Sport & Hazardous Activity Travel Insurance

Storm chasing in Tornado Alley...
shark diving in the Bahamas...
wilderness canoe trips in Canada...
hiking in Kilimanjaro

Your type of holiday and the destination are taken into account in calculating your quote.

. . . for some sports activities, ordinary travel insurance isn't enough.

Ski slope accidents are one of the largest causes of all insurance claims and for some insurers they account for almost one in three claims.

Adventure Extreme Sports

You may not think hot-air ballooning is a dodgy activity, but your travel insurance company could well disagree.

It's always best to check with your insurer if you are covered before you go up, up and away.

Zorbing

On the other hand, the thought of going zorbing (careering down a hill in a big plastic bubble) could scare you to death - especially if you're claustrophobic - but your insurance company could well give it the thumbs up (inclusive a low cost quote).

You might fancy a spot of camel riding in, say, Morocco, and that, too, could easily be covered.

But you might find that it doesn't stretch to personal liability, i.e., if your camel tramples an innocent bystander and seriously injures them, then they could sue you. It's only common sense to check whether your chosen activity is covered before you go ahead and do it.

Hazardous Activities

Not all activities are extreme and many travel insurance policies will include within their terms sports which carry a minimal risk.

insurefor.com

insurefor.com for instance, covers the following hazardous activities at no extra premium.

But note that for some you must stay within the organisers' guidelines and that there's NO personal liability cover -

• abseiling (within organisers' guidelines)
• angling
• archery
• athletics
• badminton
• ballooning - hot air (organised pleasure rides only)
• banana boating
• baseball
• basket ball
• boardsailing
• bowling
• bungee jumping (within organisers' guidelines)
• camel riding (no personal liability cover)
• canoeing (up to grade 2 rivers only)
• catamaran sailing (if qualified / no liability cover)
• clay pigeon shooting ( no liability cover)

• climbing (on a climbing wall only)
• cricket
• curling
• cycling
• deep sea fishing
• dinghy sailing (no liability cover)
• fell walking
• fishing
• glacier walking
• gliding (no cover for crewing or piloting)
• go karting (within organisers' guidelines / no liability cover)
• golf
• gymnastics
• handball
• heptathlon
• hiking / trekking / walking (below 4000 metres)
• hill walking up to 2000 metres
• horse riding (excl. competitions/racing/jumping/hunting)
• hot air ballooning* Link to New Zealand (organised pleasure rides only)
• ice skating
• indoor climbing (on climbing wall)
• jet boating (no racing or liability cover)
• kayaking (up to grade 2 rivers only)

• netball
• organised safari without guns
• orienteering
• overland trips
• paint balling (wearing eye protection / no liability cover)
• parascending - over water
• pony trekking
• quad biking (no liability cover)
• racket ball
• rambling
• rap jumping (within organisers guidelines)
• rifle range shooting - (no liability cover)
• ringos
• roller skating/blading (wearing pads & helmets)
• rounders
• rowing (except racing)
• running
• safari trekking in a vehicle (must be organised tour)
• safari trekking on foot (must be organised tour)
• sail boarding
• sailing (if qualified / no liability cover)
• scuba diving to 30m (within organisers' guidelines)
• sea kayaking

• shooting (within organisers' guidelines / no liability cover)
• skateboarding (wearing pads and helmets)
• ski dooing (no liability cover)
• sledging - pulled by horse or reindeer as a passenger
• small bore target shooting (within organisers' guidelines / no liability cover)
• snorkelling
• softball
• squash
• surfing
• table tennis
• ten pin bowling
• tennis
• tug of war
• volley ball
• wake-boarding
• war games (wearing eye protection / no liability cover)
• water polo
• water-skiing
• white water rafting (within organisers' guidelines & up to grade 4 only)
• wind-surfing
• yachting (if qualified/no liability cover)
• zorbing (down a hillside inside an inflatable plastic ball)

Professional Sports People Excluded

Remember, ordinary holiday travel insurance won't cover professional sporting activity, not even if you're Tiger Woods. Or instructing/ guiding, whether paid or unpaid.

The golden rule is ... before you take part in any sport ask your insurer about the ins and outs of the small print, even if you don't consider your particular activity - jet-skiing, for instance, to be all that dodgy.

Specialist Policy

Some policies will include cover for activities like this, but only with the go-ahead from your travel insurance company and often only for a certain number of days.

If you don't think the policy will cover you, organise a specialist policy - or forget it.

Often you don't think about what you'll be doing abroad, other than enjoying yourself.

Get the Urge

But what if you suddenly get the urge to go white-water rafting, say, once you get there?

You could try phoning or emailing your holiday travel insurer from an internet café and get the cover extended.

But not every insurer will accommodate you if your holiday has already started.

If you are travelling to near a winter ski resort it is possible you will put on a pair of skis to 'have a go' if the weather is right, so a couple of pounds now for ski insurance will cheaply and comfortably cover you for this eventuality.

Sports Equipment

Sports equipment isn't cheap and your holiday travel insurance cover should be sufficient if it gets lost, stolen, or damaged.

Just remember that all insurance policies limit claims for single items and the limit can vary drastically between insurers, and that there are always restrictions on the total paid to replace valuables.

If you're taking expensive equipment with you on holiday, you'll want a policy with higher limits - some single item limits can be as low as £250.

Check with your insurer whether particular items are covered - you may need a specialist policy for your state-of-the-art underwater camera, for instance.

Suss it out

If in doubt, an independent insurance broker could help you suss out the best all-round isurance package for you and provide the cheapest quotes for particularly risky activities.

Visit The British Insurance Brokers Association website.

Sports equipment and valuables can always be replaced. People are more fragile. Making sure you have decent medical health insurance is vital if you do intend to take part in adventure sports.