Travelling off-piste is very much in vogue these days. You can do some pretty extreme things in the pursuit of pleasure like flying a MiG jet over Moscow, swimming with sharks or going to the edge of space where the sky above you is black and below you is blue.

You don’t have to go that far though, thrills are still to be found on mountain sides, down fast torrents, on the snow of in the sea. And then there’s all the more exotic places you can go without placing yourself in sporting danger. A recent survey by ABTA has highlighted a trend towards visiting former war zones.

So what about insurance? (Yes, you do need it). Before you go off to supermarkets dealing in money or talk to meerkats to find the best “priced” deal, consider some of these because a good deal isn’t necessarily easy to see.

It’s not all about cost

Comparison web sites and anybody else that sells just on cost will give you a great price and if you don’t have to claim, you’ll be a happy bunny. Just make sure what your policy covers, especially if you’re doing anything involving flying, ropes and engines.

Got a medical condition?

Or have you had you had one in the past? Many insurance companies will penalise you for conditions you used to have and are no longer affected by – so be honest will them. Not all companies will give the same cover if you have, let’s say, a heart condition. And even then, remember the…

Excess

Ever had the frustration of seeing a great insurance quote but when you look around a bit, you see the excess is £1000? You often find that, certainly in the event of a claim, paying a higher premium for a lower excess works out cheaper in the long run.

Limits of cover

Be really sure of what’s covered, especially if you’re doing something out of the ordinary. Is your sports equipment covered for what it would actually cost to replace it? What about money? Personal posessions? What does your home insurance already cover?

Limits for cancellation and curtailment

There could be many reasons why your might have to cancel or cut short your trip, one of the kids gets sick, you get sick or work gets in the way, just to mention a few examples. Does your policy cover cancellation in full, will it pay for your return flight home in an emergency?

Medical and emergency expenses

Many companies will cover you for £10 million or even £15 million. Why? How could you possibly need that much? Unless of course you had to build the hospital that treated you. Anything more than £5 million is pure brinkmanship between companies trying to prove they’re better. You’ll only be paying bigger premiums as well.

Not all destinations are covered in the same way by all companies

Some companies think that Morocco and Egypt are in Europe. Give them the benefit of the doubt and let’s believe they didn’t miss their geography classes in school, as popular tourist destinations, they present the same risk as Spain or Greece. Other companies may not agree. Don’t forget as well that Israel’s status varies greatly.

Don’t go to dangerous places

As a general rule, most insurance companies use the Foreign & Commonwealth Office web site as a guide to what’s dangerous and what’s not. The guidelines are, don’t walk into a riot or a war and as far as it is humanly possible to predict, avoid earthquakes. If you do want to go to somewhere on the FCO danger list, consult a specialist.

Related posts:

1. Your travel insurance policy will cover you for Icelandic ash
2. Old or ill? Can’t get travel insurance?
3. No tax increases for World First travel insurance customers.
4. So what does travel insurance actually cover?
5. Taking the plunge on your winter holiday

Tags: cancelation, cover, medical conditions, Travel, Travel insurance

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 1:16 am and is filed under Extreme travel, Travel insurance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.