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Extreme sports and insurance

If you have a taste for danger, there has never been more opportunity for extreme sports. Whether you are bungee jumping, white-water rafting or scuba-diving, there are two golden rules: get proper insurance and don't tell your mum.

As a rule of thumb, you will find that most insurance policies do not cover you for sports. They may stretch to crown green bowls but it's worth reading the small print if you are even planning a game of tennis. Anything remotely likely to land you in hospital or a coffin will need additional cover or a specialist policy. It's not good thinking 'it wont happen to me' because that wont get you mended or flown home when you most need it.

As with all travel insurance, it is essential to shop around. The problem is that different insurers have different views about what is hazardous and what is not so you probably need to speak to a few and be very specific about your requirements. Having said that, it is now far easier to get quick cover for more popular sports such as skiing and scuba-diving but the prices can vary drastically so don't go for the first policy you find. But cost is not the only consideration. You will also need to check the small print before you sign up.

Some 'skiing' cover can have basic exclusions and for instance may not cover you off-piste or snowboarding. Likewise, scuba cover may only apply to a depth of 30 metres - because anything deeper increases your chances of decompression sickness - but others will restrict you to 15 metres and many will make exclusions about specialist diving in, say, caves.

Extreme measures

But it is not essential to head straight to specialist insurers. Most high street policies have similar limitations but will be happy to enhance their standard policies to include specific sports or activities. Depending on how many extras you need added, you then need to compare the cost of a cheap basic policy with top up cover for dangerous sport against a specialist policy.

'We all view travel insurance as the necessary, but boring and frequently expensive, aspect of travelling,' says Allan Burns of Tesco Personal Finance, one of the biggest providers of travel cover. 'By using efficient sales routes through Tesco stores we are able to pass on savings to our customers giving them more cash to spend on holiday,' he explains.

Pick up a Tesco policy in store and you may be surprised by what you can get up to. In addition to bowls, you can go cycling (excluding BMX and mountain biking), fell walking/rambling/trekking (up to 5449metres), horse riding (not jumping), ice skating (rink only), parascending, rafting/canoeing/kayaking (up to white water grade 3), snorkelling, surfing, swimming (in pool or inland or coastal waters within a 12 mile limit), tennis, waterskiing (only on inland or coastal waters within a 12 mile limit, excluding 3 rd party liability cover), windsurfing (only on inland or coastal waters within a 12 mile limit) and yachting/boating/sailing/rowing (only on inland or coastal waters within a 12 mile limit).

It may sound tame to include tennis on the list but consider the case of a man who snapped his Achillies tendon on the court and the shock of the pain caused him to fall and break his collarbone. As he was in the Maldives, he had to be taken by speedboat to the capital island for extensive treatment in hospital. Ouch.

Companies including Boots, Halifax and Direct Line can cover you for bungee jumping but may restrict the number of jumps. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the inclusion of one dangerous sport or activity means that other common ones are also likely to be covered. Boots Gap Year policy says bungee is in but abseiling is out. After a series of fatal accidents, many insurers are moving seemingly fun pursuits such as jet-skiing onto their exclusions list. Columbus Direct gives you a huge list of activties - Zorbing anyone? - and lets you do a 'pick and mix' with your policy, showing you the price difference each added activity makes.

Most dangerous sports and activities can be appropriately rated for and covered with their tailored phone travel insurance but that relies on you knowing what you are going to be doing prior to your departure. The alternative is to top up at your destination but be prepared for this to be expensive so it is almost always better to get cover at home if you can. If you decide to go down the specialist insurance route then start with sports associations which often have competitive deals and very clear information about the different levels of cover on offer.

Whatever you plan to do while you are away, don't scrimp on cover. If something should happen, insurance can give peace of mind that you will be looked after if friends and family aren't around to help.