Fancy an Adventure on Holiday? Check Your Are Insured -

It’s very easy to try new experiences on holiday, as resorts, travel companies and hotels all have various optional extras on-site. But are you covered if things go wrong? It’s worth checking because (usually) the travel insurance policy you have DOES NOT cover you once you start trying a Paraglide ride in Turkey, or hiring a Vespa scooter to see Rome. Yep, even if you have 20 years experience on motorcycles and scooters you generally cannot hire anything over 50cc, without taking out extra insurance. That means your hospital bills aren’t covered and you have to hope a relative will bail you out, or set up a Go Fund Me to get home.

Not nice. Here’s the word from Saga;

New research by Saga Travel Insurance reveals a major knowledge gap among UK travellers, as adrenaline-fuelled holidays surge in popularity thanks to TikTok and travel trends.

Michelle Cooper, Director of Travel Insurance at Saga, warns that thrill-seeking without the right protection could leave holidaymakers footing bills worth thousands, even for activities that seem relatively low-risk.

TikTok made me do it: the rise of adrenaline holidays

As social media fuels a growing appetite for adventure, more Brits are booking adrenaline experiences spontaneously. A new TikTok trend analysis by Saga reveals global search interest for thrill-based travel has surged in the past 60 days, including:

‘Boat paragliding’ (+245%)
‘Skydive Peru’ (+101%)
‘Las Vegas helicopter ride’ (+78%)
‘Cappadocia air balloon’ (+58%)

But while these experiences make for unforgettable memories, most standard insurance policies exclude extreme or “non-standard” activities, and that can quickly turn thrills into bills.

Brits wrongly assume they’re covered or don’t check at all

Saga travel insurance surveyed 500 UK passport holding adults to understand Brits’ holiday habits and their knowledge of what their travel insurance policy covers.

48% don’t check if adventure activities are covered by their policy.
67% don’t check because they believe they’re not doing anything high-risk.
14% assumed all activities would automatically be covered.
Correctly, 36% identified quad biking as the activity most likely to be excluded.

Risk levels revealed: What your insurance might not cover

To help travellers understand the risks, Saga has ranked popular adrenaline activities into risk tiers, and reveals which may be covered by standard policies, which require extra precautions, and which are typically excluded altogether.

What your standard travel insurance usually covers (if professionally organised and supervised):

Activity	Risk Level	Notes
Banana boat rides	Low risk ‘tame’	Often covered
Hot air balloon rides*	Low risk ‘tame’	Covered but no personal accident or liability cover on balloon rides
Paddleboarding	Low risk ‘tame’	Covered
Scuba diving	Low risk ‘tame’	Coverage varies depending on the dive
Sleigh riding (passenger only)	Low risk ‘tame’	Covered
Ziplining (with safety gear)	Medium risk	Covered
Paintballing (sometimes)	Medium risk	Coverage varies
Jet skiing*	Medium risk	Covered with restrictions; no personal liability cover
Segway tours*	Medium risk	Covered only when part of an organised tour; no personal liability cover
Horse riding*	Medium risk	Only covered when there is no jumping involved; no personal liability cover

*Note: Some exclusions apply, e.g. no personal accident or liability cover on hot air balloon rides, jet skiing, Segway tours and horse riding. Always check your individual policy.

Activities often excluded from standard travel insurance, or only covered with additional protection:

Activity	Risk Level	Reason for Exclusions
Bouldering	Medium risk	Climbing without ropes; high potential for injury
E-bikes	Medium risk	Coverage varies; most rentals for individual use and dependant on user experience
Volcano hiking	Medium/High risk	Altitude risk; often excluded above 6,000m climbs
Skiing	Medium/High risk	Not covered as standard; typically requires Winter Sports add-on
Snowboarding	Medium/High risk	Not covered as standard; typically requires Winter Sports add-on
BMX stunt riding	High risk ‘extreme’	Considered a stunt sport; high potential for injury
Canyoning	High risk ‘extreme’	Extreme sport classification with frequent accidents
Paragliding	High risk ‘extreme’	High-risk airborne activity, special policy needed
Dune buggying	High risk ‘extreme’	Off-road driving with significant injury risk
Quad biking / ATV	High risk ‘extreme’	Leading cause of holiday injuries; often excluded
Skydiving	High risk ‘extreme’	Extreme risk; requires specialist cover

Michelle Cooper, Director of Travel Insurance at Saga, explains:

“Many travellers assume they’re automatically covered for everything on holiday, but the reality is more complex. Activities such as horse riding, jet-skiing or Segway tours are only covered under certain conditions, and most businesses that operate these activities will also require a signed disclaimer. Always check your policy, even seemingly tame excursions may be classed as high-risk or non-standard by insurers.

“Coverage can also depend on whether the operator is licensed and follows local safety rules. Booking an activity with an unregulated provider could invalidate your claim.

“We always recommend checking your policy’s activity list, especially if you’re booking excursions spontaneously while abroad. Some activities can be added for a small fee, while others may be excluded entirely.”

Three tips to avoid a holiday horror story

Michelle recommends doing the following, before booking or taking part in any thrill-seeking activity abroad:

Check your policy’s leisure and adventure activity list: Don’t assume an activity is included, even if it seems low-risk.
Ensure your activity provider is fully licensed and regulated: Unauthorised operators could invalidate your claim.
Add extra cover where needed: If you’re planning something and unsure whether you’re covered, talk to your insurer first, one-off additional protection may be available.