Travel Insurance for High-intensity Sports
What you need to know if you plan on doing some of the more adventurous sports on your next trip.
- As featured in:
As featured in:
- What's covered for high-intensity and adventure activities?
- Questions to ask if you’re planning some higher-level sports and adventure activities while abroad
- What are some higher-level activities & sports that I can be covered for?
- Take your adventure activity and sports cover to the next level
So you love your high intensity sports and have plenty of adventurous plans for your trip abroad, and while you might know your own limits when it comes to adventure, you may not know that your travel insurance cover has limits.
Don’t get us wrong, we love to take things up a notch when hitting the great outdoors and really experiencing it which is why some of our plans offer cover for many popular adventure sports including rock climbing, scuba diving and skiing, but there’s plenty we don’t cover and limits and exclusions may apply.
What’s covered for high-intensity and adventure activities?
If you plan to add high-intensity sports and activities to your trip abroad, then travel insurance should be on your to-do list of things to consider when packing for your next trip. If you have several activities prepared when on the mountain, in the water, or at the snow, you may want to check out our plans to see which one fits your needs the most.
Not getting it right the first time could mean you may not be covered, for example, for medical evacuation and repatriation, and you may end up with a big medical bill.
We have two policies to choose from – Standard and Explorer.
While both plans cover a wide range of sports and activities, activity terms and conditions can vary between them. If you want to take your adventure sport to the next level, you’ll want to consider the Explorer Plan. The Explorer Plan has more generous activity conditions and limits than the Standard Plan. You can get a quote, make a claim, or extend your policy instantly online, even while traveling.
Note: all travel insurance plans are different, and cover will vary, depending on what's happened, your Country of Residence, the plan you choose and any options or upgrades you buy.
Questions to ask if you’re planning some higher-level sports and adventure activities while abroad
- What kind of high-level adventure activities will I be doing on holiday?
- What activities are my travel buddies planning?
- Do I have the right gear, equipment and qualifications for that activity or sport?
- What cover do the two different plans offer for these activities?
- Am I fit enough to be able to undertake the planned sports, activities and experiences?
- Are there any special exclusions or conditions of cover that may stop me from doing a specific sport or activity?
- What exclusions might apply?
What are some higher-level activities & sports that I can be covered for?
Depending on your country of residence and which plan you’ve selected you may be covered for some of the following sports and activities:
- Big-wave surfing
- Zorbing
- Shark-cage diving
- Parachuting
- Mountaineering to 6,000 metres (with ropes, picks or specialist climbing equipment)
- Triathlon up to full distance
- Mountain biking downhill (using downhill trails and/or mechanical lifts)
- White-water rafting (Grades 1 - 5)
- Skydiving / tandem skydiving
- Base jumping
And many more that you can find under our coverage plans…
The activities and sports listed below are not covered under any of World Nomads policies:
- Bull running
- Martial arts competitions
- Potholing and caving
- Cliff diving, solo diving, cave diving and free diving
- Motor sports
- Stunt flying/aerobatics
- Taking part in dangerous expeditions; mountaineering expeditions or expeditions to the Arctic or Antarctica
- Crewing of a vessel more than 60 mi (96km) from a protected body of water.
Please be aware that while we cover more than 150 activities, sports and experiences some may not be available under your specific coverage plan. Additionally, there are some we don’t cover under any of our policies. Some key things that we don’t cover include:
- If you go against local authority warnings or enter closed or restricted areas or places or situations known to be unsafe or dangerous.
- Damage to any sporting equipment while in use; loss, damage or theft of any sporting equipment left unattended.
- Taking part in dangerous expeditions; mountaineering expeditions or expeditions to remote and inaccessible regions of the Arctic, Antarctica or Greenland, unless approved by us
- Work offshore or underground, including in caves
- Work operating machinery or heavy/industrial equipment
- Work at height without proper safety equipment. Work at height is further restricted to a maximum of two metres
- Work in close proximity to dangerous animals including, for example, hippopotami, crocodiles, alligators, sharks, elephants, bears, big cats and deadly snakes.
Take your adventure activity and sports cover to the next level
Depending on your country of residence you will have access to several of our activities or sports that are listed on multiple levels (from Level 1 to Level 4). This is to reflect the varying degrees of difficulty or intensity.
Cover is automatically provided on the Standard Plan and Explorer Plan when you participate in Level 1 adventure sports and activities overseas. You can upgrade your cover for a range of other activities and experiences and manual work if you select the activities (listed as Level 2, 3 and 4) and pay any required additional premium at the time you purchase your policy as follows:
- If you have paid the required additional premium for a sport or activity in Level 2, you are covered for all sports and activities and work listed as Level 1 and 2.
- If you have paid the additional premium for a sport or activity in Level 3, you will be covered for all sports, activities and work listed as Level 1, 2 and 3.
- If you have paid the additional premium for a sport or activity in Level 4, you will be covered for all sports, activities and work listed as Level 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Always check before you go that you have the right level of cover for your desired activities, as you cannot add any sports or activities after your trip has begun. Also, you can’t upgrade from a Standard Plan to an Explorer Plan mid-trip.
Read your policy carefully, and also check out our adventure, sports activities Help Centre article. Just set your country of residence and check out the complete list of covered activities, and sports. If you are still unsure if you’re chosen sport or activity is covered, please get in touch.
About World Nomads
World Nomads polices are designed by travelers for travelers to provide simple and flexible travel insurance. Featuring coverage for more than 150 activities, you can get a quote, claim, or extend your policy online at www.worldnomads.com. All the information we provide about travel insurance is a brief summary only. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, and termination provisions of the travel insurance plans described. Coverage may not be available for residents of all countries, states or provinces. Please carefully read your policy wording for a full description of coverage.
You’re in safe hands with World Nomads
Check out our true claims video below to get a behind the scenes glimpse of how we help travelers when something goes wrong.
Travel insurance tip: many travel insurance policies cover white water rafting and kayaking, for example, but Class 6, Extreme and Exploratory Rapids, aren’t covered. Read the policy wording carefully to choose the right plan and/or adventure sport option for your trip. Your policy may have special terms, conditions and specific exclusions and conditions for some activities. .
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If you're experiencing a medical emergency, contact our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team who can help direct you to medical help, and if necessary, work with local authorities to repatriate you home, subject to the terms and conditions of your policy.
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