Choosing Winter Holiday Insurance

Any type of sport comes with a certain risk attached, whether that risk is damage to equipment or personal injury. Winter Sports are no different, and typically can cause a lot of injury, ranging from bruises and sprains to broken bones and head injuries, and worse.

If you will be participating in Winter Sports during your holiday, such as skiing and snowboarding, it is extremely important that you invest in adequate travel insurance before you depart. Quality travel insurance should protect your possessions and sports equipment, and provide medical help and assistance if you are injured abroad.

When purchasing Winter Sports Travel Insurance always make sure that;

• The policy actually covers you for participating in your chosen sport, and any other activities you may indulge in, otherwise you will not be covered for any resulting bills. Check the policy wording and call your insurer if unsure.
• Make sure the policy actually covers the country you are travelling to, for example if you purchase a ‘Worldwide excluding’ policy you will not be covered for trips to the USA or Canada.
• If you can, always purchase a specialist winter sports policy, it will always offer more tailored cover than a standard policy.
• The cancellation cover is enough to cover the pre-paid costs of your trip, in case you need to cancel your plans.
• The policy covers your baggage, equipment and personal possessions if they become lost, damaged or stolen.
• The insurance includes at least two million pounds of emergency medical cover and repatriation (£5 million if travelling worldwide). This may seem extreme but medical treatment abroad can become extremely expensive, especially if you need to be airlifted from a mountain!
• Make sure the policy covers repatriation, in case you need to be sent home because of illness or injury.
• Make sure you have declared any pre-existing medical conditions, and make sure your policy covers them. If you have not declared your conditions you will not be covered for any subsequent bills.
• The policy covers the costs of emergency items of clothing if your bags are lost by the airline.
• Other things to consider are whether the policy covers; piste rescue, piste closure, personal liability, ski passes, cash and travel documents.
• Once you have purchased your policy, you will usually be given 14 days to read it through and check that it covers your particular needs.
• Finally ALWAYS read the small print.

For more information, watch our Winter Sports Travel Insurance video: