Travel Insurance for 150+ Adventure Sports and Activities
Travel insurance designed for adventures while travelling.
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As featured in:
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.
For information relating to policies purchased before 27 June 2024, please check HERE for the list of covered activities.
For policies purchased from 27 June 2024, please see below for information:
Adventure Sports and Activities
For many Irish travellers the need to go exploring the great outdoors and seek some adventure activities is a must when on a holiday. While it’s exciting to try out new adrenaline-pumping activities that you don’t get to do back home in Ireland you should also consider travel insurance when preparing for your next adventure.
Adventure sports, travel insurance and what’s covered by our plans
Whether you’re picking up a new sport or you’re a seasoned outdoors adventure person, World Nomads offers cover (up to the policy limits) for the following:
Activities and sports cover: travel and outdoor adventures go hand-in-hand, that’s why our policies offer cover for more than 150 sports, experiences, and activities. While some activities are considered less dangerous, other types of activities such as rock climbing require an insurance upgrade and payment of an additional premium.
Emergency medical and evacuation coverage overseas – if you unexpectedly get sick or injured at any time during your holiday, seek medical assistance straight away. Contact our 24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance team to advise them of your situation and sort out any further care requirements. They can contact the hospital where you’re staying to arrange payment for your accommodation, treatment, and medications. We may also cover the cost of your repatriation back to Ireland if your injury or illness is serious enough. However, this must be determined by your treating doctor in consultation with our Emergency Medical Assistance team. Exclusions, and in some cases, excesses apply.
See Travel insurance tip 2 below, if you have private medical insurance (PMI) in Ireland.
Baggage and valuables coverage – if any of your luggage or personal items are lost, stolen or damaged, then you may be covered for the costs of replacing these. Make sure you have your receipts as you’ll need to submit these when you claim. Always report any stolen belongings to the local police and request a police report. If there were any witnesses to the incident, then ask them to accompany you to the police station to give their statement. Witness statements should be included with your other supporting documentation.
Extended stays – if you’re having the time of your life on holiday and don’t want to return home to Ireland just yet, then you may extend your travel insurance policy accordingly. Extensions for Single Trip policies can be approved for up to a maximum of 12 months from the starting date listed on your Certificate of Insurance. Applications for policy extensions must be made prior to 11:59pm IST/GMT on the date that your existing policy expires, however we suggest not waiting to the last day to submit your request.
Trip cancellation costs – few things in life are more disappointing than having to cancel a long-awaited holiday due to unexpected sickness or a last-minute injury. Should you or one of your travel companions become injured or sick after making your holiday arrangements, and need to cancel your trip, then we may cover your non-refundable travel expenses such as accommodation and flights. You will need to provide medical evidence to substantiate your claim.
What activities are covered?
While many Irish live and breathe their Gaelic games, rugby, and soccer, we also know that our travellers have a vast range of sporting preferences. That’s why we offer cover for over 150 different sports, activities, and experiences. While the list may seem long, by no means do we cover every single sport or activity.
Always make sure that any planned sports and activities that you’ll be doing are clearly stated. If you’re injured playing a sport that we do not cover, then any claim you submit, may not be approved.
World Nomads offers two travel insurance plans, the Standard Plan and the Explorer Plan. These plans both offer cover for expenses in connection with hospitalisation, lost luggage, repatriation, and more. However, the Explorer Plan costs more than the Standard Plan as it offers higher policy limits and more benefits.
Always read through the Policy Wording to decide which plan is best suited for the activities and sports that you have planned. If you’re not sure if something you’re planning on doing while on holiday is covered, please contact us.
What level of sports and activity cover do I get?
Our travel insurance plans categorise sports and leisure activities into four separate levels. Travellers are covered for all sports and activities listed under the level of cover they select, as well as those leisure pursuits assigned to any lower levels. The following is just a small selection of the sports we cover. Please check below for the full list of the sports and activities we cover.
Level 1
- Camping (to a maximum of 3,000 metres)
- Cricket
- Dance (ballet, ballroom, capoeira, salsa, and interpretive dance)
- Roller skating
Level 2
- Rock climbing
- Rugby (League/Union)
- Running (marathons)
- Water skiing (barefoot)
Level 3
- Mountain biking (downhill)
- Skiing/snowboarding
Level 4
- Mountaineering (to a maximum of 6,000 metres)
- Skiing/snowboarding (terrain park in resort; outside resort boundaries; back country; helicopter/snow; alpine touring)
- Snow rafting
- Triathlon (full distance)
Travel insurance tip 1: several of our covered activities and sports are listed on multiple levels to reflect the varying degrees of difficulty or intensity. Always check before you go that you have the right level of cover for your desired activities, as you cannot upgrade to a higher level or add any other sports after you buy your policy.
What’s not covered
Here are just a few of our travel insurance exclusions. For the entire list, please check your Policy Wording.
- If your behaviour was reckless, or your actions were in violation of the laws of that country.
- Being intoxicated by alcohol or prohibited substances.
- Unattended belongings and luggage that is stolen, lost, or damaged.
- Pre-existing medical conditions unless otherwise expressly stated in your policy.
- Dental treatment that is not undertaken to alleviate any constant pain or discomfort. An example could be an implant procedure to replace a tooth that had been extracted in a surgery that you had years ago.
Questions to ask when choosing a plan
Before selecting a plan, it’s best to know what types of sports and activities you and your travel buddies will be enjoying when you’re travelling. These are just some of the questions for you to consider when picking a travel insurance plan:
- What sports and activities will I be engaging in on my holiday?
- What sports and activities do my friends have planned? Make sure you ask them about their holiday plans to be certain that they don’t have any surprise activities up their sleeves. A spur of the moment decision to play a sport that you’re not covered for might be fun, but would you really want to take such a risk?
- What types of equipment, footwear, or protective clothing will you need for your preferred activities?
- Do you need a licensed tour guide or instructor for any of your leisure activities? If so, have you checked that the person is in fact certified?
- What are the depths of my dives, altitudes of my hikes, or distances of my walks? These types of details all need to be established before choosing your plan.
Travel insurance tip 2: Irish travellers, if you require any medical treatment during your trip while outside of Ireland (and as soon as you're medically able to do so) you’ll need to contact your private medical insurance (PMI) provider (if applicable) and follow their emergency medical procedures and claims procedures. Where your PMI provider cannot provide assistance, get in touch with our 24-hour Emergency Medical Assistance Team as soon as reasonably possible before incurring medical costs, and also please provide us with details of your PMI provider to help us coordinate your care. For more information on what to do please refer to Section 8 Medical Sections of Cover in your Policy Wording.
Overseas adventure activity tips to help you have a safer experience
Are you fit enough for that?
Holidays offer a selection of leisure activities, many of which you may not have ever tried. Before you go trying new experiences, think about your fitness and plan your activities accordingly. Whatever you’re planning, make sure it’s something you’re physically capable of.
The right gear
When participating in a sport or activity, always wear safety gear. For example, you must wear a helmet when cycling or riding a scooter. Before embarking on that mountain-climbing adventure, ask yourself if you have the right equipment required for such an undertaking.
Your activity operator should be certified/accredited
Make sure operators are certified and/or accredited by the appropriate body. For example, diving instructors should be registered with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).
Keep a watch on your sporting equipment
Nothing beats the feeling of elation that comes from being victorious in a game of sport. Yet before you rush off to hit the bar with your teammates, it’s a good idea to lock up any sporting equipment first. All too often valuable sporting gear and bags are left unattended or even worse, forgotten about.
Opportunistic thieves can take advantage of these situations. No matter how safe you think your sporting gear is, never leave it unattended. If you can’t take your equipment with you or back to your hotel, then place it in a locker or keep it locked in a room.
This is a summary only. It does not include all terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the plans described. Please refer to the Policy Wording for complete details of cover and exclusions. If you are unsure of your level of travel cover, please contact us for help.
World Nomads covers more than 150 activities and sports, and if it’s not on the list you can contact us and we’ll let you know if we’ll cover it.
You can read more about coverage for some specific activities to see the activities covered by the plans available to you.
We offer cover for:
- 24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance
- Overseas emergency medical assistance
- Cancellation
- Baggage
I bit on something hard
A bone chipped my front tooth, on the top row, and cracked it. Blood started to run down so I had an emergency visit to the dentist to repair it.
B.P. U.S Resident in South Africa.
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Cancellation
Been working hard for your trip?
We'll work hard to protect it.
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalised?
- Travel buddy in an accident?
- Sudden death of an immediate relative?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Expenses
Feeling fit and healthy? What if you get sick or injured?
Take the pain out of medical or dental costs.
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transportation
Know where the nearest suitable medical facility is?
Don’t stress, we’ll get you there quickly.
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Injured abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medical evacuation home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Love photography, filming or sport?
Cover your bags, tech or gear.
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
- Emergency Overseas Medical & Dental Expenses
- Emergency Medical Evacuation & Repatriation
- Trip Disruption
- 24-Hour Medical Assistance Services
- Baggage
- And more (depending on your country of residence)
24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance
Whether you need medical assistance or emergency medical evacuation, our teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of Emergency Medical Assistance right now?
For policies purchased on or after 27 June 2024:
Phone: +353 4 69 017 022
For policies purchased before 27 June 2024:
+353 (0) 90 640 6460
FAQ
Here are our most frequently asked questions about adventure activities and sports insurance. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Helpdesk or you can ask our customer service team.