Experience more on your holiday with our activity travel insurance. Get cover for medical expenses and cancellation protection, so you can travel stress-free.
Travel Insurance Expert and Head of Communications
Last updatedDecember 3 2025
15 min read
Make the most of your holiday with activity travel insurance. From abseiling to zip lining, we cover an alphabet of activities as standard. We can even provide extra cover for more extreme activities. With no upper age limit, we cover all destinations. You can take us with you, wherever your adventures take you!
What is activity travel insurance, and do you need it?
Planning an action-packed trip? You’re not alone. Our survey found that 59% of Brits want active experiences on holiday. The most popular activities were hikes and long walks (46%), shopping (39%), and watersports (35%). Cooking classes (23%) also scored high on the list of activities.
For every activity you do on holiday, you’ll need travel insurance that offers you the right protection. Our activity travel insurance will cover you for any illness or injury that happens while taking part.
All our travel insurance policies cover over 100 activities as standard, at no extra cost. But some activities, like paragliding or skiing, come with a higher risk of injury. Others increase the likelihood you’ll be taking expensive gadgets. That’s why all our policies let you add extra cover. Our flexible add-ons can cover extreme sports, winter sports, golf and valuable items.
Finding the right travel insurance with activity cover is a must:
Covers emergency medical expenses. Doing activities in the sun can be fun, but they may not be risk-free. According to NHS data,horse riding causes the highest number of injuries, while abseiling and surfing have the most serious injuries. With InsureandGo, we’ll cover horse riding, abseiling and surfing as standard. That’s as long as these activities are not the main purpose of your trip.
Covers the cost of getting you home. Skating on Venice Beach. Rafting in the Grand Canyon. The USA is a great destination for adventure lovers. However, activity-related injuries can be serious. No one wants to think of the worst happening on holiday. But air ambulance repatriation costs of around £49,500 could leave you seriously out of pocket. If you need to fly home in an emergency, travel insurance can cover the cost.
Covers trip cancellation. Dreaming of lion spotting in the Serengeti? From flights to hotels, safaris can be expensive! If you have to cancel your trip, activity travel insurance can reimburse non-refundable expenses.
Covers your kit. Damaged expensive hiking boots? Lost your favourite fishing rod? Activity travel insurance can help replace it. Our policies cover most personal items as standard. If you’re taking something valuable, adding gadgets and valuablescover is a smart idea.
Lets you add extra cover if you need it. Our policies are as flexible as your holiday plans. We cover common activities like yoga, canoeing and even bungee jumping as standard. Want to try paragliding or quad biking? Our extreme sports add-on will cover that too.
Make sure the policy you’ve chosen covers all the activities you have planned. Ours include over 100 different activities as standard. But some may require our winter sports or extreme sports add-ons. You may need gadgets and valuables cover if you’re taking expensive equipment. Our policy wording provides full terms and conditions of what is and isn’t included.
You’ll need to tell us about your pre-existing medical conditions. We can’t cover any costs related to medical issues that aren’t declared. If your medical history isn’t accurate, you may have to pay for unexpected medical costs.
What does InsureandGo’s activity travel insurance cover?
Our standard travel insurance policies cover a range of activities at no extra charge. Many will be covered for the whole time you’re away. For others, you’ll only be covered if the activity is NOT the main purpose of your trip.
Those activities are shown as an ‘activity holiday’ in the policy wording booklet. If you’re still not sure, contact us.
Here are a few examples of the kind of activities we cover:
Activity covered at no extra charge
Activity holiday
Abseiling
No
Archaeological digging
Yes
Archery
No
Ballooning (Hot Air) as a fare paying passenger
No
Banana boat rides (Beach activity)
No
Bouldering (up to 4 metres with a crash mat)
No
Bridge walking
No
Bungee jumping (max 3 jumps)
No
Camel riding or trekking
No
Canoeing (in calm waters)
No
Climbing wall
No
Dune bashing
No
Elephant riding or trekking
No
Fell walking/running
Yes
Fishing
Yes
Go karting (up to 120cc)
No
Horse Riding (non-competitive, not jumping)
No
Horse trekking (under 3,000 metres)
No
Indoor climbing
No
Parasailing (over water)
No
Safari/Gorilla trekking (not hunting)
Yes
Surfing
No
Trekking (up to 3,000 metres)
Yes
War games/Paintballing
No
White water rafting (Grades 1,2 & 3)
No
Zip lining
No
Check the policy wording for the full list of activities we cover. Can’t see your chosen activity? If it’s not listed, give us a call.
Some activities are considered higher risk. You will need to add extreme sports when you buy your policy. These common activities need the hazardous activity travel insurance add-on:
Activities requiring extreme activities insurance
Activity holiday
Coasteering
No
Gliding
No
Hang-gliding (Europe only)
No
Hiking (on recognised routes, between 3,000 and 5,000 metres)
Yes
Horse jumping (not polo or hunting)
No
Kite surfing
No
Parachuting (Europe only, not BASE jumping)
No
Paragliding
No
Quad biking
No
Rock climbing
No
Sea canoeing/kayaking
No
Via Ferrata
No
White water rafting (Grades 4 to 6)
No
Some activities may require our winter sports add-on. For example:
Activities requiring winter sports insurance
Activity holiday
Bobsleighing
Yes
Glacier walking (under 2,000 metres)
Yes
Ice fishing
Yes
Skiing/snowboarding
Yes
Tobogganing
Yes
What else does InsureandGo’s activity travel insurance cover?
Personal money, passports and travel documents cover.
Accommodation cover.
Legal expenses cover.
What’s not covered?
Each provider will have different things it can or cannot include in a policy. However, there are some situations travel insurance will not cover. For example:
You cannot cover events or reasons to claim which took place before you booked the trip or purchased insurance. Insurance exists to cover unexpected events outside of the insured’s control
Claims which are less than the excess for that section of cover. For example, you cannot claim a £40 lost item if your baggage excess is £60
All of our travel insurance policies include cover for cancellation of your trip. But there may be some exclusions. For example, you won’t be covered to cancel if you simply decide not to go
We will consider all pre-existing medical conditions. Find out more about medical travel insurance. The excess and amount of cover available varies depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. Check the policy wording to see the full terms and conditions.
We will consider all pre-existing medical conditions, find out more about medical travel insurance. The excess and the amount of cover available will vary depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. To check the policy exclusions and what is and isn’t included, take a look at our policy wording.
The best activity travel insurance for your holiday
The best activity travel insurance is as flexible as your plans. Not sure what you need? We have a few suggestions:
Want a bird’s eye view? Hot air ballooning over picturesque vineyards in Tuscany. Parasailing over the Algarve’s turquoise waters. Our European policies cover both high-flying activities as standard.
Getting closer to nature? From safaris to horse trekking, activity insurance comes as standard with our worldwide policies.
Activity travel insurance for travellers with pre-existing medical conditions
We want everyone to do more of what they love on holiday. And that includes people with pre-existing medical conditions. When we surveyed our customers, 58% had at least one pre-existing condition, and 30% had more than one. If you want activity travel insurance that covers a pre-existing medical condition, we’ll do our best to help.
Examples of medical conditions we can cover include:
Please be aware that certain conditions may prevent you from safely doing certain activities. We can’t cover you if you’re doing an activity against the advice of a medical practitioner.
Our activity travel insurance comes with no upper age limit. But before buying your policy, you must let us know about any pre-existing conditions you have. Our online medical screening process is easy. If you’d rather talk to someone, please get in touch with us.
How to book our activity travel insurance
There’s so much to think about when planning an activity-packed break! At least getting travel insurance is easy.
1. Let us know a little info
Share a few details about your upcoming adventure. Tell us who will be travelling, and when you’d like your cover to start. We’ll also ask about your pre-existing medical conditions.
It’s quick and easy to give us this information, either online or by calling our team:
We’ll give you your quote, and you can either choose to buy a policy or save the details for later.
Our experts say…
“There is nothing worse than being injured abroad, especially if you have to pay out for medical care because you’re not properly covered. Proper activity travel insurance covers you for injuries during a holiday activity, such as skiing or extreme sports. That’s no matter how minor or severe. Are you an adventure seeker with expensive gear? You can also add valuables cover to protect your equipment as well.”
There’s a reason 99% of our customers would recommend us to family and friends3. Here’s what they have to say about us.
Activity travel insurance FAQs
Does standard travel insurance cover holiday activities?
Standard travel insurance typically covers a wide range of popular holiday activities. However, it’s important to check your policy carefully. The types of activities automatically insured can vary from insurer to insurer. There may be exclusions or limitations for certain activities.
Our standard travel insurance covers 100 different sports and activities as standard, including:
Hiking and trekking
Bungee jumping
Canoeing
Horse riding
Safari
Dune bashing
However, some activities may have specific exclusions. For example, you’re only covered for a maximum of three bungee jumps at an organised event. You can only jump at facilities approved by a local or national regulatory authority.
Reputable activity centres may insist that participants have adequate travel insurance. Remember that our standard policies may not cover your chosen sport if it’s the main purpose of your trip. See our policy wording for details.
If you have an accident or injury while doing your chosen activity, medical care can be expensive. This is especially true if you need to fly home for further treatment. Making sure your travel insurance covers all your activities is key. It means you’re protected from surprise costs and expensive medical bills.
What’s the difference between activities, sports and adventure or extreme sports?
The definitions of activities, sports and adventure/extreme sports vary from insurer to insurer.
Activities refer to everyday leisure activities. They include activities like hiking, swimming, or jogging. But they may also include activities that surprise you, like abseiling or bungee jumping.
Sports can encompass a wide range of activities, from recreational to competitive. This might include team sports, individual sports, and watersports.
Adventure or extreme sports refer to activities with a higher degree of risk or physical challenge. These might include activities like skydiving or rock climbing.
At InsureandGo, we cover over 100 sports and activities as standard. These include some that may be considered as a hazardous activity by other insurance companies, such as:
Abseiling
Bouldering (up to 4 metres with a crash mat)
Horse riding (not jumping)
Horse trekking (under 3,000 metres)
Husky sledge driving
Surfing
White water rafting (grades 1, 2 & 3)
You won’t need to buy additional cover for these activities – and a whole lot more! However, there are some things you need to consider. For example, we’ll only cover you for abseiling if you’re adequately supervised.
Hiking (on recognised routes, between 3,000 and 6,000m)
Parachuting
Sea canoeing/kayaking
Via ferrata
Zorbing
Take a look at our policy wording for a full list of the activities we’ll cover. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, contact us.
Does travel insurance cover activity holidays?
Our travel insurance policies do cover some activity holidays as standard. However, some activities may not be covered if they’re the main purpose of your trip. For example, you’re covered for horse riding as standard, but not a horse riding activity holiday.
Our activity holiday travel insurance covers the following, even if they’re the main purpose of your trip:
Amateur athletics
Archaeological digging
Badminton
Bowls
Conservation or charity work (under 3 metres, hand tools only)
Hiking or rambling (on recognised routes, under 3,000 metres)
Motorcycling up to and including 125cc (not racing, not off-road riding, must hold equivalent UK licence)
Orienteering
Running (including marathon running and triathlons)
Table tennis
Tennis
Ten-pin bowling
If your chosen activity holiday is not on the list, please contact us.
Will the GHIC cover injuries from holiday activities?
Yes it does. The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) provides medically necessary healthcare. This covers the EU, Switzerland and Australia. It covers emergency treatment that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK. It doesn’t matter how you get injured.
If you’re going to a country that recognises the GHIC, applying for one is a sensible idea. However, it’s not a substitute for comprehensive travel insurance that covers your itinerary. It won’t cover private medical healthcare, repatriation, trip cancellation, or lost or stolen equipment.
How much does activity travel insurance cost?
The cost of travel insurance for activities varies. It depends on factors like:
Your age: Generally, the older you are, the more you’ll pay for activity travel insurance.
Overall health: Pre-existing medical conditions can impact how much your travel insurance costs. Existing health factors may increase your chance of needing emergency medical treatment while you’re away.
The level of policy cover you go for: We offer Budget, Silver, Gold and Black.
Trip duration: The longer you’re away, the greater the odds of making a claim.
Chosen destination: Adventurous holidays await you worldwide! But places like the USA have more expensive healthcare if the worst happens.
The activity you’ll be doing: We cover over 100 different activities as standard. But if you’re doing high-risk activities like parachute jumping, you’ll need our extreme sports extension.
As each of these factors varies from person to person, there is no set price.
Find out how much activity travel insurance will cost for you by calling our team, or get a quick and easy quote online now.
Who can buy an InsureandGo activity travel insurance policy?
All our activity travel insurance policies are available to UK residents. This means:
Someone who has been living in the UK or the Channel Islands for at least six of the last 12 months
