No matter where your ski travel adventure may take place–New England or Alps–the best ski travel insurance policies will keep your trip on schedule and offer coverage for winter sports equipment and clothing as well as benefits such as medical evacuation and trip cancellation/interruption coverage.
Some plans also provide coverage for rental equipment in case it is stolen, lost, or damaged.
1. Travel Guard
Travel Guard provides customized plans tailored specifically for ski and snowboard trips, offering comprehensive medical, trip cancellation and rental car damage protection benefits as well as baggage allowance increases for sporting equipment brought along – something most skiers bring along anyway! Additionally, these policies often cover replacing lost or stolen gear; so for example if your Oakley sunglasses were stolen while skiing they may reimburse the cost of new glasses to replace them!
Travel insurance policies provide essential protection for your investment when planning ski trips in either the United States or The Alps, including trip cancellation and interruption coverage that reimburses nonrefundable expenses incurred if your plans change, trip interruption coverage that covers prepaid but nonrefundable costs, medical evacuation benefits that transport injured travellers directly to hospitals as well as back home when necessary, trip cancellation coverage that reimburses for nonrefundable costs should a cancellation happen, medical evacuation benefits that transport injured parties back home if injured and more.
No matter your experience level, injuries on the slopes are a real possibility, and can be costly. A medical evacuation benefit could prove invaluable in covering costs related to air ambulance transportation to hospital and return.
Ski travel insurance policies come as add-ons or as special Cancel for Any Reason policies; although these latter options tend to be more expensive, they provide greater flexibility.
2. Allianz Global Assistance
Skiing and snowboarding can be enjoyable activities that come with some inherent risks, which can be mitigated with sports coverage. Selecting a policy with ski-specific protection ensures your vacation will be secure from equipment malfunction, trip cancellation and medical emergencies.
Ski and snowboard travel insurance policies typically offer benefits like medical evacuation, trip interruption coverage and rental reimbursement, plus higher baggage limits since most people will travel with their own gear.
Ski and snowboard policies typically cover lost or stolen gear. Furthermore, most plans also offer 24-hour emergency assistance services which can assist with issues like providing destination information, making travel arrangements, helping with emergency evacuations or finding lost passports.
Allianz Global Assistance provides an assortment of specialized ski and snowboard travel insurance plans. OneTrip Basic stands out among them by providing high-level coverage at a reasonable cost; it covers up to $100,000 of nonrefundable travel costs (prepaid flights, hotel stays and rental car costs are covered as well as cancellation provisions allowing cancellation due to unexpected circumstances.) Additionally, Allianz provides Cancel for Any Reason benefits that allow cancellation if unforeseen events arise that would prevent travel plans from proceeding as scheduled.
The OneTrip Basic plan features a 15-day review period, meaning you can receive a full refund if your mind changes within 15 days after purchasing a policy. Furthermore, Allianz Global Assistance’s convenient online portal makes filing claims easier as well as amending and increasing trip coverage limits to give added peace of mind.
3. Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection offers ski insurance vacation plans with high medical coverage limits and add-ons for rental car protection and pre-existing condition waivers, plus rental car coverage and pre-existing condition waivers, with several plans like ExactCare Value, LuxuryCare, and CFAR policies available. They have more coverage options than some providers on Squaremouth but their plan doesn’t cover certain key aspects like missed flight connections and off-piste skiing.
Most ski travel insurance policies cover nonrefundable expenses such as flights, hotels and equipment rentals if your trip must be unexpectedly cancelled. Some policies also offer emergency evacuation coverage in case you become injured on the slopes and need medical evacuation by helicopter.
Ski travel insurance also comes with additional advantages that cover additional hotel nights and meals if your trip is delayed due to bad weather or mechanical problems. This feature can come in especially handy when planning a long ski weekend or family vacation as this could prevent financial strain from inclement weather or unexpected events from ruining the fun!
Although all these companies are highly-rated by both the Better Business Bureau and many travelers, each may offer slightly different coverage. You may find some offer additional benefits or lower premiums; regardless, you can rest assured knowing you will receive quality service and great coverage regardless of who you choose.
4. Medjet
Travel insurance plans tailored specifically to skiing trips provide essential protection when visiting snowsport destinations, from medical expenses and lost gear coverage, cancellation/interruption reimbursement, to theft/loss protection of skiing/snowboarding equipment being transported via carriers.
Ski travel insurance plans can be found from providers like Allianz, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, Squaremouth and Medjet. Various plans from these travel insurers provide travelers with protection should their vacation be interrupted due to illness, bad weather or unexpected jury duty – or acts of terrorism!
Planned ski trips should purchase ski travel insurance that offers level 3 snow sports coverage. This coverage allows travelers to be reimbursed up to 75% if their equipment is lost or stolen while being checked with carriers, as well as purchasing plans with baggage loss and delay coverage.
Individuals who purchase ski travel insurance plans with level 3 snow sports coverage should be mindful of engaging in any extreme activities, such as heli-skiing, without first consulting their insurer. Heli-skiing falls outside the standard policy’s coverage and could result in denied medical claims or ineligible evacuation in certain instances.
5. Global Rescue
Skiing presents a greater risk than most vacations; to reduce this risk, ski trips require careful lessons and skill training, smart terrain selection, measured pace of advancement, protective gear use and travel insurance designed specifically for skiing/snowboarding trips. Travel insurance designed specifically to cover these types of trips may provide useful support should unexpected medical expenses, trip cancellations or interruptions, equipment theft/loss occur during their holiday trip.
Specialized travel insurance designed specifically for ski vacations typically offers emergency medical evacuation coverage as well as extra benefits like high altitude evacuation and terrorism protection. This coverage helps cover the cost of transporting patients out of remote locations (field rescue) to hospitals or homes for treatment; lost/stolen lift tickets/equipment coverage; as well as reimburse for prepaid expenses when unplanned events such as weather or avalanches disrupt your plans.
Skiing and snowboarding vacations require special planning to make them enjoyable experiences, which is why both Global Rescue and Medjet provide non-insurance memberships that could better suit your needs. Their memberships provide field rescue and medical evacuation services, medical advisory and intelligence information, destination reports and alerts and transportation back home (hospital repatriation). There are single trip, annual family plans available as well as security assistance and support plans suited for adults 65+, students and families of any size.
Global Rescue is one of the few providers who offers Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage for ski and adventure trips. This coverage allows travellers to cancel up until one day prior to departure for a full refund of pre-paid, nonrefundable expenses. CFAR coverage is included on all Signature PLUS policies with Global Rescue; short term policies may also add this coverage option.
