Adventure travel is gaining more and more popularity. This growing travel niche not only attracts the younger set but also middle-aged individuals seeking once-in-a-lifetime thrills.
Adventure sports and activities may test your limits as a person, but when you’re planning a trip, safety and security should take first priority. This is for your own peace of mind, and to ensure your loved ones that you are protected while on a trip.
If you are planning your adventure trip, choose travel insurance that has provisions for more risky adventures and specific sports and activities. The standard travel insurance policy should be able to cover medical bills, luggage loss, and cancellation, but adventure travel insurance goes beyond these basic provisions. Coverage for adventure travel is usually an add-on to the basic travel insurance coverage.
How do you choose travel insurance if you are planning an adventure trip? Here are some guidelines to consider:
- Choose plans that can be upgraded for more extreme adventures. Remember that not all adventure travel falls under the category of physical pursuits. In fact, most activities that fall under the category of adventure travel involve non-risky activities such as walking, kayaking, or biking.
- Even coverage for extreme adventures have set limits. Check your policy for specific limits set by your insurance provider.
- If you are going on a winter adventure trip, choose travel insurance that covers winter snow activities such as skiing or snowboarding accidents. The policy should also cover loss of equipment.
- For water activities, remember that travel insurance can cover you either below or above water. Depending on the activity that you will do, you can get coverage for above-water activities such as canoeing, surfing or white-water rafting. You can also get insurance that will cover below-water activities such as scuba diving.
- There are adventure activities that will not be covered by travel insurance. This include very risky endeavors such as bungee jumping, skydiving, and hang-gliding. High-altitude activities are excluded in most policies.
- Travel insurance will not cover medical expenses if you get ill while travelling and there is proof that this illness is brought about by a pre-existing medical condition.
- Keep in mind that you should choose travel insurance with comprehensive plans. These should include medical coverage, trip cancellation and delay, theft and baggage protection, and emergency medical expenses, including coverage for evacuation. The additional coverage for adventure travelers should be specifically tailored to the type of activity or experience that you will do.
Going on an adventure trip is very exciting indeed. While planning your trip, it is wise to consider getting travel insurance that will not only cover the basics – medical bills, theft, cancellation, lost luggage – but also has provisions that will cover specific sports or activities.
Remember that adventure travel does not only mean extreme physical activities. Most adventure travel involves immersing yourself into local life and culture, which is something to consider as you take out adventure activities travel insurance. In choosing insurance for an adventure trip, think about your planned activities and make sure that you understand the various elements, provisions, and limitations of the coverage.
Last, but not least – in the unfortunate circumstance that your trip has been cancelled, there may be a way to get your money back .