Travel insurance for paragliding and parasailing

Will travel insurance cover paragliding or parasailing?

Yep, you can get travel insurance that will cover claims related to paragliding or parasailing. However, you'll need to check the details. Paragliding and parasailing are risky activities, and are considered extreme sports, so they'll need a comprehensive policy. The extra cost you pay will account for the extra risk you're taking.

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What's the best travel insurance for paragliding or parasailing?

There's no single best travel insurance for extreme sports like paragliding. Instead, you're best to compare travel insurance policies in general, and then adding adventure sports to your cover when you sign up.

You can use Finder to compare travel insurance quotes from 16 brands – that’s more than any other site in Australia.

How do I make sure I'm covered?

If your policy says it covers extreme sports like paragliding, it’s important to check if there are any conditions that affect when cover will apply. Conditions may include:

• You must be a passenger. You may need to be paragliding in tandem with a licensed instructor and be a passenger rather than in control of the aircraft.
• A licensed operator is required. The paragliding equipment and service generally needs to be provided by a licensed commercial operator.
• You may need to buy an extra sports option. You may need to take certain steps when taking out your policy, such as applying for cover over the phone or purchasing a special adventure sports pack.
• Understand what your policy covers. There is a difference between paragliding and parasailing. Some travel insurance brands may only cover parasailing.

It's not enough to just get a policy that's advertised as an 'extreme sports' package or similar. You really do need to check the details of the policy.

When won’t you be covered?

There are certain situations when you won’t be able to receive any cover from your travel insurer for paragliding or parasailing. Some of these are specific to the sport itself, including:

• You may not be covered if you don’t satisfy all policy conditions, such as flying in tandem with a licensed instructor when you paraglide.
• You may not be covered unless you specifically arrange for the sport to be covered when arranging your policy.
• You may not be covered for personal liability while paragliding.
• You may not be covered if you operate the equipment yourself, instead of having a professional operate for you.

In other cases, you may not be covered for paragliding-related claims under some of the general exclusions of your policy, such as:

• If the insurer excludes paragliding from cover altogether.
• If your claim arises because you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Make sure you read the fine print of your policy to work out when you will and will not be covered.

Does travel insurance cover hang gliding?

Hang gliding is generally not able to be covered by travel insurance. While simiar to paragliding in some ways, the design of hang gliders make them harder to control than paragliders. That makes them inherently more dangerous.

How much does travel insurance cost for paragliding?

You will pay more for a travel insurance policy that covers extreme sports. This is because you're putting yourself at higher risk, so the odds of you making a claim are higher.

How much extra you'll pay depends on your insurer's add-on options. For example, Fast Cover offers an adventure pack that costs about 30% on top of the cost of most policies. This adventure pack covers lots of sports including tandem paragliding, but not other sports like snowboarding, which requires a more expensive policy again.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Jessica Prasida

Travel Insurance Expert

Jessica Prasida brings a decade of experience in the travel industry, including over four years as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel. She holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Marketing from the University of Technology, Sydney, as well as a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification that complies with ASIC guidelines. An avid traveller herself, Jessica combines her professional expertise with a passion for ensuring safe and enjoyable journeys for all travellers. Jessica was a Travel Insurance Publisher at Finder from 2019 to 2024. See full bio