Skiing and snowboarding etiquette

If you are new to the slopes there are a few things that it is useful to know before heading out…

A. Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.

B. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.

Also…Be aware of your surroundings! Keep your head on a swivel and know where others are regardless of who has the right of way.

Also…When passing fast, give wide berth to slower skiers/boarders.

C. You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
Also…On paths, do not take up the entire width by zigzagging. Respect others moving at different speeds than you are.

D. Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.

E. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.

F. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.

G. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

Also…Do not stop or congregate in the lift line to wait for friends or adjust equipment. Wait for friends BEFORE you get into the lift line, not where the chair is loading.

Also…When it is your turn to load, move forward and get on the chair. Do NOT wait for others or let a chair go by when people are waiting behind you.Also…Always warn others when bringing down the safety bar on the chairlift.

Also…If skiing alone, move forward to fill up the next available chair if there are people waiting in line behind you.

Also…If you fall while loading or unloading, your FIRST priority is to move yourself and equipment away from the landing area and allow others to keep moving.

Also…If you drop something while riding on the chairlift, don’t jump out to get it. You will often be higher than you imagine.

Lastly, don't forget to buy travel insurance

With one weeks European cover starting from a very reasonable £14.67 for skiing and snowboarding wintersports travel insurance, can you afford to be without it. To get a quote and to buy travel insurance, please click here.

Summer is over – Winter is coming

It is safe to say that the beloved English summer is at an end for 2009. With what seems like an eternal wait for next year’s few days of summer sun. Attention begins to turn to Christmas. I notice that the supermarkets have begun to display the usual Christmas goodies already – seems to get earlier every year! For many the passing of summer is not all doom and gloom as attentions turn to skiing and snowboarding holidays.

A poll carried out by holidaysafe.co.uk revealed that nearly 1 in 5 people who were considering skiing holidays this year were planning not to buy travel insurance in order to save money. Even if you have been lucky enough not to have had an accident on the slopes you have probably been witness to some. Let’s face it, part of the appeal of skiing and snowboarding is the element of danger it presents. As with anything that presents an increased risk, so come accidents and invariably injury. There are very few state hospitals around the slopes meaning that you will not be able to use an EHIC card, so unless you have good winter sports travel insurance you could be left facing hefty bills. Even if you are lucky enough to find yourself in a public hospital, the EHIC will not cover the transport down the mountain and to the hospital. So if you end up with a helicopter evac down you could be looking at several thousands of pounds.

You have to ask yourself is it worth the small saving you may make if you do not buy travel insurance. Holidaysafe.co.uk can offer a week’s skiing and snowboarding insurance cover in Europe from as little as £14.67. A small price to pay for the peace of mind you will have when enjoying yourself on the slopes.

For a quote or to buy travel insurance, please click here.

Can I get travel insurance if I have hypertension?

Hypertension or high blood pressure affects more than 20% of the UK population – that in real terms is around eleven million people. Still however, many UK travel insurers decide to exclude cover for people with hypertension. One can only assume that this is as a result of lack of understanding, as in most cases hypertension is so well controlled that the actual risk to the insurer for the extent of the holiday is very low. Some argue that in fact people who have the condition and declare it to their travel insurer could well be a lower risk than someone who may have the condition but not know about it.

Holidaysafe.co.uk are pleased to be able to confirm that regardless of how you buy travel insurance from us (internet or call centre) the ability to medically screen for this and any other medical conditions exist. Both our online medical screening system and our call centre screening system follow an identical customer journey and will produce identical results. In the large majority of cases we are able to cover hypertension at no additional premium.

Unfortunately it is not possible to cover everyone on our policies and around 3% of our customers are referred to more specialist schemes. These will include people who have unstable hypertension, have only been diagnosed with the condition in the last few weeks or those who have had a change in medication in the last few weeks.

To get a quote or to buy travel insurance please click here

Are sports and activities covered on backpacker insurance policies?

If you are off on your gap year to wild and exotic destinations and want to broaden your horizon's trying some adrenaline filled activities, do not forget to check what activities are covered when considering your gap year travel insurance policy.

When purchasing any type of backpacker insurance you must insure that the adrenaline filled fun you have planned will be covered and you are not left high and dry, possibly literally.

Activities such as bungee jumping , jet skiing and paragliding are unlikely to be covered as standard under many travel insurance policies.

It is likely that most backpackers travel insurance will only cover you for more standard activities, but if you really want to put your nerves to the test holidaysafe.co.uk has a hazardous activity option available that will cover you for things like paragliding, scuba diving to 30 metres and sky diving. All of the backpacker and longstay travel insurance policies that we do include a number of activities free of charge.

To get a quote, or to buy travel insurance please click here