Travel Resources for Adventurers
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance Review
Written by Antonio Cala.
Table of Contents
When it comes to exploring the world, ensuring your safety is the most important thing. Whether you’re a frequent traveler, nature enthusiast, or an adventurous soul, Ripcord Rescue is your ultimate partner in travel safety.
In this Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance review, we dive into what sets it apart. From their comprehensive evacuation services and membership options to the essential aspects of travel insurance, we’re covering it all. Keep reading to find out if Ripcord is the perfect match for your travel needs.
If you would like to know more about insurance options for adventure travel, make sure to check out our Complete Guide to Adventure Travel Insurance. Let’s jump in.
Ripcord Rescue Overview
Who Is Ripcord For
Ripcord offers a comprehensive adventure travel insurance policy designed for the adventurous traveler. Ripcord provides essential on-trip services, including medical evacuation from the point of injury or illness to your home hospital of choice, search and rescue, and extraction in cases of natural disasters, political unrest, or security threats.
With extensive coverage for trip interruption and cancellation due to sickness, injury, pandemics, business reasons, and hunting and fishing restrictions, Ripcord ensures you’re fully protected.
What's Included
- 32 covered reasons for trip cancellation & interruption, including business reasons, hunting & fishing restrictions, and pets
- Pandemic coverage that includes cancellation, interruption, and quarantine
- Medical evacuation and rescue from the point of emergency to your home hospital of choice
- $100,000 of primary medical expense coverage
- Pre-existing medical condition waiver if purchase conditions are met
- Political, security and natural disaster evacuation for unexpected natural disasters, terrorism, civil war, and other dangerous & chaotic events
- Search and rescue
- Travel inconvenience benefits
What's Not Included
Ripcord offers three options:
- Medical Evacuation & Rescue
- Medical Evacuation & Rescue + Medical Expense Coverage
- Medical Rescue & Security Evacuation + Comprehensive Travel Coverage
In short, you can choose what to include with your policy. The only limitations are related to who’s eligible and the areas covered, which we will explain in the next chapters.
Membership Plans
Medical Evacuation & Rescue
Ripcord’s Medical Evacuation and Rescue Only plan can be purchased annually or per trip, covering up to $750,000 for medical transport and rescue from the point of injury or illness to the hospital of choice. This plan includes remote destinations with no altitude limits and is available for incidents more than 100 miles from home.
Coverage also includes organized searches if the insured becomes lost or disoriented during recreational activities, along with 24/7 travel assistance. The annual membership is ideal for frequent travelers, with pricing based on the maximum number of days per trip, though no single trip length is limited. Coverage may be limited to two transports per year.
A family member can accompany the injured or ill traveler if space permits. Individual and family coverage options are available, with family membership including the member, their spouse or partner, and up to four dependent children under age 19 or 24 if in college.
Medical Evacuation & Rescue + Medical Expense Coverage
This coverage level combines Ripcord’s essential medical evacuation and rescue services with up to $100,000 in medical expenses. It also covers lost or stolen baggage, sports equipment, and personal effects; emergency dental care; trip delays; accidental death and dismemberment; and 24/7 travel assistance services.
Medical Rescue & Security Evacuation + Comprehensive Travel Coverage
Ripcord’s top-tier policy, Medical Rescue & Security Evacuation with added comprehensive travel coverage, offers extensive protection. This plan includes evacuation from remote locations in the event of a medical emergency or illness and also covers evacuations due to security situations such as natural disasters, terrorism, or political unrest.
Additionally, the policy provides coverage for involuntary detention, including abduction by violence or threat of violence, where a group demands payment for the traveler’s release. This feature makes it particularly valuable for individuals frequently traveling to high-risk areas, such as news correspondents or NGO workers.
The comprehensive travel coverage also protects against trip cancellations and delays. Travelers have the option to add Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) protection, which covers up to 75 percent of the trip’s cost, offering even greater flexibility and peace of mind.
Pricing
Ripcord offers every plan and add-on for different durations of the coverage (short term & long term) and for different groups of people (individual, family). Please, check out the latest pricing for up to date quotes.
What's Covered & Who's Eligible
Ripcord Rescue is one of the most complet insurance option on the market today. They cover more places and more profiles than most companies. Let’s look at the specifics.
Nationalities: only US citizens and residents are eligible.
Pre-existing conditions: Yes.
Seniors Over 65: People aged 65-90 are eligible.
Trip Duration: Short term policies and long term policies available.
Groups: Individual & family plans available.
Situations covered: It covers civil unrest, natural disasters, government evacuation orders and other security emergencies.
Country Restrictions: Trips to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, and Venezuela are not covered.
User Reviews and Testimonials
Insurance companies often receive negative online reviews due to issues like complicated policy language, claim denials, slow processing times, and perceived unfair practices.
Ripcord is not an exception, but most of their reviews are positive.
Ripcord vs Competitors
Overall, Ripcord travel insurance policies tend to be more pricey than those of its competitors, with higher coverage for medical expenses, better rescue services and a similar compensation for trip cancellation/interruption to the top companies on the market.
If you would like to see direct comparisons between Ripcord and other insurance companies, check out the articles below:
Conclusion
Ripcord stands out as a comprehensive travel program, with evacuation, rescue, and premium coverages, offering unparalleled coverage with minimal restrictions compared to other travel insurance plans.
Specifically tailored for adventure travelers embarking on independent or organized trips to remote locations, the Ripcord plans cover individuals living in the US and offers options for individuals aged up to 90 years old.
With an extensive rescue network worldwide, high medical coverage and excellent trip protection, Ripcord offers the ultimate travel protection for adventure travelers.
Other Travel Insurance Reviews
If you would like to read more about other insurance companies for adventure travelers, you can check out our other reviews below:
If you would like to read more about insurance options for other type of adventure trips, you can check out our other reviews below:
- Skiing & Snowboarding
- Hiking Trips
- Mountaineering & High Altitude Trekking
- Mountain Biking, Bike-touring & Bike-packing
- Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing & Bouldering
- Kayaking, White Water Rafting & Paddle Boarding
- Fishing & Spearfishing
- Diving Liveaboards & Freediving
- Sailing, Kite Surfing & Surfing
- Adventure Cruises
- Adventure Motorcycling
Ripcord Reviews Online
When doing your research, you might want to read what other publications have to say about the Ripcord travel insurance.
Here are some of the most popular reviews from the web.
Global Rescue vs Ripcord – by 24hourcampfire.com
Buyer’s Guide: Travel, Rescue, and Medical Evacuation Insurance – by expeditionportal.com
About the Author
Antonio was born and raised in Southern Spain, and quit his job in 2013 to travel the world full-time with his wife Amanda for 10 years straight. Their passion for adventure took them to visit 150+ countries.
They cycled 25,000km + from California to Patagonia, sailed over 10,000NM around the Caribbean & Sea of Cortez, rode their motorbikes 30,000 kms+ across West Africa (Spain to South Africa) and visited Antarctica, among many other adventure expeditions. Today, they’re still traveling, currently around the USA with an RV.
Traveling to so many places, remote destinations and by different means taught them a lot about travel insurance, which policies to hold depending on the area and the type of adventure they were doing. Antonio now publishes regular content to help other travelers choose the best travel insurance for adventure trips.
Together, they also run the travel community Summit, the RV site Hitched Up, the boutique accommodation blog Unique Places and the popular newsletter Adventure Fix, where they share their knowledge about the places they’ve visited and the ones still remaining on their list.
Antonio Cala
Co-Founder of Adventure Fix