Toying with the idea of packing your bags and travelling is something that tends to happen more frequently when the weather gets warmer. Nothing increases your wanderlust further like searching for a holiday destination online, as you mentally hatch a plan on which family member to leave your bundle of joy(s) with for the weekend, or taking a breather from the office.

Having a travel checklist can help you avoid leaving out the important items and documents. Before you process your bookings and pack your bags, check that your life insurance is in order.  It will give you that added peace of mind knowing that you will be covered while travelling. This is crucial if you have plans of participating in physical activities whilst on holiday as there are some hobbies and activities that insurers will not cover you for.

If you are travelling abroad

There are many reasons why you might want to travel abroad such as experiencing the food, scenic views, or recreational activities they have on offer that can inspire you to dust off your passport to book a flight to your desired destination.

While making up your mind in terms of which country to visit can be tricky, it is important to know which countries to keep off your list as your insurer will not cover in the event of an accident or death. Craig Baker, CEO of MiWayLife insurance, advises people to carefully check the terms and conditions that come with their policy to avoid accidentally participating in hobbies or activities that could raise red flags from their insurers.

“There are some cases where a claim is denied due to a person participating in some of the exclusions listed in the terms and conditions of their policy,” says Baker. For example, there are some claim events that occur in certain countries that an insurer will not cover due to the level of risk it poses. Some of the countries that are listed as exclusions are:

Afghanistan                                                        Lebanon

Angola (Cabinda Province)                               Libya (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)

Burundi                                                               Mali

Central African Republic                                   Nigeria (Niger Delta)

Chad                                                                    Pakistan

Democratic Republic of Congo                       Somalia

Iran                                                                      Sudan

Iraq                                                                      Syrian Arab Republic

North Korea                                                       Yemen

Dangerous Hobbies and Activities

What’s a holiday without partaking in some activities that get your adrenaline pumping? Every once in a while, there will be a few daredevils that try to push the envelope which can have insurers raising red flags. Dangerous hobbies and activities are anything that can put your life at risk such as:

Cliff diving                                                                                 Solo Climb Mountaineering

Free diving at depths greater than 25m                              Expedition Caving

Scuba diving at depths greater than 40m                           Hazardous aviation activities

Unaccompanied scuba diving                                               Recurrent hang-gliding/Sky diving

Cave diving                                                                                Drag racing or Speed Contests

Expedition style mountaineering                                          Professional boxing/Kick Boxing

It can still apply to people who are planning on taking a road trip to exploring our beautiful country for a holiday or destressing over the weekend with their favourite hobby.  Checking if you are covered earlier on can save you from disappointment later on when an accident happens or when your family needs to process a claim.