Adventure travel insurance

Adventure activities carry more risk of injury, lost gear or trip disruption than a standard holiday, so having cover in place matters more than usual.  

A fall while hiking or cycling, a wipeout while surfing or an equipment issue while scuba diving can mean unexpected medical bills, damaged gear and costs that can add up fast, especially overseas. 

RACV Travel Insurance includes most amateur sports and activities, such as surfing, hiking, cycling, mountain biking and scuba diving, at no extra cost.^#

Some activities, like abseiling or unlicensed scuba diving, come with specific conditions such as using a commercial operator. A few higher-risk pursuits, like mountaineering or motocross racing, aren't covered under any plan. Refer to the combined PDS/FSG to confirm where a specific activity sits before you purchase. 

Note that skiing and snowboarding aren’t covered by standard RACV Travel Insurance plans. To get cover, you’ll need to add the Ski & Snow Sports add-on during the quote process (available on select plans).

Most amateur water sports are covered by travel insurance, though the level of cover often depends on the activity's risk level and whether it's done recreationally or competitively.  

With RACV Travel Insurance, water sports generally fall into one of three categories:

Automatically covered

• Surfing
• Swimming
• Snorkelling 
• Scuba diving (licenced) 

Conditionally covered (must be run by a commercial operator and be open to the public, not be extreme risk or require special skills or a high fitness level) 

• Scuba diving (unlicenced)
• Breathing observation 
• Bubble diving
• Canoeing, kayaking and whitewater rafting (grade 3 and 4 rapids)
• Cave tubing
• Coasteering
• Jet boating 
• Parasailing
• Tubing
• Sailing or boating trips of one night or more 

Not covered 

• Open water sailing (more than 12 nautical miles from land)
• Canoeing, kayaking and whitewater rafting (grade 5 rapids and above) 

It's worth checking the full sports and activities list above for anything not named, since it may sit outside these examples.^# Refer to the combined PDS/FSG for full details.

If you’re unsure whether your planned adventure is covered, call RACV on 13 13 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8055 1642 (from overseas) to check. 

Hiking and trekking are covered by most travel insurance policies, though altitude and the type of terrain  determine how much cover applies. 

With RACV Travel Insurance, day hikes and treks on established paths up to a max height of 3,000 metres above sea level are automatically covered.^# Other activities can be covered if they meet certain conditions, while others can’t be covered at all. 

Conditionally covered (must be run by a commercial operator and be open to the public, not be extreme risk or require special skills or a high fitness level) 

• Trekking up to 3,000m that's off-path or needs specialist equipment 
• Canyoning 
• Canopy walking 

Not covered 

• Trekking or hiking above 3,000m 
• Mountaineering or rock-climbing using ropes or climbing equipment (other than for hiking) 

If you’re unsure whether your planned adventure is covered, call RACV on 13 13 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8055 1642 (from overseas) to check. 

Note that medical expenses related to altitude sickness may be covered if the activity itself is included under the policy and the insured meets the eligibility criteria. Refer to the combined PDS/FSG for full details.

Amateur cycling and mountain biking are generally covered by travel insurance, though whether that cover is automatic or comes with certain conditions depends on the altitude and type of biking involved. 

With RACV Travel Insurance, road cycling and mountain biking up to 3,000m above sea level are covered automatically.^# 

The following cycling activities can’t be covered: 

• Mountain biking above 3,000m 
• Professional cycling 
• Racing or timed events 
• Motocross 
• Freestyle BMX 

If you’re unsure whether your planned adventure is covered, call RACV on 13 13 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8055 1642 (from overseas) to check. Refer to the combined PDS/FSG for more details.

Extreme sports are generally excluded from standard travel insurance, since they carry a much greater chance of injury than everyday recreational activities.  

Extreme sports not covered under any RACV Travel Insurance plan include: 

• Parachuting, sky diving or base jumping 
• Hang gliding or paragliding 
• Heli-skiing, aerobatic skiing or bobsleighing 
• Mountaineering or rock climbing using ropes or climbing equipment (other than for hiking) 
• Motocross and freestyle BMX 
• Professional or timed sporting events (other than on foot) 
• Running with the bulls and similar events 
• Rodeo activities 
• Open water sailing 
• Canoeing, kayaking or whitewater rafting (grade 5 rapids and above) 

Some adventure activities that might sound extreme, such as bungee jumping, canyoning or abseiling, are conditionally covered, provided they're run by a commercial operator, open to the public, and don't require special skills or a high level of fitness.^#  

If you’re unsure whether your planned adventure is covered, call RACV on 13 13 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8055 1642 (from overseas) to check. 

Amateur bungee jumping is generally covered by travel insurance, though it usually comes with more conditions attached than lower-risk activities. 

Under RACV Travel Insurance, bungee jumping is conditionally covered^#, provided it's: 

• Run by a commercial operator 
• Available to the general public 
• Not classified as extreme risk; and 
• Able to be done without special skills, training or a high level of fitness. 

A casual jump booked through a recognised operator at a public site would typically meet these conditions. Anything beyond that, such as a custom or unusually high jump, or one requiring specialist skill, may fall outside standard cover.  

If you’re unsure whether your planned adventure is covered, call RACV on 13 13 29 (within Australia) or +61 2 8055 1642 (from overseas) to check. Refer to the combined PDS/FSG for more details.

Travel insurance generally covers injuries sustained while playing sport, provided the activity itself is included under the policy and reasonable care was taken. Cover typically extends to overseas medical treatment, hospital costs and related expenses, though professional sport and high-risk activities are commonly excluded or handled differently. 

Under RACV Travel Insurance, injuries from most amateur sports and activities are covered with $unlimited overseas medical and hospital cover on all international plans.^# This applies as long as the activity itself is either automatically included or meets the conditions for higher-risk activities.  

Injuries from excluded activities such as extreme sports or from professional competition or racing aren't covered. It's important to check the sports and activities list in the combined PDS/FSG to confirm a specific activity is included before relying on cover.