Many “soft adventure” companies make it compulsory to have travel insurance. We have not yet gotten to the Nanny State in making this mandatory; but we must emphasize our VERY VERY strong recommendation to get it. Especially medical treatment and evacuation. Some countries (eg Thailand) are currently considering this to be made obligatory for ALL tourists; it seems a fair policy.
We all know that many people got their fingers burned with insurance companies denying claims when Covid was declared a “pandemic”; most of us do not, but it’s a good reminder to READ THE SMALL PRINT.
The optimal travel insurance is Cancel For Any Reason – more expensive than other options, but in our experience of this past year, they were the policies that paid out in the end. The crucial part of this is you must take out the policy within 7-14 days of booking a trip (varies between companies); so if you are planning to do this,coordinate with us to be sure you are within the right timeframe.