Travel Insurance

[Ivor Tingting]

Columbus Travel Insurance include cycle touring for trips up to 45 days but exclude personal liability. The medical expenses limit is £10 million. Worldwide including USA & Canada is £117, excluding them is £99. Have used them a few times before no problems, but never ever had to claim.

[Slowroad]

I've decided to go for the ETA travel insurance https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/c ... insurance/ - I checked and they have no silly rules about having to pre-book accommodation!

[mjr]

I've decided to go for the ETA travel insurance https://www.eta.co.uk/insurance/cycle/c ... insurance/ - I checked and they have no silly rules about having to pre-book accommodation!

I can't use ETA because my medication has been changed a few times this year because Pfizer can't/won't maintain a consistent supply. Snowcard has the same exclusion. ETA recommend goodtogo but that excludes cycling from third-party cover.

So far I've found LV and holidaysafe (costs extra for each 1000m altitude). Are there any others you'd suggest looking at?

[Slowroad]

Have a look at CoverforYou.com They do 45 & 62 day cover including US. They also cover cycle touring as an optional extra. May need to give them a call as this option may not appear on their website if you use the quote generator

They might be the ones who say they cover cycle touring then in the policy say that medical expenses are not covered. In my book this means that cycle touring is not covered. So check the details.

[AnyOtherName]

I know this is just one element of insurance cover but

Do any of the companies not insist on the bike being secured with a gold standard d lock?

There are also stipulations about what objects the d lock can be secured to, so this is difficult for Cycle camping

[mjr]

I know this is just one element of insurance cover but

Do any of the companies not insist on the bike being secured with a gold standard d lock?

There are also stipulations about what objects the d lock can be secured to, so this is difficult for Cycle camping

LV and TSB travel insurance seem to completely exclude bikes, which is fair enough for TSB because their cycle and home+cycle insurances have worldwide theft cover IIRC. Holidaysafe don't specify a lock standard but it looks like it's an additional option, they want it kept in your accommodation or a locked store, plus anything over 5 years old is excluded anyway!

In general, I'd look at adding a worldwide option to your usual theft insurance, or setting enough money aside to replace it without insuring. It seems a relatively small amount compared to potential medical costs.

[follow.bike]

Just had a look at ETA and they don't seem to cover more than 31 days.

Can anyone recommend any insurers they have used before that would cover a 38 day tour in the states?

[Mavis2016]

Hiscox will do it. Max duration up to 62 days, independent cycle touring Is a listed activity.

Sorry Eta, you need to select “C” then independent cycle touring, level 2 from memory.

[KTHSullivan]

As an aside;

I was looking at travel/cycling insurance for a trip to France this Summer, happened upon the Post Office insurance site. Reading the policy carefully before I hit the "button of no return" it appears that personal accident/personal liability claims are excluded for cycling (non-competitive), although one can pay an extra premium for mountain biking. However Trekking to 4500m, Gliding and indeed Shark Diving in a cage is. Am I missing something here.

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/dam/jcr:fc ... r-2015.pdf

[mjr]

I was looking at travel/cycling insurance for a trip to France this Summer, happened upon the Post Office insurance site. [...] Am I missing something here.

Yes, that they don't want cyclists. You could have taken the hint when it dictated that headgear. Congratulations on reading the policy carefully and not finding out the hard way.

[Slowroad]

I guess for insurance firms cycle touring could be anything from a leisurely pootle along the cycle lanes of Holland, staying at hotels, to a solo trip across Asia staying with hosts met en route... whereas Shark Diving is just Shark Diving.

[albal1]

Bmc won't insure usa/canada for 90 days! What's that about? Also what I ride is donkeys years old, I don't carry a solid secure gold rated d lock. My gear is worth far more. May just take health insurance only for Canada trip.

[CyclingTerrier]

Sorry to piggyback but seems appropriate rather than starting a new thread.

I'm doing a 7 month tour around SE Asia and trying to figure out insurance. Anyone done a similar length trip with advice about insurance?

[Mavis2016]

Not sure what they can do on a worldwide basis but Hiscox are our home insurer as well and they cover bikes to the value of £3k each anywhere in Europe and at home.

No specific lock type stipulation, it has to be locked to something permanently fixed down. I asked them about it before I moved to them, they figure that someone with an expensive bike will do the best they can lock wise.

I moved our annual travel policy to them last year because they cover independent cycle touring although a month in Europe is the extent of it for us.

[Psamathe]

....
No specific lock type stipulation, it has to be locked to something permanently fixed down. I asked them about it before I moved to them, they figure that someone with an expensive bike will do the best they can lock wise.
.....

Mine are similar in no specs of type of lock (i.e. no "Gold rated"). also they are happy for it to be locked "in" something rather than locked "to" something i.e. they are happy for the bike to be in a locked garage the security being that the garage is locked (rather than the bike).

Ian