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The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive payment from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This comes from two main sources.

First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The payments we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market.

Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles. These “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor.

While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.

The comparison service on our site is provided by Runpath Regulated Services Limited on a non-advised basis. Forbes Advisor has selected Runpath Regulated Services Limited to compare a wide range of loans in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.

Whether you’re planning on mountain biking or scuba diving on your next break, making sure your travel insurance has you covered could be the best 10 minutes you ever spent.
After all, while standard travel insurance policies can provide cover for some sporting activities, adventure, extreme or winter sports are likely to be excluded.
So, before the adrenalin starts flowing, here’s what you need to know.

Standard travel insurance policies will automatically cover some sporting activities – swimming, snorkelling and tennis for example. However, policies vary so be sure to check.
Even if the sporting activity is covered, there may restrictions or limits you’ll need to stick to. For example, you may be covered for scuba diving but only to a depth of 30 metres and with an instructor. If you’re pony trekking, you may be required to wear a helmet and not be partaking in competitions, racing, jumping or hunting.
And, just because you don’t consider your sport to be extreme or risky, it doesn’t mean it will be covered automatically.

The Post Office requires you to add on Optional Sports and Activities cover for activities such as sea kayaking, trampolining and mountain biking, for example. And you must be wearing a helmet.

Before a break, think about any sporting activities you’re planning to take part in. If you already have an annual travel policy which doesn’t cover them as standard, contact the insurer to see if they can be ‘bolted on’. If not, you’ll need to shop around for a specialist sports insurance policy.

If you’re going on a winter sports holiday, you may be able to add on specialist cover for this, too. Again, check the small print, as what is and isn’t covered varies. For example, LV= and the Post Office allow skiing and snowboarding off piste, but only if you stay within the ski area boundaries of the ski resort.

If you decide to take part in an activity after you’ve bought your insurance, or while you’re away, contact your insurer to add this on. Some specialist insurers may allow you to do this at the last minute – but don’t rely on it.

Taking out specialist sports insurance will result in a more expensive premium as the activities you’ll be doing put you at greater risk than if you were just relaxing by the pool. And the more dangerous the sport is considered, the higher the price you’ll be quoted.

However, don’t be tempted to travel without adequate sports insurance as this decision could cost you dear should something go wrong. You could be left with huge medical bills or covering the costs of repatriation which could spiral into tens of thousands of pounds.

Be aware too that many policies will exclude cover for sports that you’re taking part in on a competitive basis and may have a limit on the number of days you’ll be covered for.

A comprehensive sports travel insurance policy should cover the following:
When taking any travel insurance policy out, it’s important that you are honest about your health and declare any pre-existing medical conditions, even if this pushes up the price of a policy. If you are found to have been dishonest or withheld information, your policy may not be valid.

If you are travelling to Europe, apply for a free Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) before your trip. This will entitle you to medically-necessary (in other words, it can’t wait until you’re home) state-provided healthcare in an EU country, which will either be free or at a reduced cost.

However, a GHIC should not be seen as a substitute for travel insurance as it won’t cover all health costs or repatriation. Neither will it offer any of the other valuable protection you’ll get from a comprehensive travel insurance policy, such as cover for cancellation or lost possessions.

It’s also worth paying attention to the level of cover a policy offers for disruption caused by Covid-19. Look at details such as medical cover, which situations you’d be covered for in the event of cancellation or curtailment, and any exclusions.

Head over to our Best Covid 19 Travel Insurance Policies for more information.
Bear in mind that, unless you’ve taken a specialist policy out, your insurance is unlikely to cover a trip to a country that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is advising against travel to.

To find the best travel insurance policy for you, shop around and compare a number of policies side-by-side. Consider financial limits, excess amounts and what is and isn’t covered as standard.

However, don’t choose a policy purely because it’s the cheapest option. It’s unlikely to provide the most comprehensive cover and this could make it a false economy should you ever need to claim.

Compare from our range of over 100 policies

Cathy Toogood is Forbes Advisor UK’s travel expert. With more than 15 years’ experience across national newspapers and online, Cathy covers everything from the best destinations, right through to the personal finance aspects of getting the right insurance and avoiding rip-offs.