What Type of Insurance Do I Need for Adventurous Activities on Vacation?

Ensuring you get adventure travel insurance can provide peace of mind while you engage in thrilling outdoor activities, like skiing, mountain biking and scuba diving. This standalone policy or travel insurance endorsement extends coverage to higher-risk activities, helping you avoid out-of-pocket expenses if you’re injured on your adventure or need to cut it short.

Keep reading to learn about adventure travel insurance, what types of adventurous activities are typically covered and what factors contribute to premium costs.

Key Takeaways Adventure travel insurance expands coverage to include various high-risk adventure activities not usually covered by standard travel insurance. You can usually buy adventure travel insurance as a standalone policy or as a travel insurance endorsement. Covered activities may include scuba diving, mountain climbing and paragliding. Premiums may be either a flat fee or a percentage of your overall trip expenses, depending on the insurer and policy.

What Is Adventure Travel Insurance?

Adventure travel insurance, sometimes called adventure sports travel insurance, is a form of travel insurance that extends coverage to higher-risk activities not typically covered by standard travel policies. It is usually purchased as either a standalone policy or an endorsement to an existing plan.

How Does Adventure Travel Insurance Work?

Like standard travel insurance, adventure travel coverage is purchased before your trip and typically lasts for a set period, depending on your policy. You’ll want to buy it as soon as you know enough about nonrefundable expenses — this helps ensure you have adequate coverage.

Some policies may be customizable, allowing you to pick and choose the coverages you want. For example, standalone policies offered by Travel Guard include optional upgrades that allow cancellation at any time.^[1] After filing a claim, you may need to cover a deductible before receiving reimbursement if your claim is approved.

What Does Adventure Travel Insurance Cover?

Adventure travel insurance activity coverage can vary between policies, but may include:

• Mountain climbing
• Paragliding
• Hiking and trekking
• Off-road biking
• Scuba diving
• Snowboarding and skiing
• Jet skiing
• Rafting
• Cave diving
• Bungee jumping

Adventure travel insurance is either a standalone policy or an endorsement to a standard travel insurance plan. As a result, coverage typically includes benefits found in traditional travel insurance, such as baggage protection for lost luggage and emergency medical coverage — including ambulance services and X-rays.

It may also help with emergency medical evacuations, trip cancellations and interruptions. Some policies may require an additional endorsement to cancel your trip for any reason and receive reimbursement.^[1]

Always review your policy to ensure you have coverage for emergencies you’re concerned about while traveling.

What Isn't Covered?

Exclusions in an adventure travel policy or endorsement will vary by insurer. Common exclusions may include:^[2]

• Traveling against medical advice
• Activities not specifically named in the policy
• Expenses related to preexisting conditions
• Costs covered by another form of insurance, such as health insurance
• Damaged sporting equipment
• Participation in professional sports
• Travel that doesn’t extend beyond 100 miles from your home
• Search-and-rescue missions

Who Should Consider Travel Insurance?

Travelers concerned about paying medical expenses out of pocket may want to consider travel insurance. For example, if you’re injured on a hike in another country, you may face hospital or clinic costs that would otherwise be your responsibility. Keep in mind that Medicare, Medicaid and some private health insurance policies may not cover medical expenses incurred abroad.^[3]

If you need to cancel your trip, travel insurance will often reimburse you for some or all of your costs, although this varies by policy. Some resorts or hotels may charge cancellation fees or offer only partial refunds — meaning you lose money without getting to enjoy your adventure. For example, many cruises, including those to tropical destinations for scuba diving, may only refund up to 25% of your fare or offer a credit for a future trip.^[4]

Travel insurance may also cover costs if your trip is cut short due to an emergency and you must return home early. If you’re traveling to a destination at risk of civil unrest, the policy may cover repatriation to bring you home. Additionally, if you plan to engage in extreme sports during your trip, consider an adventure travel policy or endorsement.

How Much Does Adventure Travel Insurance Cost?

The cost of adventure travel insurance will vary by insurer. Some policies charge a flat fee, while others are priced as a percentage of your total trip cost. For example, Redpoint policies range between 6% and 15% of the trip’s total price.^[5]

Several factors can influence the premium, including your destination, your planned activities and any preexisting conditions you have. For instance, coverage for an ice climbing trip may cost more than skiing coverage, depending on the activity’s risk level and the location. The length of your stay may also impact your premium — as coverage for a more extended period will generally increase costs.

If your plan features a deductible, that amount can also affect the price of coverage. Typically, lower deductibles result in higher premium costs since your insurer would take on a greater share of the financial risk if you file a claim. However, raising your deductible often has the opposite effect — lowering your premium as you take increased responsibility.

Be wary of raising your deductible beyond your means if you need to make a claim, as this may leave you with a steep financial burden.

How To Get the Insurance You Need

Regardless of the type of insurance you’re looking for, you should consider gathering quotes from three to five different insurers, paying close attention to what’s covered by their policies to ensure your interests aren’t excluded. You’ll typically need to provide specific information derictly related to whatever you’re looking to insure. You may also have to provide this information to each insurer individually, which can be time-consuming.

You can speed up this process by using an insurance marketplace like SmartFinancial. After you answer a brief questionnaire, we’ll connect you with a licensed insurance agent who can help you find the right coverage for your needs.