Hi fellow hiker,

In this Before You Go email we'll discuss travel insurance.

Hiking is safe and accidents are uncommon, but in the rare case of a serious injury costs can add up fast. That's why we require all of our clients to purchase travel insurance before starting their trek. Specifically, it is important to have coverage for medical expenses, evacuation, and repatriation. With the remote nature of our trips, helicopters are sometimes required in case of medical emergency, which can be quite costly without insurance. Adequate coverage is important in the unhappy event of an accident.

While the three items listed above are required, there are some additional coverages that can benefit you during your travels. Other features to consider would include cancellation insurance and baggage loss, based on your discretion, comfort level, and personal situation. 

We work together with Travel Guard from AIG, a leading travel insurance provider headquartered in Wisconsin. All of their plans cover medical expenses, evacuation, and repatriation; the Preferred plan includes pre-departure coverage, and the Deluxe plan even covers full-on mountaineering gear, like crampons and ice axe.

If you would like to book travel insurance through us, you can review the plans and benefits with their respective affiliate links in the PDF linked below. Any insurance plan initiated using the links in this PDF will automatically be made under Pygmy Elephant's account.

No matter whom you book your insurance with, remember these points:

• If you want your travel insurance to cover your flights and the days that you are not hiking, include those days in your coverage dates.
• If you want your airfare to be covered, add its cost to your insurance plan. This will moderately increase the total cost of your travel insurance.
• If your trek spans multiple countries, enter the country where you will be staying the most nights in "destination country" in the insurance plan.
• We only request that your insurance plan covers medical expenses, evacuation, and repatriation. Any coverage beyond that is at your discretion.

Best regards,

Pygmy Elephant

For inquiries regarding your specific itinerary, please contact your group leader or key travel builder. If you have any questions about the content of this email, feel free to reply here.