Travel Insurance for Summer Camp

Travel insurance is arguably more important for those who think a good holiday is a camping trip up in the mountains. Here are the most important insurance benefits outdoor adventurers should look out for.

We often think of travel insurance in the context of cancelled flights, delayed luggage or mis-booked hotel rooms, but travel insurance policies are just as useful for summer camps taken far away from the city.

In fact, some summer camp insurance benefits are arguably more important to outdoors adventurers than city-dwelling travellers, which is why those going on camping trips shouldn’t ignore travel insurance.

Let’s take a look at travel insurance pertaining to outdoor trips and some camp insurance plans you should consider.

Why You Need a Travel Insurance for Summer Camp

Embarking on a summer camp adventure can be a transformative experience filled with outdoor activities, personal growth, and exploration. However, like any adventure, it comes with its set of risks and unforeseen events. Travel insurance for summer camp isn't just a safety net — it's a necessary part of ensuring a worry-free experience, especially in environments where unexpected incidents are more likely.

Statistics show that while summer camps are generally safe, accidents and health issues can occur. For instance, minor injuries such as cuts, scratches and scrapes made up 33.3% of reported incidents, while fractures were 14.6% and 10.4% were sprains or strains. Other serious conditions like heat strokes or allergic reactions can also pose significant health risks. Moreover, unexpected severe weather conditions can turn a peaceful camping trip into a risky ordeal, necessitating sudden evacuations or causing damage to personal belongings.

Travel insurance specifically designed for summer camps can cover a broad range of incidents, from medical emergencies and evacuation costs to lost or damaged personal items and trip cancellations. Such policies are particularly crucial for parents sending their children to summer camps, as they provide peace of mind knowing that potential costs associated with these risks are covered. Moreover, should an incident require urgent medical attention or an unexpected return home, summer camp travel insurance ensures that these situations are managed swiftly and without undue financial strain.

The Best Summer Camp Travel Insurance Plans

Singlife Travel Insurance

Singlife Travel Insurance provides robust coverage for summer camp, with extensive benefits for medical emergencies and trip disruptions.

• Overseas Medical Expenses: Coverage ranges from S$250,000 to unlimited for medical expenses abroad.
• Emergency Evacuation: Includes up to unlimited coverage for emergency evacuations.
• Trip Cancellation: Covers up to full travel, accommodation, and entertainment costs for insured reasons, and up to 50% for non-insured reasons.
• Loss/Damage of Baggage: Covers loss or damage of baggage, including up to S$500 for rental water sports equipment.
• Notable coverage: Offers Adventurous Water Sports cover and a Rainfall Protection benefit of up to S$150.

Allianz Travel Insurance

The Allianz Travel Insurance plan offers a dedicated search-and-rescue benefit, making it useful for summer camps in more remote locations, which can be an additional layer of assurance for parents. 

• Overseas Medical Expenses: Provides comprehensive medical coverage for emergencies abroad.
• Emergency Evacuation: Includes search-and-rescue benefits, adding an extra layer of assurance for outdoor adventurers.
• Trip Cancellation: Covers costs for missed activities and trip cancellations, ensuring financial protection against disruptions.
• Loss/Damage of Baggage: Covers personal and rental sporting equipment, as well as personal luggage.
• Other Notable Coverage: Includes rental vehicle excess coverage, personal accident benefits, and more.

MSIG TravelEasy Pre-ex

The MSIG TravelEasy Pre-ex travel insurance plan caters to campers with pre-existing conditions, offering coverage when other insurance providers may not do so.

• Overseas Medical Expenses: Provides comprehensive medical coverage, both overseas and in Singapore.
• Emergency Evacuation: Covers emergency evacuation with generous claim limits.
• Trip Cancellation: Offers coverage for trip cancellations and travel operator insolvency, protecting against campground closures.
• Loss/Damage of Baggage: Covers personal belongings and extends to adventurous activities by default.
• Other Notable Coverage: Includes benefits for personal accidents and adventurous activities like paragliding and white-water rafting.

Comparing Coverage for Summer Camp Travel Insurance Plans

Types of Camp

SingSaver's travel insurance plans for summer camp cover a wide range of camp types organised by schools or third-parties. These include: 

• School Camps: Coverage for school-organised camps, including leadership and team-building camps.
• Adventure Camps: Insurance for camps focusing on outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking.
• Sports Camps: Coverage for camps dedicated to specific sports like soccer, basketball, and swimming.
• Science Camps: Protection for educational camps that involve outdoor science experiments, nature exploration, and hands-on learning.

What insurance coverage should outdoors campers look out for?

Emergency evacuation

Emergency evacuation benefits cover the cost of evacuating you and your loved ones to safety after an accident, and after life-saving treatment, back home for follow-up care.

To understand the importance of this benefit, well, in the case of the Singaporean pastor who fell ill in South Korea, it would have saved his loved ones a lot of trouble and stress.

Emergency evacuation is included as a standard benefit in all travel insurance plans. However, the level of coverage can vary widely, from just tens of thousands of dollars, up to unlimited,

If you’re planning to go camping in a somewhat difficult-to-access area, it may also mean that you’ll require special modes of evacuation in an emergency. You can expect this to cost more money than, say, JustGrab.

Hence, it’s a good idea to choose a travel insurance plan with a higher level of coverage for emergency evacuation. When in doubt, go for the unlimited option to cover all scenarios.

Related to this topic: Top 3 Things Travel Insurance Should Cover (And How Much is Enough)

Overseas medical expenses and personal accident

Well, the need for these benefits is pretty self-evident. You’ll need them in case you encounter an accident or injury during your camping trip.

Not all travel insurance plans offer personal accident benefits, but that’s ok if you have your own personal accident plan that covers you overseas.

However, if you’re relying on your travel insurance plan for personal accident coverage, avoid the temptation to just go with the lowest number. You should pick a sufficiently high coverage so as not to leave your dependents vulnerable should the worst happen.

Related to this topic: Is Travel Insurance With COVID-19 Coverage Still Necessary?

Trip cancellation and insolvency protection

Campground operators are counted as accommodation providers, which means you can claim for compensation should your holiday camp close down or otherwise fail to honour your booking.

Also, should you be forced to cancel your camping trip due to airline problems, sudden illness and family emergencies, or have to cut short your trip because of rampaging wild boars, know that you may be entitled to claim benefits from your travel insurance plan.

Hence, you’ll want to look out for robust trip cancellation and insolvency protection benefits that cover loss of deposits, paid accommodations, entertainment tickets, and insolvency of travel operators.

Be sure to obtain a statement in writing from your campground operator stating the reasons for their closure and their inability to provide a refund; this will help speed up the processing of your claims.

Related to this topic: How To Cancel Your Travel Insurance Plan And Get a Refund On Premiums

Personal luggage and sporting equipment

Camping gear also counts as personal luggage, and is thus included under the same benefit.

If you are planning on bringing expensive camping gear or specialised equipment, you should make sure your coverage for personal luggage is sufficiently high. In particular, pay attention to the per-item sub-limits.

Depending on the nature of your camping trip, you may find yourself bringing or renting sporting equipment, such as canoes, diving gear, or bicycles.

Such items are usually covered under sporting equipment, and not personal luggage, so you should consider having dedicated sporting equipment cover in your travel plan. You can purchase an add-on for these items, if coverage is not already included.

Related to this topic: These Travel Insurances Offer Up to S$1,000 Payouts For Your Camera Equipment

Adventure cover

This last one is a must, especially if you’re planning to do more than merely sit in your tent all day long.

Be aware that even relatively low-risk activities like hiking and canoeing may not be covered under the standard terms of a travel insurance policy. Instead, these activities may be considered adventure or sports activities, and would require an extension of cover.

Some policies automatically extend cover to include such activities, whereas others may require you to purchase an add-on.

Make sure to check if your travel policy comes with adventure cover, and if so, what activities are covered (and what aren’t).

If adventure cover is not included, it’s better to spend a few extra bucks to purchase an extension, instead of risking it and going without.

Related to this topic: Best Travel Insurance Plans for Road Trips, Water Sports and Extreme Sports

Factors that Determine the Cost of Summer Camp Travel Insurance Plans

The price for summer camp insurance plans can vary widely depending on several factors:

Duration of the Camp: The longer the camp, the higher the risk of getting injured, increasing the cost of the insurance plan.

Types of Camp Activities: Camps offering high-risk activities such as rock climbing, water sports, or extreme sports may result in higher insurance costs due to the increased risk involved.

Local Health Care Costs: Destinations with high health-care costs can drive up the price of the insurance.

Pre-existing Medical Conditions: Covering pre-existing medical conditions will increase the cost of the insurance plan.

Amount and Breadth of Coverage: Policies that cover a wider range of risks and offer more comprehensive protection will be more expensive.

Optional Supplements: Adding options like "Cancel For Any Reason" will increase the cost of the summer camp insurance plan.

Common Exclusions and Limitations for Summer Camp Travel Insurance Plans

When considering summer camp travel insurance, it's important to be aware of common exclusions and limitations typically not covered by these plans:

Pre-existing Conditions: Most plans exclude claims related to pre-existing medical conditions unless specifically stated otherwise in the policy.

Cancellation by Choice: If you decide to cancel your trip for personal reasons not covered by the policy, such as a change of mind, you typically won't be reimbursed.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse: Claims resulting from incidents involving drug or alcohol abuse, including overdoses, are usually not covered.

Safety Tips for Summer Camp

While travel insurance for summer camp provides coverage in case something goes wrong, staying safe ensures a fun and worry-free experience. Keep these five safety tips in mind:

1. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially during strenuous physical activities, to prevent dehydration.
2. Follow Camp Rules: Adhere to all camp guidelines and instructions from counsellors to avoid accidents and injuries.
3. Use Sunscreen: Apply sunscreen regularly to protect your skin from harmful UV rays, even on cloudy days.
4. Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Pay attention to your environment and avoid hazardous areas like steep cliffs or fast-flowing rivers.
5. Buddy System: Always stay with a buddy when exploring or participating in activities to ensure you have immediate help if needed.

Popular Destinations for Summer Camp

Travel insurance for summer camps can provide coverage for a variety of exciting destinations abroad. Here are some popular destinations:

• United States: Known for a wide range of summer camps, from adventure and sports to arts and science programmes. Consider mountaineering travel insurance if your summer camp explores the nation’s great canyons.
• Canada: Offers fantastic outdoor camps with activities like canoeing, hiking, and wildlife exploration in beautiful natural settings. Consider trekking travel insurance for coverage whilst exploring the country’s great trails. 
• Australia: Home to diverse summer camps that include activities like surfing, marine biology, or outback adventures. Consider adventure activity insurance or water sports holiday insurance if you’re taking part in Australia’s wide range of high-octane activities!
• New Zealand: Famous for its adventure camps that include activities like hiking, mountain biking, and camper van camping in stunning landscapes. Consider a plan with mountain biking travel insurance or campervan insurance

FAQs for Summer Camp Travel Insurance Plans

Will summer camp travel insurance cover me if I go for a camp during the winter season?

Summer camp travel insurance is typically designed to cover camps held during the summer season. If you attend a camp during the winter season, you should check with your insurance provider to ensure that your policy is valid and covers activities during that time of year. Some policies may provide year-round coverage, while others might be season-specific.

Do I need travel insurance for summer camp if I have signed a liability waiver?

Yes, you still need travel insurance for summer camp even if you have signed a liability waiver. A liability waiver helps protect the camp organisation from certain legal claims, but it does not cover your personal medical expenses, lost or stolen items, or trip cancellations. Travel insurance provides comprehensive protection for these unexpected situations, ensuring you have support and financial coverage if something goes wrong during your camp experience. 

Does summer camp insurance plans cover lost or stolen personal items at camp?

Yes, most travel insurance policies for summer camps include coverage for lost or stolen personal items. However, it's important to review your specific policy details to understand the coverage amount, limits and exclusions related to personal belongings.