Compare Activity Holiday Insurance

Activity Holiday Insurance

If you’re someone who likes to fill their time away with new experiences and activities that you can’t find at home, standard travel insurance might not give you all the coverage you need for your trip.

Whether you’re planning to explore on a bike or horseback, indulge in watersports like scuba diving, or seek the adrenaline rush of activities like zip lines or skydiving, activity holiday insurance allows you to tailor your insurance coverage to match your travel plans.

What is Activity Holiday Travel Insurance?

Holiday activity cover is your safeguard for taking on adventure sports and higher risk activities that are typically excluded from basic travel insurance coverage. 

While most insurance providers offer some form of increased coverage options for these activities, the specifics can vary. 

These are commonly sold as:

1. Policy levels or tiers – Where insurers offer increased levels of coverage as tiered policies, like bronze, silver, and gold. At each level, you can usually find an expanded list of activities covered by their travel insurance.
2. Basic policy with activity add-ons – Many insurers offer a basic travel policy with optional activity packs available for an additional premium, like water sports add ons.

These can be difficult to navigate and sift through, so comparing policies from 30 UK travel insurers with one simple form can save you time and money while giving you peace of mind that you are covered for the activities you are most looking forward to. 

Cheap Activity Holiday Insurance

Activity holiday travel insurance may be more expensive than standard travel insurance. But this is because of the genuine risks to your health and personal safety that higher risk activities pose. 

Although it might be tempting to not list every detail of your activities to get a cheaper insurance policy, it is vital that you are completely honest with your insurer. This guarantees that you have comprehensive coverage and get accurate quotes.

And if you choose to do an activity after you have purchased your cover you must also keep insurers in the loop on this so you are not invalidating your policy, and to ensure you add any additional activities to your existing policy.

Not getting coverage for an activity could leave you paying out medical fees, personal liability and even legal expenses completely alone. 

Factors influencing the cost of your adventure travel insurance include:

• Your travel destination – European travel is usually cheaper to insure than worldwide travel.
• Your age – Typically, older individuals pay higher insurance premiums.
• The planned activities – Engaging in high risk activities like bungee jumping or cage diving can raise the cost of your policy due to the perceived increased risk.
• Pre existing medical conditions – Insurance costs may rise if you have specific medical conditions, as insurers consider you more likely to need medical attention.
• Coverage type – The type of cover you need is influenced by how frequently you travel. Single trip travel insurance is cost effective for a one off holiday, while an annual travel insurance policy is beneficial if you travel multiple times a year, especially if you regularly engage in the same activities.

What activities are covered by standard travel insurance?

Standard travel insurance policies typically cover low risk leisure activities like camping, sightseeing, or swimming. However, activities considered more out of the ordinary or high risk are often excluded. 

If you already have travel insurance or an annual travel insurance policy, you can check the activities you are insured for in the policy details and decide if you need to consider getting additional travel insurance with activity holiday cover. 

What counts as hazardous activities for travel insurance?

Activity holiday insurance is not a one size fits all type of policy. When you are looking for it you should list the specific activities you plan to do to make sure that these are included in your coverage.

Hazardous activities that can be covered by activity holiday insurance include:

• Skiing and snowboarding
• Water sports like surfing, kayaking, sailing, and scuba diving
• Trekking, especially at high altitudes
• Caving and spelunking
• Climbing, abseiling, and canyoning
• Mountain biking and cycle touring
• Bungee jumping, paragliding, and skydiving
• Horse riding
• Safari trips
  

This list is not exhaustive, and insurance providers have their own criteria for what is considered a hazardous activity. To ensure comprehensive coverage, it’s essential to pre plan your activities and select a policy that covers them.

When you compare with us we’ll only match you with insurers that can provide the coverage you need. 

What is covered by activity holiday insurance?

If your holiday plans revolve around an activity like skiing, climbing or boating, finding a specialised activity holiday insurance UK policy for these is going to be your best call. 

Activity travel insurance not only covers you for your activity needs but you’ll also usually be insured for:

1. Medical treatment – Protection for the cost of medical treatment if you sustain injuries while participating in the activity.
2. Repatriation – Coverage for the expense of returning to the UK for specialised medical treatment if required.
3. Personal accident cover – Financial compensation in the event of serious injuries, such as limb loss or blindness.
4. Holiday curtailment and cancellation cover – Safeguards your financial investment if you need to cancel holiday plans or cut your trip short.
5. Personal liability cover – Protects in case someone else is injured as a result of your actions.
6. Legal expenses – Assists in covering legal fees if you require legal representation.
   

Does travel insurance cover booked excursions?

Pre booked excursions can work in your favour when purchasing activity holiday insurance cover. You can tailor your coverage to match your planned activities, such as safaris or specific adventure tours. 

In fact, some activities are only covered if booked as part of an organised tour. For example, safaris may be covered when undertaken with a trained guide, but not when you venture off independently.

What activities are not covered by travel insurance?

Even the most comprehensive activity holiday travel insurance is unlikely to cover you for activities that are considered extremely dangerous. These could include activities like base jumping or free climbing. 

But more commonly, insurers will set parameters when covering more dangerous activities. And it’s crucial to understand these stipulations and review the policy wording for each activity covered in your policy. Not adhering to these can be one of the many ways that people unintentionally invalidate their travel insurance. 

Common restrictions and parameters to be aware of include:

• Depth limits for water activities – Some policies may cover scuba diving but restrict coverage to a particular depth.
• Class ratings for whitewater activities – Coverage for whitewater rafting or kayaking may have limitations, such as up to Class V or III, depending on the insurer.
• Qualification requirements – Some activities might only be covered if undertaken with a qualified instructor or guide.
• Altitude limits for trekking and climbing – For hiking, trekking, or climbing activities, coverage may have altitude limitations.
• Distance restrictions for water sports – Distance from the shore could be a factor for sailing activities.
• Frequency of activities – Certain providers might include some activities if they are done infrequently, but exclude them if they are the primary purpose of your trip.

What our experts say:

“It’s important that people realise the limits of their insurance cover and understand the need to tell their provider if they intend to take part in an activity which could make a claim more likely.” –  Helen Rolph, travel insurance comparison expert at Quotezone.co.uk

Your adventure should begin with finding the right activity holiday insurance cover. We are here to make it simple by quickly comparing over 30 UK travel insurers so you can get the activity coverage you need. Get a quote now at Quotezone.co.uk.