Are you looking for hiking insurance for the Appalachian Trail? I used different insurance providers for the AT and PCT but there’s one company I now use for all of my hiking trips. I also used this company for climbing Kilimanjaro and travel in general. I will explain why you might want to consider them too but if you don’t want to read any further, scroll down and click on the first image which take you to a quick quote calculator from the company I recommend…
Do You Really Need Hiking Insurance for the Appalachian Trail etc?
First of all, do you really need hiking insurance? You can enter North America without insurance and you can hike any trail you want without insurance. But that doesn’t address the fact that you should want to have this travel insurance. Let me make a couple of points about travel insurance and hiking insurance to explain where I’m coming from:
I travelled for many years without travel insurance. But then I worked as both a travel agent and an adventure tour leader in Africa. It was during this time, through my customers’ experience, I witnessed the actual reasons you should have a policy. I had guests on my tours who suffered from malaria and heat stroke. There was also a broken back, broken ankle and a broken leg! These guests were all insured because this was a requirement of joining the trip but I can’t imagine what would have happened without the insurance…
In terms of hiking, the risk is higher than normal and the financial cost when things go wrong (especially in North America) is huge. If I were to get bitten by a rattlesnake on trail for example, there is no way I would be able to cover the medical bills myself. This scenario is unlikely but absolutely possible and the same can be said for emergency evacuation due to illness or injury etc. I personally want the peace of mind. In the first month of a previous trip, I walked without hiking insurance for the Pacific Crest Trail and the fact that I was not insured was constantly on my mind. It’s just not worth the risk and having an adventure travel insurance policy will at least save you the above-mentioned stress.
Just a quick mention of travel insurance for climbing Kilimanjaro. I have recently led trips to the summit of Kilimanjaro and it is necessary that you have adequate personal insurance for this trip. Your climbing operator will unlikely allow you to climb without this policy and you should certainly want to have a policy on this type of adventure.
But why do I recommend the company below? This is easy to explain.
Working as a tour leader in Africa, I was often required to interact with insurance companies on behalf of my guests. It was me who needed to collect information in the event of a claim and help these guests navigate the insurance process. Some of these companies did not pick up the phone or took days to answer emails. Many policies include exclusions in the fine print which are just unfair and some companies have a reputation for doing their absolute best to decline claims. This is not what you need when sick or injured and the medical bills are piling up and this is why I urge you to buy travel insurance or hiking insurance from a company you can trust.
My Personal Experience with Travel/Hiking Insurance
I have needed to make a claim on two occasions. The costs involved in each claim were far greater than the cost of the policy. If I had used a different company or went with cheap travel insurance, these claims may not have been met. This is also to say that companies often advertise policies that will not actually assist you in the event of a claim. They can do this by using the fine print or stipulations which exclude various incidents and scenarios.
Here’s what I recommend you look for in a travel insurance policy:
Coverage Limit – Make sure that the insurance company has a high limit of coverage for medical expenses. More than $1,000,000 minimum.
Emergency – The policy should have cover for emergency evacuation. Cheap travel insurance will unlikely provide this on their plan.
Repatriation – I hate this word (repatriation) but you should have a policy that covers your return trip home. This will be needed for serious illness or injury.
Countries – Cover for every country you are visiting.
Portable items – Cover for items stolen, lost or damaged luggage.
Round-the-clock – 24 Hour customer support.
Medical coverage – $1,000,000 cover for medical bills.
Repatriation Cover
Cancellation – Cover so that you can return home for a personal emergency (serious illness with family member).
Final Thoughts
There is another travel insurance company called First Allied who seem to offer a good experience. But World Nomads is by far the best that I have encountered. If you are travelling on an extended trip, I would also suggest you get a quote for a one year policy instead of a single trip because this often works out better value. Either way, I always recommend this company to family and friends. I have personally found them to be professional, competent and fairly priced. The cover is also comprehensive and you can have confidence in the claim process.
Thank you for reading and make sure to get a quick quote below (It takes just a few seconds).
Please note there are affiliate links above for World Nomads. There is no extra cost when you click these links but I may receive a small commission if you end up purchasing a policy with them.