What is Adventure Travel Insurance?

Adventure travel insurance is a specialized type of travel insurance policy that includes coverage for high-risk activities that are commonly excluded from standard travel insurance plans.

These policies specifically cover the unique risks associated with adventurous activities and sports, providing protection for medical expenses, evacuations, trip cancellations, and other types of trip disruptions.

Examples of covered activities include:
  • Water sports: Scuba diving, surfing, wakeboarding, kayaking, and other aquatic activities.
  • Land activities: Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, and other outdoor pursuits.
  • Air activities: Skydiving, paragliding, hot air ballooning, and other airborne adventures.
See All Activities

Do I Need Adventure Travel Insurance Coverage?

Securing adventure travel coverage is essential if you’re planning any physically demanding activities during your travels, and sometimes it's required by tour operators. Without proper coverage, you risk facing high medical costs if an accident occurs.

Many travel insurance policies exclude adventure sports, even activities like biking, swimming, and motorcycling. When looking for trip protection, it’s crucial to carefully review policy documentation, paying close attention to relevant exclusions.

What Does Adventure Travel Insurance Cover?

Adventure travel insurance provides coverage for a variety of risks associated with sports and outdoor activities. These policies typically include:

Sports & Activities Coverage

Covers medical expenses relating to injuries sustained during covered adventure activities.

Sports Equipment Loss

Reimburses for lost, stolen, or damaged gear such as skis, diving equipment, or golf clubs.

Sports Equipment Delay

Provides compensation for rental gear if your personal sports equipment is delayed in transit.

Sports Weather Loss

Covers prepaid expenses if weather conditions prevent participation in planned activities.

Search & Rescue

Covers emergency search and rescue costs in case of an accident in remote areas.

Sports Fees

Reimburses prepaid lift tickets or green fees if an illness or injury prevents participation.

Search for policies with adventure and sports coverage using our selection matrix.

Most common travel insurance adventure sports

Search for sports and activities you will be participating in during your trip, then select "Continue to Trip Information" to complete your quote.

  • Water scuba diving, kayaking, diving, rafting and more.
  • Winter dog sledding, glacier walking, skiing, snowboarding and more.
  • Air zip lining, hang gliding, hot air ballooning and more.
  • Land hiking, camel riding, trekking, safari tours and more.
  • Sport archery, basketball, soccer and more.
Search for sports and activities you will be participating in during your trip. You can also browse and select activities above.

Finding Adventure Coverage Using Squaremouth

Squaremouth is the nation’s largest travel insurance marketplace, making it easy to compare adventure travel insurance plans from top providers. Our user-friendly platform makes it easy to find a plan that suits your specific itinerary, ensuring coverage for emergency medical care, evacuations, and trip cancellations.

Get a Quote

What type of trip are you taking?

Water Sports

Snorkeling, fishing, and other popular activities can be covered.

Many travel insurance policies have coverage specifically for active travelers who plan to participate in water sports. These policies can include coverage for many popular cruise excursions and water activities, such as jet skiing, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, and tubing, among others. Some travel insurance policies can also cover travelers who participate in more adventurous water activities, including scuba diving, windsurfing, water skiing, and speed sailing.

Water Sports Coverage

Snow and Winter Sports

Coverage from snowshoeing to heli skiing.

Winter sports are often covered by travel insurance policies, including snowboarding, skiing, tubing, and snowmobiling. More adventurous sports, such as heli skiing or heli boarding, luging, and ice windsurfing, can also be covered by some policies. Certain policies are built specifically to cover travelers who want to participate in these types of extreme sports.

Winter Sports Coverage

Air Activities

Coverage for extreme air sports, like skydiving, may be available.

Hang gliding, zip lining, or bungee jumping can be covered by some travel insurance policies. The policies that can cover these air activities may also have more comprehensive coverage for other high-flying activities. These policies can include coverage for skydiving, parachuting, piloting an aircraft, and hot air ballooning, among others.

Air Activities Coverage

Land-based Activities

Mountaineering and trekking are among the covered land activities.

Travel insurance can cover many adventurous land-based activities. Mountain climbing, cave diving and riding motorcycles are among the most hazardous land-based activities that can be covered under travel insurance policies. More common land-based activities, such as hiking, cycling, go-karting, and trekking, are also covered by many policies.

Land-based Activities Coverage

Amateur Sports & Competitions

Some policies cover recreational and organized sports.

Travel insurance can cover an injury that occurs while participating in a sport. Many policies cover recreational sports and activities, and some can cover organized sports at the scholastic, collegiate, or other amateur levels. Select policies can cover professional sports.

Travel insurance coverage for sports can include popular contact sports, such as football, rugby, and hockey, as well as other sports like basketball, baseball, and golf. This also includes participating in sports or activities in a camp setting.

Sports Coverage

Have Questions?

Please contact our award-winning customer service team at 1-800-240-0369 for assistance. We are available between 8AM and 10PM ET daily.

FAQs: Travel Insurance for Adventure Sports

Is Adventure Travel Insurance More Expensive Than Normal Travel Insurance?

Yes, adventure travel insurance is typically more expensive than standard travel insurance because it covers higher-risk activities that have an increased chance of injury or emergency evacuation.

With that said, it’s still attainable. According to Squaremouth data, the average adventure travel insurance policy costs roughly $29/day. Costs vary based on factors like the activities covered, destination, age, and coverage limits. Comparing plans can help you find the best policy at the lowest price.

Do I Need to Know What Activities I’ll Participate in Before Buying a Policy?

You should have a general idea of the activities you plan to do before purchasing a policy. Since most standard plans exclude adventure sports from coverage, knowing your itinerary can help you determine if your policy protects you from financial loss.

If you’re unsure, choose a policy with broad adventure sports coverage to ensure you’re protected no matter what activities you decide to try.