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do-you-know-whether-your-travel-insurance-covers-popular-and-extreme-sports?

With travel restrictions finally easing up, are you thinking of rewarding yourself after the past few years of hard work and taking a trip to anywhere in the world? Whether you are crossing the border to JB, hopping on a ferry to Bintan, or flying in the skies to visit a country further away from our sunny abode, one thing is of greatest priority – your safety. And this is especially important if you are an adrenaline junkie and adventurer at heart. Do any travel insurance plans offer you the protection and coverage you need while partaking in these thrilling and adventurous activities? Some certainly do.

Plane taking off at the airport

With travel restrictions finally easing up, are you thinking of rewarding yourself after the past few years of hard work and taking a trip to anywhere in the world? Whether you are crossing the border to JB, hopping on a ferry to Bintan, or flying in the skies to visit a country further away from our sunny abode, one thing is of greatest priority – your safety. And this is especially important if you are an adrenaline junkie and adventurer at heart. Do any travel insurance plans offer you the protection and coverage you need while partaking in these thrilling and adventurous activities? Some certainly do.

What Kind Of Activities Are Covered By Travel Insurance?

1. Popular Activities

Hikers on a mountain

Let’s admit it, in the great wilderness abroad, there are so many fun things to do and amazing sights to behold – it would be a waste not to go ahead and explore. More importantly, there are just so many adventures to embark on, and everything always seems more thrilling and fun when you’re not in Singapore. If you are travelling overseas to look for these activities that can only be partaken there, due to their huge areas and natural capacities, you may want to find a travel insurance plan that gives you the necessary protection.

Travel Insurance

Tiq Savvy FWD Business Direct Asia 200
Hiking/Trekking Covered up to 3,000m Hiking/Trekking Covered up to 3,000m Hiking/Trekking Covered up to 1,500m or 4,000m (extra cost)
Hot Air Balloon Hot Air Balloon Hot Air Balloon
Hang Gliding Skiing Hang Gliding
Paragliding Snowboarding Kayaking
Parachuting Scuba Diving Rock Climbing
Scuba Diving (Above 30 metres) Rafting
Golfing

2. Sports Equipment Coverage

White golf ball on the grass

Due to the limited land and size capacity in Singapore, some sports and activities are not quite feasible for dwellers of our sunny island. Hence, for lovers of sports such as water sports and golf, travelling overseas to participate in them would be the most ideal and provide you with a great deal of fun and enjoyment. However, for such activities, there are factors to consider, such as the rental of recreational facilities and equipment, as well as the possibility of damages. Travel insurers even provide unique and catered packages such as the ‘Hole-in-1’ insurance coverage, something that probably only the avid golfers would know. Below, we have tables illustrating some insurers who provide coverage for water sports and golf, and you could consider buying insurance plans from these insurers.

Water Sports Equipment Coverage

Tiq Savvy FWD Business Direct Asia 200
Water Sports Baggage Damage S$5,000 S$5,000 S$3,000
Water Sports Rental Equipment N/A S$100/day (extra cost) S$100/day (extra cost)

Golf Equipment And Green Coverage

Singlife with Aviva Plus FWD Business MSIG Elite
Golf Equipment S$2,000 S$2,000 S$1,000
Golf Rentals S$100/day S$500 N/A
Golf Unused Fee N/A S$500 S$500
Golf Hole-In-1 N/A S$1,000 S$500

3. Extreme Activities

3 parachuters in the sky

Is trekking too boring for you? Or is taking a hot air balloon too slow for you? For the thrill-seekers who want to travel overseas to get their heart rate and adrenaline pumping, you would be relieved to find out that these extreme activities are also not out of bounds for some travel insurers. You will be able to hop on your bungee jump or skydive in the clear blue skies without a worry on your mind, with these travel plans having your back.

Travel Insurance

Tiq Savvy FWD Business Direct Asia 200
Skydiving or Bungee Jumping Covered Covered Covered
Mountaineering Covered Covered Not Covered

Going Abroad? Check Out These Travel Insurance Plans For You

With travel being the talk of town now and with airports filling up with crowds once again, you may be filled with the temptation to take a well-deserved vacation with your family and friends. But wait, don’t forget the #1 travel essential – travel insurance! If you are going overseas soon and are looking for affordable travel coverage and a good-value insurance plan, we’ve got some top picks for you below!

Or, if you would like to view even more travel insurance plans that cater to your needs, feel free to browse Best Travel Insurance Singapore for even more options to choose from!

Best For The Adventurous At Heart

1. MSIG TravelEasy

  • Consider this if you often go on family vacations and are shopping based on coverage rather than price
  • Promotion:
  • Read our full review

Standard Elite Premier
1-Week Global Trip Premium S$ S$ S$
Annual Family ASEAN Premium S$ S$ S$
Trip Cancellation S$5,000 S$10,000 S$15,000
Baggage Loss/Damage S$3,000 S$5,000 S$7,500
Overseas Medical Expenses S$250,000 S$500,000 S$1,000,000

If you tend to go on vacation with your family often, MSIG’s travel insurance plans can offer you some of the highest levels of coverage available. The current promotion of 50% off for Single Trip plans and 20% off for Annual Plans create premiums that are around 15-30% below average for single trip plans and 10-15% below average for annual plans. Though it’s not the most competitively priced insurer, MSIG offers many family-friendly benefits such as cover for adventurous activities, haze-related events, unused entertainment tickets (to theme parks, performances, concerts and sporting events) and even your domestic worker’s belongings. These benefits are in addition to the above market average standard trip inconvenience and medical benefits, so you can be sure that your family will be receiving quite extensive coverage for maximum peace of mind.

MSIG TravelEasy has 3 tiers of travel insurance plans, namely – Standard, Elite and Premier. The 3 tiers offer differing sums of coverage and protection, depending on the premiums paid, as well as the level of activities the insured will embark on.

For the thrill-seekers, MSIG TravelEasy’s Elite and Premier Plans provide an Adventurous Activities Cover, where benefits will be paid out if the insured suffers from an accident or death while participating in a myriad of activities such as bungee jumping, mountaineering or white-water rafting, whilst adhering to all guidelines and regulations. This makes MSIG’s plans suitable for those who are travelling for a little adventure, all while getting insured and protected at the same time.

Other interesting covers include Golfer’s Cover and Unused Entertainment Ticket, highlighting the MSIG TravelEasy insurance plans’ suitability for the young adults and young at heart, who travel overseas to partake in these fun and niche hobbies, whilst receiving protection from the travel insurance policies.

If you are planning to visit Japan which is slowly opening up its doors to tourists, you may also consider MSIG as their policies are comprehensive and have wide coverage.

To enter Japan, here are some things you would need to have on hand:

  1. Negative PCR test result, taken within 72 hours pre-flight
  2. Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS) certificate
  3. Approved Visa
  4. Travel Insurance

You’d be all ready for your trip with all these essentials with you!

Read More: MSIG Travel Insurance: What’s the Deal?

2. HL Assurance

  • Consider this if you are looking to for cheap coverage for global destinations and hotel or rental car perks
  • Promotion:
  • Read our full review

Basic Plan Enhanced Plan Superior Plan
1-Week Global Trip Premium S$ S$ S$
Annual Asia (inc. ASEAN) Premium S$ S$ S$
Trip Cancellation S$5,000 S$7,000 S$12,000
Baggage Loss/Damage S$3,000 S$5,000 S$7,000
Overseas Medical Expenses S$150,000 S$250,000 S$500,000

If you are looking to travel outside of the ASEAN region, HL Assurance’s travel insurance plans are great for the budget global traveller. The 60% off Single Trip plan and 50% off Annual Trip plan promotion makes the HLAS Enhanced Plan’s premiums 42% below average for global trips. However, while coverage isn’t the highest compared to its more expensive peers, it does provide robust trip inconvenience and medical coverage compared to plans in a similar price point. For example, there is coverage for lost items, trip curtailment, postponement, cancellation and delays, as well as rental car excess (the excess you owe if you get into a car accident abroad), medical expenses and hospital cash benefit both abroad and back in Singapore.

Other promotional perks that certain consumers may find useful is its S$50 hotel booking voucher for the Single trip plan (for its first 2,000 customers) and 10% off car rental for its annual plan. You can redeem the the voucher through the Changi Recommends website and the car rental discount is redeemable through Hertz.

The travel insurance plans offered by HL Assurance: Basic, Enhanced, Superior and Premier all offer good utility and value for the prices of their premiums.

HL Assurance’s travel insurance offers various perks such as golf benefits and coverage, but has exclusions on many other adventurous sports, hence it may not be the most suitable for adrenaline junkies.

However, the policies offer No Claims Discount (NCD), so if you are a loyal customer of HL Assurance’s travel insurance plans, this would pay off well for you. If you do not make any claims from your current travel insurance policy, you can stand to enjoy a 10% discount off your subsequent travel insurance plan, on top of any other ongoing promotions.

HL Assurance’s travel insurance plans also have very comprehensive Covid-19 coverage, as they also provide a quarantine allowance should you be quarantined overseas. More importantly, HL Assurance allows customers to connect with EMA Global, their 24/7 Covid-19 Travel Concierge, so you can still engage in communication with regional alarm centres and customer support whilst being overseas. This would bring great peace of mind for many travellers going abroad.

Read More: HL Assurance Travel Insurance: What Are Its Strengths?

Conclusion

There are many travel insurance plans out there that cater to all sorts of avid travellers. Whether you are a frequent flyer, a thrill-seeker, or seeking a peaceful and relaxing recharge, travel insurance is always a priority to ensure that you are able to take a vacation with a peace of mind assured. Travel insurance offered by the various insurance providers in Singapore offer a myriad of features and benefits, and choosing the right one for you and your family, tailored for your trip and personal preferences, could give you the maximum coverage and protection you deserve.

The article Do You Know Whether Your Travel Insurance Covers Popular and Extreme Sports? originally appeared on ValueChampion.

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