While Alternative Airlines recommends against travel to high-risk destinations or engaging in hazardous activities, we strive to ensure that people are well-informed. Therefore, if your travel plans involve high risks, we want you to know how you can still be financially protected.
High-risk travel insurance is the recommended insurance to get if you're travelling to a dangerous location or engaging in a hazardous activity.
Your average travel insurance typically covers the costs of medical emergencies, stolen belongings, and prolonged travel disruptions/ cancellations. Most of the time, you won't be affected by these things, but it's good to have insurance just in case.
However, if you're travelling to a dangerous location, your chances of needing your insurance increase, making you a higher risk for insurers to cover. Because of this, high-risk destinations often won't be included in a standard travel insurance package, meaning you won't be compensated for any of the reasons mentioned above.
Instead, to be financially protected, you'll have to purchase a specific high-risk travel insurance. You'll be eligible for high-risk travel insurance if you're going to a destination prone to severe natural disasters, or extreme violence, or if you're engaging in risky activities like adventure sports.
If you plan to travel to a destination that your government advises against visiting, you'll most likely need to purchase high-risk travel insurance.
This may include:
Note: Not all of these destinations will necessarily require high-risk insurance. For some, it will depend on where you choose to visit in the country.
High-risk travel insurance means that, depending on the package you select, you'll be compensated for the following:
Visiting a high-risk destination means that you are more likely to be impacted by the situations listed above. This is why dangerous locations aren't covered by standard insurers.
People may be travelling to dangerous destinations because of:
You may need high-risk travel insurance if you want to take part in an extreme sport such as:
| The product | Standard Travel Insurance | High-Risk Travel Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Who is it best for? | People travelling to common tourist destinations for business or leisure. | People travelling to high-risk destinations or participating in hazardous activities, such as extreme sports. |
| Can you be denied it? | Yes. You can be denied because of where you're travelling to, your reason for travelling and your age. | Yes. You can still be denied for certain unsafe destinations or for other reasons, such as not completing your application correctly. |
| How much does it cost? | This depends on how extensive the policy you select is. However, most standard travel insurances are very affordable. | This depends on the destination you're travelling to. High-risk travel insurance is usually considerably more expensive than standard travel insurance. |
Aside from getting high-risk travel insurance, here are some other tips for travelling to high-risk destinations.
Before you go, make sure you fully understand the risks. If you're travelling somewhere with extreme levels of violence, such as war zones, you can't have an 'it won't happen to me' mentality. Being aware of the risks means that if an emergency does happen, you're better prepared.
Help yourself and others in the event of an emergency. Having a first-aid kit with items like fresh bandages and clean water means you can quickly assist yourself or someone else in the event of an injury.
By staying in contact with loved ones regularly over the phone, if there's an extended period where they haven't heard from you, they'll know something's wrong and can alert authorities.
For further advice, please refer to our High-Risk Destinations Guide, which provides more detailed information.
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If you're travelling to a destination with a significant risk of danger, then you may not qualify for standard travel insurance. Instead, you'll have to purchase high-risk travel insurance, which is specifically designed for people travelling to high-risk countries.
No, Alternative Airlines is an online flight booking service. While you can get add-ons like cancellation protection and baggage insurance, you cannot get any non-flight-related insurance.
Many reputable companies offer high-risk travel insurance, with various options available depending on your location and the specific protection you require.
You may not be able to obtain standard travel insurance, depending on your medical condition. Instead, you'll have to purchase specialist medical travel insurance, which may be more costly than a standard insurance package. You may also not be eligible for high-risk travel insurance, depending on the condition.
It's essential that you declare any medical conditions you have when applying for your travel insurance, as if you don't and you have a medical emergency abroad, you may be required to pay all the associated bills.
