**It Happens

Every expedition angling trip should budget for sufficient trip cancellation and travel accident or medical emergency and evacuation cover. We’re not in the business of providing professional advice on insurance products, or recommending your provider.

Let’s face it. Who loves talking about insurance! But hopefully we can stress upon you the need to do your research on insurance protection in advance of your next expedition.

Here’s what we believe you need to protect your trip investment, be ready for the claims procedure and to provide cover for any medical procedure or emergency evacuation.

Update: I’ve added an additional section on suitable cancellation cover with respect to the recent Norwegian Government and Alaskan Government-sanctioned river closures. Many salmon anglers have been financially impacted by these announcement, demonstrating the need to ensure you have a policy that includes comprehensive cancellation cover for the scenarios we’re facing in Alaska and Norway.

Protect Your Trip Investment

If your exploration angling is through an outfitter, guiding operation, lodge or booking agent, it is typical to pay a 50% deposit within a couple of week of booking to secure your spot and and full payment either two or three months before the trip dates. That’s a long time for something significant to change in your life, or in the world.

For this reason purchasing trip cancellation and travel accident insurance may you upfront protection for this upfront investment.

The payments you made trickle down through the distribution channel and are subject to the cancellation policies of each party involved. There an industry standard cancellation policy of strictly no refunds, regardless of circumstance, unless you or your booking agent can fill your now vacant spot.

Check that your travel insurance will provide for reasonable reimbursement in the event of your non-refundable trip investment costs if you are unable to make it to the start of your trip and the criteria for a payout.

Fly Fishing Travel Insurance

It is worth ensuring your travel insurance covers pre-trip cancellation or postponement expenses for a variety of reasons. These include major family events that require you to stay at home, medical or surgical issues that may arise – from breaking a bone to requiring surgery at short notice.

You are likely to be covered for major weather or global events that are out of your control and might require your airline, travel operator, or someone down the line to cancel your trip. The extent of this cover should be understood. The Covid pandemic exposed a lot of under-insurance in the travel category.

If you have to cancel your trip, you cannot expect a full or partial refund from your airline or lodge, even if final payment has been made but you are still a month or two from departure. Your guide, lodge and/or outfitter have invested in your trip on your behalf and incurred a range of costs. Your cancellation also means loss of profit from the valuable time you have reserved in their short season.

Having a travel insurance product that allows for trip cancellation for any reason may be a useful investment, particularly if you’re booking your adventure a year in advance. Ask for a product with this ‘no blame’ benefit if you believe it may need to be triggered.

New Zealand residents who read this should look to Southern Cross Insurance or AA Insurance for quotations and advice on suitable cover.

For US-based anglers looking to travel to first world countries like New Zealand, Chile or Australia, Travelex Insurance is worth getting a quote from.

UK anglers may wish to get a quote from Staysure™.

Global Rescue

If you’ve done any serious international angling, you’ll understand the risks of the locations our prey inhabit. Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Russia (out of bounds until further notice, of course), New Caledonia, Mongolia. These are the places where the big fish lie. Having rescue evacuation insurance and access to professional medical assistance is vital. The civil unrest, protests and violence in New Caledonia this month (May 2024) resulted in the international airport being shut down is a salient reminder of the need to have suitable cover in place.

A short term or annual Global Rescue evacuation package won’t break the bank for any expedition angler and they also offer this with IMG Signature Travel Insurance. It’s called: ‘Global Rescue Signature Travel Insurance’.

This is not a recommendation, but worthy of your thorough investigation. I’d welcome any feedback in the comments below.

As at May 2024, they say that their benefits include:

• Trip Cancellation: Up to 100% of the non-refundable insured Trip cost

• Trip Interruption: Up to 150% of the non-refundable insured Trip cost

• Accident and Sickness Medical: Up to $100,000 per person

• Common Carrier Accidental Death & Dismemberment: Up to $100,000

• Baggage and Personal Effects: Up to $2,500 (subject to a per item maximum of $250)

• Sports Equipment Rental: Up to $500 per day to a maximum $2,000 per person

• Cancel for Any Reason (UPGRADE): Up to 75% of the trip cost insured

• Trip Interruption for Any Reason (UPGRADE): Up to 75% of the trip cost insured

That all seems pretty good for an expedition angler, even the sports equipment rental reimbursement if your baggage goes awry on your outbound flight.

You’ll receive protection in the event of the bankruptcy of the airline or tour operator, and you’ll be covered in the event that a pre-existing medical condition causes you to cancel, postpone or amend your flight and this incurs loss.

Claims

Travel Insurance Claims

Before you contract for your cover, understand the process to initiate a claim, particularly if you are heading to a foreign language-speaking country where you might have difficulties getting access to a local office or need assistance to get a connection back to your home country.

Expect them to have a toll-free number that connects you immediately to an experienced customer service person. You should expect your situation to be analysed and resolved within a day of lodging your first call, or even less for minor claims such as lost luggage.

You’ll discover that Global Rescue Travel Insurance & Evacuation is just as valuable once you arrive on the Island. Chances are good that you already have health Insurance. However, many people don’t realize that their standard health insurance policy doesn’t always provide sufficient protection when traveling abroad. In the event that you are injured or become ill while away from home, Global Rescue Evacuation will step in and not only cover the gap, they will provide you with top-notch medical care. Global Rescue coverage ensures that you are evacuated to your home hospital of choice, anywhere in the world.

How International Evacuation Emergency Insurance works

This separate coverage through Global Rescue are recognised as the global leader for international emergency evacuation and in-country assess to remote medical assistance. The role of this cover is to keep you safe if something goes seriously wrong where you are, to keep you alive if you are in a major accident, and to get you back home if necessary.

Your existing health insurance policy, if in place, is unlikely to provide sufficient cover for your international travel requirements but it’s a good place to start. But if you get ill or injured, Global Rescue offers a comprehensive insurance coverage that ensures that you receive professional medical care (even on the end of a phone and with a translator present if required) ahead of evacuation to your home country or a suitable medical facility, and then home. You can contact them through their Operations Centre at any time so keep the number at hand during your daily routines while abroad.

I hold an Annual Global Rescue Family Package for my family or my own international travel. This means we don’t have to renew in line with our travel dates. It’s one less thing to remember if we decide to take a quick excursion abroad. This is not an endorsement as you have different circumstances or requirements depending on the country you are resident in.

Whether you choose annual cover or just to cover the dates of your trip, make sure you have medical and emergency cover alongside your core trip insurance.

Getting your travel insurances in place ahead of confirming your trip means you can now focus on tying flies, weighing your luggage and shopping for a new rod!

River Closures

The recent government announcements of river closures in Alaska and Norway during July 2024 have disrupted travel plans for many salmon aficionados. Those who purchased a standard travel insurance policy are finding that they don’t have cancellation/amendment cover.

Even comprehensive travel insurance policies may not automatically include cover for amendment or cancellation costs. Rather the angler needs to know to add a level of cancellation cover during the quote process and document the right questions and scenarios to the insurance broker/provider.

I believe this needs to be better highlighted by agents and outfitters, rather than just the default message to ensure you have comprehensive cover. It's hard to opt in when you aren't given the option, and often we're looking to reduce, not increase, insurance costs after paying out for flights, lodge deposits and other trip-related expenses.

Your insurer should allow you to choose an amount that will reimburse you for all prepaid travel tickets, lodge and angling fees, and other listed travel-related expenses for all travellers on the policy, in the event that you trip is cancelled due to access to the river being denied through government regulation changes after your booking was confirmed.

The level of cover you choose will likely be the total amount of cover available under the cancellation benefit, but double check this with your broker/provider.

The level of cancellation cover in your policy influences the premium you are charged so turn the dial up & down and see if you are prepared to self-insure for some costs to keep the premium down a bit.

Below is a translation of the initial announcement from the Norwegian salmon association, Norske Lakseelver, to fishing service providers following the announcement that 33 river fisheries were to be immediately closed in June 2024.

Refund or no refund for lost fishing as a result of the closure? 

Here is Norske Lakseelver's advice and considerations for fishing providers in connection with the fact that fishing has now been closed in many rivers.

PÅL MUGAAS / WEDNESDAY 26 JUNE 2024 / 12:33

There are many fishing providers who do not have pre-cleared purchase terms with their fishermen that clarify how this situation with the closure of the fishery is to be handled. For these, as far as NL is able to clarify, there is no conclusion on how to proceed. We do not find any standards or legal guidelines that it is natural to rely on. For this particular case of closure, we see so far an example of fish providers choosing completely different approaches, without anything being said to be "right" or "wrong".  

Based on this, NL will come up with the following advice and considerations for fishing providers: 

• Inform the fishermen 

Fishing providers should immediately contact all fishermen who have paid in advance for a fishing stay in the period from after the closure came into force with information that fishing is closed indefinitely. We currently know that the closure will last at least until the Norwegian Environment Agency's mid-term evaluation, which has been announced around 5 July. The Norwegian Environment Agency has said that fishing can be reopened on a specified date sometime after 5 July if there is a biological basis for it.  

• No one should be pressured into jumping to conclusions 

For many fish providers, the closure decision has significant consequences for the private economy. This is a completely new situation that came upon everyone involved very suddenly, and one can quite rightly demand time to gather information and think carefully before making any decision regarding any refund. Waiting until the results of the Norwegian Environment Agency's mid-term evaluation will in all cases be sensible and is something that, as a minimum, the fishermen should be expected to respect. In any case, there is no reason to decide on a possible refund until you know with certainty that a pre-paid fishing stay cannot be carried out. 

• Dialogue about burden sharing 

This is a crisis situation for which neither the fishing providers nor the fishermen are to blame. All parties want the best for the wild salmon and that a normal fishing offer should be able to resume as soon as possible. The fishing provider has an interest in the fishermen wanting to come back again next year, and the fishermen do not want good fishing offers to be permanently damaged by a fatal economic blow in 2024. In order to come out the other end of the crisis as best as possible, a dialogue about a burden sharing be reasonable. Is it e.g. possible to agree to move the fishing over to a similar period next year, with an amicable arrangement where it is not only one party who has to bear the entire loss for this year's canceled fishing? The fishermen must also be aware that it is the income from fishing that governs the rights holders' opportunities both to exercise the increasingly demanding local administration, as well as to be able to contribute to the joint national work through Norwegian Salmon Rivers to strengthen the conditions for wild salmon. 

NL is in contact with relevant ministries to promote the need for a reimbursement scheme for lost income due to the sudden and unexpected shutdown. We currently have no indication of what the chances are of succeeding in this or how long it will take before a clarification is available.