Experiencing the most beautiful parts of the world on foot as part of a walking or hiking holiday is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures. What’s more, it provides a healthy dose of exercise to nourish the body as well as the soul. If you have yet to discover the delights of discovering those off-the-beaten-track corners of the world, we would urge you to give it a try as, once tasted, it can prove to be a life-long and treasured addiction.
There’s no special equipment required but investing in a pair of good quality walking boots and suitable all-weather clothing will repay dividends. Walking all day can be tough on the feet, especially if you are unused to this degree of exercise, so well-made boots, with all the right areas of support and rugged soles can spare you blisters and keep your feet warm, dry and comfortable throughout your journey. You’ll need to be prepared for all types of weather from blazing sun to raging blizzards, so carrying the right type of clothing for every eventuality is essential.
This is especially so if you a walking in mountains where the weather can change dramatically in a matter of minutes. Fortunately modern technology has produced sophisticated lightweight clothing which is ideal for walkers to carry in a rucksack to pull out or stow away as the weather dictates.
The importance of hiking insuranceWhether you chose to walk by yourself or as part of a walking group, you need to have the right hiking insurance in place to give you peace of mind and to cover any mishaps along the way. Hiking is often undertaken in remote areas where medical or other assistance is not always close at hand. What could be a minor complication in normal circumstances, such as a sprained ankle or fractured bone, could necessitate a helicopter rescue if such an accident occurs in mountainous or distant terrain. Add the costs of any hospital treatment or if repatriation to the UK is medically necessary, makes it essential that you have suitable insurance to cover all of these eventualities.
Big Cat Hiking Insurance offers three levels of cover suited to the level of activity you wish to undertake:
The Standard Pack covers you for walking , hiking or trekking up to 2,500 metres or 8,200 feet. For British people this is serious mountain altitude as our highest peak, Ben Nevis, is just 1,344 metres. Up to 2,500 metres will include the majority of serious walking trails most walkers are likely to undertake.
But if you want to go higher, then our Activity Pack covers you up to 4,600 metres, which would just include reaching the peak of the Matterhorn at 4,478 metres or the highest part of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at 4,430 metres.
If you wish to go even higher, then our Extreme Activity Pack covers any altitude above 4,600 metres, and is suited to the most challenging of mountain treks such as Mt Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Mont Blanc.
Please note for trekking in Nepal the Nepal Trekking Pack add-on will need to be included. A 7,000m altitude limit is applied to this.
All persons to be insured must reside at a permanent address within the EEC ( Excluding Switzerland, Russia, Belarus, Montenegro and the Ukraine) to be eligible for cover.
If cover is purchased after an Insured Person has departed their home to commence their journey, there is a fixed period of 48 hours prior to cover commencing. For cover to apply the Already Travelling extension must be shown on your Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable). Any illness arising during this initial 48 hour period will be an excluded Pre-existing Medical Condition. In the event of serious injury in connection with an accident, you will be covered from the date you take out cover subject to the accident being independently witnessed and also verified by a Medical Practitioner.
There is no 14 Day Cooling off Period and no premium refund will be made if the insured Person has already travelled.
family family
A couple is defined as 2 adults who have been permanently living together at the same address for more than six months, who intend to travel together.
If you do not qualify as a couple, please select individual(s)
Annual Multi Trip policies are designed for multiple short holidays leaving from and returning to your home country.
Annual Multi Trip trip limits:
Standard policy - 30 days
Premier policy - 70 days
If you need continuous cover for a year (home visits allowed on policies over 4 months long) select Single Trip or One Way. You can travel around as much as you like, to as many different countries as you like, with a Single Trip or One Way policy.
Please note a Single Trip policy can cover travels with no return ticket booked, a One Way policy is intended for:
Emigrating to new country where you intend to permanently live
Or
Returning to your home country permanently
All cover ceases upon arrival at final destination
Single Trip:
A flexible policy with no limits on how many countries you visit or how long you’re away for. Suitable for all types of travel whether it be short term/long stay or backpacking. No return ticket required and unlimited home visits offered on policies over 4 months long.
One Way Trip:
Means you are Emigrating to a new country where you intend to live permanently or, returning to your home country permanently. Cover will end upon arrival at your final destination.
Annual Multi-Trip:
This policy covers an unlimited number of trips throughout the 12 month Period of Insurance. Each trip has a maximum stay validity depending on the type of policy chosen. For example, for Standard Policies, the maximum duration of any trip shall not exceed 30 days and for Premier policies, the maximum duration of any trip must not exceed 70 days.
If you are already travelling it is not possible to purchase the annual multi-trip policy.
Europe:
Europe means the continent of Europe West of the Ural Mountains, and includes the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Iceland, Jordan, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Azores and Mediterranean Islands as well as all countries bordering the Mediterranean.
Australia & New Zealand:
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
Worldwide excluding North America & Mexico:
(North America means the USA, Canada & Mexico.)
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
Worldwide including North America & Mexico:
Worldwide means anywhere in the World including the USA, Canada & Mexico.
Automatic Trip Extension
If the Insured Person is prevented from completing their travel before the expiration of this Insurance as stated under the Period of Insurance on the Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable) for reasons which are beyond their control, including ill health or failure of public transport, this Insurance will remain in force until completion but not exceeding a further 31 days on a day by day basis, without additional premium.
In the event of an Insured Person being hijacked, cover shall continue whilst the Insured Person is subject to the control of the person(s) or their associates making the hijack during the Period of Insurance of a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of the hijack.
Please ensure you arrange cover for the entire duration of your travel
Where do you normally reside? Where do you normally reside?
Please use the drop down box to choose your country of residence. Note we can only insure residents of the UK & EEA Countries.
Can I take out this Insurance if I’m already abroad?
If you are normally a resident of the UK or EEA Countries and your insurance has run out, you may take out cover online with us. This is on the understanding that nothing has occurred at the time of taking out the cover which has led to a claim or may lead to a potential claim. Note you cannot take out our Multi-Trip Insurance if you are already abroad.
Do you have minimum residency requirements?
No. If you are, for example, a British Passport holder and have right of abode in the UK, we are not concerned as to how many months in the past year you have been in the UK provided at the time of arranging this insurance you have a UK residential address.
We are unable to quote, Please ring our Offices on 0333 0033 161 for further assistance.
Yes, Helicopter Rescue is covered.
Helicopter rescue is classed as a necessary Medical Expense, so is covered by the Medical & Repatriation expenses section of cover (limit of either £2m, £5m or £10m depending on the policy)
To get a quote, please visit our Trekking Insurance page by following this link.
We have no upper altitude limit with our Extreme Activity Pack Add-on. Otherwise, with the Activity Pack you can trek up to 4,600m. And if you're only trekking up to 2,500m, there's no need to add anything on - Trekking up to 2,500m is one of the 64 activities we cover for free.
Please note for trekking in Nepal the Nepal Trekking Pack add-on will need to be included. A 7,000m altitude limit is applied to this.
How do you include these Add-ons? See question below.
To add any of our Activity Packs, just follow the Quote form - to stage 3 - there you will find all of the optional extras.
It is recommended that when travelling to any remote areas, you go in a group of at least 3 people with a 2 way working communications device, a navigation device, you let someone(s) know your route and when you should arrive, as Search and Rescue costs are not covered.
The Additional Mountain Rescue section of cover is a specific level of cover that takes effect when helicopter rescue is deemed necessary by the local Rescue Authorities due to a non-medical emergency such as natural disasters or adverse weather conditions.
This section of cover does not apply to Medically Necessary helicopter evacuations - these costs are covered under the Medical & Repatriation section of cover.
Included in all the Policies, The Standard Pack covers you for walking , hiking or trekking up to 2,500 metres*. This is serious mountain altitude as our highest peak, Ben Nevis, is just 1,344 metres up .
But if you want to go higher, then our Activity Pack covers you up to 4,600 metres*, which would just include reaching the peak of the Matterhorn at 4,478 metres or the highest part of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu at 4,430 metres.
Our Extreme Activity Pack covers above 4,600 metres*, with no upper altitude limit and is suited to the most challenging of mountain treks such as Mt Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc.
Big Cat Travel Insurance Services, a trading name of Flynow.com Ltd (registration No.FRN 745388) is an Appointed Representative of Campbell Irvine Ltd (registration No.306242) who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You may check this on the Financial Services register www.fca.org.uk or by contacting them on (0) 800 111 6768. © 2023 Big Cat Travel Insurance Services. All rights reserved.
