Travel insurance plans offer monetary benefits, services and protection against any unforeseen events while travelling. Travellers purchase the best travel insurance online according to their preferences, such as student travel insurance, a family policy, a senior citizen policy and more.
Tourism travel is a branch of travel and a leisurely activity that offers a peaceful time. However, as a tourist, you would want to have fun, experience thrills, and have adventures on your trip. Such adventurous activities are a part of many travel itineraries. But are they a part of your travel insurance plan’s coverage?
To understand this, let us discuss how adventure sports travel insurance works.
Standard Travel Insurance Plans and Adventure Sports
As mentioned above, travel insurance plans offer financial compensation for unforeseen events. You can also maximise your profitability by purchasing the policy from a reliable provider, such as Tata AIG. These providers offer coverage options such as baggage insurance, trip cancellation coverage and passport loss coverage.
However, do injuries and emergencies caused by adventure sports count as unforeseen events? No!
Adventure sports are high-risk activities, and everyone willing to participate is well aware of this. Many sports organisers even provide a disclaimer stating that the games can cause severe injuries and accidents. Hence, injuries and accidents caused by adventurous sports are not considered to be unexpected or unforeseen.
Therefore, your standard policy does not offer travel insurance for highly risky sports activities that are prone to accidents. In a general travel insurance plan, sports adventures are listed in the group of exclusions of a policy.
Common sports like horse riding, hiking, normal biking, etc., are covered by the policy. However, injuries due to high-risk sports are not covered by the policy and are your financial responsibility.
Fortunately, there are insurance companies that provide travel insurance for sports activities.
Adventure Sports Travel Insurance
If you are a fan of adrenaline rush and love to go on thrilling adventures, this policy is for you. Travel insurance for sporting events refers to a travel policy that offers coverage for specialised adventure sports.
Since your usual travel insurance plans do not cover these events, you need to buy specialised add-ons or policies that offer financial coverage for these incidents. Usually, the premium of adventure sports travel insurance is higher than that of the standard policy.
Let us understand what games or events are considered adventure sports:
- Mountain bike riding
- River rafting
- Paragliding
- Scuba diving
- Jet skiing
- Skydiving
- Bungee jumping
- Mountaineering
- Rock climbing
- Ziplining
- Remote region expeditions
Adventure Sports Travel Insurance Coverage
● Accidental Injuries
In sports like rock climbing, expeditions and river rafting, injuries are very common. Some accidents are minor, while others are very severe. The medical attention that you require may range from first aid to hospitalisation and surgery.
The travel insurance for sporting events offers monetary support for your hospitalisation, medications, doctor visits and other medical necessities. If you want to enjoy this benefit to the fullest, buying the best sports travel insurance is paramount.
● Medical Evacuation
Medical evacuation refers to the process of evacuating you when you are severely injured. If you are stranded on a mountain due to a rock climbing injury, travel insurance for sports activities will offer financial compensation for the evacuation process.
Ambulance, helicopter and other evacuation costs are really high. If you want to save yourself from the burdening mountain of expenses, it is better to buy a travel policy that protects you from that!
● Repatriation
In the unfortunate event of the policyholder’s death, the person’s mortal remains need to be transported to their residential place. The cost of this process, repatriation, will be covered by the travel insurance plan.
● Specific Sports Coverage
In order to receive the rightful claim amount against your injury and accident, you need to be cautious at the time of buying your policy. If you know what kind of adventurous sport you will participate in, you must check if that particular sport is included in your policy’s coverage or not. This will ensure financial protection and medical safety as well.
Adventure Sports Travel Insurance: Exclusions
If you raise a claim under the following circumstances, your claim will not be approved:
- Participating in sports while intoxicated.
- Not following the safety measures, safety instructions and security rules of the activity.
- Exhibiting reckless behaviour.
- Not participating in an adequate amount of training beforehand.
- The equipment used is faulty.
Conclusion
Engaging in thrilling and dangerous sports calls for as much protection as possible. The risk of injuries and accidents is maximised in these activities. Your general travel insurance plans cannot offer adequate protection in such cases, and hence, you must invest in the right kind of plans at the right time.