I’ve been a digital nomad for over two years now and was backpacking for several years before that, so I know the importance of having the best travel insurance for digital nomads, long term travellers and remote workers.
Getting travel insurance that is specifically insurance for nomads is vital because most regular travel insurers do not cover long periods of travel without an end date. I even include nomad insurance on my Nomad Essentials list because so many people brush it off when it’s actually incredibly important.
In fact, insurers see travel insurance for digital nomads as much higher risk because you are essentially living abroad indefinitely without the health system, infrastructure and support that you would be entitled to (often for free or with health insurance!) in your home country.
As a long term digital nomad, I’ve had a variety of health insurance for long term travel and digital nomad health insurance options and this is my review and opinion on the best health insurance for digital nomads.
This article does not contain legal or medical advice.Please consult a professional for your own personal circumstances.
Digital Nomad life in Croatia
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Why is nomad health insurance so important?
Having travel insurance for digital nomads and nomad medical insurance is essential should anything go wrong. This could include:
Flight or trip cancellation
Trip interruption
Lost or damaged luggage
Medical injury, treatment or emergencies
Medical or Political evacuation
Natural Disaster
Accidental Death
As you can see from these things, most would be unexpected or unplanned for scenarios and while we can all hope nothing should happen, if you’re travelling and working abroad long term, there’s an increased risk you'll experience at least one of these things. So if something does happen, you know you’re protected.
Regular travel insurance vs. digital nomad travel insurance
Winter hikes in Croatia
Regular travel insurance works on the basis that you will be travelling (and therefore insured) for a set period of time that’s laid out in your insurance terms and policy documents. This is maybe a week or 2 weeks for most people taking a standard vacation and therefore means risk is controlled or contained in that fixed period of time for the insurers.
However, nomads are people who travel abroad and are away from their home country indefinitely. This means there is “unlimited” risk and no plans to return home to utilise medical or health treatments in the home country.
Because of the increased risk, it is essential that you purchase travel and health insurance for nomads. Most insurers won’t even allow you to input more than 3-months when you attempt a quote on their website. But if you do stay longer than the time you specify, you’d be in violation of your insurance and wouldn’t be covered should anything go wrong.
Most regular insurers also won’t allow you to renew or activate your insurance once you’ve already left your home country for your trip. However many nomad insurers will allow you to renew or have “rolling insurance” for the duration of your time abroad - however long that might be!
How to pick the best nomad travel insurance?
Picking the best nomad insurance for you should come down to a few key factors:
The country or state you originate from
Any pre-existing health conditions
Where you plan to travel to
How much cover you need for your travel gear, current health, at risk travel plans etc
Which companies offer travel insurance for digital nomads?
There are multiple options out there, some of the most common are:
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- World Nomads
- Passport Card
- Insured Nomads
- Battleface
- True Traveller
Digital nomad lifestyle
The best digital nomad insurance: which nomad insurance do I use?
I have been using SafetyWing Nomad Insurance for almost two years now as my preferred digital nomad travel insurance. Now this isn't one of those full SafetyWing reviews because I’ve fortunately not had to make a claim yet (touch wood!) so I can’t attest to the claim experience.
However I’ve preferred them over other providers that I’ve used for several reasons:
They offer a rolling Nomad Insurance option where you can pay a fixed amount that’s ongoing each month via direct debit, so you can ensure you’re covered but also cancel anytime
The rolling Nomad insurance also means you can renew abroad (or anywhere outside of your home country) without issue
You can also be covered for multiple countries under the same policy
Once you’ve been out of your home country for 90 days, any returns to your home country are covered for a period of 30 days (15 days for USA) which is super helpful for any short trips home
5.Their online interface and general user experience is super clear and straightforward to navigate
- The platform also includes the option to download a “Visa Letter”. Some countries require proof of insurance to obtain a temporary visa or visit visa, so you can easily download this with SafetyWing (I had to use this when applying for my Croatia digital nomad visa)
When I’ve had issues or payment queries with my cover, support documents and customer service has always been great.
Bonus - if you’re a family, children under 10 are included in your policy free of charge
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance includes
SafetyWing vs. World Nomads
Working and living abroad as a digital nomad
I have also previously used World Nomads who I also have no complaints about, however I found them more suited to my backpacking travels in Australia when I was younger and always had a date for returning home, as you needed to specify a start and end date.
Although you can renew abroad with World Nomads, the same as you can with SafetyWing.
World Nomads also required upfront payment which for a year long trip was £600-800 upfront (depending on which plan you select) for a 29 year old from the UK. That’s a significant chunk of money whereas the rolling payments for SafetyWing are much more manageable.
Use the price checker below to get a quote for your own digital nomad insurance with SafetyWing.
Is SafetyWing Nomad Insurance legit?
Simply, yes.
SafetyWing offers travel medical insurance for digital nomads all over the world from as little as $45.08 (excluding travel to the US).
You can read their reviews on TrustPilot and Product Hunt from hundreds of happy customers.
And although I can’t attest to their claims process, you can hear about the claims made by others travellers and digital nomads here and comparisons here.
SafetyWing insurance
Is there anything that SafetyWing doesn’t cover?
Although I’m a young, relatively fit and hopefully not-too-accident-prone adult, it’s of course important to be aware of what this insurance doesn’t cover.
Although SafetyWing does provide travel delay and trip interruption cover, it’s important to note that it doesn’t cover cancellation cover.
It does not cover pre-existing conditions, injuries or diseases or routine check ups. It also does not cover cancer treatments or high risk activities including adventure sports - so you’ll need to get separate insurance if you’re planning any adventure or adrenaline sports!
It’s also worth considering alternative or additional coverage if you carry expensive gear with you such as high-end laptops, camera gear, expensive sports gear or other specialist equipment which would not be covered by the standard luggage coverage with SafetyWing.
Summary: Best insurance for digital nomads
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to the best travel insurance for nomads, but ultimately the best insurance for nomads is the one that fits your needs.
I highly recommend health insurance for digital nomads with SafetyWing. As an active 29 year old female who travels very spontaneously and extensively, this insurance and their payment setup is perfect for me, my travels and business, as well as my finances.
Ultimately, none of us can know or prepare for what could happen on our travels and digital nomad adventures, but having the best health insurance for nomads, including coverage for accidents or other eventualities for my trip ultimately gives me peace of mind come what may!
P.s. if you’re considering buying SafetyWing Insurance and would like to support this website, you can do so by purchasing through this affiliate link at no additional cost to you.
