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Best travel insurance for adventure travellers - Providers, coverage and more
Life is filled with adventures to be had! Whether you’re headed off on a multi-day motorcycle ride, scuba diving coral reefs, or carving up the slopes in Japan, it’s best to make sure you’re protected by the right travel insurance.
In this guide we’re going to explore adventure travel insurance, what it includes and what it doesn’t, and share with you some top providers in New Zealand. We’ll also touch on Wise, a handy travel companion to save on foreign transaction fees for when you're abroad.
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What is adventure travel insurance?
Adventure insurance is a subtype of travel insurance that’s designed to offer coverage to people heading overseas to take part in high risk activities. It goes beyond what normal travel insurance would cover, often including things like scuba diving, mountain biking, snowboarding and motorcycle riding.
Adventure insurance is usually offered as an add-on to a normal policy, including snow sports, adventure sports, motorcycle and scooter riding.
Is adventure travel insurance necessary?
Whether or not adventure travel insurance is needed depends on your plans. If you’re intending to relax or take part in some calmer activities like cooking classes, cultural tours and beach trips, you’re probably fine with normal insurance. But, if you’re doing anything on snow, under the water, at a high altitude, or more action packed, then it’s worth looking into adventure travel insurance.
Here’s some things to think about when deciding whether to get it.
- What activities do the insurance policies you’re considering cover as standard?
- Are you planning to do the activities independently or with a guide?
- What level of medical coverage is included, should you get hurt?
- Are there exclusions like licensing, location, speed or depth that are relevant to your plans?
- If you’re bringing equipment with you, is it covered for damage or loss?
What activities are covered by travel insurance?
Most comprehensive international travel insurance policies cover a list of activities as standard. It can be found in the policy words, and usually includes:²
- Cycling or go-karting with a helmet
- Fishing within 2 nautical miles of land
- Jet boating supervised and with a commercial operator
- White water rafting up to grade 3
- Shark cage diving under supervision
- Snorkelling recreationally
As you can see even many of the automatically included activities have caveats on them for coverage to be offered. This shows why it is very important to read the policy wording carefully if you're planning any type of adventure activity during your trip.
Adventure coverage add-ons
If you choose to expand the normal comprehensive coverage by buying a travel insurance adventure activities add on, these are some of the activities that may then be covered.²
- White water rafting up to grade 5
- River tubing as part of an organised tour
- Jet skiing supervised and with a commercial operator
- Riding E-bikes or e-scooters with a helmet
- Tandem skydiving with a licenced instructor
- Zip lining with a licensed commercial operator
There are some extreme activities that most travel insurers exclude, offering no way to get coverage. Common exclusions are:
- Solo skydiving
- Competitive or professional participation in sports
- Racing
- Unlicensed motorcycle riding
- Running with bulls
- Parkour
Best adventure sports travel insurance comparison
To aid in your search for adventure sports travel insurance, here are five companies that offer comprehensive international policies in New Zealand. All plans mentioned include unlimited overseas medical coverage and emergency repatriation or evacuation.
| Insurance Providers | Covers standard activities | Add ons available |
|---|---|---|
| World Nomads¹ - Explorer Plan | Yes |
|
| 1Cover² - Comprehensive / Overseas Frequent Traveller | Yes |
|
| Cover-More³ - Comprehensive Plan | Yes |
|
| Southern Cross⁴ - International Comprehensive | No |
|
| Zoom⁵ - Comprehensive | Yes |
|
Now let’s look at each provider and what they offer in a little more detail.
World Nomads
The coverage for adventure activities at World Nomads is broken into three levels.¹ Adventure Sports & Activities Level 1 is automatically included in the basic Standard Plan and comprehensive Explorer Plan. Adventure Sports & Activities Level 2 and Level 3 are optional add ons.
Here’s a few of the adventure and snow activities that can be covered in each tier.
| Coverage type | Coverage details |
|---|---|
| 1 (Included) |
|
| 2 (Add on) |
|
| 3 (Add on) |
|
Things that are never covered include bull riding, cave diving, cliff diving and freediving.
1Cover
Like most insurers, 1Cover separates adventure activities and snow activities into two separate packs.² Looking at the Adventure & Sports Pack, it’s available to people aged 69 or under who’re doing the activities at an amateur level.
Below are some of the activities that are automatically covered, and that require the add on.
| Coverage type | Coverage details |
|---|---|
| Included |
|
| Adventure & Sports Pack |
|
Cover-More
Cover-More separates snow sports, adventure activities and motorcycling into six add-on packs, with two tiers of coverage.³ For adventure cover there’s the Adventure Pack and more comprehensive Adventure+ Pack.
Here’s some of what’s covered on each level.
| Coverage type | Coverage details |
|---|---|
| Included |
|
| Adventure Pack |
|
| Adventure+ Pack |
|
🌎 You can also learn more about the Wise card, an easy way to stretch your NZD when spending overseas.
Southern Cross
Southern Cross have add-on packs for snow sports and motorcycling, but when it comes to adventure activities they take the opposite approach to many providers.⁴ Rather than listing what's included, they focus on what's excluded and then any exceptions to those exclusions.
Specifically, they won't cover activities where you don't follow safety instructions, physical contact during a contact sport, BASE jumping, or skydiving. However, even within these general areas, they make exceptions to cover activities like black and white water rafting or bungee jumping if conducted with a licensed operator, remote touring with a licensed organised tour, and scuba diving with a qualified instructor.
If you’re unsure whether the activities you have planned would be covered, you can always check with Southern Cross to get direct confirmation.
Zoom
Zoom has a list of automatically included activities and anything not on that list or part of a purchased add on isn’t covered.⁵ Like 1Cover, their policy specifically states the activities need to be done at an amateur level.
Here are some of the activities that Zoom can offer coverage for.
| Coverage type | Coverage details |
|---|---|
| Included |
|
| Adventure & Sports Pack |
|
Key things to check when buying add-ons
When it comes to buying cover for adventure activities, you need to read the fine print carefully. Here’s some things to look out for.
- Altitude and depth limits
- Maximum distances from the coast
- Restrictions on unguided activities
- Specific safety equipment that needs to be worn
- Licencing requirements for motorcycle riding, even as a passenger
- Trip interruption or cancellation if you were to get hurt
Emergency medical evacuation
One of the most important features of an adventure travel policy is emergency medical evacuation. If you’re injured while partaking in an activity you may need to be airlifted to a hospital or even flown back to New Zealand. Most comprehensive policies include it, but if the one you want doesn’t, consider buying stand alone medical evacuation as well.
Heading overseas? Bring the Wise card to stretch your NZD further with the mid-market exchange rate
Travelling with peace of mind starts with the right insurance. Once you’ve got your travel insurance lined up, it’s time to work out the best way to spend when you’re overseas. Meet the Wise card.
Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, add money in NZD right from your bank account, and switch to any of the supported 40+ currencies with the mid-market exchange rate. With no foreign transaction fees and one of the fairest exchange rates out there along with low, transparent fees, you’re usually getting the best value for your money. You’ll also be able to get a linked Wise card to use for contactless payments, add your card to a wallet like Apple Pay, or make up to 2 free ATM cash withdrawals per month to a combined value of 350 NZD.
Wherever your adventure, take the Wise card with you, and save up to 8x when you spend internationally.
Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected New Zealand banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more, please visit https://payout-surge.live/nz/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E%3Csmall%3E
Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
Sources used:
- World Nomads - Policy document
- 1Cover - Policy wording
- Cover-More - Policy wording
- Southern Cross - International Comprehensive
- Zoom - Policy wording
Sources last checked on date: 3 May 2025
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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