cycling travel health insurance

Cycle Touring Insurance: What You Need To Know and the 6 Best Insurance Providers

Finding a good travel insurance policy to cover you for a cycle tour is really important. The risks of cycling in foreign places are generally higher than cycling at home, and being stuck with a huge medical bill is something you really want to avoid.

And while it’s important to be covered for your trip, finding good cycle touring insurance can be a headache. A real headache.

Most travel insurance providers will only cover cycling if it’s incidental to your trip, i.e. if you hired a bike for a day during your two-week vacation, but not if the primary purpose of the trip is cycling. As you can see, cycle touring is not covered under these grounds.

Many travel insurance providers see cycle touring as an “extreme sport,” which means they usually won’t cover it in their policies. Cycle tourists, therefore, need to find a travel insurance policy that explicitly includes cycle touring as an activity. This can make the search for cycle touring insurance a little challenging.

In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about choosing a cycle touring insurance policy and show you 6 providers that I recommend.

Bicycle insurance vs cycle touring insurance

Remember when I said that finding good cycle touring insurance can be a real headache? Well, one of these headaches is that most travel insurance policies won’t cover the theft of your bicycle. This is because bicycle insurance and cycle touring insurance are, unfortunately, two different things.

Bicycle insurance covers theft, damage and vandalism to your bicycle .

Cycle touring insurance is travel insurance that will cover you for medical expenses, personal liability etc while you are cycling abroad.

Most insurance providers will either protect you or your bicycle, but very few will protect both under one policy. Those that do usually only cover a bike worth £1,000 or less. If this is you, then great! But if you’re the proud owner of a £1,000+ touring bike, this might not be good enough.

SportsCover Direct is the only provider I’ve been able to find that will allow you to add over £1,000 of equipment cover onto your travel insurance policy. They allow a whopping £5,600 of sporting equipment (bikes included) to be added to your plan, but you will pay through the nose for this.

If you want your bicycle to be covered as well as yourself, and don’t want to spend a small fortune on insurance, you’ll likely need to take out two separate policies: 1) Travel insurance to cover you for medical expenses etc while cycling. 2) Bicycle insurance to cover your bike against theft and vandalism.

If you own an expensive touring bike, you probably already have insurance for it. Just check that this insurance covers you in the countries you’ll be visiting and allows for cycle touring as an activity. You’ll also want to check if the insurance will still cover theft of the bike if it were to be taken from, say, a campsite or while it’s locked up outside a shop.

Luckily for me, my bike is not worth much in terms of actual money, so I don’t bother insuring it while I tour.

What you need to know when choosing cycle touring insurance

What doesn’t insurance cover.

Cycle touring insurance is unlikely to cover accidents that happen if:

• You are under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• You are not wearing a helmet
• You are cycling recklessly or unlawfully, such as passing through a red light
• You crash on a path or road where cycling is prohibited
• You travel to countries against FCDO advice, e.g. Syria, Afghanistan

Make sure to read up on the small print to understand what might make any claims void.

Does the policy protect your bicycle as well as you?

As I mentioned previously, there are very few travel insurance policies that will cover the loss, theft or damage of an expensive bicycle. Those that do will usually only cover a bike up to the value of £1,000. If your bike is worth more than this, consider taking out a separate bicycle insurance policy to protect it.

How long will you be touring?

Some cycle touring insurance policies have a limit on how long they will cover you. For example, Snowcard will cover up to 60 days of cycling touring only.

6 best cycle touring insurance providers

Below are my recommendations for some of the best cycle touring insurance providers. I’ll give an overview of each insurance policy and detail what it covers, as well as the quote I received for 3 months touring in Europe and 12 months touring worldwide to give you an idea of costs. (As a 28-year-old with no pre-existing medical conditions).

Note: The information provided below is accurate as of July 2023. Policy details and prices are likely to change; make sure to check the terms to ensure you’re covered for what you need.

1) World Nomads

I’ve used World Nomads extensively over the last decade, as their flexibility and great customer service have always made them an excellent choice. Their policy is available to residents from 130+ countries, covers over 200 adventure activities (including cycle touring), and can be extended indefinitely. The only caveat is that they do not cover personal liability for cycle touring. This is why I stopped using them for cycle touring trips, but the choice is, of course, yours.

You can read World Nomads’ policy on cycling-related travel here , but essentially, you’ll need to select the ‘cycling – level 2 – independent cycle touring’  add-on when buying your policy. World Nomads do not cover intercontinental cycle touring, but they are a good choice for a tour of any length that’ll be taking place on a single continent.

For 3 months touring in Europe, I was quoted £261. For 12 months touring worldwide, I was quoted £1,073.

2) Adventures Cover

The policy offered by Adventures Cover is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive and best-value option out there for cycle tours of 6 months or less. They offer a generous cover of £10 million in medical expenses, £2 million in personal liability and up to £1,000 for activity equipment. Just make sure to add ‘cycle touring’ from the activity options when buying your policy.

I was quoted £155 for 3 months touring in Europe and £605 for 6 months touring worldwide.

3) Big Cat Travel Insurance

Big Cat Travel Insurance prides itself on “whatever you’re doing, we’ve got you covered” and offers specialist travel insurance for backpacking, winter sports and extreme activities. When buying their policy, you can “add on” a range of different things to tailor the plan to your needs.

You must ensure you select the ‘activity pack’ when choosing your add-ons, otherwise, cycle touring will not be covered. You can also choose the ‘gadgets and valuables’ add-on to cover your bicycle against theft, loss and damage up to a value of £1,000.

For 3 months in Europe, I was quoted £84 on the Standard Plan with the “activity pack” add-on included. With “gadgets and valuables” added also to this, the total came to £140. For a 12-month worldwide trip, I was quoted £563 on the Standard Plan with the “activity pack” add-on included. With “gadgets and valuables” added to this, the total came to £733.

4) Yellow Jersey

Yellow Jersey are a UK-based insurance company designed specifically for cyclists. They offer policies for both bicycles AND for cycle travel. Their policies will cover you for up to 120 days.

Under their cycle travel policy , you’ll get £10 million in medical expenses and £2 million in personal liability. You’ll also get some great cycling-related benefits such as a £200 bike breakdown benefit, £250 cycle repatriation benefit and £2,000 gadget cover. If you’d like to add cover for your bicycle against theft, damage and vandalism as well, Yellow Jersey offers a separate bicycle insurance policy.

For a 30-day tour in Europe, I was quoted £99. For a 120-day worldwide tour, I was quoted £363. If your tour will be more than 30 days, you’ll have to choose “annual multi-trip” and select the number of days your trip will be.

5) SportsCover Direct

Under SportsCover Direct’s policy, you’ll need to select ‘cycle touring’ as an activity to be covered. They offer a comprehensive £10 million in medical expenses and £2 million in personal liability under their Bronze Plan. For a 3-month tour in Europe, I was quoted £154. For a 12-month worldwide tour, I was quoted £612.

SportsCover Direct’s Gold Plan will also provide extensive cover for lost, damaged or stolen bikes and equipment. This plan allows you to choose the total amount of sports equipment you want to cover — up to an incredible £5,600. Bear in mind that it does make the policy very expensive when you add on, for example, a £2,100 bike.

6) Snowcard

Snowcard are a UK travel insurance provider that specialises in winter and adventure sports cover. They can cover up to 60 days of cycle touring, which includes £10 million in emergency medical and rescue insurance and £2 million in personal liability.

The cost of their insurance plan varies depending on whether you’ll be touring on tarmac roads or off-road tracks, so be sure to check their activities covered page to see which level of insurance you’ll need to take out.

For a 30-day tour in Europe on tarmac roads, I was quoted £53.17. For a 60-day tour in USA/Canada on off-road tracks, I was quoted £409.31.

And there we have it — everything you need to know about choosing a cycle touring insurance policy and 6 great providers to choose from. What’s your experience with insurance for touring? Why not drop any positive/negative reviews of providers in the comments below to help out the cycle touring community? 😊

About The Author

Lauren Pears is a freelance travel writer and blogger based in London. She writes about active adventure travel, aiming to encourage and inspire travellers to make the most of the great outdoors.

Thank you for reading! If you found this post useful, I’d be grateful if you would consider using the affiliate links below when planning your travels. I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This will help me to keep this blog running. Thanks for your support – Lauren. Hotels –  Booking.com Hostels –  Hostelworld Cheap flights –  Skyscanner Travel insurance –  World Nomads Outdoor gear –  Decathlon  /  GO Outdoors Cycling gear –  Chain Reaction Cycles Alternatively, you could buy me a coffee to say thanks!

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Very helpful…but not more me. I am a bit of an oddball because I am a British citizen but have no NHS ID in the UK and I live permanently in the Philippines. This last point means that these insurers won’t cover me. Also, I’m going to join a 12 day cycling endurance event (not a race) in Japan – The Japanese Odyssey. Again, this is a reason for excluding me. Nevermind, I’ll keep looking

After a year of being insured by SafetyWing, I realised they also specify in their policy that cycling and other sports need to be “incidental” to the trip. I verified with their customer service team and they confirmed: SafetyWing doesn’t cover bicycle touring, unfortunately…

Joanna, thank you so much for leaving this comment. I’ve just spoken with SafetyWing’s customer service team as well, and they have confirmed what you said. I’m quite shocked because I reached out to them when I first wrote this article and they told me it was covered. Perhaps the policy changed recently. Anyway, thanks again, I really appreciate it! I’ve removed them now 🙂

No worries 🙂 I don’t know when the policy changed but I was equally shocked as you 😉

There I was seeing the word “planet” and thinking this is about insurance for anyone on, well, the planet.

Not sure I follow? 😂

Only one of the six insurers, the last one, SportsCover Direct would insure me at the age of 72! And their website worked very well, all was understandable. Thanks

Hi Barry, thank you for letting me know about the age limits imposed by most insurers! That’s sad to hear, but I’m glad you were able to get a policy from SportsCover Direct. Have a great trip 🙂

Very helpful, thanks.

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Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Insurance: All You Need To Know (& Popular Insurers)

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This is a detailed post about understanding and choosing insurance for cycle touring and bikepacking trips, both short-term and long-term.

I do get a lot of questions on the topic of insurance for cycle tours, so this article is my attempt to answer all of them in one thoroughly researched, human-written, 100% AI-free post.

And this advice is for everyone looking to insure a cycle tour or bikepacking trip, whatever length, duration or destination you have in mind, and whether it’s your first ever bike trip or you’re just looking for up-to-date information about insurers who cover cycling as an activity while travelling.

Later on, I’ll make introductions to some of the insurance providers people are using right now for cycle touring and bikepacking trips. There is a slight bias towards UK-based insurers, as this is where most of my readers call home, but many of the companies listed below will insure residents of almost any country, so keep reading.

The Two Different Things People Mean By “Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Insurance”

We all see cycle touring and bikepacking through slightly different lenses. Which lens usually depends on where we came to cycle touring from – usually either a cycling background, or a travelling background. This affects how we think about the intersection of cycling, travel, and insurance.

Cyclists tend to think about insurance policies that’ll cover damage to or theft of their bicycles while they’re travelling with them.

Travellers tend to think about insurance policies that’ll insure a range of travel, medical and personal expenses while they’re riding a bike .

This is relevant because these are two totally different insurance products .

One is a special type of bicycle insurance policy.

The other is a special type of travel insurance policy.

Some bicycle insurance policies will also insure a rider for overseas medical expenses. And some travel insurance policies will also insure an expensive bicycle for damage or theft.

But in general, if you want to be covered for accidents and medical emergencies and your very expensive touring bike covered for damage or theft at the same time , it’s quite hard to achieve without buying two separate insurance policies – one for you, and another for your bike.

And if you’re looking to cover a long-term, multi-year worldwide bike trips, the unfortunate truth is that such policies are even harder to find .

Hard… but not impossible.

Bicycle Insurance Covering Overseas Travel

If you’re looking to get your bicycle insured against theft or damage abroad, what you will quickly find is that some such policies do exist, but that:

• they are usually limited to trips of a couple of months at most,
• they depend upon you using the same kind of security precautions as you would at home (namely locking the bike with a certified lock to an immovable object), and
• they’re expensive.

Given that, if you are looking for bicycle insurance for overseas tours of up to two or three months in duration, there are a couple of such options available:

1. ETA offer an annual  cycle insurance policy that covers bikes and accessories for up to 90 days abroad, up to a value of £5,000, including a new-for-old replacement policy and emergency cycle hire, leaving you free to arrange your personal travel insurance separately. In Europe, personal accident cover is also included (but not liability). This one is for UK residents only. Read the full details on their  website .

2. Yellow Jersey  is a provider of specialist bicycle and travel insurance, with cycle travel policy options covering loss, theft and damage of bicycles, luggage and accessories, medical costs, and other costs in the context of overseas travel with a bicycle. Again, it’s for UK residents only. More details in a new tab .

I’d love to hear readers’ suggestions for companies providing bicycle insurance for overseas trips by residents of other countries – just leave a comment below .

Travel Insurance Covering Cycle Touring & Bikepacking

If you’re looking to travel for longer than a month or so, you’re willing to rely on your wits to keep your expensive bike safe, and/or your bike is worthless and not worth insuring anyway, you’ll be looking primarily at travel insurance policies that cover cycle touring (aka: bikepacking) .

At which point you must understand that (in insurance-policy-style bullet points):

• most so-called ‘annual’ travel insurance policies actually only cover individual trips of up to 30–90 days within that year,
• many long-term travel insurance policies (aka: ‘backpacker’ policies) do not explicitly cover cycle touring and bikepacking , only cycling that is ‘incidental’ to the trip,
• most long-term travel insurance policies that do cover cycle touring and bikepacking still exclude intercontinental  trips, and
• even the most comprehensive of these are unlikely to cover the loss, theft or damage of a very expensive expedition touring bike or bikepacking bike.

Cycle touring and bikepacking is considered by many insurers to be a ‘hazardous activity’ or ‘extreme sport’, involving increased risk and thus either incurring an additional premium or being excluded from the list of activities covered. Expensive touring bikes and bikepacking bikes are also considered to be extremely steal-able things. Which they are.

Yes. This sucks. But at least it narrows the field when it comes to choosing from the few travel insurance policies that explicitly do cover cycle touring and bikepacking.

Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Insurance Providers

The following insurance providers cover cycle touring (whose definition includes bikepacking) as an activity or will do so on request. They typically won’t insure the bicycle itself for more than the maximum single item value of the personal belongings cover, which is usually well below the price of a new touring bike.

I’ve listed these providers in ascending order of the prices I was quoted when I last updated this post, but you should of course request your own quotes if you choose to follow up.

1. Insure And Go have grown into one of the UK’s biggest ‘basic’ travel insurance providers, and all of their policies (including backpacker policies) explicitly cover cycle touring, though it’s worth mentioning that personal accident and personal liability are excluded. Starting cover is basic, but aspects (including valuables cover) can be upgraded. Visit insureandgo.com .

2. Adventures Insurance  specialise in bespoke insurance for more adventurous pursuits, and cycle touring can be specified as an activity. They’ll allow for individual items of equipment up to £600 in value to be covered. Quotes for long-term cover may require a phone call. Visit quote.adventurescover.co.uk .

3. WorldNomads ’ backpacker-oriented policy is available to residents of 130+ countries, can be taken out when you’re already abroad, can be extended online, and covers a range of activities. You’ll need to add Level 2 activities cover for ‘independent cycle touring’, for which personal liability cover is excluded. Intercontinental cycle touring is also not covered. Altogether, this makes a WorldNomads policy suitable for a tour that’ll be taking place on a single continent. Visit worldnomads.com .

4. Campbell Irvine are often used by participants of professional expeditions. They specialise in adventure travel, covering a vast range of activities, with the ability to extend a long-term single trip policy over the phone. It covers volunteering but not employment. While ‘cycling’ is covered, the policy wording is not explicit about cycle touring. During a previous update to this post, I made a phone call to confirm that cycle touring was indeed covered in a leisure (ie: non-professional) capacity, but you should certainly make your own enquiries if in doubt. Visit campbellirvinedirect.com* .

5. The BMC  (British Mountaineering Council), who I used for some of my earliest trips, offer cycle touring cover for up to 12 months at a time. You’ll need the ‘Trek’ policy for cycle touring to be covered as an activity, and while you get plenty of mountain activities and BMC membership benefits thrown in, the cover isn’t cheap. Visit thebmc.com .

Key Things To Remember About Cycle Touring & Bikepacking Insurance

Remember that these companies are operating in a highly competitive and lucrative field, and that  negotiation over what’s covered and for how much is perfectly possible – over the phone .

Indeed, calling a potential insurer direct is my top tip to make sure you get the cover you need at a decent price.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in the event of a medical emergency abroad, the claims agent’s job is to manage your case in a way that also minimises the cost to the insurer. 

Unless you’re too incapacitated to fly, this often means you’ll be advised to return to your country of residence as soon as possible. Why? Because your insurance cover can then be considered terminated: you’ve curtailed your trip, your domestic healthcare system takes over, and the exposure to your insurer is limited to the cost of a one-way economy flight, plus any curtailment benefit you may be due. (Depending on your country of residence, this may have implications regarding domestic health insurance too.)

Finally, whether or not you insure  your trip, it’s common sense to  ensure your safety in the first place by cultivating a healthy attitude to safety and security . My bet is that doing so will have a much greater effect on whether or not you still have your body and belongings intact at the end of your trip.

And that, I think, is a topic for a future article.

Bogged down in research for your next big bicycle adventure?

I wrote a whole book to help with that. How To Hit The Road is designed to be read at your leisure, making planning a bike tour simple and achievable, no matter the length, duration or budget. Available globally as an ebook or paperback.

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Also relevant to this post:

• What’s Really The Difference Between Bikepacking & Cycle Touring?
• Do I Really Need Ortliebs? A Buyer’s Guide To Panniers For Cycle Touring
• No Stupid Questions: How To Secure My Bike & Gear While Riding Across The USA?

Comments ( skip to respond )

48 responses to “cycle touring & bikepacking insurance: all you need to know (& popular insurers)”.

One option, at least for your U.S. readers, is to check into whether your home owners or renters insurance policy will cover the cost of a stolen bike while traveling. My insurer does, though it took a few phone calls to get it verified and confirmed. Not sure how insurers other countries handle this. (My insurer is USAA, though this company limits itself to covering current and former members of the US armed services and their families.)

As far as other types of insurance, instead of medical insurance, I went with a medical evacuation & repatriation (also covers unexpected security issues requiring evacuation like invasions, etc.) insurance instead of a policy or plan that covers medical expenses in a third country. These policies are paid on a yearly membership fee basis and while they don’t cover routine or urgent care, do fully cover evacuation and repatriation to the U.S.

My reasoning for this is that in the developing world visits for routine and urgent care are generally significantly cheaper than in the U.S. (heck, they’re significantly cheaper in Western Europe than the U.S.) and for me, using my insurance dollars for a policy that includes evacuation and return to the U.S. if I need emergency or long term care was a better option.

I use a company called “Global Rescue,” and my policy covers medical and security situation evacuation worldwide for about $1800.00 USD per year. I have not had to use this policy, so I cannot comment from first hand experience, but I am happy with their customer service when I’ve called, and they had good reviews. The reason I chose them over the other major player evacuation insurance market, MedJet, was that MedJet would only insure me if I started my policy while being physically in the U.S. and I was already in Europe when I decided a policy was a good idea. Global Rescue was willing to start a policy regardless of where I currently was at the time of opening it. Both companies may be limited to covering U.S. citizens, so please look into that if you’re not.

Thanks for sharing, Michael, it’s really useful to have this level of detail from someone with first hand experience. The insurance picture is certainly very different for riders coming from the US healthcare system.

Hi I’m an Australian and have found and bought Travel Insurance Direct, and 1Cover for this bikepacking trip.. both are not ‘incidental’ cover. Anyone with exp for aussies for a 2 year stay in Canada (including bikepacking)? Cheers

Hi Tiffany, Have you tried getting quotes, through a house “contents” policy. If you have an address, where you can register insurance, and add your bike to the contents as an “extra” to the usual list of things like computers etc. My touring bike is worth approx £4000 and it just cost an extra £10 a year on top of the usual rate. Just thinking there might be a way of getting insurance. Make sure the cover is for damage/theft away from the house (mine covers Europe too) Hope this helps, or at least some investigation. Good luck..

Great idea, Mark – thanks for sharing. Tiffany, I don’t have any other suggestions regarding insurance in this situation, unfortunately, but there is another approach you might consider, which is to get yourself a rated lock (which most insurers will demand anyway) and adopt a strict policy regarding leaving your bike unattended. I’ve posted a few more thoughts on security here . Hope this helps, even if only a little!

Hi, I am Australian and am in the UK for a week before heading to Europe to cycle for 3–4 months, then back to UK for more cycling, on repeat for a year working with visas etc. I have travel I surance that covers me and personal injury etc but what I failed to do was have a policy that covers my actual.bike and can’t do an add on. I have left my country of residence now and it’s proving to be a minefield trying to find out how to Insure my actual touring bike for theft/damage. I purchased the touring bike a few days ago here in the UK. Any suggestions on a bike insurance, for already departed non UK residents?

09 May 2023 i just tried Insure & Go . They refuse to insure 90 days in europe . No policy whatsoever . Was looking for France , Italy , Spain so give or take 30 days in each but they stated that thier underwriter refuses anything more than 60 days … Ive used these for twenty years way back in my backpacking days . They still can insure 365 days dependant on which countries but for more than 60 in Europe they won t do it ….

Hey Dean and thanks for the update. I also just asked for a quote for 90 days in France, Italy & Spain and was also unable to get one. It was possible to get 90 days cover in each of these countries separately, but for a 3 month multi-country trip in Europe it seems you might need to look elsewhere right now. Let’s hope they change it back!

Nice article, plenty of useful advice. Not sure where you found the information that SafetyWing covers bicycle touring. They specify in their policy that cycling and other sports need to be “incidental” to the trip. I verified with their customer service team and they confirmed: SafetyWing doesn’t cover bicycle touring, unfortunately… Only day trips by bike can be considered “incidental”.

Thanks for the note, Joanna – I’ve updated the post with this new information. At the time of original research, it was considered that cycling was covered in a non-professional, non-competitive capacity, so it seems the definition may have changed in the time since.

As a US citizen, this last little caveat in the post raises a question I can’t seem to find addressed anyhere online: “…deliver your immediately to your home country in economy class on a scheduled airline, at which point your insurance cover is terminated as you’ve ‘gone home’ and it’s up to the local health service to look after you.” Desn’t this mean that there’s still a huge financial risk in the event of a serious injury while on tour even if you’re covered with travel medical insurance? For example, if I were injured, couldn’t the travel insurance simply cover the relatively cheap medical evacuation back to the USA, allow the coverage to terminate, and then I’d be stuck with all of the medical treatment expenses since the USA has no public health safety net? Does that mean that for the risk to really be mitigated, US citizens touring need to carry both travel medical and domestic medical insurance for the entire duration of their trip? Since health insurance in the US is so expensive if you’re not covered through your employer, carrying both insurance policies seems a bit absurd. I haven’t read of anyone carrying both, but I’m worried about this situation.

Hi Aaron. This is a good point, but by no means exclusive to US residents. The country I currently live in also has very limited public healthcare provisions, and almost anything beyond a basic consultation with your GP requires upfront payment. Because of that, I also have private medical insurance to cover the costs of emergency treatment. If I were injured abroad and evacuated here, the same situation you’re describing would apply. So while I don’t want you to take my word as gospel, and I think you should pose this question to other US citizens travelling abroad (as well as to the insurance companies!), the answer may well be that you’d be best off with both travel and domestic medical cover if you want to ensure all possible financial risks are mitigated.

Worth mentioning that every travel insurance policy I’ve ever bought has charged me a hefty additional premium if the US has been on my itinerary, such are the costs of medical care.

Hi — that’s such good advice from Stephen Peel — I contacted Trailfinders and you’re right they were really helpful and quoted me £400.00 a year which can be rolled over to the next year so three years away would £1200.00. Another question as I’m a pensioner is it ok to allow the pension to be paid into your bank account whilst you’re out of the country ??

The only I know of, that I’ve used myself for halfway around the world, is Trailfinders. Most of the others require you to be in your home country when you review after 6 or 12 months, or they won’t cover you for solo cycle touring, or repatriating if severely injured. Trailfinders will let you review from wherever you are in the world online and will cover solo cycle tourists medical and worse. Don’t go without insurance, unless you have no family, because if anything serious happens to you, they will be left with the bill. Steve

Good blog Tom — can you advise me — I am or will be 70 when starting my world tour — can I get insurance cover for this or am I doomed !! Dudley Walter — starting March 2022

I’ve bought an annual policy from cycle cover for the past 2 years. I do short (under a month) tours in Europe.

I had the misfortune to need to use it on my last tour — my partner got his passport and various bits stolen while we were cycling through Naples (they went through the pannier while we sat in a traffic jam!). The claim was processed quickly and with minimal fuss — they covered the emergency passport cost, the cost of everything that was stolen, travel to/from the embassy, the accommodation while we waited and a replacement ferry ticket. 

The reason I went with cycle cover was that they provided a really high level of cover for the actual touring bike and kit, as well as ‘normal’ travel insurance, which I’d buy anyway. I think it was around £160 for the year for us both. 

Thanks for the website Tom, it really spurred me on to start bike touring!

Thanks Jenny! Nice to hear good things about a travel insurance company for a change! 🙂

Just called adventures insurance and they do cover bicycle touring but there is a caveat — if you go above 1000m above sea level at any point in the trip you are not covered. 

So it would be ok for flat touring around scandi and parts of Europe but not so good elsewhere.

Thanks for this post, very useful! 

Worth noting that Campbell Irvine do not insure for solo trips. I just tried to get a quote for a solo trip in South America and they told me they didn’t have a policy for me if I am not in a group of 3 or more people.

Really… that’s news to me. They always used to! Thanks for the update!

I’ve just done a little extra research to add to this excellent post. We are currently travelling in North and South America and have decided to swap to bikes. Unfortunately, World Nomads will not extend our current policy, or even give us a new one as they count it as Inter-continental travel insurance, and won’t cover Central America. 

Anyway, I found three other options – all who would do Cycle Touring (between 12–18 months long) and all who would allow a trip to start away from the UK. 

These were: Worldwide Insure – £1596.00 (for two people for 12 months, Worldwide) Trailfinders – £1020.00 (for two people for 12 months, Worldwide excl Canada and USA) Globelink – £819.14 (for two people for 15 months, Worldwide, including a £70 add on for mountain biking). 

They each had varying levels of personal effects cover (Trailfinders was the best from memory). 

Happy cycling!

I agree with Trailfinders, they were the only ones I could find that would let me renew my insurance without having to return to the UK to do it. They don’t insure pre-existing condition, but non of them do. No messing online form with Trailfinders, but I don’t know of anyone who has had to make a claim and if they did, how it went.

Thanks for the great info, as always

Just been looking through policy wordings and also chatting to a sales advisor at insure and go

It’s worth noting that Insure & Go’s cover excludes Personal Injury and Personal Liability for cycle touring. I asked for clarification on this: basically you’ll have your medical/repatriation expenses covered but won’t be entitled to the payout should you be disabled/unable to work as a result of an accident or injury whilst cycling, and also won’t be covered for liability to others whilst cycling (e.g. knocking someone over).

I think I still may buy a policy from insure and go, as their’s works out £160 cheaper than everyone else’s (for a three month trip within europe, europe including turkey)

Finally worth noting that Insure & Go’s ‘backpacking’ policy seems to be cheaper and better than their ‘single trip’ policy

AXA travel insurance have a cycle touring add on.

Hi Tom Just about to cycle from the UK to Prague and I discovered that my free travel insurance through my bank (HSBC) covers me for medical, (10 million) baggage, repatriation on injury, cancelled journeys/bookings etc, etc all well and good for 30 days max (extendable to 120 days on a small fee) As for the bike ? well I found out that a small additional premium of £9 turns my house contents insurance into a worldwide cover for my bike (during cycle touring) for theft, malicious damage and accidental damage if I fall off. Cycle touring comes under leisure activity, although if I start to race someone in an professional event, I get zilch, (can’t imagine racing with a full set of panniers on, but there you are) Hope this helps. I was going to go down the CTC route but started to investigate the insurances I already have. One quicky minor issue is that the bike is not covered while I am on transportation of any kind, ie:- ferry, train and plane as they are not on the ground 🙂 Hope this helps.….Cheers Mark

Hey Tom, Do you have any info on cycle touring insurance for South Africa? When, I toured in NZ, I used a Canadian company. But, it looks like they don’t have any coverage for Africa. Thanks in advance!

Can you clarify the question? Are you asking for an insurance provider to cover touring in South Africa? In which country are you resident? Have you enquired with all of the suggested companies on this list?

I struggled to find insurance for my husband and myself for a long cycle tour due to the time scale, which could be up to 2 years, and our ages. Both over 55. Tried all the companies mentioned above, none of which would cover us. Finally got cover through Trailfinders. Phone them rather than online. Inter-continental cycle touring was not counted as hazardous so no extra premium, and no extra premium for our age. Many back-packer type insurances wouldn’t cover at our age. Also they would cover for as long as we wanted, renewing on the road. Didn’t try for bike cover as would be too expensive. Have not claimed, so don’t know what that would be like.

[…] A lot of regular travel insurance does not cover cycle touring so you may need a specialist policy. Tom’s Bike Trip has useful advice on cycle touring […]

[…] (Edit: Tom Allen’s written an article about travel insurance specifically for cycle touring too. See Insurance). […]

Hi, thought I’d add my recent experience. I tried a few of the recommended above but was looking for 6 months + which some seemed not to be covered often and wanted explicit return dates (seemes “until my sanity and/or budget hits rock bottom” wasn’t acceptable). I ended up going with Travel Nation https://www.travelnation.co.uk/round-the-world-travel-insurance after comparing 7 or so https://drive.google.com/open?id=1L_s03_XjHpb5ihGohIV7A21QXIqsOp56-yijLFet0ZM&authuser=0

They seemed to provide good cover, competitive rate, cycle touring, extendable (both duration and regions) during and I was able to add my bike onto the policy. I asked about countries on the FCO blacklist (Iran) and they said, although not covered with them, I was ok to take out another policy if need just for Iran and run in parallel.

12-month trip around the world: £528.18 The bike (£900) added about £60 to the £205 4 month quote I got.

Hi there, So here is what I think a lot of people will be looking for, I wish I had this info yesterday, would have saved a lot of headbanging.

We are UK residents and have started a round the world bike trip (duration — 5years, ish).

Because we started in Europe we didn’t get insurance because we have EU health cards. Now we are in Spain and heading to Morocco and beyond.

So I ran into all of the problems states above, absolute nightmare tried 10 companies (all recommended on this blog/commenrs).

I think someone has already mentioned TRAIL FINDERS. They are the only one it seems to cover for what I needed.

I spoke to one of the senior guys (ask for john Mclennan, phone number is +44 20 7368 1200 and say extension 0496). He now know’s the score.

I took out a 12 month policy which can be toppesd up wherever you are in the world.

Worldwide cover ex. N America — £489 Worldwide cover inc. N.America £555

I got my pre existing asthma added for £14.95

So I didn’t have to start in UK (i said that I would literally Take a plane home, start the cover and fly back out and they agreed this was not necessary).

Iran is now not blacklisted by UK FCO (it was when we started but since reopen embassy), but still covered in FCO blacklisted countries if you have a ‘Normal accident’ i.e. As long as any ‘baddies’ don’t cause the accident. I suppose getting shot by rebels in East Ukraine for example, but if Mr John Ukraine knocks you down in his car, then a‑ok.

Hope this is useful, I spent an hour talking to them (4 hours trying everywhere else) and now at least we are covered.

Peace. Paul Threeblazinsaddles

Thanks for your comment as you will have saved me some hard work. I am off to Morocco in a month or so and after that no idea and no idea for how long. The prospect of finding correct travel insurance it so difficult and appreciate all your hard work

Hi Paul, I don’t know whether your still about and receive this, but I too am now just into the last few months prep on my own world cycle and have been struggling to find insurance due to pre existing medical conditions and of course the duration. 

Everyone I have tried have had a max of 12 months before I have to return to the UK in order to take out further insurance. Having to return home was not a part of my plan. 

I have contacted Trailfinders as you suggest, and although they only allow 12 months at one time, you can take out a further policy without having to return to the UK to do it, simply doing it online is fine with them. Nice.

The cover is a basic cover with no pre-existing issues covered, which is fine. It doesn’t cover loss of equipment or damage to equipment, so not fine, but beggers at this point. It is not cheap as you have stated, with a current price for 2017 being £600 for 12 months Worldwide including North America. 

Now that was just a trial run with them on their website, followed by a phone call from me to double check everything. The number was given to speak with their pre-existing health issue department to take out extra cover for those condition’s, if I wish. 

I too am travelling through Europe for the around 8 months to a year, before heading out to Asia, and so will make use of my European Health Insurance Card for that time, making sure to have the card around my neck so that anyone taking me to the hospital (god forbid) will see that I am exempt’ish. 

Thanks for you help Paul, best wishes. Steve

I just spoke to TravelNation, who told me that my bike wouldn’t be included in the insurance but that I can do a 6 month policy which does include cycle touring for £335. FYI for October 2017 current rates.

Hi Tom, once again, I find myself on your incredible website, filled with almost everything I need to prepare for my own trip. I am in a slightly different situation, that I am a Brit living as ex-pat in Germany. I was having a nightmare finding an insurance for my trip that covered my health for more than 18 months, firstly because I’ll probably be on the road for over two years, and secondly that I’m already almost 40. All policies I could find clearly stated that I either could not renew after 12/18 months, and if it was possible to renew, I would need to be back home or go for a further health check up, which was not feasible. I then popped into a local branch of STA Travel (in Göttingen) in order to enquire about Visas and travel permits along my route, and just out of curiosity asked about Insurance. I can now have total peace of mind (albeit 1,860€ lighter in pocket) that for the next three years (yes, I managed to cover myself for 36 months!!!.…with option to further extend!!) I have personal health insurance, personal belongings insurance up to 3,000€ as well a personal indemnity insurance just in case I cause damage to another person or property. This policy was offered by Allianz, which is a German company, however from my days of working in finance in London, I know they do exist in UK as well. I do not know if such a policy would be possible for a UK resident to take out, but certainly worth looking into. Anyway, thought this may help anyone looking for something similar. Keep up the good work and looking forward to the next release of A Tale of Two Rivers (I’m originally Persian, so I was fascinated by what you and Leon did) Purak

Very good advice, thanks.

My experience suggests that it’s worth looking at “mainstream” insurers. The AA do single trip cover (up to 6 months, I think) with a bolt on that covers cycle touring. 

In response to my email to clarify the terms, I got this reply from the AA: “I am pleased to confirm that you would be covered for Cycle Touring throughout the duration of your trip (providing you wear a helmet) from 07/04/2015 to 14/08/2015 as you have purchased the relevant upgrade (Hazardous Activities Grade 2).”.

Premium for 2 people for 4 months in Europe excluding Spain (including Balearic & Canary Islands), Cyprus, Turkey and Malta was £106.87

Insure and Go may have dropped ‘cycle touring’ from their cover.

It now says ‘no’ next to it on the website in the activities covered list and isn’t in the hazardous activities list either.

Great info here. Many thanks. So many variables to factor in. Having just turned 60, at least one of the companies you quoted won’t take me. Oh, the joys of age! Thanks again. Onwards.…. Matt

I am considering doing a world wide cycle tour, commencing in the spring 2016. I will be 61 when I ‘kick’ off the tour. Please can advise on the insurance company that you finally opted to go with and why? Thanks Steve

See my comment below re age!

Ann Wilson (who turned 60yrs on her RTW trip — see CGOAB journal) used Navigator until she reached 65yrs. And you can renew online too, without too much difficulty apparently. Like you, I’m planning starting out next Spring — a tad younger than you (at 58yrs!).

Hi Tom, One point worth mentioning is different people define ‘intercontinental’ differently. It’s well worth checking. World Nomads count South and North America as one continent. So my trip from Ushuaia in Argentina to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska is covered. I had this confirmed twice, by email and verbally on the phone! (October 2014) They told me they don’t extend indefinitely, you can only extend up to 18 months but you can take out a new policy then. I am yet to discover what the difference is, and hopefully won’t! cheers Iain

Great reading about the credit card rewards and the insurance. I am wondering if you or anyone knows if the free travel insurance that comes with Amex is any good

Cheers for this Tom — always useful to get information and insight into the confusing world of policies to cover a bike trip! I’ve looked into a few of the ones you mention in the past, and like many used to go with the BMC. My last few trips however I phoned the BMC, and though the website said that you could be covered for cycle touring, on the phone I was told that this was only for short trips (ie 2–3 weeks of cycle touring) and that they wouldn’t cover longer amounts of touring within a longer trip policy. It’d be good if they’ve changed that rule since 2012, as they have some of the best cover for hiking and climbing expeditions… thanks again Neil

Great advice, cheers!

My pleasure. Loved your story of ‘hardship’ on tour. We all have days like that!

So well said. Thanks.

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Your essential guide to choosing cycling travel insurance

Cycling travel insurance. Let’s be honest – it’s not the most exciting of things to organise before your trip, but it is important…

If you’re going on a cycling-specific holiday, or just planning to do a bit of cycling while you’re abroad, you’ll want to know that you’re covered should anything go wrong. If you have a cycling accident, it’s important to know that your medical expenses will be taken care of and that any damage to your bike or other people’s property will be paid for.

Since we recently had to look at taking out cycle holiday insurance ourselves, we thought we’d share the points we thought about.

We’re not experts on the subject, but hopefully these pointers will be of use!

How to choose the right cycling insurance policy for you

We were quite surprised to find that there are many different kinds of cycling travel insurance policies – and that travel insurance doesn’t always cover the kind of cycling you want to do.

Like bikes, not all policies are created equal – and what’s right for one cyclist might not be right for another.

For example, do you need standard travel insurance that covers your medical expenses as well as cover for your bike? Are you looking for cover for your bike at home? Are you after travel insurance for cycling holidays in Europe or further afield? Do you need an annual policy that covers events if you’re only planning to do one or two a year – perhaps you could take out insurance just for that/those events? Will your policy cover Covid-related cancellations or curtailments?

Different policies cover different things, so you need to know what you’re looking for – and what you’ve already got under other insurance policies.

(Not sure what cycling travel insurance might look like/cover? Our list of what to look out for in a policy might help (go here now) .)

To help you pick a policy that works for you, below we’ve set out our thoughts on:

• some of the key questions we found it helpful to have answers to before getting quotes   (go here now)
• cycling travel insurance v other insurance you may have   (go here now)
• some points to consider in a bike travel insurance policy (go here now)

The big questions to ask yourself (before you compare bicycle insurance for travel)

Decide the answers to the five questions below before you start your research and it should save you some time. That’s because your answers may exclude you from being eligible from some policies, so these things should help you decide whether your current policies cover you and/or help you narrow down the policies you’re comparing.

1. How much cover is needed?

To make sure that you get quotes for the right level of cover, think about how much it would cost to replace your bike as well as any cycling accessories such as gadgets, helmets, clothing and additional wheelsets.

Also be clear in your mind about the sort of cycling you’re planning on doing, to ensure your policy covers you. For example, if you’re planning on entering cycling competitions, races or triathlons, and want to be insured for them, you’ll want to make sure that you have the right level of cover, and can for example, claim back race entry fees if you’re unable to participate for any reason (but bear in mind what we said above about how many you’ll be doing each year).

2. Cycle trip insurance cover AND general bike insurance?

Some travel insurance companies require that, in addition to bicycle travel insurance, you also have general bike insurance for when your bike is at home. Or, you may be offered a combined bicycle insurance policy which covers both home and holiday.

Do you want/need this?

If not, you might want to look at a provider that will let you just take up cycle travel insurance.

3. Single trip cycle insurance or an annual policy?

Is your cycling holiday a one-off trip, or do you plan to travel several times per year? If you plan on cycling abroad more than twice per year, it often makes financial sense to consider an annual policy rather than a policy which only covers a single trip.

How long will your trips be for? You’ll need to make sure the policy permits the length of your trip.

4. Solo, couple, family or group cycling insurance?

When travelling with a partner, your children or a group of friends or family members, it can be more cost-effective to take out a joint travel insurance policy.

5. Where do you want to travel?

Consider the countries which you plan to visit and how long you will spend on holiday. Premiums can vary according to the countries that you visit, and you may have options to choose between cycling travel insurance for Europe only or worldwide cover.

(As an aside, the Foreign & Commonwealth office advises against travel to certain countries, and these are unlikely to be covered by travel insurance policies. So, be sure to check the FCO website for the latest travel advice.)

Do I need additional cycling travel insurance?

You might already have various insurance policies such as standard travel insurance, home insurance and specialist bicycle insurance for your bike at home in the UK.

You’re probably asking yourself: does travel insurance cover cycling? Do I really need a specialist travel insurance cycling policy?!

So, once you’ve answered the questions above and are clear on the general sort and level of cycling travel insurance you’re after, then check the terms of any existing policies to see what it covers and whether there are any gaps between that and what you want cover for.

For example:

• Standard travel insurance policy: check whether your normal travel insurance covers the specific type of cycling you plan to do on holiday, such as point to point riding, racing or sportive riding. A general travel insurance policy might cover the odd day of recreational riding, but what if the main purpose of your trip is cycling? Are you covered?
• Home insurance policy: this may cover your bicycle if it’s stolen or damaged whilst in your home, but does it cover it in other places such as a hotel abroad or whilst on the road?
• Bike insurance policy: if you already have bicycle insurance, does this extend abroad, and if so, what does it cover?
• Club membership: for example British Cycling membership includes some cycling travel insurance. Check exactly what it covers and whether it’s enough for your needs.

If, after reading your current insurance policies, you think you’re not fully covered for the kind of riding you’ll be doing or your current policies don’t give you enough cover (e.g. things like lost/stolen/damaged bikes whilst riding sportives abroad, medical treatment needed as a result of a cycling injury, personal liability, cover for your bike while it’s in transit) then you should consider taking out further insurance, perhaps via topping up an existing policy or by taking out a specialist cycling travel insurance policy.

What should you check when comparing bike travel insurance policies?

So, you’re considering taking out some cycle specific travel insurance.

You’ll probably want to be sure that your cycle insurance covers you for every eventuality, to guarantee that you’ll get paid out should the worst happen.

Don’t just go straight in for the cheapest cycle insurance. It might be a bit time consuming and boring, but it’s better to spend some time taking a good look at the terms and conditions and policy wording to find the right insurance for your cycling holiday.

There’s lots of articles out there on what to look for in a normal travel insurance policy (things like medical expenses, hospital benefit, delayed/missed departure, delayed baggage, lost money/documents, legal advice). Since early 2020, it’s also become important to check you’ve got cover for missed departure, early return home, medical expenses etc. due to Covid-19 (and be aware some eventualities might be uninsurable, so you need to cover them off in the agreement you have with your operator/accommodation provider).

Of course you’ll want to know you’re covered for all of these “normal travel” kinds of things, but below we focus on some of the more cycling specific things you’ll also want to consider:

1. Bike cover limits for theft/damage

Your bike travel insurance policy will have a limit if they have to pay out for loss/damage/theft of your bike and possibly also for any cycling accessories/gadgets. Check these are sufficient and the exclusions (more on those below).

You may be asked to enter an estimate of how much your bike is worth. To ensure that you’re fully covered we’ve been told it’s best to enter the value that you paid for the bike, assuming you bought it recently, rather than what you think it might be worth currently (you’ll probably underestimate it/would you actually be able to find one and buy it back for that amount?).

2. Multi-bike insurance

If you have more than one bike, you’ll want to look out for multi-bike insurance.

We guess it’s possible you may have some non-road bikes that’ll need insuring too so you’ll have to admit if you have any mountain bikes, recumbent bicycles, electric bikes, trikes etc! E-bikes are something that many insurers raise premiums for.

3. Repair or replace

Carbon fibre bike frames have the advantage of being light, but they can also be easily damaged and expensive to repair. Can a repaired frame ever be quite as reliable, or safe, as a new one? Ideally, if your carbon fibre frame breaks, you’d want to replace it. So, check what your road bike insurance policy states about this and whether your cover is on a ‘new for old’ basis.

4. Transit cover

If you’re taking your bike on a train, plane or ferry, you’ll want to know that it’s covered should it get lost, stolen or damaged during the journey. You should be sure to pack your bicycle securely using an enclosed bike bag or box and to get a receipt from the carrier which shows that you have placed your bicycle with them.

5. Destinations and length of trip

If you’re planning a cycling tour of multiple countries, you’ll need to make sure that this is covered under your policy. Each policy may also have a limit to the number of consecutive days you can be away. So, if you’re planning on travelling multiple weeks, look for one with a higher maximum trip duration.

6. Liability

Cycling liability insurance covers your third-party liability as a rider, meaning that if you injure someone or damage their property, those costs should be covered. There is no legal requirement in the UK for cyclists to have third party cycle insurance. But, if (for example) you hit a car and it’s deemed to be your fault, these claims can be very expensive. So, it’s worth making sure that cyclists liability insurance is included in your quote.

See the section below for more information on liability where you’re taking part in an event.

7. Cover for competitive cycling or racing

If you plan to do anything like cycle racing, time trialling, cyclosportives, gran fondos, triathlons or cyclocross, then you’ll probably want to make sure that you’re covered specifically for that. This should include third-party liability mentioned above, so that if you injure or damage a fellow competitor/their bike, as well as your personal injury, damage to your bike and kit and theft from transitions is all covered.

Some policies also include cover if the event you’re due to take part in is cancelled or if you get injured before an event and can’t attend. Particularly in the Covid era, it’s important to check this detail; does your policy cover you if the event is cancelled due to Covid or travel restrictions would require you to quarantine? Are you covered if you or one of your dependents gets Covid or gets told to isolate?

Bear in mind that if you’re doing a sportive or event, they will generally require you have a licence to take part (which often includes third party liability insurance). Don’t assume that this licence will cover everything a cycling travel policy would cover (or that if you have the travel insurance, you don’t need the licence – these tend to be a mandatory requirement for taking part in the event).

On a separate note: if you ride your bike for work or are deemed a professional rider, then you may need specialist cover.

8. Cycle breakdown cover

If your bike breaks while you’re on the road, how will you get back to where you’re staying? Roadside assistance isn’t covered as standard with many policies. But, if this is something that’s important to you, and you’re going on a guided cycling holiday that doesn’t provide a roving mechanic, check whether the policy you’re taking out includes it, and/or consider standalone bicycle roadside assistance insurance which can rescue you and transport you and your bicycle to your destination.

Alternatively, you may be happy with a policy that just includes taxi fare reimbursement in this situation. Again, the message is: if you want it, make sure it’s included in the policy you select! It’s much better to be over-prepared for these eventualities than to not have suitable policies and find out you needed them.

9. Replacement cycle hire

Some policies include a benefit that means if your bike is stolen/lost/delayed or gets broken abroad, they’ll pay for cycle hire so that you can keep riding.

10. Repatriation for bike

If (heaven forbid) you have to finish your trip early/be repatriated, what will happen to your bike? Will your insurer repatriate that too? Make sure you check the fine print.

11. Insurance for hire bikes

The cost of flying with your bicycle can be expensive, so some people opt to leave it at home and instead hire a bicycle abroad. This can be cost effective, as for the price of buying a bike box and a plane ticket for your own bike, you could instead hire a fantastic carbon fibre bike worth twice the value of your own.

You may be able to get hire bike insurance from the company you hire the bike from, but the excesses can be hefty. Instead, you could take out a short term bicycle insurance policy to cover the hire bike, with a much lower excess. You’ll need to think about this though – be warned that standard bicycle insurance policies won’t usually include this, as they only cover against a bicycle which you actually own.

12. Medical expenses and personal accident

We’ve talked a lot about damage to your bike, but what if you damage yourself while riding? It’s important to check you’ve got appropriate cover for your medical expenses – whether under your normal travel policy, a specialist bike travel insurance policy or the EHIC or GHIC cards (but UK residents, bear in mind the EHIC/GHIC only gives access to state hospitals and things have changed due to Brexit, more info from the NHS, here ).

Be aware that many of the bike insurance policies that aren’t specifically for travel don’t include medical expenses – there’s more detail on this distinction in the chart below.

Some cycling policies also include provision for a lump sum pay out where you are killed or injured when riding a bicycle. They may also help cover medical costs such as physiotherapy and dental work.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, many sports travel insurance providers have included a clause that states they exclude any claims relating to Covid-19. With this in mind, it’s incredibly important you check the fine print when buying any cycling holiday insurance and compare cycle insurance across multiple providers to make sure you’re happy with what level of cover you will receive.

13. Security requirements and policy exclusions

Certain bicycle insurance policies require that a ‘Sold Secure Gold’ lock is used whenever you leave your bicycle unattended away from home or that you have your bike tagged with a security mark. There may also be requirements about where you can leave your bike overnight. You MUST comply with these requirements or else the insurer may well not pay out if you claim.

Other points to be aware of:

• Some policies won’t cover certain kinds of crashes – for example if you drive your car into the garage while it’s on a bike rack on top of your car (whoops, been there!), you crash into a parked car or hit a pot hole.
• Will you be with a guide? Some policies require this.
• Does the accidental damage cover replacing individual components and accessories?
• Does the policy cover you if the bike is in use at the point that it’s stolen?
• How long can you leave the bike unattended when it’s locked up away from your home? 12 hours? 24 hours?
• Is your bike insured if you let someone else ride it? Or if you’re riding someone else’s bike?
• Have you got any pre-existing medical conditions? You’ll need to disclose these before you take out the policy…
• If you ride recklessly or whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you’re unlikely to be covered in the event of an accident.
• Can you prove your ownership of the bike? This is usually a policy requirement, so retain those receipts and take photos of you and your bike, especially if you make any upgrades from what it was like when you bought it. A photograph of the frame number on the bottom bracket will also help in finding your bike if it’s stolen.

There will undoubtedly also be other exclusions/loopholes/things to consider on your policy; insurance wouldn’t be the profitable industry it is if insurers paid out every time… Check your policy well, it’s a minefield!

Cycle insurance comparison

So, you’ve worked out what cover you’ve got and what cover you need.

Now it’s time to look at the details of some policies to get the cover you need.

It’s always a good idea to get a few quotes before you take out a bike insurance policy – that way you can compare the terms and pricing that are applicable to you.

Choosing a provider that’s also received a good DeFaqto score and/or has won industry awards can also be a useful indicator, though as you’ll have seen from the points above, the right policy for you is a very individual thing depending on your exact requirements.

As part of your checks, remember to look at the policy’s Covid cover – there’s considerable variety on who covers (or doesn’t cover) what in the insurers listed below.

Also, the exact terms of the bike cover will also vary – and change frequently.

Check the terms carefully!

Finding the best cycle insurance: a few providers

Here are a few names in the business that target cyclists (because we’re talking about insurance, we have to let you know we aren’t endorsing or recommending them – just letting you know they exist!).

Head to their sites to get the detail on their products and find out if they’re suitable for your needs:

Yellow Jersey

Sportscover Direct

This is a long article on what seems like a relatively simple subject – but it’s pretty complicated and there’s lots to consider.

Check the small print before you buy, and after you’ve got the policy, comply with it!

While choosing the right policy might seem a big hassle now, it’ll feel like nothing if and when you ever need to claim on it…

Which insurer do you use for your cycling insurance? Have you ever had to claim on the policy? How was it? Let us know in the comments below!

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Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels – and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they’re there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.

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3 Responses to “Your essential guide to choosing cycling travel insurance”

Great information! Thanks!

Do you know any companies that insure European residents?

It’s not something we’ve looked into I’m afraid. If you find any options please do let us know! Clare

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Whether on the back of your car, in possession of an airline or a postal courier, the bike is covered.

Airline Damage

Your bike is covered whether the airline damages or loses the bike entirely.

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Insurance for riders who travel

Bikes are adventure machines by design. Even if you have excellent local riding, sooner or later you’ll yearn for variety and start venturing outside of your local circuit. Seeing new destinations from aboard your bike can be an empowering experience since you’re always in touch with your surroundings. The feeling of spontaneity, the wind in your hair and the unfamiliar curves of the road or trail will keep you asking for more. But before you start dreaming of epic adventures, you need to get yourself and your bike to the starting point.

Whether it involves throwing your bike on the car and heading to a neighboring town, planning a road trip with several scenic stops, or hopping on a plane to a sunny location during the cold winter months, exploring new destinations on a bike takes cycling to the next level. The further from your home base you venture, the more complex logistics can get.

The truth is, bikes frequently sustain damage while being transported. The causes of such damage can range from inadvertent errors such as driving into a low garage with the bike on the roof rack to the negligence of airport personnel. A policy from Velosurance provides coverage for any damage your bike may sustain during its travels, regardless of whether it is being transported by car, handled by airport staff, shipped with a courier, or traveling domestically or internationally.

How your bike usually gets damaged while transported

There’s surprisingly many ways to damage a bike and most of them don’t involve crashing, or riding it at all. In fact, bikes get damaged when being transported almost as frequently as they do when they are ridden. Bike racks are secure by design but humans make mistakes. At highway speeds, forces and vibrations are significant enough to expose any oversights, such as under tightened bolts and ratchet straps. Bikes breaking loose on the highway almost never survive.

Airlines have recognized the importance of accommodating cyclists who travel with bicycles, making flying with a bike much simpler and more affordable than even a few years ago. However, airlines still have a reputation for being difficult or uncooperative when it comes to handling claims related to damaged bikes.

If you travel long distances, out of state or even internationally, shipping your bike to the destination with a postal courier or a specialty bike shipping company can save both time and money, but you’ll have to break down and re-assemble your bike. A policy from Velosurance provides comprehensive coverage for your bike during transit, ensuring that regardless of the mode of transportation you choose, you can rest easy knowing that your bike is fully protected from any type of damage.

Velosurance covers all types of transit damage

Exploring new destinations, the next town or country over, takes cycling to a whole new level. Whether you’re taking your bike along on your car, stuffing it into a case and handing it over to an airline, or shipping with a postal courier, it’s covered.

Coverages and Features

Velosurance core policy offers must-have protection such as accidental damage, theft, or loss in transit. Each policy can be customized by adding additional coverages such as liability protection, uninsured motorist coverage, and medical gap coverage.

Total loss by theft

Bikes are very easy to steal and equally difficult to recover, and a hefty U-lock doesn’t guarantee that your bicycle will remain yours when you return. Velosurance provides peace of mind when your bike is stolen or damaged in the process.

Medical coverage

If you’re hurt and require medical attention, the Velosurance-issued policy's optional purchase medical payments will cover your medical bills, up to the policy limit. The policy medical payments are paid directly to you to supplement the deductible of your personal health insurance policy.

Any crash or accidental damage

The Velosurance-issued policy will pay to replace the bike when it is accidentally damaged and beyond repair, including damage that occurs while being carried on or in your vehicle. If the damage can be repaired, the policy will cover all the costs associated with the bike's repair, including tax, labor, and shipping. Cosmetic damage that does not affect the bike's safety is excluded.

Damage or loss in transit

Bikes often get damaged in transit by personal vehicles, airlines, or courier services. Filing a claim with the airlines and courier services is a notoriously difficult process with a questionable outcome. Your Velosurance-issued policy covers the insured bike for loss or damage while it's on its way to or from your destination by air or road. Even if the bike falls off a vehicle bike rack or is hit in a rear-end accident, it is covered, no arguments.

Electric bicycle coverage

We cover all electrically assisted Class 1, 2, and 3 bikes with a maximum assisted speed of 28 mph. All coverages available for conventional bikes also apply to e-bikes.

Liability protection

The Velosurance-issued policy optional coverage purchase will protect and defend you from your personal liability (injury, sickness, death, or damage to property, including fire damage) that you are found legally liable for. Coverage limits offered: $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, or $300,000 per occurrence.

Worldwide coverage

If your travels take you outside of the USA and Canada, the Velosurance-issued policy can be extended, at a small additional premium, to cover physical damage, such as a crash, and will also cover theft as well as loss or damage by an airline.

Our shop or yours

When filing a claim you’ll need to provide a repair estimate from a bike shop. We have a nationwide network of partner bike shops that are familiar with our process and can help you speed through your claim. If you prefer to work with your favorite bike shop, that works too.

Gear and apparel

If your insured bike is damaged in a crash, the Velosurance-issued policy covers the bike as well as your apparel, such as helmets, shoes, glasses, or riding kits, that were also damaged in the crash, and will pay up to $500 per accident and $1,000 per policy term. Spare parts that are not installed on the bike, such as a spare wheelset, are also covered for loss or theft up to $500 per loss and $1,000 per policy term.

Race coverage

Damage due to a crash while racing is covered with optional coverage. In the heat of a race, the focus on speed often outweighs concerns for safety, leaving little margin for error. In the unfortunate event of a crash, the racing coverage option will provide coverage for your bike.

Your choice of lock

We do not dictate what type or brand of a lock must be used to protect the bike from theft. You are welcome to use any lock that you trust. The best security is provided when securing an unattended bike with metal locks combined with a high-quality chain. Securing your bike to a solid and immovable object, such as a bike rack, with a high-quality lock will send a bike thief onto the bike secured with a more vulnerable lock.

No depreciation

Our policy never depreciates your bike's insured value. Depreciation is a hidden deductible that increases over time, and is applied if the bike is stolen or totalled. No one is ever happy with a depreciation (actual cash value) insurance settlement: the bike is first devalued and then a deductible is applied, resulting in a reimbursement that is far less than it takes to replace the bike. We pay what you paid, minus the deductible.

24/7/365 coverage

Our policy covers the insured bike(s) at all times, anywhere in the USA and Canada, and can be extended worldwide on request. There are no exclusions on time of day, or limitations on how long a bike could be stored away from home. 24/7/365 means every minute of every day, no matter where or when.

Standalone bicycle insurance

A standalone policy does not piggyback on coverage provided by the policies you may already have, such as home insurance. A claim against our policy will not reflect on your insurance score and will not affect your rates with other insurance carriers. With home insurance rates going up every year, it’s prudent to reserve your claim for when you really need it, because no matter how expensive your bike is, it’s a lot cheaper than a kitchen fire or a basement flood.

Why Velosurance is best for your gravel bike

Not all types of insurance are created equal. Velosurance levels the playing field by offering a stand-alone bike insurance policy, where claims will not affect your homeowner or renters policy premiums.

Not all insurance policies cover bikes equally and it often takes a claim to find out that your bike isn't covered. We did the hard work and read all the fine print. To see the difference, see bicycle insurance comparison .

Customer Stories

Client satisfaction is our #1 goal. here's what our clients say about velosurance.

"Thank you so much to Velosurance!! My Ebike was stolen recently while on a trip to Minneapolis.. I was so bummed to lose it and I wasn't sure if it would even be covered.. Dan Madsen and Velosurance were very understanding and covered my claim in full.. " Piper D Baltimore, MD

"Velosurance is great! I’ve had them for 5 years now and it gives me peace of mind knowing that I have my bike stuff covered. I have made a few claims and everything was taken care of and solved in a timely manner. Definitely recommend getting velosurance. " Steven G Los Angeles, CA

"I have insured my bikes with Velosurance for 10 years and had to make two claims. Once I damaged my wheels on vacation, the second I was hospitalized after a massive crash. They were incredibly responsive both times, and made a stressful time incredibly easy. " Gary K San Francisco, CA

Check out Velosurance reviews to see what else people are saying about us.

'Convinced yet? Let's make something great together. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.'

We are riders too

Bicycle prices increase every year and cyclists who are serious about their sport are spending big money on high value bikes. Other forms of insurance, like homeowners and renters insurance, do a poor job insuring high value bicycles so we founded Velosurance to fix that.

Velosurance provides a stand-alone, no bike value depreciation, bicycle insurance policy to replace the cobbled together, sub standard coverages offered by traditional insurance.

We are cyclists just like you, and we understand that when your bike gets damaged in an accident you want the shortest possible downtime. We make it our mission to see that your claim check arrives before the repair parts do and you get back pedaling as soon as you want to.

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Velosurance discounts

Members of USA Cycling, USA Triathlon, and International Mountain Bicycle Association (IMBA) receive discounts on Velosurance bicycle insurance products.

Velosurance provides bicycle insurance policies in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

Cycle Trekkers

Adventures around the world on two wheels!

Choosing Travel Insurance for Cycle Touring

Article updated: 29th June 2020

Having the appropriate travel insurance for cycle touring is essential! It gives you peace of mind in case something happens, and ensures you won’t end up forking out unnecessary money.

I know a lot of people take the risk and don’t buy travel insurance. Personally, I think that’s insane! I used to work as a travel consultant and I’ve heard MANY horror stories related to not being covered.

The horror stories were from people that were on holiday or travelling, when something bad happened, and they either weren’t covered or weren’t covered for the activities they were doing. It always ended up costing them. So it’s important to not only have travel insurance, but to make sure you are sufficiently covered for the activities you plan on doing.

A few things to consider when choosing Travel Insurance for Cycle Touring:

Does the policy cover your bicycle.

I’ve discovered that most travel insurance policies won’t cover bicycle thief! Actually, I have not found one policy (for Australians) that does. Most policies also won’t cover damages to your bike. Most will however cover damages or thief to bicycle accessories (panniers, phone mounts etc.). It’s important to check and be aware of this. It’s better to know up front than think you’re covered just to find out later you’re not.

Does the insurance company cover long-term cycle touring?

This is something I always confirm directly with the insurance company, as it’s not always listed on the ‘included activities’ section of the policy. Some insurance policies may only cover cycle touring on roads or paths (ie. not mountain bike trails/ bikepacking). Or only cover cycle touring if it’s not the main activity taking place (ie. it’s not more than X% of the trip).

Other insurance companies may not cover cycle touring at all or it might be considered to be an additional extra or ‘extreme activity’. Make sure you get confirmation directly from the provider before purchasing your travel insurance for cycle touring.

And, what are the conditions?

You will usually find that the insurance provider will only cover you for cycle touring if you are following the country’s rules and regulations. For example, if it’s law to wear a helmet, then you must be wearing a helmet to be covered. Or, if you legally can’t cycle on a specific road, then you won’t be covered if you cycle on that road.

It’s important to familiarise yourself with the country’s cycling rules. And if you do break some laws (face it, we all do at some point), then be mindful that you might not be covered if something was to happen.

How long do you plan to be cycling for? Will the policy cover you for the entire duration? Or will you need to renew you policy each year?

Most insurance companies only provide insurance policies for a maximum of one year. If you plan on cycling for longer than that, then it’s important to check:

1) Whether the policy can be extend.

2) Whether you can purchase or extend a new policy while travelling.

A lot of policies cannot be extended, which means purchasing a new policy. However, some policies have to be purchased while you are in your home country, before the start of your trip.

It’s also worth checking whether your travel insurance policy will become void if you decide to visit home during your trip.

Also, make sure the policy isn’t a multi-trip policy, as these policies are annual policies that only cover you for travel that is up to specific time period (ie. 60 or 90 days) at a time. After that you have to return home for the policy to still be valid. That said, if you plan to take a few shorter cycle tours throughout the year, where you return home in between trips, then a multi-trip policy might actually work best for you.

I can almost hear some of you ask, “ How will the insurance company find out if I wasn’t wearing my helmet, or that I went home for a couple of weeks?” The truth is, they might not find out unless they request specific documents that contradicts your story or if something happens to you while you are breaking one of the policy conditions. It’s whether you want to take that risk or not. If you are forking out all that money for travel insurance, then you probably want to be covered.

Will my insurance cover COVID-19?

Unless you purchased your travel insurance prior to mid-March, then it’s highly unlikely. I’ve not come across a policy that will provide you with cover for any loss or event related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) – this includes cancellations, disruptions and restrictions resulting from COVID-19. That said, don’t let that prevent you from purchasing travel insurance, as there are plenty of other things that will be covered.

This is one reason why it’s so important to purchase travel insurance as soon as you start booking anything for your trip . Travel insurance doesn’t just cover you for your trip, it covers you leading up to your trip as well. If you purchased your travel insurance prior to mid-March then you may have been covered for any cancellations to your flights in say, April.

A few other things to consider:

Are you travelling solo, or as a group, a family or a couple? Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy a policy that covers you as a group, couple of family, instead of individually.

What countries are you visiting? Different countries usually cost different amounts to cover. Make sure you’re covered for all the countries you plan on visiting.

What’s your nationality? You nationality will affect the policy, even if it’s the same insurance provider. For example, World Nomad ’s policy for British nationals covers completely different activities than World Nomad’s policy for Australians.

If you are unsure about anything, confirm in writing with the insurance provider.

When choosing my insurance provider and policy, I always email the insurance company to confirm my inclusions and anything I’m unsure about. I actually did this once, and was told I was covered for something. It turned out I wasn’t, however because I wrote the to insurance company and had in writing that I was covered. They honoured the claim and paid me out. This experience was with World Nomads Insurance Company.

However, boring it is, I also recommend reading through the policy and comparing a few different policy options before choosing your travel insurance for cycle touring. Just like choosing your touring bike – picking an insurance policy is an investment, and it does take some time and research to get it right.

Our Experience with Travel Insurance for Cycle Touring

We used World Nomads Travel Insurance for our France to China trip , and DUInsure (which is actually part of the Alliance group) for our cycle trip across Canada . I’ve made claims under both policies and overall had a good experience with both insurance companies. However, I did find World Nomad’s system much more user friendly and less complicated for submitting claims online.

The overall process with World Nomad’s was also a lot quicker, and I got paid out within days. Opposed to DUInsure where I had to wait weeks. I found DUInsure was slightly cheaper for travel in Canada and the USA, which is why I changed insurance companies for the Canada trip. However I think I will be changing back to World Nomads  if we were to do long term trip again in future.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about my experience with either of these insurance companies or anything else insurance related.

We would also love to hear from you if you’ve used either of these insurance companies and want to share your experience. Likewise, if you have any other tips for picking travel insurance for cycle touring.

If you enjoyed this article on choosing travel insurance for cycle touring, then you might also enjoy our article on  Accommodation Options for Cycle Tourists .

8 Replies to “Choosing Travel Insurance for Cycle Touring”

Definitely get insurance if, like the lead photo, you prefer to ride in the center or wrong side of the road!

In the photo you are referring to, the road was actually closed to cars. Thanks for pointing it out though. You should definitely cycle on the correct side of the road in normal situations. For argument sake, I’ll change this photo.

It’s very good for me. Thank for share.

I know a lot of people that don’t bother with insurance at all. I guess with all the small print it feels like you’d never win a claim. This helps out a lot though, thanks 🙂

This article is very helpful for me because i learn travel insurance for bike tour. Now i got confidence for travel bike tour.

I just thought I would add that we found an Australian insurer (Zoom Travel Insurance) who cover both travel and the bikes. However, you are meant to have a D-lock worth more than $100 on the bikes if they aren’t within eye sight. They insure you for a year at a maximum of $5000 per bike and can insure up to 5 bikes. You can also extend the insurance if you want to continue using them after a year. I confirmed that they cover longterm cycle touring if you pay for a comprehensive cover plus a Bike Package premium too.

The travel insurance is the usual medical, transport delays, family illness and luggage.

Sorry just got a new email from Zoom Insurance. They do not permit you to extend that insurance after the first 12 months unless you head back to Australia and get a new policy. Disappointing because I really thought we had found the perfect cover all travel insurance.

Oh no! That’s a shame. Yes, it definitely can be difficult finding the perfect travel insurance for cycle touring. I used World Nomads and made a few claims, and I had no issues with them. DUInsure, I also used and made a couple of claims with no issues.

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Our Cycling Travel Insurance policy options

Put simply, we offer three different cycle travel insurance policy options…

1. Cycling Travel Insurance

Our worldwide Cycling Travel Insurance can cover you whilst cycling abroad for leisure or competition, and includes cover for medical and repatriation costs, trip cancellation and curtailment, and more.

2. Cycling Travel Insurance Bolt-On

If you have a travel insurance policy with another provider, such as your bank, but it does not include cover for cycling, we can provide a bolt-on style of protection under our Activity TopUp policy.

3. Sports Accident Insurance

Our Sports Accident Insurance is designed to protect you for cycling in the UK. Our policy provides a range of benefits including cover for serious injury, and if selected, will include income protection.

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Why choose us for Cycling Travel Insurance

30 years experience.

We have been providing tailored Sports Insurance policies for over 30 years, and today protect more than 57,000 customers a year.

Professional Claims Handling

We work with leading claims handlers to make sure our customers experience a prompt and professional service when making a claim.

Underwritten by Experts

We’re pleased to offer tailored cycling holiday insurance which is underwritten by AXA XL, a leading insurer in the sports and leisure industry.

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500+ Sports Covered

Being a specialist in Sports Insurance, we provide cover for over 500 different sports & activities, far more than other providers.

What makes our cycling travel insurance different?

Having a specialist cycling insurance policy can avoid the risk that certain activities are excluded.

Many standard travel insurance policies do not cover cycling, and could specifically exclude cycling holidays, cycling sportives and cycle racing. So, it’s important to check you select appropriate cover, whether you need triathlon insurance  or more extreme sports such as mountain biking insurance .

Our policy includes additional benefits such as cover for Race Entry Fees – which would pay out if you were ill or disabled from taking part; up to £5,600 cover for lost, damaged or stolen bikes and other cycling equipment; and liability cover in case you injured a third party or damaged their belongings.

Our Bike Travel Insurance can cover multiple cycling activities, just choose from our list of options when you get a quote. We’ve been covering people for specialist sports activities for over 30 years and understand the requirements of cyclists who wish to be comprehensively protected whilst cycling abroad. Compare prices when you get a tailored quote .

What does cycling travel insurance cover?

From covering medical expenses to protecting your bike should it get stolen whilst you’re on holiday, our Cycle Travel Insurance provides comprehensive cover. 

• Emergency Medical Expenses & Repatriation
• Cancellation & Curtailment
• Personal Accident cover
• Personal Liability
• Delayed, lost or stolen baggage
• Activity & Race Entry Fees
• Sports Equipment

Why you need cycling insurance?

Whether you’re taking part in cycling day to day or you need cycling holiday insurance, having the correct cover is important. Storing or travelling with your bike comes with risks of damage and loss. Plus sustaining an injury, especially whilst abroad could result in expensive medical and repatriation costs. Read our blog on the benefits of cycling insurance UK.

Insurance for multiple sports

Our Sports Travel Insurance covers over 500 sports and activities, so if you’re an active traveller you can include multiple sports on your policy. You can also choose our Activity Top-Up insurance , this applies if you want short term cover for a one-off activity that isn’t covered on your standard policy. Compare your options by g etting a quote online .

Frequently Asked Questions

We can provide travel insurance for cyclists including cover the following types of cycling:

• Road Cycling
• Cycle Touring
• Track Cycling 
• Downhill Mountain Biking 
• Mountain Biking
• Recumbent Cycling

Not always, some policies will only include cover for recreational cycling. Our policy can cover a large range of cycling activities including road cycling, downhill mountain biking, and cycle touring.

There is some cover for your bike, or a bike hired to you on your trip, under the standard cycling policy. However, if needed, you can add on additional cover up to maximum £5,600 against theft or accidental damage.

Yes, our Cycling Travel Insurance can generally be taken out even if you have a medical condition. We can almost always offer cover at no extra cost, but occasionally our underwriters may apply special terms if you subsequently needed to make a claim relating to your condition.

You can purchase our cycling holiday insurance online up until 74 years old. Above this age, you would need to call us on 01494 484800 and we will be able to refer your quote to our underwriters. Please note, our quotes are based on your age at the start date of cover.

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Cycling travel insurance.

Are you planning a cycling adventure? Whether it’s a short weekend trip or a long tour, having travel insurance is essential for every cyclist. Cycling travel insurance is specifically designed for adventurous travelers who are planning outdoor activities, including cycling. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about cycling travel insurance, from what it covers to how to choose the right plan for you.

What is Cycling Travel Insurance?

Cycling travel insurance is a type of travel insurance that provides coverage for cyclists on their trips. It helps protect you against unforeseen circumstances that can occur during your cycling adventure, such as accidents, injuries, illnesses, and theft. Cycling travel insurance policies are tailored specifically to the needs of cyclists and can cover a range of cycling-related risks.

What Does Cycling Travel Insurance Cover?

Cycling travel insurance covers a range of risks specific to cycling, including accidents, injuries, illnesses, and theft. Some common coverages include:

How to Choose the Right Cycling Travel Insurance?

The right cycling travel insurance is the one that fits your needs and budget. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a policy:

• Coverage: Look for a policy that covers all the necessary risks, such as medical expenses, theft, and personal liability.
• Exclusions: Make sure you read the policy exclusions to avoid any surprises when you file a claim.
• Cost: Compare different policies and their prices to find the one that fits your budget.
• Benefits: Some policies offer additional benefits, such as 24/7 emergency assistance or adventure sports coverage. Look for the ones that fit your needs.
• Reviews: Read reviews from other cyclists to know more about the policy’s reliability and quality of service.

Q: Do I Really Need Cycling Travel Insurance?

A: Yes, you do. Cycling travel insurance is designed to protect you against unforeseen risks that may occur during your trip, such as accidents or illnesses. It provides peace of mind and financial protection in case something goes wrong.

Q: What’s Covered by Cycling Travel Insurance?

A: Cycling travel insurance covers a range of risks specific to cycling, including accidents, injuries, illnesses, and theft. It may also cover cancellation or curtailment, personal liability, and personal accident.

Q: How Much Does Cycling Travel Insurance Cost?

A: The cost of cycling travel insurance depends on various factors, such as your age, destination, duration of the trip, and coverage. Generally, it costs around 5-10% of the total trip cost.

Q: Can I Buy Cycling Travel Insurance After Booking My Trip?

A: Yes, you can. However, it’s recommended to buy travel insurance as soon as you book your trip to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

Q: What if I Have Pre-Existing Medical Conditions?

A: Some cycling travel insurance policies may cover pre-existing medical conditions, while others may not. Make sure you read the policy exclusions and contact the insurer to know more about their coverage.

Cycling travel insurance is a must-have for every cyclist going on a trip. It provides financial protection and peace of mind against unforeseen risks that may occur during your cycling adventure. When choosing a policy, make sure you consider your needs, budget, and other factors mentioned in this article. By having the right cycling travel insurance, you can enjoy your trip with confidence and without worry.

Cycling travel tips, resources and product reviews

The complete cycling insurance guide: at home, abroad and racing

I recently received a question about cycling insurance from long time VeloNomad reader Alex M from South Australia:

“Timbo, what does one do for one day of insurance for Etape du Tour?”

(Good question, Alex, and one we might extend to all Gran Fondos, like Marmotte, Haute Route and beyond. It also gave me cause for thinking about travel and bike insurance more broadly.)

This is a good question because if there's one truth in insurance, it's bloody confusing (as confusing as trying to understand why the Melbourne Football Club has not won an AFL premiership since 1964).

So, here are two questions.

• If you hit an Audi whilst out riding, would you be covered for any damage to the car?
• If you crashed whilst riding in Etape du Tour, would damage to your bike be covered?

If you don't know the answers to these questions (or had never thought about these situations), you're not alone.

Here's a poll I ran.

Truth is, cycling insurance is an utter shambles, with exclusions and caveats causing us a high degree of complexity.

And frankly, it's complexity we can do without.

I hate insurance. I hate paying it. I hate organising it. But it's a necessary evil. And I sadly know more about it than I care to, as I spend nearly $6,000 a year insuring our farm, house, contents, bike, cars and personal road liability insurance (you Victorians and Queenslanders ought to be glad about the TAC/QMR liability insurance). I also love a good deal (and putting one over insurance companies) so I spend an inordinate amount of time cost comparing a couple of times a year.

So let's take a deepish dive into Cycling Insurance, to see if we can demystify a few things.

Cycling Insurance

As a cyclist, you need different cycling insurance (for your bike and others' property) for a range of circumstances, including:

• Insurance at home: fire, theft, damage etc
• Domestic insurance away from home: damage whilst transporting by car, theft from the car, loss/fire
• Domestic racing and event insurance
• Domestic third party insurance
• General cycling insurance whilst abroad (loss, theft, damage)
• Insurance whilst racing or doing a sportive
• Third party insurance
• Injury to yourself and others when home and abroad (damage to others' person and property)

Travel insurance

First up, let's look at travel insurance.

Cycling travel insurance case study

It's not uncommon to see the following situation.

Case study: Steve is going overseas for a 1 day sportive and isn't sure whether:

• His bike is covered for damage or theft when overseas or in transit
• Whether his bike is covered for damage whilst doing a Gran Fondo
• Whether he is covered for damage to third party property or person whilst doing a Gran Fondo

Steve's case study shows us we need to carefully consider our insurance options and coverage.

You need cover for damage to your bike under all circumstances, yourself and others.

It's a mess and it pays to be informed, because no one wants this happening to them:

https://twitter.com/aversteege/status/466140525918056448/

Overseas Bike Insurance

If you are Taking Your Bike Overseas , you need to be aware an airline is limited in liability by the 1999 Montreal Convention 1 .

(For those interested, the liability value is around 1131 SDRs. An SDR, or Special Drawing Right, is an international currency equivalent managed by the IMF. For the Aussies, at the time of publishing, this was about $1600 of cover.)

Now the problem here is that the airline only has an obligation to cover the depreciated value of your item. So if you have a 3 year old, $4000 bike, the airline might assert that it's only worth $1600.

So plainly, extra travel insurance for your bike is pretty much mandatory.

For travel insurance, you have two options:

• Extra insurance with specific cover for the bike
• Credit card insurance: only applies if the airfares are paid for on the credit card.

Things to watch out for:

• If you are relying on credit card insurance, make sure sure it covers the full replacement value of your bike.
• Make sure you are covered for all events (loss, theft, fire etc) overseas.
• Make sure you are covered when participating in sportives, for damage to you, your bike and others.

That last point is particularly important, and leads to our next section.

Event insurance

For events like Etape, you need insurance that covers damage to yourself, a third party and to your bike.

Many travel insurers will specifically exclude damage and injury for these events.

Yes you can get Etape insurance through the ASO, but as reader Alex M (thanks Alex!) said in an email:

“The Etape does offer insurance for the event, but it is limited to 2500E of medical cover, which I'm not sure is enough. It also provides Death and Permanent Disability insurance, but we already have that as part of our super fund. Also, the insurance is provided by a French company – it can be hard to argue with an English speaking insurance company – I don't know how hard it might be to actually claim the insurance from a French company if something happens!”

Alex and I had a bit of back and forth about insurance. I mentioned that I thought my previous credit card insurance (Westpac Platinum card, using Zurich insurance) and Vero Gold domestic contents policy would cover my bike. For damage overseas my contents insurance would have covered my bike except for damage during Etape.

Alex did some legwork and found out Zurich would not have covered me for bike damage or personal injury. Ooops.

He also found out the companies below did not cover (this information is for the Aussies more than anyone else):

• Defence Health
• Zurich (who are the insurer for our BankWest Platinum Mastercard)
• Travel Insurance Direct
• InsureAndGo
• CycleCover travel insurance

Whilst CycleCover's travel insurance didn't cover you for damage and injury incurred during Etape (and events like it), their home and contents policy did, with an overseas add-on. However it excludes personal injury.

Alex found another company that specifically covered you when doing events like Etape: WorldNomads. However, they specifically exclude damage to your bike.

CONFUSED YET? (Good, me too.)

To further confuse things Velosure in conjunction with Cycling Australia (Australia) provide travel insurance that will cover you and provide personal liability, even when participating in a sportive. However, as soon as you include cover for a sportive, it excludes the bike (this seems completely ridiculous to me, but that's insurance for you). However, they do have domestic insurance that covers you overseas for up to 90 days a year.

What this all means

What this all means is that regardless of where you live, you pretty much need 2 lots of insurance:

• Domestic bike cover that covers you when overseas (e.g. Velosure bicycle insurance)
• Travel insurance that covers you and others (personal liability) for the trip, including when participating in events

Here's a list of companies that will provide cover for your bike, yourself and provide third party liability when travelling, including when doing events like Etape. Don't forget to ensure your bike is included.

• Velosure (Australia)
• Cyclecover (Australia)
• World Nomads (residents of about 140 countries, coverage varies country to country)
• Cycleplan (UK)

Domestic cycling insurance

Domestic cycling insurance is pretty straightforward and consists of cover for:

• Damage, theft, loss at home
• Damage, theft and loss away from the home (including mounted on, or in, your car, or whilst travelling domestically)
• Race insurance
• Event insurance (gran fondos like Three Peaks, Dragon Ride etc)
• Third party damage to person and property

These are all pretty straightforward to acquire.

For the Aussies, I can recommend:

• Vero Gold: very good bike cover for expensive bikes included free, but excludes racing.
• Cyclecover: very good combined house and contents or contents only cover, includes racing, but quite expensive. We used to use this but consolidated our insurance elsewhere (more cost effective as we are on a 10 acre farm and only a limited range of insurers cover us).
• Velosure Bike Insurance on top of your home/contents cover, includes race cover and 90 days of overseas bike cover. (This is who I use now.)
• Your state cycling organisation, Velosure or Cycling Australia for third party damage and liability.

For those outside Australia, I would love to hear who you use to cover you.

One Last Thing

When you're taking your bike overseas, Proper Packing & Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Make sure you get a decent bike bag and pack it properly.

If you're doing Etape or another sportive , make sure you have reasonable bike handling skills—particularly on descents—and keep alert.

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3 comments add yours

Thanks Tim, just what I thought. Travel insurance is a joke, especially taking note that I’m planning on riding in L E Tape Du france in July, travelling with my wife on a one way trip to work in london. I just better hope I don’t break another collar bone in France

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Best bike insurance: The best policies for cyclist

The best bike insurance can offer cover for cyclists from infrequent commuters to committed racers

Best tailored bike insurance policies

Best bike insurance for casual commuters, best bike insurance for serious athletes, how to find the best bike insurance for you.

The best bike insurance for you will depend on the type of riding you do. You can find bike insurance policies appropriate for everyone from the casual recreational rider to dedicated racers riding some of the best road bikes , best time trial bikes or best gravel bikes .

The best bike insurance doesn't just cover your bike if it's stolen, you can buy a policy to protect your bike from accidental damage and that will help you get riding again if you're injured. Most will offer you the option of third-party damage cover as well.

Bike theft remains a major hazard though and one that the best bike insurance will protect you from. Many insurance policies offer you a new-for-old option if your bike is lost. 

You do need to show that you've taken steps to avoid or prevent theft though. Using one of the best bike locks and knowing how to lock your bike is important - if you're not doing both, you may invalidate your insurance.

Often an insurance company will specify the level of security that a bike lock must provide for your cover to be valid, although that might be met by even the best budget bike locks .

If you’re new to navigating the world of bike insurance, it can be overwhelming due to the sheer number of insurers and policies on offer, so we’ve rounded up the best bike insurance policies available today. Some of the criteria we have looked at are whether the policies cover multiple bikes, legal fees, public liability, travel and whether they offer new replacement bikes for old. 

We've split this guide up into the best-tailored bike insurance, the best bike insurance for commuters, and the best bike insurance for racing. It's geared toward UK riders, with the companies listed below offering insurance to UK residents.

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And if you're looking for a fast quote UK readers can click on the Compare Bike Insurance Quotes banner below. We've partnered with QuoteZone to create a handy bike insurance comparison tool for UK readers that allows you to compare over 30 quotes from specialist cycling insurance providers.

At the bottom of this list, we've answered some of the most-asked queries in a section on how to find the best bike insurance for you. 

While some insurers offer a single blanket policy designed to suit most cyclists’ needs, there are several who offer tailored insurance policies for the individual. These may consist of three tiers to choose from, or actually form a bespoke policy where you can pick and choose the cover you need.

1. Yellow Jersey

Zero depreciation and DNA security marking

Multi-bike discount: Yes | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes | New for old: Yes (unlimited)

Yellow Jersey offers three tiers of cover: Essentials, Performance, and Ultimate. One of its greatest benefits is the Zero Depreciation offer, which means you’ll always be compensated for the original value of the bike when new, regardless of how old it is.

For commuters, urban riders and casual cyclists, Essentials offers cover for accidental damage (at home and while out riding), vandalism and theft, personal injury, physiotherapy, dental and public liability insurance. On top of that, you’ll also get DNA security marking to deter thieves (a clear liquid with a unique chemical fingerprint that you dab onto your frame in strategic places), family cover and a multi-bike discount, £250 of accessory cover and up to £10,000 for permanent injury.

The Performance package offers all this, plus travel cover in Europe, damage and injury cover while taking part in sportives and charity events, in-vehicle theft and in-transit cover, plus optional cover for extra wheelsets, plus permanent injury up to £15,000.

On top of all this, if you opt for Ultimate, you also get a 60 per cent multi-bike discount and cover for worldwide travel, crash damage, theft from a triathlon transition area, bike boxes, competitions, and the cost of a UK taxi back home following an accident or mechanical failing.

Tailored insurance that can be paid monthly interest-free

Bikmo offers bespoke insurance policies to cover you for whatever it is you need. Pick and choose from a menu of benefits, including (but not limited to) £ 2 million public liability insurance, accidental damage and vandalism, theft (you must adhere to Bikmo’s locking requirements), cover for bike boxes, accessories, clothing and headgear, emergency hire, £100,000 legal expenses cover and 24/7 cycle hangar parking.

Bikmo also offers up to 50 per cent multi-bike discount and, like Yellow Jersey, doesn’t recognise depreciation of value when estimating the cost of damages. Their team of bike geeks are on hand with specialist knowledge, and there’s an option to pay in monthly instalments, interest-free.

3. Wiggle Insurance

Promises instant action so you won’t be left waiting by the roadside

Multi-bike discount: Yes (Essential & Elite packages) | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes (Elite package) | New for old: Yes (Essential & Elite packages)

Wiggle’s insurance comes with three levels to choose from – Assist, Essential and Elite – and promises to be the fastest-acting provider of all. While most insurance providers will require you to provide proof of costs – whether it’s for a taxi home following a mechanical breakdown or dental treatment – before reimbursing, Wiggle promises to act immediately, providing instant medical care and transportation. It also offers interest-free monthly payments.

The Assist policy is extremely basic and only offers personal accident and public liability insurance, plus access to emergency medical, dental and physio treatment.

The Essential package is most likely to appeal to casual cyclists and commuters, covering you for theft and accidental damage on top of these.

Their most comprehensive package, Elite, offers all this, plus cover for global travel, sports and transition, as well as replacement bike hire.

4. Velosure

Discipline-specific insurance policies

Multi-bike discount: Yes | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes (optional) | New for old: Yes (unlimited)

Velosure offers insurance policies based on your chosen discipline and type of bike, with policies for road bikes, mountain bikes, urban bikes, electric bikes, sports bikes and leisure bikes. Standard cover includes accidental damage and theft, up to £ 2 million public liability, and new-for-old replacement. There’s also a multi-bike discount.

Depending on your needs, you can add optional extras to your policy, including European and worldwide travel, sports and competition cover, personal accident and accessories cover, and replacement bike hire, among others. 

5. Pedalsure

Simple policy with a long list of customisation and personal cover options

Multi-bike discount: Yes | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes | New for old: Yes

Pedalsure offers a comprehensive tailorable quote system which enables the rider to pick and choose their required cover, including the option to add extra bikes with a 50 per cent multi-bike discount, as well as accessories, race cover, up to 60 days' travel cover, three tiers of personal cover, and more. 

The standard cover is basic in order to keep the cost down, but the list of added extras is long. 

Pedalsure’s policy provides personal accident cover, which includes the cost of physiotherapy and dental treatment, as well as theft, accidental damage and vandalism. If you need to hire a replacement bike while making a claim, they will reimburse you for up to £500 to cover this. Their insurance also provides you with legal protection and personal liability.

If your time on the bike is mostly limited to the daily commute, weekend leisure rides or the occasional holiday, you don’t need a super comprehensive insurance policy. The main things you should prioritise are accidental damage cover, personal injury, theft and legal protection if you were to make a claim.

Best for a personal touch

Laka’s insurance policies come with a personal touch. Two policies are available: Bicycle insurance and Recovery insurance. The former offers cover for your bike, helmet, clothing, GPS device and more, plus you’re insured against theft (including from a vehicle), damage and vandalism, and loss. In addition, they cover you and your belongings at races and triathlons, provide global travel insurance for up to 60 days per trip, and will give you £200 of emergency cash after an incident to help you rent a bike or get a taxi home. 

While your possessions are covered by the Bicycle policy, Laka’s Recovery policy takes care of your mind and body. In addition to accident and injury cover (for home and abroad), you’ll gain access to sports specialists and virtual GPs to quickly diagnose and treat your injuries, performance coaching to improve your recovery, and have your physio, dental and mental health bills covered up to £1,500. They even include copies of Rouleur magazine, the hire of a turbo trainer, and nutritional advice from the pros, to help you recover as quickly and comfortably as possible. 

Great for casual cyclists and holidayers

Multi-bike discount: No | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes | New for old: Yes (2 years maximum)

Bicy’s insurance policy covers cyclists for accidental damage, theft and personal injury, plus it comes with up to £ 1 million public liability insurance and mechanical breakdown cover. If you’re in the habit of holidaying with your bike, then you’d benefit from worldwide cover for up to 60 days at a time, and Bicy offers new-for-old cover (meaning that they’ll pay out the original value of your bike when it was new, without taking any depreciation of value into account) – but unlike Yellow Jersey's unlimited offer, it only applies if your bike is less than three years old. Finally, Bicy has a legal team who are on hand 24 hours a day. If you’re making a claim, they can offer specialist advice, and even take over the claim where appropriate.

Whether you're entering crits in your home city or flying across the world to participate in cross-continental races, if you're a serious athlete you'll need a lot more from your insurance policy. Look for one that offers worldwide travel insurance, competition cover that includes lost entry fees, transit cover for bike boxes and a way of getting home if all goes wrong.

Two policy options, with a 10% discount for both

Multi-bike discount: Yes | Public liability: Yes | Travel cover: Yes (optional) | New for old: Yes (3 years maximum)

Similarly to Laka, Sundays offer two different policies - Bicycle and Cyclist - so you can choose to either insure just your bike or your body or opt for both with a 10 per cent discount. Bicycle insurance covers you for accidental damage, crash damage, malicious damage, theft, domestic in-transit and cycle hire. There’s even a specific cover for damage caused to a bike while on a roof rack. Sundays has a three-year limit on its new-for-old offer, and you can add extras like worldwide travel insurance, competition cover, and extra wheelsets cover.

Paid Strava subscribers get a more limited range of included benefits through Sundays, covering GPS device damage, running race entry and a taxi home if you're stranded by a cycling accident or mechanical.

2. CycleGuard

Comprehensive insurance for risk-takers

CycleGuard’s insurance policy is pretty comprehensive and offers a multi-bike discount with a maximum of 10 bikes per policy. Your bike is insured against accidental damage and theft, including theft from a vehicle, and you can insure up to £2,500 worth of accessories. 30 days of EU travel is also included in the standard policy, alongside 24/7 roadside assistance, new-for-old replacement or compensation, family cover for the same address, and bike hire for up to £500.

Serious athletes may want to opt for some of the extras available, including global travel insurance with £300 cover for bike box transit damage, personal injury cover up to £25,000, including dental treatment, broken bones, physiotherapy and more, and £ 5 million public liability (excluding North America). There’s also competition cover available, which helps you recover lost race fees, travel and accommodation, and – like Yellow Jersey – it is looking out for triathletes with cover for clothes lost in a transition area.

3. Cycleplan

Insurance for racers, teams and coaches

Cycleplan is a subsidiary of Ripe Insurance (providers of specialist insurance cover), offering cover against accidental damage, vandalism and theft, whether at home or away. They also offer an additional policy for worldwide and European travel, which includes competitive cover. Other benefits include public liability insurance, personal accident cover, including medical expenses, physio or loss of income, and replacement bike hire. You’re also covered for legal expenses, should you need to make a claim.

As part of Ripe Insurance, you can also get special insurance for race teams and coaches, via Insure4Sport (another Ripe Insurance subsidiary). 

Cycleplan currently has a 40 per cent introductory discount, and they also offer a free downloadable cycling training guide.

4. British Cycling Membership

Best for multiple discounts and benefits

While this isn’t technically an insurance policy recommendation, membership to British Cycling does come with the added benefit of third-party liability insurance up to £ 20 million, as well as legal support and assistance if you need to make a claim. If you opt for the Race membership, you’ll also be entitled to personal accident insurance. Travel insurance isn’t included with British Cycling membership but, as a member, you’d also get discounted access to Bikmo insurance (mentioned above), as well as priority access to tickets and a racing licence, and a whole host of discounts at Evans, Halfords, Science In Sport, Chain Reaction Cycles, TrainingPeaks, Muc-Off, and more.

Insurance can be complicated, although the insurance companies we've listed above strive to make details of their cover more accessible to the buyer. So here, we've broken down the key questions that you need to ask to find the best bike insurance for your needs. Consider your budget and insurance requirements, make a list and see which insurers meet your needs at the most competitive price. 

Which type of bike insurance is best?

The best bicycle insurance policies for you, like most things in life, will depend on your personal needs. The perfect cover for someone else may not suit you. Consider what your needs are and what the nice-to-haves might be. The more of these you add to a policy, the more expensive it's likely to become, so remain realistic and remember you can always adjust your cover down the line.

Is there any benefit in being covered for racing for a year just in case you decide to join a race? Probably not. Are you hoping to do a sportive later in the year? Consider adding that cover to the policy then, rather than now. Additionally, if you never let your £10k carbon race bike out of sight, then you mightn't need to add away-from-home theft cover. 

Consider the true value of replacing your bike should it be damaged or stolen. You might have bought your bike for £2,000 in the sales, but replacing it with a like-for-like replacement today might cost you twice that. Many insurers account for this by offering a like-for-like replacement guarantee - especially useful if your 2015 carbon wheels are totalled and are no longer available. 

Is bike insurance worth buying?

While cyclists aren't legally required to have insurance, it's a good idea to protect yourself in the event of an incident. Even if you aren't concerned about damaging your bike, you can be liable to cover the costs of damage to another person's property, should you be found at fault – so insurance can protect you in that scenario. If your bike is stolen, insurance will cover the financial blow that will come as a result of replacing it. 

But don't assume that insurance is your get-out-of-jail-free card and let your guard down. Many insurers stipulate rules around how to lock your bike – and what with – to maintain cover against theft. If a thief happens to take your bike off your hands because you left it unlocked and unattended "just for five minutes", your insurer is unlikely to pay out. 

Make sure you read the fine print!

Does bike insurance cover damage?

Many bicycle insurance policies are tailorable, meaning you can choose your level of coverage when first taking out the policy. Many even offer an insurance dashboard on which you are able to adjust your policy at any given time.

The most basic policies will cover third-party damage – so, damage to someone else's property. Others add theft protection and accidental damage to your own property, while the higher levels of cover add competition insurance, should your bike become damaged during a race or sportive.

Does my car insurance cover me on a bicycle?

Usually not, but there are rare instances where bicycle insurance is given as added value to a policy. Of course, this purely depends on the individual policy and insurer in question. Our advice would be to check your policy and, if unsure, speak with your car insurance provider. 

Does home insurance cover bike theft?

If you’ve taken out home insurance, then you’ll likely already have some cover, but there’s a reason specialist bike insurance exists in the first place. With home insurance policies, there can often be a low maximum claim (some are as low as £350/$450), and you might not be covered if your bike is stolen while locked up in a public space.

Specialist bike insurance policies, on the other hand, offer several benefits that you won’t get with home insurance. For example, some will offer discounts for multiple bikes, while others may include travel cover. You can also insure accessories such as helmets, locks and lights, which is especially useful if they get damaged or stolen. 

Specialist insurance often also includes personal accident cover, and public liability cover in case you injure someone else or damage property. Finally, if you’re a dedicated racer, it’s worth looking for an insurance policy that covers damage during racing, lost race fees, and personal accident cover. It’s more expensive than home insurance, but you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.

What do I do if I'm uninsured, but already been involved in a cycling accident?

If you’ve already been involved in an accident, but you're not covered by insurance, you're not without options. Many cycle accident solicitors operate on a no-win-no-fee basis and can help you make a claim to recover your costs. 

Online cycling retailer Wiggle has set up a branch called Wiggle Legal for this very purpose, and other similar companies, including Cycle SOS and Alyson France, can help you claim against the local council for potholes or guilty parties in road traffic collisions. Of course, it's not guaranteed that you'll win, and if there's no guilty party to claim against, you may come unstuck.

Should I report a stolen bike?

Absolutely. While the likelihood of recovering a stolen bike can often be quite low, it's even lower when not reported. It should be reported to the police, who will log it into their database. Should the bike ever be recovered, they will know its owner and reunite you with your steed. 

If you've not already had your bike stolen, then the first thing we'd recommend doing is noting down the frame's serial number, as this is unique to each bike. Then, if the bike is ever stolen, you can provide this serial number to the police and give them concrete proof that the bike belongs to you. 

It's common practice for a bike shop to attach the serial number to any bike transaction. Therefore, if your bike has already been stolen and you didn't write it down yourself, check your receipt. If that's lost, contact the shop where you bought the bike, they may be able to help. 

Do you legally need to have insurance to ride an e-bike?

This largely depends on your local laws, as they differ from country to country. Most commonly, however, if your bike complies with local laws pertaining to pedelecs – the details of which you can find in our best electric bikes guide – then from a tax and insurance standpoint your e-bike is classed as a bicycle and doesn't require insurance. 

However, as with any bicycle, it's a good idea to ensure you're covered in case of accident or theft. With electric bikes usually faster and heavier than standard bikes, there's more likelihood that you will cause third-party damage or injury in an accident.

Thieves are attracted to electric bikes for their higher value as well.

Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton.

Josh has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years.

He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. 

These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.

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Why do I need cycling travel insurance?

Cycling travel insurance is a must-have if cycling is the primary purpose of your holiday or trip, and it also covers you if you’re taking part in timed events.

Typical travel insurance excludes anything other than leisure riding. You need cycling travel insurance if you’re on a road cycling holiday with your club, a downhill mountain bike trip with friends, or competing in a sportive or triathlon abroad.

Our cycling holiday insurance covers emergency medical care and repatriation, including emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains. The policy also has generous cancellation and Covid covers as standard.

Cycling travel insurance reviews

Travel insurance built for cycling holidays

If you are planning a cycling holiday, you need to make sure you have sufficient cycling travel insurance for cycling.

Pedal Cover travel insurance for cycling will cover medical mishaps and emergencies on your holiday, along with essential covers like cancelled trips, lost luggage and holiday money. 

We cover all forms of cycling as standard, including cycle tours, bike packing, multi-stage events, mountain biking (including downhill) and triathlon . We even cover emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains

Please be aware bikes are not covered by our travel insurance. You can find more information on how to cover your bikes here .

Looking to cover your bikes?

What activities does cycling travel insurance cover?

Our cycle holiday insurance covers almost all cycling disciplines. Pedal Cover should be your natural choice if you’re going on a cycling holiday. If you don’t see an activity listed below, do not hesitate to contact our team, and we can check that out for you. Our policy also covers several other sports and pastimes as standard, listed in the policy wording or our FAQs below.

Cycling disciplines A-L

• BMX Racing (recognised track only)
• Criterium Racing
• Cycle Touring / Bike Packing
• Downhill Mountain Biking (incl. racing)
• Gravel Riding
• Leisure Cycling

Cycling disciplines M-T

• Mountain Biking (all mountain, enduro, freeride, slopestyle, speed & style, cross country, four-cross, marathon, pump track, and trail riding)
• Multi-stage / Ultra Endurance Cycling Events (e.g. RAAM/ Haute Route/ Transcontinental)
• Road Cycling (charity events, gran fondo, road racing, sportives, time trials and training holidays)
• Track Cycling
• Triathlon / Duathlon / Aquabike (half ironman distance, ironman distance, olympic distance, sprint distance and training holidays)

Our cycling travel insurance cover explained

Our cycle travel insurance covers everything you’d expect from a premium travel policy and other benefits unique to a cycle travel insurance provider—Below is a summary. Please read the policy wording to understand the requirements and limits of cover.

Emergency Medical Expenses

Covering medical mishaps while riding is crucial and is the primary feature of our cycling travel insurance. It is also frequently missing from standard travel insurance policies. We cover the costs of emergency medical care to £10 million. The cover includes mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains.

Our travel insurance policies include cover for Covid 19, emergency medical care, and other expenses such as cancellation and curtailment related to COVID 19.

We have a separate section below explaining the cover; click  here .

Cancellation, Curtailment

We will cover up to £5,000 for your travel and accommodation costs if you have to cancel your cycling holiday due to unforeseen illness or injury. Unlike standard travel insurance, our cycle holiday insurance also covers you for withdrawing due to an injury that prevents you from cycling on the trip, even if you could fly.

Do you need bike cover?

Remember, this policy doesn’t cover your bicycle. For this, you can purchase our bundled home and bike insurance , or we offer a no strings attached rolling monthly cycle insurance.

Cycling Specific Covers

We offer a cycle breakdown benefit if you have a mechanical and need to make it back to the hotel. Repatriation for your bike if you have to return home in an emergency. Bike hire if your bike fails to arrive or is stolen, and cover for your race fee if you have to withdraw or the event is cancelled due to bad weather. All these are included as standard on our cycle travel policies.

Cycling Liability Insurance

If you damage somebody’s property or injure another road user while cycling, you could find yourself liable for damages. Every Pedal Cover travel product includes £2 million public liability cover while cycling on a trip, including in races.

Multi or Single Trip

Whether you want a one-off policy for a cycling trip or a multi-trip policy for the whole year, we can put together a package to suit you.

Racing and Training

Some travel insurance policies include limited cover for cycling. You should check the small print; there are usually severe exclusions, particularly for racing or serious training. We can cover you for a family cycling holiday, training camp, during events such as Mallorca 312 or even downhill mountain biking.

Winter Sports Cover

Cancellation, medical expenses and repatriation are all covered as standard for winter activities for up to 17 days a year on our annual package. You get benefits like loss or damage to ski equipment, lost ski pasess, avalanche cover or resort closure.

Repatriation

If you injure yourself cycling abroad, our cycle travel insurance will cover mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains, and if necessary, we’ll cover the costs of repatriating you back to the UK.

Baggage & Money

We include cover up to £250 for lost or delayed baggage, up to £500 for holiday money, and up to £5,000 for valuables (which includes cycling clothing, helmets and shoes). Bicycles are not included under the baggage cover. If you need cover for theft or damage to your bicycles, we can insure them separately . 

We cover cycling gadgets, for example, your Garmin, Wahoo, GoPro or other high-value electrical items. Please read the policy to know you’re getting the right cover for your trip and activities.

Our cycle holiday insurance at a glance

Our policies have all the covers you’d expect from top-notch travel insurance and cover almost all cycling activities. Remember, this policy doesn’t cover your bicycle. For this, you can purchase our bundled home and bike insurance , or we also offer a no strings attached rolling monthly cycle insurance.

Core travel section

Cycle specific covers, winter sports (annual only), whatever your needs, we have you covered.

Single trip or an annual policy?

It is cheaper to purchase an annual policy if you plan to take a few trips over the course of a year, while still providing coverage for every race, and training camp you attend overseas.

Our annual policies also cover winter sports, so buying an annual cycle travel insurance policy before your summer bike trip could save you the trouble of finding another insurer.

However, if you have ‘standard’ travel insurance for most of the year, but need a top-up for a training camp, then one of our single trip policies might be best.

Do you need competition cover?

Cyclists taking part in races, tours, triathlons and charity events will need to consider choosing a policy with competition cover. If you have a crash during a competition or are injured, you need coverage for liability and medical costs. Most other travel insurance suppliers exclude competitions, but it’s available with us.

We even offer you cover if you have to withdraw from an event, which prevents you from being out of pocket for expensive entry fees.

Welcome to our cycling travel FAQ section

We can hopefully answer all your questions related to our travel insurance built for cyclists offered by Allianz. For customers with questions about other policies, you should go to the relevant product page or contact the team.

Cycle travel insurance predominately covers your medical expenses when travelling abroad. Amongst over things, it also covers costs if your trip is cancelled.

Cycle travel insurance does not, however, protect your bike. If you need cover for your bike, you can purchase our combined home & bike insurance , which bundles home contents, buildings, and bicycle insurance under one roof. If you don’t qualify for our home insurance or prefer dedicated cycle insurance , we also offer this as an annual contract or on a no-obligation rolling monthly basis.

Yes, our travel insurance provides coverage for downhill mountain biking, including participation in competitive events, emergency medical care and repatriation.

The policy also covers emergency helicopter evacuation.

Our cycling holiday insurance covers emergency medical care and repatriation, including emergency mountain rescue and heli-rescue if you are injured riding in the mountains.

Yes, we want you to be able to enjoy the warm weather and beautiful roads during your training camp with confidence, so we’ll pay for your emergency medical costs and return travel if a sickness or accident prevents you from enjoying the trip.

Our triathlon travel insurance covers all distances, including Ironman events. Along with a raft of other covers, we provide emergency medical or repatriation expenses should something go wrong abroad. We also cover your trip cancellation, including being unable to travel due to an injury leading up to your event.

Yes – When buying our travel insurance, be sure to choose Worldwide protection, which includes the USA.

If you don’t have any immediate plans to travel over the Atlantic, look at our European-only coverage, which is more affordable.

No – If you need cover for your bike, you can purchase our home insurance for cyclists , which bundles home contents, buildings cover (if you need it) and bicycle insurance under one roof.

If you don’t qualify for our home insurance or prefer cycle insurance only , we offer this either as an annual contract or on a no-obligation rolling monthly basis.

Yes. Our travel insurance is built to pay for unexpected medical needs. This is true for triathlons of any length and all types of bicycle racing, including mountain biking.

Our travel insurance is built to cover repatriation costs due to injuries sustained while on holiday, even when riding or competing on your bicycle. 

If a serious injury prevents you from attending an event that you have entered, we offer entry fee cancellation coverage. Before the incident that prevents you from participating in your race, you must have taken out an insurance policy with us. Additionally, we need documentation of the injury from a licenced medical professional.

On a yearly policy, there is no cap on the number of trips. However, no journey may last longer than 60 days away from the UK.

Our annual multi-trip travel insurance policy has a 120-day trip maximum, but you can take as many trips as you like during the year as long as no individual trip exceeds that length.

Our annual cycling travel insurance includes winter sports coverage as an extra benefit. You can go for a maximum of 17 days per trip for winter sports holidays.

If you are planning an epic touring excursion, we might be able to assist with a personalised insurance policy, but you’ll need to give us a call.

Please remember that once you start travelling, we can’t provide you with extended cover.

Our travel insurance covers up to five gadgets with a combined value of £2,000; this will cover any unintentional damage to your belongings while travelling or theft (e.g. from your hotel). The policy includes Garmins and also items like laptops, tablets, and cameras.

Please remember gadgets are not covered for damage while you are cycling. It’s best to look at the policy wording or call us if you are unsure.

We cover lots of of other sports – It is best to look at the policy wording for a complete list. 

Annual policies cover winter sports, so if you enjoy skiing or snowboarding over the winter, you won’t need to purchase an additional policy.

Our policy automatically covers you for one pre-existing medical condition from our list of automatically covered conditions .

If you have two or more conditions from the list below or a condition not on the list, the cover is excluded unless disclosed to the medical screening helpline, and the additional cover is agreed to in writing.

Automatically covered pre-existing medical conditions:

• Allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) provided that you have not needed hospital treatment for this in the last two years.
• Allergic rhinitis
• Arthritis (the affected person must be able to walk independently at home without using mobility aids)
• Asthma (the diagnosis must have been made when the affected person was under the age of 50, and the asthma be controlled by no more than two inhalers and no other medication)
• Blindness or partial sightedness
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Chickenpox – if wholly resolved
• Common cold or flu
• Cuts and abrasions that are not self-inflicted and require no further treatment
• Cystitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
• Diabetes (which is controlled by diet or tablets only)
• Diarrhoea and vomiting – if wholly resolved
• Enlarged prostate – benign only
• Essential tremor
• Haemorrhoids
• Ligament or tendon injury – provided you are not currently being treated
• Macular degeneration
• Migraine – provided there are no ongoing investigations
• Nasal polyps
• Sinusitis – provided there is no ongoing treatment
• Skin or wound infections that have entirely resolved with no current treatment
• Underactive thyroid (Hypothyroidism)
• Varicose veins in the legs

Alternatively you can view a directory set up by the Money and Pensions Service. This directory provides easy access to companies that specialise in providing cover for pre-existing medical conditions, to enable customers to find the best value cover.

The directory can be accessed at https://traveldirectory.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en or by calling 0800 138 7777.

Pedal Cover are not connected to the insurers provided by the directory. As we offer a travel insurance product aimed at cyclists you should ensure that, if using a firm on the directory, they are able to cover your intended cycling activities.

Our travel policy does not cover pre-existing medical conditions as standard. We offer a confidential, independent medical screening service to provide a top-up if you need cover for a pre-existing medical condition. Contact their helpline at + 44(0)1702 427 237.

After answering questions about your medical conditions, the screening service will confirm if they can cover them. They may need to charge a premium, and they will explain any additional requirements, such as an increased excess.

If the helpline can provide the additional coverage and you elect to purchase it, you must first buy our Pedal Cover cycling travel policy. You will supply the helpline with your Pedal Cover policy number. You will pay any premium for the additional cover directly to the screening helpline, not Pedal Cover.

Once the medical conditions are covered, the helpline will give you a screening reference number. The helpline will send a letter confirming cover, cost, and requirements. Please keep this safe as it is required in the event of a claim.

If you purchase our Pedal Cover travel insurance before speaking to the medical screening helpline, and subsequently, they cannot offer a top-up, or you are unhappy with the extra cost quoted, you can cancel your travel insurance with us. We will provide a complete, no-quibble refund within the first 14 days of purchase.

Yes, but the insurance will not provide coverage for any claims directly or indirectly related to the pre-existing medical condition.

Sports, pastimes and activities

• Abseiling (within organisers guidelines)
• Administrative or clerical occupations 1, 2
• Amateur athletics (track and field)
• American football
• Archaeological digging 1, 2
• Assault course
• Banana boating (as a passenger only) 3
• Big game hunting 1, 2
• Billiards/snooker/pool
• Bobsleigh 1
• Body boarding (boogie boarding)
• Bungee jumping (only as short duration incidental day excursion with licensed public hirer) 2
• Camel riding 1, 2
• Canoeing (up to grade 2 rivers)
• Cave diving (no solo diving) 2
• Clay pigeon shooting 1, 2
• Climbing (on climbing wall only)
• Climbing up to 3,500 metres on slopes classified as facile or easy including rock scrambling
• Deep sea fishing
• Driving any motorised vehicle that you are licensed to drive in your home country (other than in motor rallies or competitions) 1, 2
• Elephant riding/trekking 2
• Fell walking/running
• Fishing Fives
• Flying as pilot 1, 2
• Football (amateur only and not main purpose of trip)
• Glass bottom boats/bubbles (as a passenger only) 1
• Gliding 1, 2
• Go karting (within organiser’s guidelines) 1
• Golf Handball
• Hang gliding 1, 2
• High diving over 9 meters (supervised pools only, no rock diving/jumping) 2
• Hockey (must wear protective head gear)
• Horse riding (wearing a helmet and excluding competitions, racing, jumping and hunting) 1, 2
• Hot air ballooning (organised rides only) 2
• Hovercraft driving/passenger 1, 2
• Hurling (amateur only and not main purpose of trip)
• Indoor climbing (on climbing wall only) Jet boating 1, 2, 4
• Jet skiing 1, 2, 4
• Karting (wearing a helmet) 1, 2, 4
• Kayaking (up to grade 2 waters only)
• Kite Surfing 2
• Marathon running
• Motor sport (any type) 1, 2
• Orienteering
• Paintball/war games (wearing eye protection) 1, 2
• Parachuting 1, 2
• Paragliding (over water only – not over Must be licensed operator with professional guide and only in EU, EEA, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.) 1, 2
• Parascending (over water only – not over Must be licensed operator with professional guide and only in EU, EEA, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) 1, 2
• Pony trekking 2, 4
• Pot holing (must be a licensed operator with professional guide and wearing helmets)
• Power boating (no racing and no competitions) 1, 2
• Quad biking (wearing a helmet) 1, 2, 4
• Racket ball Rambling Refereeing
• Ringo (as a passenger only) 1
• Roller skating/blading/in line skating (wearing pads and helmets)
• Rugby (Union/League) not professional
• Running (non-competitive)
• Safari trekking (must be organised tour) 1, 2
• Sailing/yachting (includes amateur racing competitions) 1, 2
• Sand boarding 1, 2
• Sand dune surfing/skiing 1
• Sand yachting 1, 2, 4
• Scuba diving up to a depth of 40 metres (must be PADI/BSAC No solo diving and subject to scuba diving endorsement below)
• Scuba diving up to a depth of 9 metres (No solo diving and subject to scuba diving endorsement below)
• Shooting/small bore target/rifle range Shooting (within organisers guidelines) 1, 2
• Skateboarding (wearing pads and helmets)
• Sledging (not on snow)
• Snorkelling
• Spear fishing (without tanks)
• Speed sailing 1, 2, 4
• Street hockey
• Students working as counsellors or university exchanges for practical course work (non- manual) 2
• (no competitions,inland and coastal waters only 1
• Swimming with dolphins
• Swimming/bathing with elephants
• Sydney Harbour Bridge walk (walking across roped)
• Table tennis
• Tall ship crewing 1, 2, 4
• Ten pin bowling
• Trampolining
• Tree canopy walking (walking across roped)
• Trekking/hiking between 2,500 and 5,000 metres above sea level. (On organised tour along recognised routes No search and rescue other than for medical reasons.)
• Trekking/hiking/walking up to 2,500 metres above sea level
• Wake boarding
• War game/paint balling (wearing eye protection) 1, 2
• Water skiing/water ski jumping 1, 2
• Weight lifting
• Whale watching
• White water rafting (grades 4-6 waters only) 1
• White water rafting (up to grade 3 waters, as a passenger only, life jacket to be worn)
• Wind surfing/sailboarding 1
• Wind tunnel flying (pads/helmets to be worn)
• Zip lining/trekking (safety helmets to be worn)
• Zorbing/hydro zorbing/sphering 1
• Cover under Section G – Personal liability is excluded.
• Cover under Section C – Personal accident is excluded.
• Cover is excluded unless within organisers guidelines and as part of an organised activity led or instructed by professional guides or licensed organisers and all claims will be subject to three (3) times the standard policy excess .
• Cover is excluded when racing.
• Diving by persons not holding a recognised certificate for the type of diving being undertaken, or not under professional instruction.
• Diving without proper equipment and/or contrary to codes of good practice according to bona fide organisations such as PADI or BSAC.
• Diving to depths greater than 30 metres (or 40 metres if additional premium paid and shown on your validation certificate ).
• Solo diving or night diving or specifically organised cave diving or diving for hire or reward.
• Flying within 24 hours of last dive or diving whilst suffering from a cold, influenza, infection or obstruction of the sinuses or ears.
• Diving by persons aged under 12 years of age or over 65.

Our policy automatically covers you for one pre-existing medical condition from our list of automatically covered conditions . If you have two or more conditions from the list or a condition not on the list, all pre-existing medical conditions will be excluded from cover unless disclosed to the medical screening helpline and additional cover agreed in writing.

• Diarrhoea and vomiting – if completely resolved

Yes, all medical emergencies and associated costs will be covered.

Yes, you must have gotten an inoculation or vaccination against Coronavirus as recommended by the World Health Organization or the health authority in your country of residency to be compensated for any expenses incurred from contracting the disease.

The above is true for every contagious disease for which the World Health Organization or your country’s health authority recommends an inoculation or immunisation. Travellers to portions of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America, for example, are advised to get a Yellow Fever vaccine, and you would need to show proof of this vaccination to submit a claim for any expenditures incurred as a result of catching the disease while on vacation.

Yes, as long as you’re all covered by our insurance and all asked to quarantine. To confirm the quarantine order, you must be able to present medical evidence from the treating doctor or the local authority.

If you’ve been diagnosed with Coronavirus and are unable to travel, you’ll be covered as long as your doctor confirms the diagnosis and your inability to travel.

The policy covers cancellation as long as you have documented evidence from your airline that you were denied boarding because you were showing symptoms of a contagious condition.

If you have a valid cancellation claim, the cancellation section will refund you for all non-recoverable fees, including Visas, but only for the length of your cancelled trip.

No, if the UK is put in ‘Lockdown’ once again, there will be no coverage under the insurance for cancellation claims.

No, any charges (accommodation/travel) incurred in the event that the country you are visiting is “locked down” would not be covered.

If you can show medical proof that you have been diagnosed with Coronavirus or have been directly exposed to Coronavirus, you will be compensated for any additional lodging or travel expenditures.

Any essential medical expenses, as well as any additional travel or accommodation charges, are covered under the medical expenses part of the insurance.

All insured persons are covered for quarantine under the medical section, which includes coverage for additional lodging and flights.

The policy will cover you if a close family is diagnosed with Coronavirus and becomes extremely ill, necessitating your presence due to medical reasons. Their doctor will have to sign off on this.

Your insurance will cover the cost of any additional lodging incurred while you are under quarantine based on your unique symptoms or probable COVID-19 exposure, but it will not reimburse any pre-booked lodging fees. If you have any unused pre-booked and paid for excursions that are non-refundable, your insurance will reimburse you less the standard policy excess if you can provide documentary evidence to support the quarantine order from either the government, a public authority in the country you are visiting, or the treating doctor.

If you travel somewhere that is against FCDO guidelines, you will not be covered.

If you bought your single trip travel insurance before the change in FCDO guidelines and have not yet left, your policy will no longer give any coverage. You have the option of deferring your policy’s coverage period or requesting a full refund of your money.

If you bought your single trip policy before the change in FCDO advise and have already left, full policy coverage will apply as long as you follow all UK, local government, or equivalent instructions.

If after looking through the FAQs you can’t find the answer you are looking for you can click our live chat open Mon to Fri from 9 am to 5 pm

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Travel Insurance for Cycling

Purchase insurance online on the website. Payment by any bank card. The insurance policy will be sent to your email within 3-5 minutes after payment. Valid worldwide electronically or print yourself

The insurance is valid in any country of the world

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Insurance is suitable for citizens from any country and with any citizenship

The insurance is valid for people from 1 to 100 year old

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Insurance is suitable for submitting documents to the embassy and applying for a visa

The perfect travel health insurance that quickly solves problems of the tourist

The best health insurance for tourists. A single convenient tariff plan that includes all options. Price 1,5 USD for each day of travel

• Coverage of treatment for COVID-19
• Coverage for the treatment of other viral diseases
• Medication provision
• Treatment due to injury
• Calling a doctor
• Examination / doctor's consultation
• Emergency dental care
• Obstetric care until the 27th week
• Outpatient treatment
• Inpatient treatment
• Emergency call
• Calling a taxi to the hospital
• Transportation by medical aviation
• Medical evacuation to the country of residence
• Medical care
• Repatriation of the body to the homeland
• Burial in place
• Monetary compensation as a result of damage to the life or health of third parties
• Monetary compensation as a result of moral damage caused to third parties
• Monetary compensation as a result of damage to the property of third parties
• Transportation after inpatient treatment
• Depositing the deposit necessary for the release of the insured person from arrest

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35,000 USD (deductible 100 USD) , Calm

• 500 000 USD
• 1 000 000 USD
• Student Specially for students
• Work Accredited insurance for work
• Calm Fitness, yoga and pilates
• Extreme Wakeboard, freeride, wrestling
• Sport Competitions, training and camps
• Cruise For cruise ship travel

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Medical coverage on 35,000 USD (deductible 100 USD) , Calm

Outpatient care, emergency doctor visits, dentistry, prescription drug costs

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Tourist No. 1

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We recommend including additional insurance in the policy

No deductible Deductible is the amount that the client must pay upon the occurrence of an insured event. Example: The hospital fee is $1,000. The deductible under tariff is 100 USD, the client pays 100 USD, and the insurance company pays 900 USD. Thus, the amount is divided between the client and the insurance company in accordance with the terms of the tariff plan.

Trip cancellation any serious injury of unforesseen medical condition that makes you unfit for travel (by order of licensed physician). the death of you or your travelling companion, or the death of a non-travelling family member. strikes or severe weather that result in travel services being unable to operate.unforeseen natural disasters at home or at the destination that make them uninhabitable. a legal obligation such as jury duty or being served with a court order or subpoena., search and rescue operation including evacuation by helicopter. up to 6000m, premium loss of baggage.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a deductible, is travel insurance required, can i buy an insurance policy when i am already in another country, when does the insurance policy take effect, in what language should i write the information when buying, what should i do if the data is entered incorrectly, how to buy insurance for a child, how to issue an insurance policy for another person, which country should be indicated in the policy if i plan to travel to two or more countries in a row, what should i do if the payment has not gone through, how long does it take to receive the insurance policy after payment, how will the policy be sent, i have not received my policy. what should i do, what to do if an insured event occurs, how is monetary compensation after an insured event carried out, can i buy insurance for one day, is it necessary to buy insurance when flying on a transit flight, select a country and language, write to the director, type of travel.

Please select the type of travel that covers the majority of risks during your trip.

• Running and walking;
• Fitness, yoga and pilates
• Aerobics and aqua aerobic;
• Fishing (except underwater fishing);
• Descent into the cave with an excursion;
• Snorkeling;
• Organized animal riding tours;
• Billiards and bowling;
• Swimming (except diving).
• Weightlifting and bodybuilding;
• Cycling (except road cycling, cycling motocross, cycling track, cycling triathlon, and mountain biking);
• Military and historical reenactments;
• Rowing (kayaking and canoeing);
• Ice skating (except figure skating), sledding (except bobsledding, tobogganing, and skeleton), tubing, snow skates;
• Ball games (football, basketball, American football, rugby, volleyball, and others);
• Tennis (any);
• Roller skating (except rollerblading), scooters, segways (and other self-balancing personal transporter devices);
• Travel as a driver or passenger on ATVs, scooters, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles, snowmobiles;
• Visiting water parks, amusement parks, jumping on a trampoline;
• Water activities (other than those explicitly mentioned in the riskier options), including the use of water bicycles (except aquabikes and jet skis), towed inflatables and parachutes (parasailing), boats and watercraft;
• Recreational organized shooting at specially equipped sites (including archery);
• Water skiing, water motorcycles (aquabike), water tourism including yachting and participation in regattas;
• Alpine skiing and snowboarding on specially equipped or marked tracks (except freestyle);
• Trekking (cross-country hiking without mountaineering equipment) up to 3000 meters above sea level;
• Jeep safari;
• Surfing (including windsurfing and wakesurfing, except skysurfing);
• Sandboarding;
• Unaccompanied animal riding (including horseback riding);
• Sports and ballroom dancing.
• Motor sports on special tracks;
• Arm wrestling;
• Bungee jumping, rope jumping, base Jumping and other types of bungee jumping;
• Bobsledding and Luge;
• Wakeboarding;
• Cycling (including motocross, road, BMX, track, mountain biking, trials);
• Alpine skiing and snowboarding (including freeride and heliskiing);
• Martial Arts (including all types of boxing and wrestling: boxing, MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and others);
• Paragliding;
• Hot Air Balloon;
• Cliff diving;
• Mountaineering (mountain hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, trekking (climbing) in mountains above 3,000 meters);
• Participation in any flight and parachuting;
• Hunting with any type of weapon;
• Hang Gliding;
• Parkour and freerunning;
• Rodeo (bull riding);
• Rollerblading;
• Trolley rappelling;
• Street luge racing;
• Flyboarding;
• Freestyle (skiing and snowboarding);
• Pogo-stick;
• Rock and ice climbing;
• Figure skating;
• Kiting (including kitesurfing and snowkiting);
• Scuba diving;
• Underwater fishing;
• Mountainboarding.
• Exacerbation of chronic diseases
• Coverage of the diagnosis of COVID-19
• Compulsory observation for up to 15 days
• Amount of compensation in case of an accident
• Return of adults
• Returning home minor children
• Standart loss of baggage
• Flight delay over 4 hours
• Loss of documents
• Expenses for staying abroad
• Payment of attorney's services
• Payment of interpreter services
• Reimbursement of costs for the preparation of documents necessary for returning to the country of permanent residence
• Reimbursement of losses that led to breakdown or damage of rented / rental sports equipment
• Payment of the cost of telephone communication
• Car transportation to the nearest service station
• Return of the driver and passengers to the country of permanent residence
• Sudden technical breakdown or damage due to a road accident

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Travel Insurance For Vietnam: Everything You Need To Know

Updated: Apr 26, 2024, 11:14am

Table of Contents

Do australians need travel insurance for vietnam, what does travel insurance for vietnam cover, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Vietnam is an increasingly popular travel destination for Australians, with the country even hoping to encourage more Aussies to visit by potentially waiving visa requirements in due time.

The Southeast Asian country is set to be high on the list for Aussies going overseas in 2024. The number of Australian tourists in Vietnam now exceeds pre-pandemic levels: more than 317,000 Australians visited Vietnam in 2019 , while there were 390,000 Aussie visitors in 2023.

Plus, as more and more flights become available, such as low-cost carrier Vietjet Air launching a direct service between Hanoi and Melbourne earlier this year, getting to Vietnam is becoming easier for Australians.

If the direct flights, fascinating history, vast scenery and delicious food aren’t enough to convince Australian travellers, the cost may be. Vietnam is considered one of the cheapest travel destinations in the world for Australian tourists due to our strong conversion rate against the Vietnamese Dong and the nation’s low cost of living in comparison to our own.

And while cheap thrills may be what you’re after on your vacation, it’s important not to skimp on the necessities that may cost that little bit extra—such as travel insurance. This guide outlines what you need to know regarding travel insurance in Vietnam.

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$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited

Investing in travel insurance is a good idea for any overseas trip. Travel insurance policies can help protect you from having to dive deep into your pockets, with many offering unlimited medical treatment while abroad and cancellation cover for your trip should the unexpected occur.

Travel insurance is not just handy for medical purposes or travel changes, either. Your personal items can be covered, should any baggage go missing or an important item be stolen—which, unfortunately, often occurs in Vietnam.

Smarttraveller warns Australians to be alert at all times in Vietnam, considering petty theft–including bag slashing–is common in tourist areas and crowded places, especially during holiday times. Snatch-and-grab theft by thieves on motorcycles is also common, the website states.

Like most international travel insurance policies, you will be able to find basic coverage for your trip to Vietnam, or choose to opt for a more comprehensive, albeit more expensive, policy.

While a basic policy will often cover medical expenses and lost luggage,a comprehensive policy includes a lot more. Most basic policies also likely won’t offer compensation for travel delays, stolen cash, accidental death and more.

Additionally, if you are going on a trip to multiple countries within the year, it may be worth opting for an ‘annual multi trip’ insurance instead—making sure that there are no exclusions to the regions you are wishing to visit.

Visa Requirements For Australians Travelling to Vietnam

You’ll still be allowed to travel to Vietnam if you don’t invest in travel insurance, but you do so at your own risk—and, as stated, it is highly advised to have a travel insurance policy for any overseas trip.

However, what you cannot do is enter Vietnam as an Australian tourist without a tourist visa. While Vietnam will grant Australian citizens visas on arrival, applying for one online is much easier.

A tourist visa costs under $100 AUD; however the exact price depends on your length of stay.

The Vietnamese government may consider waiving visas for Australian citizens, especially since many other SEA countries have done so such as Indonesia and Thailand .

However, at the time of writing, Forbes Advisor Australia has confirmed that Australian citizens must still obtain a visa to visit Vietnam for tourism purposes.

The exact inclusions of your travel insurance will be dependent on your personal policy and the provider.

However, generally speaking, you can expect a travel insurance policy for Vietnam to offer some level of cover for:

• Medical expenses;
• Lost, damaged or stolen luggage;
• Travel cancellations or delays ;
• Personal liability;
• Credit card fraud;
• Covid-19 expenses;

If you are partaking in certain sports and activities, you will need to make sure that you choose a policy that covers them. You’ll also need to make sure that your policy covers any pre-existing medical conditions as well.

Plus, if you are travelling with valuables, you may wish to opt for a policy that lets you increase the protection cover on your items.

Ultimately, you need to consider what your trip consists of, what you will be taking with you, and your physical health to establish what policies would be appropriate for you.

From there, you can compare quotes of different policies and providers to ensure you have the optimal—yet affordable—cover for your trip to Vietnam.

Does Travel Insurance Cover The Ha-Giang Loop?

Considered one of the most scenic motorcycle routes in the world, the Ha-Giang Loop is a popular tourist activity in Vietnam for adventurous travellers. If the Ha-Giang Loop is one of your goals, you’ll need to make sure you have travel insurance that covers motorcycling.

Occasionally a policy may include this as one of their included ‘sports and activities’, but it is more often the case that you will need to purchase an additional ‘adventure pack’ that is either specific to, or includes, motorsports.

Even so, when purchasing an additional pack to cover motorbikes, you need to be cautious of the conditions. For example, some policies will only cover motorcycle riding if the bike you are riding has an engine under a certain size.

Often, coverage will cease and claims won’t be accepted if you haven’t been wearing the correct safety equipment such as boots and a helmet, or have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

What Does Travel Insurance Exclude?

Your travel insurance policy may exclude some activities that you wish to partake in, unless you can opt-in to purchase an additional adventure pack as explained above in regards to motorbike riding.

Just like with the inclusions of a policy, the exclusions depend on what type of policy you choose, and what provider you go with.

Commonly, however, you won’t be covered for instances where you:

• Break the law;
• Are under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• Partake in an excluded activity;
• Receive medical treatment for a pre-existing condition that was not disclosed;
• Travel to a ‘Do Not Travel’ destination as outlined by Smarttraveller.

As always, it is essential to read the product disclosure statement (PDS) of your travel insurance policy carefully to understand what you will and won’t be covered for while overseas.

Do I need a visa to travel to Vietnam?

Yes, as of April 2024, Australian tourists still need a visa to travel to Vietnam. This visa can be obtained on arrival, or purchased online prior to travel. The visa takes approximately three days to process online, and the cost depends on how long you intend to stay in the country.

Does international travel insurance cover Covid-19?

Many comprehensive travel insurance policies now cover Covid-19, including medical conditions related to Covid-19 or trip cancellations due to a Covid-19 diagnosis. However, it is not guaranteed that all policies will. It’s important to check your policy’s PDS carefully to understand what it will and will not cover in regards to Covid-19 for both you and your travelling companions.

Related: Travel Insurance And Covid: Are You Covered?

How much does travel insurance cost for Vietnam?

The cost of your travel insurance for a trip to Vietnam will depend on your age, your health, the activities you wish to partake in, and the length of your stay.

For example, for a 34 year old with no pre-existing medical conditions travelling to Vietnam for two weeks, a policy from some of our top choices for comprehensive travel insurance would cost around $130 (based on quotes from Cover-More , 1Cover , and Fast Cover ).

The prices of these quotes would change depending on a chosen excess, cancellation cover, and any additional coverage options you may choose to purchase such as adventure packs or cruise cover.

Related: How Much Does Travel Insurance Cost?

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Tick travel insurance top cover review: pros and cons, was discovery travel insurance review: features, pros and cons, fast cover comprehensive travel insurance review: pros and cons, our pick of the best domestic travel insurance for australians, travel insurance for indonesia: everything you need to know, travel insurance for singapore: the complete guide.

Sophie Venz is an experienced editor and features reporter, and has previously worked in the small business and start-up reporting space. Previously the Associate Editor of SmartCompany, Sophie has worked closely with finance experts and columnists around Australia and internationally.

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We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

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Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage 2024 Review

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Alignment Health Plan

CMS Star Rating Average Medicare star rating, weighted by enrollment. Star ratings are determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Alignment Health Plan sells Medicare Advantage plans in six states, and star ratings from CMS are about average.

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States available

Members in high-rated plans Percentage of members who are in rated contracts with a Medicare star rating of 4 or higher.

High (90% or more)

Member experience The average of CMS' star ratings for quality measures in the domain "Member Experience with the Health Plan," weighted by contract enrollment.

2.36 (Below average)

• Low-cost plans, and a lower average out-of-pocket max than most.
• All plans include prescription drug coverage.
• Some plans in 2024 will include Part B rebates.
• Available in only 6 states.
• Member experience ratings are below the average for major providers.

Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage plans are available in six states, and the provider’s star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are average. Member experience ratings, however, fall below those of major providers. In 2024, members may have access to new benefit offerings, such as Medicare Part B premium rebates.

Here’s what you should know about Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage.

Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage pros and cons

Alignment Health Plan’s offerings have advantages and disadvantages.

Low-cost plans: Most Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage plans offer a $0 premium, and the average maximum out-of-pocket cost is lower than major providers. 

Part B help: Alignment’s smartHMO plans offer Medicare Part B rebates.

Drug coverage: All Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug coverage.

Help for chronically ill: Alignment offers a $500+ quarterly allowance to members of some Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) that they can use for things like groceries and home safety items.

Limited availability: Alignment Health Plan offers Medicare Advantage plans in just six states: Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas. 

Member experience marks: Average member experience ratings, including customer service and care coordination, for all Alignment Medicare Advantage plans fall below the average for major providers. 

» MORE: Best Medicare Advantage plans

Alignment Health Plan Medicare star ratings

Average star rating, weighted by enrollment: 3.95

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services maintains star ratings for Medicare Advantage plans on a 5-point scale, ranking plans from best (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The agency bases these ratings on plans’ quality of care and measurements of customer satisfaction, and ratings may change from year to year.

Based on the most recent year of data and weighted by enrollment, Alignment Health Plan’s 2024 Medicare Advantage plans get an average rating of 3.95 stars [0] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . 2024 Star Ratings Data Tables (Oct 13 2023) (ZIP) . Accessed Apr 18, 2024. View all sources .

For comparison, the average star rating for plans from all providers is 4.04 [0] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . 10.13.23 Fact Sheet - 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Ratings (PDF) . Accessed Apr 18, 2024. View all sources .

You can find a plan’s rating with the Medicare plan finding tool .

What does Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage cost?

Costs for Medicare Advantage plans depend on your plan, your geographic location and your health needs.

One of the costs to consider is the plan’s premium. In 2024, nine out of 10 Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage plans that aren’t special needs plans (SNPs) have a $0 premium [0] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . CY2024_Landscape_Files_Final_20240314 (ZIP) . Accessed Apr 18, 2024. View all sources .

Even as a Medicare Advantage user, you’ll still be responsible for paying your Medicare Part B premium, which is $174.70 per month in 2024 [0] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . Costs . Accessed Apr 18, 2024. View all sources , although some plans cover part or all of this cost. (Most people pay this standard amount, but if your income is above a certain threshold, you'll pay more .)

Copays, coinsurance and deductibles

Requirements for copays, coinsurance and deductibles vary depending on your plan, location and the services you use. Other out-of-pocket costs to consider include:

Whether the plan covers any part of your monthly Medicare Part B premium.

The plan’s yearly deductibles and any other deductibles, such as a drug deductible.

Copayments and/or coinsurance for each visit or service. For instance, there may be a $10 copay for seeing your primary doctor and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.

The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.

Whether your medical providers are in-network or out-of-network, or how often you may go out of network for care.

Whether you require extra benefits, and if the plan charges for them.

To get a sense of costs, use Medicare’s plan-finding tool to compare information among available plans in your area. You can select by insurance carrier to see only Alignment Health Plan plans or compare across carriers.

Available Medicare Advantage plans

There are a few kinds of Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage plans, and they vary in terms of structure, costs and benefits. Alignment Health Plan offers Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans (MAPDs).

Plan offerings include the following types:

A health maintenance organization (HMO) generally requires that you use a specific network of doctors and hospitals. You may need a referral from your primary doctor in order to see a specialist, and out-of-network benefits are usually very limited.

HMO point of service (POS) plans are HMO plans that allow members to get some out-of-network services, but they’ll pay more for those services.

Preferred provider organization (PPO) plans provide the most freedom, allowing you to see any provider that accepts the insurance. You may not need to choose a primary doctor, and you don’t need referrals to see specialists. You can seek out-of-network care, although it may cost more than seeing an in-network doctor.

Special needs plans (SNPs) restrict membership to people with certain diseases or characteristics. Hence, the benefits, network and drug formularies are tailored to the needs of those members. Alignment Health Plan offers two types of SNPs:

Chronic Condition SNP: Designed to meet the needs of members living with certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and cardiovascular disease.

Dual-Eligible SNP: For people who are entitled to Medicare and who also qualify for assistance from a state Medicaid program.

Alignment Health Plan Medicare Advantage service area

Alignment Health Plan offers Medicare Advantage plans in six states: Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas.

Alignment Health Plan covers 144,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries [0] The Chartis Group . Mounting Headwinds in Medicare Advantage Market Haven't Stopped Growth . Accessed Apr 18, 2024. View all sources .

Compare Medicare Advantage providers

Get more information below about some of the major Medicare Advantage providers. These insurers offer plans in most states. The plans you can choose from will depend on your ZIP code and county.

AARP Medicare Advantage plans .

Aetna Medicare Advantage plans .

Anthem Medicare Advantage plans.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage plans .

Cigna Medicare Advantage plans.

Humana Medicare Advantage plans .

Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans.

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans .

Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans .

Find the right Medicare Advantage plan

It’s important to do your research before selecting a Medicare Advantage plan for yourself . Here are some questions to consider asking:

What are the plan’s costs? Do you understand what the plan’s premium, deductibles, copays and/or coinsurance will be? Can you afford them?

Is your doctor in-network? If you have a preferred medical provider or providers, make sure they participate in the plan’s network.

Are your prescriptions covered? If you’re on medication, it’s crucial to understand how the plan covers it. What tier are your prescription drugs on, and are there any coverage rules that apply to them?

Is there dental coverage? Does the plan offer routine coverage for vision, dental and hearing needs?

Are there extras? Does the plan offer any extra benefits, such as fitness memberships, transportation benefits or meal delivery?

More on NerdWallet.com

Best Medicare Advantage Plans

Medicare Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know

What Is Medicare, and What Does It Cover?