Adventure holidays are exciting and fun. They can also be dangerous, and not just in terms of injuries. They can do a lot of damage to your finances, if you’re not fully covered for costs to deal with any problems. A simple accident can cost thousands of dollars. A major accident can cost a lot more. The best and most efficient way to cover yourself is with the best travel insurance.

Bizarre as it might seem, many people go on adventure and skiing holidays without any insurance at all. That’s really not safe. The UK has recently issued a warning to people going skiing in Europe that lack of travel insurance cover can get people into serious trouble. With the warning came some truly horrific costs for basic things like evacuation and medical treatment, costing huge amounts of money.

The fact is that accidents are also litigation risks. Few parks or resorts will want to take any responsibility for accidents which might cost millions and could send them broke. A hike through the Rockies is an exhilarating experience, but if you happen to fall off a mountain or get hurt while white water rafting, the excitement is likely to come from bills with large numbers on them. Charity will have to begin at home, with your travel insurance covering your financial interests.

To give some idea of the possible issues in adventure holidays, here are some of the possible costs of getting lost and injured in a national park:

• Search and rescue
• Evacuation and/or airlift
• Medical procedures and related costs
• Hospital bed costs
• Medication
• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation

You’re looking at a rough $50,000 for a relatively minor injury. That can put quite a dent in the budget, and it can also put you at risk of legal proceedings to recover costs. That’s where your travel insurance comes to the rescue, in the most literal sense of the word.

Getting the right travel insurance

Adventure holidays do have at least one advantage- The people running them know where to get the right insurance. They will advise you in the most unambiguous terms to ensure that you have the right travel insurance, and many adventure holiday operators won’t even let you start your trip until you do have insurance. That’s not only ethical, it’s extremely practical, and it’s saved many travelers some serious grief after accidents.

Extremely important- Never underestimate the risks of these adventure trips. They’re huge fun, and they really are exciting, but if you’re traveling down a raging river and hit every rock in it, you’ll have more problems than you’ve ever seen before. Do not take stupid risks with your financial health. You can get very good cover with a few clicks, and you can also get excellent advice from everyone in the travel industry, particularly tour operators, travel agents and your insurance consultant about how much and what sort of cover you need.

Think of your insurance like a survivalist- Stay alert and aware of the dangers. The rest is easy.