Travel insurance for adventurous activities and expeditions overseas is crucial to obtain and needs to be fit for purpose;
– Does it cover the activities you’ll be undertaking?
– What are the exclusions?
– Does it cover search and rescue? (many policies now only cover search so it’s assumed you have a tracker)
– Is medical repatriation included?
– Where is the underwriting insurance company based? For example, WMT has been told that the UK financial ombudsman who deals with insurance claim complaints is more consumer friendly than Irish based underwriters. Most people buy insurance from a broker, not the underwriter directly.
– Do you already have insurance, such as house cover, that insures your possessions such as an expensive mountain bike? If so, you can potentially reduce the cost of travel insurance by declining cover for luggage BUT check that your house insurance covers for any sports equipment in USE? Your touring skis might be covered for theft but not if you break one while skiing.
– Does it cover trip cancellation? If so, take insurance out as soon as you have financially commited to a trip.
– Annual multi-trip policies are normally cheaper than one-off cover but they might not be amendable if you decide to take a trip that includes an activity that isn’t originally covered.
This “check list” isn’t exhaustive. Be sure to fully disclose what you plan to do and any medical history and don’t be shy to phone up to speak to someone for specific advice and reassurance that the insurance you’re tempted to buy online is suitable. Such calls are recorded in case a legitimate claim is disputed.
The British Mountain Medicine Society has published this list of insurers.
The British Mountaineering Council (who are on the BMMS list) have published a useful article about How will Brexit affect travel insurance?
A final word of caution! Some insurers consider travelling overseas to a training course (such as WMT’s Expedition Medicine Chamonix course 2-6 March 2020) as WORK and might not cover you. For example, you would need to first call or email the BMC insurance office with details of such a “work” trip before confirming cover.