Adventure travel insurance

Award winning cover for 500+ adventure sports & activities

  • Medical treatment & repatriation
  • Cover for cancellation & travel disruption
  • Worldwide cover
  • Save 10% online*
Trail runner at peak of mountain
Award winning insurance

Recognised for our specialist approach
to sports and travel insurance.

Trusted by 75,000+ customers

Exceptional-rated cover from thousands of active travellers.

Backed by AXA XL

Buy with confidence with cover
underwritten by a leading insurer.

What does adventure travel insurance cover?

Adventure travel insurance is designed for travellers heading abroad for active holidays, multi-activity trips and more adventurous experiences.

Our full adventure travel policy combines specialist activity cover with essential travel protection.

You’ll find emergency medical treatment and repatriation cover, travel disruption, trip cancellation, missed departure, delayed bags, cover for personal effects, personal accident, personal liability and more.

Depending on the activities you choose, there’s sport-specific cover including race and competions, specialist sports equipment, activity or event fees and search and rescue costs.

Alternatively, our adventure travel bolt-on can extend your existing travel policy, if specific actvities are excluded. It can provide one-off protection for selected activities for the days you take part.

Make sure you select all the activities you plan to do when getting a quote, so your cover reflects your full adventure.

Our policies provide three different types of cover: Sports travel insurance, Sports accident, and Activity Top-Up. Please ensure you select the most suitable cover for your activity, when you get a quote and always review your policy documents.

 Sports equipment is excluded under our bolt‑on cover.

Single Trip
Annual Policy
CoverageBronzeSilverGold
Emergency Medical Expenses and Repatriation
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
Cancellation and Curtailment
£1,000
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
£5,000
£90 Excess
Personal Liability
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
Baggage and Personal Effects
£1,000
£90 Excess
£1,500
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
Delayed Baggage
Nil
Nil Excess
£150
Nil Excess
£300
Nil Excess
Sports Equipment
£200
£90 + 10% Excess
£400
£90 + 10% Excess
upgrade available
£600
£90 + 10% Excess
Activity and Race Entry Fees
£300
£90 Excess
£600
£90 Excess
£900
£90 Excess
Legal Expenses and Advice
£25,000
£90 Excess
£35,000
£90 Excess
£50,000
£90 Excess
Search and Rescue
£15,000
£90 Excess
£25,000
£90 Excess
£50,000
£90 Excess
Personal Accident
£10,000
Nil Excess
£15,000
Nil Excess
£25,000
Nil Excess
Travel Delay Abandonment and Missed Departure
£1,500
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
£5,000
£90 Excess
Money and Documents
£200
£90 Excess
£400
£90 Excess
£500
£90 Excess
Catastrophe
£150
Nil Excess
£250
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
Hijack
£300
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
£1,000
Nil Excess
Inconvenience Benefit
£100
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
£1,000
Nil Excess
Personal Assistance
Included
Nil Excess
Included
Nil Excess
Included
Nil Excess
CoverageBronzeSilverGold
Emergency Medical Expenses and Repatriation
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
£10,000,000
£90 Excess
Cancellation and Curtailment
£1,000
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
£5,000
£90 Excess
Personal Liability
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
£2,000,000
£90 Excess
Baggage and Personal Effects
£1,000
£90 Excess
£1,500
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
Delayed Baggage
Nil
Nil Excess
£150
Nil Excess
£300
Nil Excess
Sports Equipment
£200
£90 + 10% Excess
£400
£90 + 10% Excess
upgrade available
£600
£90 + 10% Excess
Activity and Race Entry Fees
£300
£90 Excess
£600
£90 Excess
£900
£90 Excess
Legal Expenses and Advice
£25,000
£90 Excess
£35,000
£90 Excess
£50,000
£90 Excess
Search and Rescue
£15,000
£90 Excess
£25,000
£90 Excess
£50,000
£90 Excess
Personal Accident
£10,000
Nil Excess
£15,000
Nil Excess
£25,000
Nil Excess
Travel Delay Abandonment and Missed Departure
£1,500
£90 Excess
£2,500
£90 Excess
£5,000
£90 Excess
Money and Documents
£200
£90 Excess
£400
£90 Excess
£500
£90 Excess
Catastrophe
£150
Nil Excess
£250
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
Hijack
£300
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
£1,000
Nil Excess
Inconvenience Benefit
£100
Nil Excess
£500
Nil Excess
£1,000
Nil Excess
Personal Assistance
Included
Nil Excess
Included
Nil Excess
Included
Nil Excess

Only a summary of the policy’s coverage is presented on this page. Please refer to policy documents for full details of what is and what is not covered, when you get a quote.

How much does adventure sports insurance cost?

The cost of your policy will depend on several factors, including your age, the destination and region you’re travelling to, and the length of your trip.

It will also vary depending on the adventure activities or sports you plan to take part in, the level of cover you choose, and whether you include optional equipment cover.

It’s worth considering that medical treatment abroad, particularly following an accident during an outdoor activity, can be expensive without the right insurance in place.

Review an example and get a quote tailored to your adventure travel trip.

This example is based on a real quote from our website on 26/08/2026 for a 2-day, single trip, adult policy. It is shown for illustrative purposes only. If your circumstances or requirements differ, your quote may be higher or lower. The quote you receive will be based on the information you provide about your activities. Get a quote for pricing tailored to your requirements.

Pricing example

£13.06**

Example quote is based on:

  • Sport Selected Trekking (Up to 2500 metres)
  • Sports Group Group 1
  • Package Bronze
  • Policy Single Trip Travel Policy
  • Duration 2 days
  • Destination Europe
  • Emergency Medical Treatment £10,000,000
  • Trip Cancellation £1,000
  • Sports Equipment Cover £200
  • Search and rescue £15,000
  • See more benefits when you get a quote

This example is based on a real quote from our website on 26/08/2026 for a 2-day, single trip, adult policy. It is shown for illustrative purposes only. If your circumstances or requirements differ, your quote may be higher or lower. The quote you receive will be based on the information you provide about your activities. Get a quote for pricing tailored to your requirements.

Why you need adventure travel insurance

Active adventures bring higher risk

Protection for medical emergencies, rescue costs and incidents linked to adventurous activities.

Protection for complex trip disruption

Cover for cancellation, missed departure and disruption that can affect multi-stage or activity-led travel.

Cover where standard policies fall short

Specialist protection for activities, equipment and environments that may not be included as standard.

Our experts explain why…

“Adventure travel can take you well beyond a typical holiday, from remote landscapes and mountain routes to water-based activities and organised challenges.

 These trips often involve more specialist activities, equipment and travel arrangements, so it’s important to have insurance that reflects what you actually plan to do.

 Our adventure travel insurance is designed to help protect against medical emergencies, rescue costs, cancellations, disruption and other unexpected expenses along the way.

 For more than 30 years, we’ve helped active travellers explore with confidence through cover designed around the adventures they choose.”

Chris Trotman – Head of Sales & Underwriting at SportsCover Direct

Thousands rate how easy it is

We’ve refined our process to make buying sports insurance abroad simple but thorough, with cover designed around the activities you take part in, from training trips and competitions to active holidays overseas.

Our Claims Record

Average pay out for each insurance claim

£1,599.09

How to make a claim

Choose your policy, find the forms you need

Download and complete forms

Submit your claims for review

A Recent Claim Example

“One of our policyholders became unwell while in South Africa to play Cricket. They sought medical treatment and were treated for suspected appendicitis, with symptoms of stomach cramps, high fever and nausea. Because they secured our Sports Travel Insurance, they were covered to seek medical treatment.”

Total Paid Out

£5,971.47

Claim Type

Medical Assistance

Policy Type

Sports Travel Insurance

Incident

Medical assistance

Policy Excess Applied

£90.00

Location

South Africa

Disclaimer

Data relates to all SportsCover Direct Insurance claims from Jan to Dec 2025 inclusive. Claim example from 2025.

Medical cover explained

We provide cover that considers your medical circumstances. Complete a medical declaration to ensure you’re properly protected, as part of the quotation process.*

*Please note, just because you’ve declared a medical condition or injury doesn’t mean it is automatically covered. The insurer needs to assess it first and will inform you by email if any terms apply.

Medical conditions must be declared

All pre-existing conditions considered

Cover available up to age 74

We'll review your details

Most declarations don't mean exclusion

Any terms will be confirmed by email

Browse covered sports and activities

You’ll find a wide range of adventure travel activities covered, you can add multiple activities to your policy, we cover over 500. Browse our extensive list.

Why choose us

SportsCover Direct is a specialist insurance provider focused entirely on sport. For over 30 years, we’ve helped athletes, teams and organisations get the protection they need, whether they’re travelling, competing, or training abroad or in the UK.

Covering 500+ sports

Fast online quotes

Established over 30 years

UK-based support team

FAQs

Yes, we include search and rescue coverage up to £50,000, including mountain rescue and emergency evacuation. This covers necessary rescue services by official civil and police rescue teams, including appropriate use of helicopters.

Our policy will not cover you to travel to destinations restricted, listed by the foreign office. Please refer to the Foreign Office website for the most up-to-date information. 

Each sport will be graded based on the risk level and this will affect the cost of your policy.  

You can opt from 3 levels of cover bronze, silver or gold. This will include the value limits you want to select for the travel insurance benefits, rather than sports specifically. 

Yes, you can select multiple sports to include in your policy. Depending on the grades level of risk different sports may increase the price of your premium. 

Yes, many activities are covered for beginners, provided you’re following proper safety protocols and, where required, receiving instruction from qualified professionals.

Yes, our policies can cover multiple activities, even across different sports groups. You’ll just need to ensure you’ve declared all activities you plan to participate in when purchasing your policy.

Yes, our Adventure Travel Insurance can generally be taken out even if you have a medical condition. We can almost always offer cover at no extra cost, but occasionally our underwriters may apply special terms if you subsequently needed to make a claim relating to your condition.

Most standard travel policies exclude “hazardous activities,” so you’ll need either adventure sports cover or an activity add-on to your existing policy to ensure you’re protected.

Our activity travel insurance only covers amateur sports participation; competitions are included provided the activity is listed.  

 We consider a professional sports person to be someone who derives more than 5k per calendar year for their participation in the sport, OR fulltime sports person, OR Sports Contract, Or Sports scholarship for the sport.  

Yes, outdoor camping equipment can be covered under sports equipment for damage of theft.  

This will depend on the activity. Most adventure sports allow you to participate solo, provided you have taken reasonable precautions and followed local guidance. There are caveats to certain sports, for example off-piste skiing and snowboarding require you to be with at least one other person. For further endorsements please refer to policy documentation. 

Yes, but it depends on the sport you select. We can cover for a range of hiking, mountaineering and scrambling up to 7000metres.  

 With mountaineering listed as an activity, cover is limited to 400m when outside of Europe (in zones 2 &3) 

If you’re planning multiple trips, our annual multi-trip policy might be more cost-effective. This covers you for multiple adventures throughout the year, subject to individual trip duration limits.

Our policies will cover anyone up to the age of 74 at the time of purchase. An applicant aged 75 or over cannot be covered.

Standard travel insurance policies do not always cover adventure sports. Our Adventure Travel Insurance is specifically designed to cover over 500 high risk activities such as bungee jumping, skateboarding, ski-acrobatics and many more.

Our Sports Travel Insurance policy provides up to £5,600 worth of equipment cover as an optional add-on. This not only protects your own equipment, but also any gear you hire during your trip. It also covers your adventure sports equipment in transit to and from your destination.

Adventure sports travel insurance provides specialist cover for high-risk activities that standard travel insurance typically excludes. It’s designed specifically for travellers participating in activities like climbing, skiing, scuba diving, and other adventure sports.

We provide coverage for hiring replacement equipment if your sports gear is delayed by your carrier, ensuring you don’t miss out on planned activities.

Get specialist cover in minutes

Covering over 500 sports with quick online quotes and UK- based support, if you need it.

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