Compare sports travel insurance

You may need specialist extreme sports travel insurance for the following activities:

• Rock climbing
• Bungee jumping
• Mountaineering
• White water rafting
• Caving
• Skiing and snowboarding
• Hang gliding
• Scuba diving.

Some extreme activities are considered too risky for insurance providers. You may struggle to get cover for sports such as:

• Cliff diving
• Free running
• Scuba diving below 150 feet
• Free climbing
• Ice climbing
• Rock climbing above 14,000 feet.

Some activities that you might assume are covered by a standard insurance policy, may be considered extreme by insurance providers, including:

• Horse riding
• Golf
• Swimming with dolphins
• Inflatable banana rides.

Read the full details of each policy to make sure your activity is covered.

If you’re heading on a skiing or snowboarding holiday, you’ll need travel insurance with winter sports cover.

It may end up costing more, but specialist winter sports travel insurance offers more comprehensive protection for you, your equipment and your ski pass, so it’s worth comparing different providers.

Yes, you should be able to get sports travel insurance with a pre-existing medical condition. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll be covered for that condition. Pre-existing medical conditions must be disclosed when taking out the policy, and these are usually among the listed exclusions.

While a medical condition could mean that your premium may cost you a little more, not declaring it could invalidate your entire policy.

If you’d like to cover against pre-existing medical conditions, you’ll need a specialist policy, which could be much more expensive.

If you’re going abroad to compete in a professional sporting event, you may need to get a specialist policy. It can depend on what event you’re competing in though, and in what capacity.

For example, if you’re combining a holiday with a marathon, you could find sports travel insurance will include cover for lost entry fees if the race doesn’t go ahead. But if you’re competing as a professional athlete for prize money, it’s likely you’ll need to find specialist travel insurance.

To find the right sport cover for your holiday, you’ll first need to consider what sports and activities you may want to do.

Once you have an idea of what you’ll be doing during your trip:

• Start comparing travel insurance quotes.
• When comparing, check each policy carefully to make sure the sports and activities you want to do are covered.
• If you can’t find your chosen sport or activity on the list, call the insurance provider directly to find out if you can add it as an extra – some providers will charge you more for this, while others may add it to your standard policy at no extra cost.
• Depending on the sports you want to do, you may need to take out a separate extreme or adventure sports policy.

Here are some things to consider when comparing sports cover:

• If you’re heading off a one-off sports holiday, you can get tailored cover with single trip travel insurance. On the other hand, if you’re planning two or more activity-filled adventures a year, you could save money with an annual multi trip policy.
• If you’re planning a trip that lasts longer than 60 consecutive days, you may need, backpacker insurance with additional cover for your chosen sports and activities.
• Be aware that some sports insurance providers will ask for specifics, such as anticipated altitude on a climbing holiday or immersion depths on a scuba diving holiday.  Be sure to have all necessary information ready when choosing a policy.