Outdoor Discoveries

What originally was a news section for the rest of the website soon became a place for me to write about human-powered wanderings in the countryside. Photography inspires me to get out there, mostly on foot these days, though cycling got me started. Musings on the wider context of outdoor activity complete the picture, so I hope that there is something of interest in all that you find here. Thank you for coming!

An insurance price hike

19th May 2024

My BMC multi-trip insurance policy is set to expire in the next few weeks. Though I have an annual policy with another provider, this is a more standard affair that may not cover the sort of outdoor activities that I enjoy overseas. Thus, I went with the BMC policy to increase the coverage, particularly with a multi-week trip to the San Francisco Bay Area in the offing.

Other transatlantic prospects are in my mind for this year, in advance of any political drama on the other side of the Atlantic. However, the price of a renewal for this year has jumped by several hundred pounds. That has been enough for a rethink, even if the BMC’s finances are in a parlous state, and they could do with added income.

Thus, I am not going to renew for this year. For any overseas escapades, I am going to go with single trip cover instead. Other providers like True Traveller or Battleface may be a better fit for what I need, since it is hiking that I do rather than climbing or anything more adventurous than that. The latter of these quoted me a price close to that of the BMC, though, while the former is cheaper. This can be revisited closer to any trip away.

Getaways closer to home in the last few weeks, like those to the Trossachs or Badenoch and Strathspey, were far less risky anyway. Others may follow if the weather allows. The insurance side of things can wait.

Comment:

  • John says:

    Recently, I discovered another adventure travel insurance company on the UKClimbing forums: Snowcard. It appears that there was a “catastrophic” claim on BMC insurance in November that has not helped with costs. One wonders if the hike in prices has anything to do with that. Correlation is not always causation, though, as the Cambridge statistician David Spiegalhalter will remind anyone.

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