Paragliding and parasailing can be covered by travel insurance, under certain conditions.
Insurers have some pretty specific rules around how adventure sports are covered.
You'll probably need a more comprehensive policy, and you'll definitely need to read the small print.
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.
Finder survey: What type of holiday will people take in the next 12 months?
Response
Adventure trip
7.28%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1112 Australians, December 2023
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.
Got a quote before?
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.
If you’re thinking of paragliding or parasailing while on holiday, be aware that travel insurers apply different definitions of what constitutes paragliding and what constitutes parasailing. Check with your insurer to confirm whether you will be covered before you participate in either sport.
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.
Was this content helpful to you?
Thank you for your feedback!
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Tim Bennett as part of our fact-checking process.
Jessica Prasida is a travel insurance expert for Finder. She lives and breathes travel, having worked as a travel agent and branch manager at STA Travel for over 4 years, then writing about travel insurance with Finder for another 5 years. Jess has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Tier 1 General Insurance qualification. See full bio
Whilst playing golf on your trip imposes a small risk of injury, there is still a risk of having your equipment stolen. Make sure you are covered ahead of your next with an appropriate Golf Insurance policy.
This guide takes a closer look at motorcycle travel insurance and makes some suggestions regarding levels of cover and ways to stay safe when riding abroad.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
