France is Britain’s winter-sports capital and one of the better-value places to insure
New analysis from Go.Compare Travel Insurance has found that France attracted almost half (46%) of all winter-sports single-trip policy sales1, leading the rankings every month, making it comfortably the number one destination for British winter-sports enthusiasts.* 1
Austria (10.4%) and Switzerland (9%) were distant second and third. Added to that, the median insurance premium for France is £15.532, below the European average, making it good value too.2
Go.Compare’s research also found that top destinations for winter sports are overwhelmingly short haul, with 93% choosing to stay close to home, and 7% choosing to venture further afield. The top choices for long distance winter sports are Canada (2.8%), US (1.6%), and Japan (1.5%).
Rhys Jones, travel insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “It is no surprise that France comes out on top: it offers easy access to some of Europe’s best-known ski resorts. Our data suggests France can be one of the more affordable choices for winter-sports cover. For anyone planning a trip, the key is to take out suitable cover as soon as they book, and check that it includes the activities they have planned.”
Long haul slopes come with a premium
Long-haul winter sport cover costs more than three times as much as destinations close to home; an average of £53.95 compared with £16.26 for those categorised in Europe. That makes European winter sport trips a much better-value option as far as insurance is concerned.3
The most expensive destinations by median policy cost are Canada (£55.64), Japan (£55.61) and the US (£56.10).4
Eastern and Nordic Europe offer lower insurance costs
Within Europe, Poland had the lowest median premium (£13.78), followed by Iceland (£14.14), Norway (£14.36), Sweden (£14.43) and Bulgaria (£15.45) making these countries the most cost-conscious destinations, taking into consideration that insurance cost is only one part of total holiday spend.5
France was the most popular destination, with its median premium a relatively low £15.53.
Late-booking surge
Nearly 62% of the season’s winter sports policy sales are in December and January. January is the crucial month for winter sport policy sales and it is the transaction high point, with 34.7% of all policies taken out this month, indicating a wave of late festive and New Year booking activity. Single-trip policies drove the market, accounting for 79% of winter sports sales, versus 21% choosing multi-trip policies.
Premiums fall in January
For single-trip policies, the average premium dropped from £27 in October to £19 in November and December, before reaching a seasonal low of £15 in January. Prices then rose modestly to £18 in February. Multi-trip cover followed the same broad trend, easing from £57 - £58 in October and November to £45 in January, before edging up to £47 in February.6
European single-trip policies followed this pattern: the median premium fell to £14.48 in January, down from £17.57 in December, before recovering slightly to £17.08 in February.7
Rhys Jones Go.Compare concluded: “Prices can vary as the ski season progresses, so travellers should compare policies early and look beyond price alone. Taking out cover as soon as a trip is booked can also provide cancellation protection if plans change before departure, subject to the policy’s terms and conditions.”
Travellers can compare travel insurance policies at https://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance/
Contact Information
Joel Lodge
Notes to editors
Notes to editors
Sources:
*Data covers provisional travel-insurance purchases from 1 October 2025 to 28 February 2026, excludes customers with medical conditions, and isolates winter-sports cover without other add-ons.
Most popular destinations by sales for single trip travel insurance with winter sports add on between 1 October 2025 to 28 February 2026 excluding medical conditions.
- Popular Destinations Output: single-trip travel-insurance policies with a winter-sports add-on, covering 1 October 2025 to 28 February 2026 and excluding medical conditions. France accounted for 46% of sales and ranked first in every month.
- Popular Destinations Output and Europe vs Outside Europe Output: median price paid for France was £15.53, compared with a European median of £16.26. Figures are based on single-trip policies.
- Europe vs Outside Europe Output: median price paid was £16.26 for Europe and £53.95 outside Europe. The comparison is based on single-trip winter-sports policies; £53.95 is approximately 3.3 times £16.26.
- Cheapest vs Most Expensive Output: median price paid for single-trip winter-sports policies was £55.64 for Canada, £55.61 for Japan and £56.10 for the US.
- Cheapest vs Most Expensive Output: median price paid for single-trip winter-sports policies in Europe was £13.78 for Poland, £14.14 for Iceland, £14.36 for Norway, £14.43 for Sweden and £15.45 for Bulgaria.
- All Sales and Winter Sports Sales output: monthly median premiums for winter-sports cover. Single-trip premiums were £27 in October, £19 in November and December, £15 in January and £18 in February. Multi-trip premiums were £57–£58 in October and November, £45 in January and £47 in February.
- Europe vs Outside Europe Output, monthly regional table: the European median premium was £17.57 in December, £14.48 in January and £17.08 in February for single-trip winter-sports policies.
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/