could choose to add winter sports insurance to your policy.

Compare policies

We'll show you a list of quotes from up to 43¹ travel insurance providers. Simply compare the policy details and prices and pick the one that best suits you!

Compare adventure travel insurance quotes

¹Correct as of February 2025

Activities covered by adventure travel insurance

There's no set list of activities that are covered by travel insurance. It'll depend on your provider and policy. But, adventure travel insurance could cover activities like:

Paragliding
Jet skiing
Rock climbing
Scuba diving
Safari trips
Skydiving
Horse riding

The most important thing is that you plan the activities you'll be doing on holiday and make sure you choose a policy that covers them. It's always worth reading your policy documents before taking part in an activity to make sure you're protected.

Activities that are excluded from adventure travel insurance

As a general rule, the more risky an activity is, the less likely it is to be covered. If you're in any doubt, contact the insurer directly. But, it's unlikely that you'll be covered for activities like:

Professional sports
Activities with prize money
Activities where you're not with a qualified guide
Base jumping
Free solo climbing
Off-piste skiing

Also, some activities may only be covered under certain conditions. For example, travel insurance for scuba diving might only cover you to dive to a certain depth. Similarly, travel insurance for trekking and hiking might only cover you up to a certain altitude. Make sure you understand any conditions that apply to your cover before taking part in an activity.

What adventure travel insurance covers

Exactly what's covered by travel insurance will depend on your provider and policy. But, here's what's typically included:

Medical cover: This covers the cost of medical treatment you might need if you're injured while taking part in an activity that's covered by your policy.
Repatriation cover: This can cover the cost of getting you home if you're injured and require further treatment.
Cancellation cover: This can reimburse you if you need to cancel or curtail your holiday due to an insured reason. But, any cancelled activities run by private organisations are unlikely to be covered.
Personal accident: This can provide you with a payout if you suffer a life-changing injury while taking part in an injured activity.
Personal liability: This can cover your legal fees if you accidentally injure a third-party or damage their property.
Disruption cover: This can cover your costs if your travel plans are disrupted due to strikes, bad weather or mechanical failure.

What isn't covered by adventure travel insurance

It's important to carefully read your policy documents to understand what you won't be covered for, especially if you're planning some high-adrenaline activities. Here's what's often excluded from travel insurance:

Incidents that occur under the influence: If something happens while you're under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you're unlikely to be covered.
Travel against FCDO advice: If the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against travel to a region and you go anyway, your travel insurance won't cover you.
Activities that aren't named on your policy: Adventure insurance won't cover everything. Taking part in an activity that's not named on your policy means you won't be protected if things go wrong.
Known events or natural disasters cover: Natural disasters and known events are often not covered by travel insurance.

How much does adventure travel insurance cost?

The price you pay for travel insurance will depend on your personal circumstances, such as:

Your age
Your destination
The activities you're planning
Additional cover you include
Whether you have any medical conditions
How long you're travelling for

Activity travel insurance is generally more expensive than standard travel insurance due to the increased risk involved. So, comparing quotes is the easiest way to find a good deal on travel insurance.

Get adventure travel insurance quotes

What our travel insurance expert says

''When you’re looking for adventure travel insurance, it's useful to know exactly what activities you're planning to do so you can make sure your insurance covers them. But, sometimes you might want to do an activity last minute. So, it's always worth contacting your insurer to see if you can add cover to your existing policy. This will probably cost more, but it means you're covered if anything goes wrong."

Alvaro Iturmendi Travel insurance expert

Adventure travel insurance for medical conditions

A pre-existing medical condition is an illness you've been diagnosed with before you buy your travel insurance.

If you're looking to buy adventure travel insurance, it's important to declare any medical conditions you have. This way, you'll be shown policies that are suitable for you.

Having a medical condition can make travel insurance more expensive or difficult to find. If you're struggling to find suitable cover, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has a directory of insurers through their brand MoneyHelper. These insurers offer travel insurance for medical conditions. You can also phone MaPS for advice on 0800 138 7777.

It's also worth checking with the activity organiser to make sure you can still go on the activity with a medical condition.

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