How much cover do I need for my adventure holiday?
The level of cover you need for your adventure holiday depends on the type of activities you plan on doing while you’re away.
Most standard travel insurance policies will include:
- Medical treatment, hospital transportation and repatriation back home if you fall ill or injure yourself
- Your holiday and flights could also be covered if you cancel or cut your trip short in an emergency
- Valuables, documents, money, and baggage cover could also be provided if your items are lost or stolen.
What is covered exactly, is listed in the policy documents. It’s important to read all the small print before you buy. If you’re unsure about the level of cover your policy provides, we recommend contacting the insurer. You can also use the defaqto rating to see what level of cover a policy provides.
Depending on the activity, some policies offer personal accident and liability cover as standard, but these could be limited if you’re taking part in more dangerous activities. Contact your insurer to check if you’re covered for your planned activities - be sure to do this in advance.
If you’re planning a golfing holiday, you may be covered by a standard travel insurance policy. It’s important to check this before buying, as not all insurers will offer this type of cover as standard.
If you’re going on a ski trip, then a ski travel insurance policy should provide you with the cover you need. Not all policies offer off-piste cover, so bear that in mind when you are choosing the right policy.
What affects the price of adventure travel insurance?
The level of cover you need for your adventure holiday depends on the type of activities you plan on doing while you’re away.
Most standard travel insurance policies will include:
- Where you’re travelling
- Your age
- What activities you plan on doing
- If you’ve got medical conditions
- What type of cover you need
Where you're travelling. If you’re travelling just in Europe, the chances are your policy will be cheaper than if you’re travelling worldwide.
Your age, with the older you are, the more expensive your travel insurance policy usually is.
What activities you plan on doing. If you have plans to bungee jump or go cage diving on your trip, the cost of your policy could go up. This is because these are usually seen as higher risk activities by insurers.
If you’ve got any medical conditions the cost of insurance will usually increase as you need to be guaranteed the treatment for a specific condition or illness. It’s important to remember that certain activities may not allow you to take part if you’ve got a pre-existing medical condition.
What type of cover you need will depend on how many times you plan on travelling in a year. A cheaper option is usually single-trip travel insurance which is perfect if the holiday is a one-off. If you’re going away several times in a year, then an annual travel insurance policy with activity cover will make sure you’re covered, but this type of policy can be more expensive.
Need more help?
Are there any activities not covered by an adventure travel policy?
The activities that are covered will vary depending on the policy you buy. Each insurer will have their own list of exclusions, there’s no one size fits all approach. If in doubt, contact the insurer directly.
Can I add activities to my adventure travel insurance at a later date?
The short answer is no. If you decide that you want to do an extra activity that isn’t covered by your policy while you’re away, then you won’t be covered. It’s best that you stick to the activities that are covered in your policy, rather than risk having to foot the bill.
When should I buy adventure travel insurance?
You should buy your policy as soon as you know where you’re travelling to and what activities you’ll be doing. We recommend including all planned activities when getting a quote, to make sure that your insurer will cover all of them in your policy.
What our travel insurance expert says
“When it comes to adventure travel insurance, don’t base your decision purely on price as it could limit the level of cover you receive, and it might have higher excess - it’s best to find the policy that best suits your needs.”
Jac Morris
Travel insurance product executive
What are the different types of travel insurance?
European travel insurance
it will cover you for any holidays that you've got planned in Europe this year.
Long stay travel insurance
is the perfect policy for those who plan to travel for an extended period.
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