If you are a keen surfer, I’m guessing you probably like to go to places with big, empty waves. This is not always easy to get at your home breaks, so you will need to travel the world to experience isolated waves and consistent waves that can be found around the world.  Once you have booked your surf trip, many people simply forget about one of the most important essentials of their holiday – travel insurance.

No matter how safe you think you are, there are always chances for accidents to occur. Especially if you are planning to travel abroad to an unfamiliar land with waves you have not surfed before. Since the best breaks for surfing are usually located off islands and remote locations far from major cities and of course decent hospitals, acquiring medical help can be difficult. Imagine if you might need an emergency helicopter to airlift you from an island to the mainland to get to a hospital, and then look for a doctor who can treat you?  What if your injuries require you extensive hospitalisation and your best option for recovery is to be returned to Australia for treatment – but you are required to return home with an attending doctor and nurse on a flight in your hospital bed – meaning they have to rip chairs in business class to cater for you……don’t laugh – I’ve heard of it happening twice before – and the cost was unimaginable.  This kind of thing is unlikely – but do you want to risk it?  It could leave the average person bankrupt – or even worse…..

Of course, you could avoid the more secluded areas, but surfing can generally be dangerous anywhere, and being close or having easy access to a good hospital does not always cut out much of the expense….  Hospital accommodation, doctors, surgeons, operations, treatment….

Health reason are not the only reason to get insurance.  Generally most surf trips have to be booked fairly well in advance.  You cannot predict the future, and having to cancel your trip due to an unforeseen circumstance such as illness or accident BEFORE you go can result in you losing all the money you have paid on your trip.  Insurance will cover some cancellations and help you recover this lost money.

There are many other reasons for travel insurance – but these two are the most common.
Ask your travel agent for more information!

Written by:
Ben Horvath

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