Best Mountain Bike Travel Insurance Plans
Mountain biking comes with significant risks, from crashing on tree-lined trails to getting injured in remote mountain ranges. The best travel insurance plans offer coverage for emergency medical treatments, evacuation services, and other common disruptions that may impact your trip.
See a full breakdown of the best mountain bike travel insurance plans and why we selected them.
What is Mountain Bike Travel Insurance?
Mountain bike travel insurance is designed to protect travelers who plan to spend all or part of their trip riding. These policies cover the unique risks that come with mountain biking, including injuries from crashes, evacuations from remote trails, and disruptions caused by severe weather.
Most mountain bike travel insurance plans are comprehensive, covering medical expenses as well as your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs if you’re forced to cancel your trip for a covered reason. Many policies also include coverage for your personal biking equipment, providing reimbursement if your gear is lost, stolen, or damaged while you’re away from home.
- What Travel Insurance Coverage Do I Need for Mountain Biking?
- How Much Does Mountain Biking Travel Insurance Cost?
- Where Can I Buy Travel Insurance for My Mountain Biking Trip?
- Is Mountain Biking Covered by All Travel Insurance Plans?
- Is Travel Insurance Worth It for Mountain Bikers?
- FAQs: Mountain Biking Travel Insurance
- Related Articles
Do I Need Travel Insurance for My Mountain Biking Trip?
Travel insurance is a wise, and sometimes mandatory, investment if you plan on mountain biking during your trip. This is especially true if you’re heading to an international destination that does not accept U.S. health insurance. Medical bills in a foreign country can be extremely expensive, with evacuation services often costing tens of thousands of dollars.
It’s common for mountain bike tour operators to require participants to purchase travel medical insurance before embarking on a trip. Most adventure policies found on Squaremouth provide coverage for the following scenarios:
- Injuries on the trail, such as a broken collarbone, concussion, or wrist fracture
- Evacuations from remote locations like backcountry trails or high-altitude bike parks
- Trip cancellations caused by unforeseen illness, injury, or other covered reason
- Lost, damaged, or stolen gear, such as personal mountain bikes, protective equipment, and riding apparel
What Travel Insurance Coverage Do I Need for Mountain Biking?
Mountain biking travel insurance can reimburse medical costs, such as hospital bills, ambulance services, and doctor visits, if you get injured at any point during your trip. This includes biking-specific accidents caused by a crash, fall, or collision. Since U.S. health insurance is not accepted overseas, this coverage is essential for mountain bike trips that include overseas destinations.
Getting medical treatment in a foreign country can be expensive, especially if the injuries sustained are serious. That’s why we recommend all riders purchase a policy that includes at least $100,000 in Emergency Medical coverage.
You should also consider Primary travel medical insurance, which pays claims directly without involving your primary health insurance. This often results in faster claim resolution and reduces the risk of coverage disputes abroad.
In the event you are critically injured or require medical attention in a remote location, travel insurance can cover the cost of medically evacuating you to the nearest adequate medical facility. This includes an air ambulance from a backcountry trail or an emergency ambulance ride from a mountain bike park.
Medical evacuations can be extremely costly due to the rugged, mountainous terrain and distance to hospitals. To ensure you’re financially protected, you should aim for policies that offer no less than $250,000 in Medical Evacuation coverage.
Standard travel insurance policies often exclude mountain biking, especially at higher-risk levels, from coverage due to the increased chance of an accident occurring. That’s why riders need adventure-specific policies, such as downhill mountain bike travel insurance, that clearly list biking under covered activities.
Plans that include the Sports & Activities benefit can provide reimbursement for bike-related accidents that occur during your trip. Choosing a policy that doesn’t cover mountain biking may result in significant out-of-pocket expenses if a medical emergency occurs.
Traveling with your mountain bike and other riding equipment can be risky, especially if your trip involves multiple flights and tight layovers. Fortunately, many mountain bike travel insurance policies include generous protection for sports gear you choose to travel with.
Sports Equipment Loss reimburses you for items that are lost, stolen, or damaged during your trip. Sports Equipment Delay can cover the cost of rental equipment if your belongings are delayed by a common carrier on the way to your final destination. This makes travel insurance for mountain biking especially valuable for international trips where replacing gear may be difficult.
From airfare to hotel bookings, and rental costs to tour deposits, there’s a wide range of upfront costs involved in planning a mountain biking trip. Without the proper protection, any of these non-refundable investments can be lost if you’re forced to cancel or interrupt your travel plans.
A comprehensive mountain bike travel insurance plan will include Trip Cancellation coverage, which can reimburse 100% of your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses if you’re forced to cancel your trip due to a covered reason.
Trip Interruption is another cancellation benefit included in mountain bike travel insurance plans. This benefit can reimburse up to 100%-200% of your unused travel expenses if your trip is cut short for a covered reason. The additional reimbursement included in some plans is designed to cover costs to make new travel arrangements back home if you’re forced to end your trip early.
Flight delays and missed connections can leave you stranded and result in lost time on the mountain. Unexpected changes to your travel itinerary can also lead to a number of out-of-pocket expenses as you wait for your new departure time.
Most mountain bike travel insurance plans include Travel Delay coverage, which can reimburse you for food, accommodation, and local transportation expenses if your flight is delayed 3-12 hours, depending on the policy. Missed Connection coverage can cover the cost to make new travel arrangements if a covered delay causes you to miss a connecting flight.
Many mountain biking destinations are remote or located in areas with limited medical resources. All policies listed on Squaremouth include 24 Hour Emergency Assistance, a service offered by providers that can connect you with medical professionals, coordinate evacuations, and provide translation support in foreign countries.
This 24/7 service can be reached from anywhere in the world and is designed to support travelers before and during their trips.
How Much Does Mountain Biking Travel Insurance Cost?
Comprehensive mountain bike travel insurance, which typically includes coverage for trip cancellations, medical emergencies, evacuations, and damaged gear, costs $27 per day on average.
This is based on adventure-specific travel insurance sales through Squaremouth in the past 12 months. Adventure plans cost an average of $408, with an average trip length of 15 days.
If cancellation coverage isn’t a priority, you can save hundreds of dollars on travel insurance by opting for a travel medical insurance policy. This type of plan is less robust, but costs just $5 per day, with premiums costing $73 on average, with an average trip length of 16 days.
What Factors Influence the Cost of Mountain Bike Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance companies typically take into account the following factors when determining premiums:
- Age: Travel insurance typically gets more expensive as you age due to increased health risks
- Trip Cost: More expensive trips usually cost more to protect
- Trip Length: Longer trips are more prone to disruption, resulting in higher premiums
- Policy Type: Comprehensive, travel medical, and annual plans come at varying costs
- Coverage Limits: The greater financial protection a policy provides, the more expensive it may be
- Destination: Some providers may charge more to insure trips to remote locations or destinations with limited medical facilities
- Itinerary: Trips that involve adventure sports, cruises, and pre-existing medical conditions often require specialized coverage, which can be costly
- Add-Ons: Some policies allow you to enhance your coverage through optional add-ons or policy upgrades for a fee
Where Can I Buy Travel Insurance for My Mountain Biking Trip?
There are multiple ways to purchase travel insurance for your upcoming mountain biking adventure:
Directly from a travel insurance provider
If you know the exact plan you wish to purchase, it’s possible to buy coverage directly from a travel insurance company’s website or app. Some providers specialize in mountain bike insurance. Using this method, however, can make it difficult to compare pricing and coverage across multiple providers.
Through a travel insurance comparison site
Travel insurance comparison sites, like Squaremouth, allow you to see multiple mountain bike insurance quotes side-by-side, allowing you to easily find the best one for your needs and budget. Some sites allow you to easily filter and sort results, helping you identify the right policy.
Is Mountain Biking Covered by All Travel Insurance Plans?
Most standard travel insurance policies exclude mountain biking from coverage, particularly if the trip involves racing or steep downhill descents. Because riding carries a higher risk of injury, accidents, and weather-related disruptions, many insurers classify it as a high-risk land activity that requires specialized coverage.
Fortunately, some providers offer travel insurance plans specifically designed to cover the unique risks that come with riding domestically or abroad. At the time of writing, 20+ plans on Squaremouth cover some form of mountain biking. Fewer options are available if your trip involves freestyle, racing, or other forms of competitive riding.
Is Travel Insurance Worth It for Mountain Bikers?
Absolutely. Travel insurance is strongly recommended for anyone who plans to mountain bike while away from home. When you combine the risks of injury with high international travel costs, the financial stakes are significant.
A single crash on a remote trail can result in tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, especially if you’re riding in a country that does not accept U.S. health insurance. Travel insurance can provide you with peace of mind knowing you’re covered if your trip takes an unexpected turn for the worse.
In addition to medical coverage, most mountain bike travel insurance plans provide coverage against trip cancellations, flight delays, sports equipment loss, and more. Overall, the cost of a travel insurance policy is small in comparison to the total cost of a disruption impacting your adventure.
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FAQs: Mountain Biking Travel Insurance
Yes, travel insurance can cover your mountain bike should you choose to take it with you on your trip. To financially protect your bike, look for travel insurance policies that include the Sports Equipment Loss benefit, which will reimburse you if your bike is lost, stolen, or damaged during your trip. Coverage for this benefit typically ranges from $500-$3,000 per person, with a $50-$500 limit per item.
The Sports Equipment Delay benefit can cover the cost of a bike rental if your mountain bike is delayed en route to your destination by a common carrier. Coverage limits typically range between $200 and $5,000 per person.
Yes, but you’ll need to find coverage that explicitly lists mountain bike racing as a covered activity. To find such coverage, you can select “Mountain Biking (Competitive)” on our Adventure Sports page, or add the filter on the results page when getting travel insurance quotes.
If an airline damages your bike in transit, it’s important to first file a claim directly with your airline for damages. Oftentimes, airlines will reimburse travelers if they are responsible for damage to suitcases, bikes, or other types of luggage.
If your airline refuses to issue reimbursement, you may be able to file a claim with your travel insurance provider under the Baggage Loss benefit. Be sure to include photos of damages, a report of the incident, your flight booking information, and other relevant documents when submitting your claim.