Travel [and bike] insurance can be a minefield to work through when you’re travelling overseas on a cycling tour. To make sure you are adequately covered for your circumstances and to get the most out of your policy, it is good to know what to look out for good practice to understand what you’re actually covered for (Schedule of Benefits) and not covered for (Exclusions), from the outset. Below is our list of the top 4 things to consider when you take out your travel insurance policy so that you can travel with confidence on our Italian cycling tours.
1. When to take out the policy.
Our recommendation to our Italian cycling tour guests is to always take out your travel insurance policy as soon as you book in to your tour and pay your deposit. This is because it will not cost you any more to take out your policy early and it means you will be covered should something happen to you prior to the tour, which is a claimable event on your policy such as injury or illness, and which precludes you from taking part in the tour.
2.Cancel for any reason coverage.
Sometimes guests need to cancel out of a tour due to unforeseen circumstances with work or family. Unfortunately, this type of cancellation, which is often not a claimable event under a standard Comprehensive travel policy, is not covered, meaning you lose your deposit and possibly other tour payments, depending on when you cancel. However, the good news is that there are insurers who offer a ‘cancel for any reason’ option that you pay extra for, but it means you are covered should you choose not to travel. We encourage the purchase of this coverage, particularly if work or family circumstances could impact your participation on tour.
3. Bike coverage.
Whether at home, on your vehicle, or in use, bikes are rarely covered for theft or damage under your home and contents insurance, and particularly not while overseas, unless you have a specified coverage item on your policy. Further to this, our understanding is that bikes are not covered for as part of travel insurance policies, so if you are bringing your own bike on one of our Italy bike tours, it is a very good idea to take out a specific standalone insurance policy for your bike and/or pre-arrange it as a specified item through your home insurance. We have seen a number of very high quality bikes damaged in transit with airlines, so bike insurance while travelling overseas is right up there in our top 4.
4. Travel delays and loss/delay of baggage.
Another consideration when reviewing your travel insurance policy for your Italian bike tour is to ensure you are adequately covered for delays to your flight and/or transfers, and also your baggage and bike (if it’s travelling with you). We have witnessed a number of situations where guests have cut their travel time very fine pre tour (ie; arriving the day before the tour) and have experienced travel and baggage delays, meaning they either miss the first day or two of the tour, or at the very least, they miss the riding. If you have adequate insurance, you’ll have no hesitation hiring a bike at the last minute and/or buying yourself kit to see you through your first couple of days.
In summary, we strongly recommend you take out both travel [and bike] insurance, whether bringing your own bike or hiring, when joining us on tour. While everyone’s needs are different, at the very least we encourage you to take out a Comprehensive travel insurance policy that covers you for:
- Emergency medical, dental and hospital expenses should something happen on tour and you need to spend time in hospital or visiting doctors and dentists;
- Trip cancellation for any reason, ensuring you can recover your tour expenses if needing to cancel due to family and work circumstances;
- Travel and baggage delays should your flight be delayed or cancelled, ensuring you are reimbursed for hotels and meals pre tour, or incidentals on tour such as clothing and/or bike hire to see you through;
- ….plus bike insurance for overseas travel, theft and damage is a must, when you bring your own bike.
Most of all, make sure you know what’s NOT covered as all plans are different.
If you have any questions regarding travel and/or bike insurance, it is recommended that you speak to the experts at the various insurers to make sure you receive the best advice, or your travel agent when booking flights and pre/post tour travel for your Italian cycling tour.
