Climbing Accidents

We are all getting more adventurous – not only in the distances we are prepared to travel, but in the activities we indulge in once we get to our holiday destinations. Lying on a beach with a good book seems so passé when you can go bungee jumping, galloping a horse down a beach, skiing or paragliding. But with excitement comes danger, especially if you don’t ensure you’re sufficiently covered by your travel insurance.

American Express Travel Insurance recently issued a warning, stating that not all skiing-trip travel insurance will cover inexperienced skiers who go off-piste (even if accompanied by a guide). This has become a particular concern following an unusually mild winter with low snowfall across Europe. Many holidaymakers risked going off-piste to find the best snowfall, resulting in twice as many accidents in the French Alps compared to the year before. If you are thinking of going skiing in the next year, it is essential that you check your insurance policy before you leave – you could be liable for huge costs if you have an accident off-piste and you discover your policy does not cover you. Airlifting you from the French Alps, for instance, could cost as much as £2,000. Quite simply, you need to tell your insurers if you are planning any kind of activity that could put you at greater risk of injury.

According to recent research, 15% of British people risk going abroad without any kind of travel insurance, let alone ‘extreme sports’ cover. Consider some of the costs you might incur should you fall ill or have an accident abroad, and you might think twice before gambling with your health and finances. Even if you holiday in Europe where your medical treatment might be covered by a European Health Insurance Card, you may still have to cover the costs of getting home to the UK, following your accident.

Examples of typical medical costs abroad:

* Air ambulance (East cost USA) – £30,000-£35,000

* Air ambulance (Canaries) – £12,000-£16,000

* Scheduled flight, stretcher and doctor escort (Australia) – £15,000-£20,000

* Scheduled flight, seated economy with a doctor escort (Mediterranean) – £1,800-£4,000

Source: health and wellbeing provider, First Assist

Tales of woe, however, shouldn’t put you off travelling far and wide, and enjoying all the activities on offer once you get there. The following guide provides some tips on how you can holiday, while gaining the best travel insurance at the best price for what you would like to do abroad:

1. If you are going to do anything that will be seen as risky such as skiing, canoeing, scuba-diving or climbing – you must tell your insurers and ensure your policy covers you in the event of an accident. Some activities such as paragliding or ski jumping may require special policies.

2. Do not skimp on your travel insurance. If the worst happens and you are injured abroad, you will want to know that you have the right insurance policy and company behind you to make the best of a bad situation. Check that the policy covers everything you need and choose one with a 24-hr international helpline.

3. Beyond your potential holiday activities, make sure your travel insurance covers other basic essentials, such as medical and dental treatment, getting you back home, personal liability, missed departure, cancelled flights, theft and lost luggage.

4. Shop around for the best deal. Don’t just assume that your travel agent is the best option for travel insurance – look at the different insurance options and choose one that works for you both financially and practically.

5. Ensure you take all your travel insurance documents with you. If you need to make a claim, you will need all your details close at hand.

One final piece of advice: once you have your travel insurance secured, try and forget about the potential dangers and enjoy your break. After all, holidays are really meant to be about having fun…

Travel Insurance Policies When Travelling To New Zealand

Why Do I Need Travel Insurance?

              As we are all aware, accidents can happen at any time and in any place to anybody In the worst of circumstances, this can cause significant injury as well as ruining a holiday or business trip. Unfortunately no-one can predict when these accidents will occur or the severity of them when they do. The only thing to do is to have a high quality travel insurance policy. It may feel like you are gambling against yourself when arranging such a policy, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

              Luggage can be easily lost at airport, this in normally sufficient to ruin a holiday, having to endure a flight and then to traipse around a shopping centre to buy clean socks and shirts. Travel insurance can’t make this impossible to happen, but can help pay for your new clothes, which will ease the pain a little.

              Something as innocent as a wet floor or trip down a flight of stairs could lead to a hospital trip, for example, to administer to a broken wrist or ankle. Medical insurance will usually cover the cost but if you need to return early your travel insurance policy may have a clause to allow this to be claimed for.

              When in a foreign country and hiring a car try to know the local traffic laws. We drive on the left in the UK, not too many countries follow suit on this. In New Zealand they drive on the left hand side.   If you cause an accident, personal liability may be an issue. A good travel insurance policy will also have a clause that allows travel back to the UK if a medical emergency arises.

What Should I Look For In Travel Insurance

              Travel insurance is a safety net when abroad. A good travel insurance policy should cover you for medical and health cover for an injury or sudden illness abroad, 24 hour emergency service and assistance and personal liability cover in case you are sued for causing injury or damaging property.

              Other things to consider when purchasing travel insurance are, what is the value of your lost and stolen possessions cover? What’s the maximum you can claim on a single piece of your inventory? Are you covered for cancellation and/or curtailment of your flight or ferry? Does your policy have extra cover for activities that are usually not included standard policies, such as jet skiing or adventure activities? Are there any financial insurances in case your carrier airline becomes bankrupt before or during your excursion abroad?

Socio-political Issues

              New Zealand is an extremely beautiful country. There is a low threat from terrorism and affords the chance to relax away from the high level of vigilance practised in the UK.

              There is recorded cases of petty crime, this is mostly pick-pocketing or taking goods from parked cars. Travel insurance is able to cover these loses, although with the application of common sense, they should be avoidable.

              Visitors from the UK are able to use the medical centres in New Zealand due to a mutual agreement between the governments of the UK and New Zealand. There are some conditions attached but for the majority there is no problems encountered.

              As mentioned previously, in New Zealand the rule of the road is drive on the left. Motor insurance, however, is not a legal requirement in New Zealand. Therefore, even though the UK has a reciprocal Healthcare Agreement with New Zealand, private accident insurance is recommended. This is because New Zealand law has removed the right of the accident victims to sue a third party in the event of an accident. Instead of the claim, the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) helps pay for your care if you are injured as the result of an accident. However, the ACC only covers the cost of treatment in New Zealand and unfortunately delayed travel or loss of income in a third country is not covered.

Specific Insurances

There are magnificent beaches and these offer the usual range of beach activities; surfing, SCUBA diving, paragliding etc. Please make sure that your travel insurance policy covers water sport activities before attempting these activities. Care must be taken however at beach destinations. Crime rates are lower than in the UK, it is advisable to not leave articles alone on a beach however. Travel insurance will replace lost goods and monies but it’s better to have not had them stolen.

              There are many adrenaline fuelled activities to be sampled. These include bungee-jumping, water boarding, white water rafting, climbing and caving. It is strongly recommended that your travel insurance covers adventure sports before embarking on such an adventure. Remember, if you have an accident in an activity not covered by your travel insurance, you cannot make a claim.

              Should you choose to take a helicopter or private plane tour, check that it is a licensed company with adequate insurance. Often your baggage and belongings are carried on at your own risk. If this is the case, then only take what you cannot afford to be without, such as travel sickness pills or asthma inhalers.

              Sadly there is not a British consulate on each island or even one on any of the smaller surrounding islands. The British Consulate can be reached at

The British Consulate

44 Hill StreetWellington 6011Mailing Address:P O Box 1812Wellington 6140

Telephone:

(+64) (4) 924 2888

You’re packed, but are you ready to go? Do you have absolutely everything that you will need for the next few months travelling around the globe? Here are a few things you really shouldn’t forget.

Before you leave home, in fact when you are in the planning stages of your trip you should get comprehensive backpacker-specific insurance. Many of the countries you will visit think health and safety is optional so you the responsibility of dealing with any accidents, illness or losses will fall heavily on your shoulders, so make sure you are prepared.

You may only ever need plasters and painkillers, but it’s essential that you take too many precautions when it comes to your health so keep a first aid kit in your hand luggage. You’re likely to suffer from ‘Delhi-belly’ and not just in India either, so keep re-hydration sachets and Imodium tablets to hand.

No doubt you’ll take a vast number of photos whilst you’re away; probably more than you can deal with and definitely more than you need. So instead of cropping and deleting on the move, periodically download them on to memory sticks and keep copies for yourself and send copies back home in the post.

You will avoid losing your image library and spending costly hours in Internet cafes painstakingly choosing which ones to save and which to discard. Save this job for the comfort of your bedroom back home.

Guard your passport with your life because it is the most valuable item you will take with you. However, be prepared and keep a photocopy in your hand luggage, stored separately from the original. It’s also worth keeping details of your flight connections and numbers to call if you’re bank cards are lost or stolen.

You may feel that taking a head torch is a little unnecessary and most definitely a ticket to loserville. However, this small, inexpensive piece of kit can come in very handy in a number of situations. From reading on a dark night bus to finding a safe route to the toilet on the campsite, you will be surprised just how useful a head torch can be.

Finally, carry your hand luggage in a rucksack not a handbag or shoulder bag. You will probably walking long distances, hiking through rainforest, and climbing mountains and a rucksack is far more practical than a handbag. Also, you can carry these over your shoulders on your front, which although looks a little geeky is the safest way to transport your passport and money.

There is no doubt that some of the most radical, gnarly, awesome, and far out adrenalins sports locations are outside the UK and unfortunate British enthusiasts are going to have to travel. Which isn’t to say that the locations and terrain we have here doesn’t have its charms, there is plenty to recommend it. But undoubtedly, for the really good waves and challenging routes it is necessary to book an airline ticket.

To give an example, the seas and oceans in which the Philippines sit contain possibly the best dive sites on the planet, it is a frequently acknowledged fact They offer unparalleled chances to see wide varieties of marine animals and the waters are crystal clear. Unfortunately the English Channel just can not compete.

Other activities cannot even be attempted here, such as skiing for example. The opportunities simply don’t exist. Fortunately the best slopes in the world aren’t very far away, and getting to the French Alps takes just a few hours by air. When the alternative is a dry ski-slope off the M62 motorway, it seems reasonable to get to the airport.

The problem (sometimes) with activities that get the adrenaline flowing is that they can be very risky. The fact is you can still break your leg on the artifical ski-slope just off the M62 motorway. So when taking on the most challenging areas of the world those risks are much greater.

If travelling abroad expressly to take part in adventurous sports, or even if they are just going to be a feature of an otherwise sedate beach holiday, appropriate travel insurance is necessary. Travel insurance is invaluable under normal circumstances and for fans of adventurous sports it can be a lifesaver.

Your bog-standard travel cover policy will exclude risky activities without a doubt. This has lead to insurers creating policies specially designed for adventure sports holidays. These packages are tailored to the risks involved in climbing a rockface without a rope or hurtling down a slippery surface on pieces of plastic.

Never go away without buying an appropriate policy that allows the activities you want to do. If you do get injured whilst mountain biking but your policy excludes mountain biking then the insurer is not going to pay for your medical treatment. Which means hefty hospital bills to add to the pain of that broken leg.

All insurance is based on risk, and so you will probably find that adventurous sports policies are more expensive than standard ones. This is understandable given that the risk involved is much greater. The fact that it is not only the risk of an accident that is higher, but the risk that it will be a serious one that means getting an adequate policy is of great importance. Other things apply to, such as the fact that you may have more money invested in your possessions overseas, such as skiing equipment or a mountain bike.