People in general are aware that when they travel to foreign countries they are wise to take out travel insurance when they book their holiday, or alternatively to purchase a plan that covers a whole year’s traveling. And most people wouldn’t think about leaving the country without it, well aware of its necessity in the event of an unplanned occurrence. But what people are less aware of is the possibility that the travel insurance policy that they have purchased may not cover them for all eventualities – and we’re not just talking about natural disasters being exempt. Exemptions are likely to be pretty normal things, like sub-aquatic sports and backpacking.

The Philippines is a wonderful tropical country, with a fantastically diverse array of culture, wildlife, and landscape scattered across the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. The vast majority of the 2 million travellers who visit the Philippines each year have incident-free trips. But, as with almost any country in the world, there are dangers individual to the Philippines that travellers need to be aware of before they go.

The countries in the tropics are both blessed and cursed by their location. The Philippines sits on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where seismic disturbances are common. This is why the Philippines is prone to so many active volcanoes; but thankfully modern scientific methods are able to give early warning of eruptions. Of greater importance still, is that the country sits inside the Western Pacific tsunami belt, and suffer, on average, 19 strikes a year. The soundest advice is not to travel to the region in-between June and November, which is also when typhoons occur. Travellers to the Philippines during this period should ensure their travel insurance will cover the aftermath of natural disasters such as tsunamis. Exemptions such as this are likely to affect remuneration for displacement expenses more than medical care. Also, things like backpacking may need dedicated backpackers insurance.

The other main unexpected exemption is for sports such as scuba diving. The Philippines is one of the world’s top diving destinations, so again, make sure that the policy covers this. Some companies even offer policies that take into account such extreme activities and sports. Generally, it does not cost much toditional cover, and this is sometimes the easiest way to make sure an existing policy provides adequate cover.