✈ Activity travel insurance

If you're a thrill-seeker and going off on an action-filled sports trip, your travel insurance policy could protect you against unexpected events and help you afford medical treatment should you have an accident or become ill.

• 82% of travellers aged 18-24 admit to taking part in more adventurous behaviour on holiday, yet 50% of all British holidaymakers don't check that they're covered for risky pursuits (FCO statistics, 2012)
• Medical treatment and repatriation costs after an accident could run into thousands of pounds if you injure yourself

Make sure you check your policy documents for sports and activities that could be covered before getting your travel insurance policy (these are usually listed in the terms and conditions). Here are some of the activities that could be covered, although these could vary between insurers:

• Paragliding
• Safari trips
• Cycling 
• Golf (excludes golf equipment cover)

A standard policy won't cover activities like skiing or snowboarding, so you may want to consider taking out additional winter sports cover just in case. Many backpackers policies include cover for a greater number of adventurous activities, plus you could be covered for trips of a longer duration.

Some policies offer personal accident and liability cover as standard for some activities (these could be limited if you're taking part in more dangerous activities). Your policy might ask you to contact your insurer to check if you're covered for the activities you're planning to part take in; be sure to do this in advance. Activities that are considered to be 'hazardous' might require additional cover with a higher excess and premium.

• 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 in an emergency
• Valuables, documents, money and baggage cover could also be provided if your items are lost or stolen

Take a look at our article on why you should read the small print of your policy.

• Declare any pre-existing medical conditions that you or any of your travel party might have, especially if the activity you're planning might aggravate your condition
• Insurers could restrict what activities and sports they allow, so make sure you check any policy exclusions for the activities you're planning and contact your insurer to double check that you're covered
• 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 suits your needs
• Take a look at some of our recommended travel apps that could make your travels a little easier

Going on a golfing holiday? A standard travel insurance policy could cover golf as an activity, so any injuries arising from playing golf could be covered by your travel insurance. However, we don't currently offer additional golf cover for your golfing equipment, so it might be worth contacting your travel insurer to get this level of cover added to your policy.

If you are the adventurous type that likes to get wet while white water rafting or feel the rush of the air on their face while bungee jumping, then travel insurance could come in handy should anything unfortunate happen.

• Quick and easy quote process that brings you results in minutes
• We have a range of different travel guides and articles to help on your active trip
• Compare travel insurers like Travel Insurance.co.uk and Big Blue