When it comes to traveling, one of the biggest mistakes I see travelers make is not having travel insurance! Of course, we hope we’ll never need it while abroad but take it from me, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
I’ve been sick in 8 different foreign countries (including the big C-19), hospitalized 3 times, and had multiple other questionable moments abroad. By having travel insurance, I saved THOUSANDS of dollars on doctor visits, hospital care, and antibiotics.
Whether you’re moving abroad or simply just taking a trip abroad, it’s easy to forget about boring but rather important things like insurance. However, it can be a huge money saver if you plan ahead.
If you are reading this, you’re one step closer to finding the best travel insurance for you!
What Exactly is Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance is coverage designed to protect against risks and financial losses that could happen while traveling. This could be anything from missed airline connections and delayed or lost luggage all the way to injuries or major illnesses.
Who is Travel Insurance For?
Essentially it’s for anyone and everyone that is traveling. Travel insurance is for you if you’re traveling out of your home country for 1 day to 100+ days. It doesn’t matter what country or if you “don’t plan on getting sick” or aren’t “doing anything actively to get hurt”.
When Should I Buy Travel Insurance?
The simple answer is…ASAP!
Typically, you can only buy coverage up to 12 months in advance. In my opinion, the latest you should be purchasing insurance is no later than 2 weeks before your trip.
Before you rush into buying the first insurance company you see when you Google “travel insurance” it’s worth figuring out the type of coverage you need (that’s where this post comes in handy!). If you don’t purchase insurance by the 2-week or 15-day marker or you had to book an emergency last-minute trip, it’s worth noting that, you’ll still be able to buy coverage- but the coverage will cost a little more.
Get a quick quote for your travel dates 👇
Health Insurance vs. Travel Insurance: What’s the Difference?
Safety Wing and World Nomads [I’ll go into both in detail below] offer both travel and health insurance.
Health insurance typically covers medical, surgical, and treatment costs associated with unexpected illnesses, dental emergencies, and injuries. This is a must for digital nomad remote workers while outside of their home country.
Travel insurance usually covers flight cancellations and lost/damaged/stolen luggage. If you are booking your trip with a travel credit card, usually there is an additional travel insurance policy to complement the coverage you’ve chosen.
Personal Experiences When I Needed Insurance Abroad
Before even coming abroad, it’s a great idea to check what your travel and/or medical insurance covers as far as vaccinations. Many countries require or strongly suggest various ones, so I’d suggest researching ahead of time. A simple Google search “what vaccines do I need for x country” should do the trick! The usual ones are influenza, chickenpox, Hepatitis A & B, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), dengue, HPV, etc.
I had an EPIC FAIL when I first moved to China back in 2016. Hundreds of dollars down the drain simply because I didn’t know what I was doing. I quit my corporate job and lost my medical insurance. My mom and I spent so much time researching travel insurances but I was too slow to pull the trigger, so I ended up not having travel insurance for a 7 month gap. BUT I needed to get vaccines before going to China, so I had to pay close to $800 USD out of pocket!
👆 This is exactly what I want to prevent you from doing!
Is it food poisoning or something else? While food poisoning is unfortunately quite common when you travel to certain places abroad – it’s almost a right of passage as a traveler. Sometimes it can be more than that. When you’ve reached day 3 of laying on the bathroom floor praying to die, it might be time to seek medical care.
While living in Mexico and traveling around, I undoubtedly got food poisoning a few times. But after days of it being extremely severe, I knew something wasn’t right in my body. It turns out eating a ton of garlic wasn’t going to cure me, I needed an antibiotic to fully recover from the parasite.
After returning to Shanghai from traveling in the US for a month with what I thought was the flu, I ended up spending 2 months in and out of hospitals. I literally thought I was going to die, you can read the raw blog post of that experience here. TLDR: I was poked and prodded for all sorts of tests, eventually landing me to sit on an IV for 12 hours and sent home with a bag full of prescriptions and inhalers. Without insurance, the prescriptions alone would’ve cost me over $1,000 USD. Thankfully, I walked away only paying $100 USD total for the prescriptions, IV, AND doctor visits.
Could you imagine if I didn’t have travel insurance?
Questions to Ask Before Signing Up
- What area does this travel insurance cover?
- How much does the travel insurance cost?
- What activities will I be doing during my travels?
- What activities are covered?
- Are any of these activities high-risk?
- How would I finance a medical emergency if I did not have travel insurance?
- Do I have high-end electronics I need to protect?
- Am I traveling to a dangerous country with the potential for civil unrest, political strife, or armed conflict?
- What is the length of duration I will need travel insurance? (Just a trip or long-term basic protection)
- Can I extend my coverage while traveling?
- Will you be expected to pay out of pocket first?
- Do I need approval before seeking medical treatment?
- Does the insurance cover my canceled flight or lost luggage?
- Does the country I’m traveling to require travel insurance to enter?
- How many business days will it take to be reimbursed on a claim?
SafetyWing– Excellent Medical Insurance for Travelers
SafetyWing is truly an insurance company for Nomads, by Nomads. It’s designed to meet the medical and travel needs faced by Digital Nomads and other remote workers while they are outside of their home country. Coverage is mainly intended for long-term travelers which makes it ideal for Digital Nomads!
In terms of payment, SafetyWing uses a subscription-based payment system on a monthly basis instead of all up front and the rates can be as low as $42/month. Therefore, it’s truly a budget-friendly option!
One of my favorite features is that SafetyWing may even offer you some medical coverage in your home country which is extremely rare in travel insurance and makes SafetyWing really stand out from the rest.
Pros of SafetyWing Travel Insurance
- The monthly subscription model
- Can cover medical expenses when overseas
- Up to 2 children under 10 per family (1 per adult) can be included on your insurance free of charge
- Limited medical coverage in your home country
Cons of SafetyWing Travel Insurance
- Not as many travel insurance perks as other companies
- No coverage for personal electronics
World Nomads -Perfect for Hikers & Backpackers
World Nomads has created travel insurance plans that are affordable and provide excellent coverage for your adventures and support travelers with 24-hour emergency assistance, wherever you are in the world. All World Nomads Travel Insurance plans are different, depending on your county of residence, the policy you choose, and any options or upgrades you buy. World Nomads has two tiers: Standard and Explorer. The Explorer Plan is the premium (i.e more expensive) option, offering higher amounts as well coverage for more extreme activities.
One of the really fun things about this company is that they also offer travel scholarships! For the last ten years, they have helped creative travelers pursue their passions for travel writing, photography and filmmaking by sending them on real-life assignments to be mentored by industry professionals.
Pros of World NomadsTravel Insurance
- Covers over 200 activities many insurers will not, such as scuba diving, rock climbing and skydiving
- 24/7 travel assistance hotline
- Affordable prices and overall great coverage
Cons of World Nomads Travel Insurance
- No option to purchase “cancel for any reason” coverage
- Lower policy limits compared to other travel insurance companies
- It doesn’t cover people over 69 (66 if you’re from Canada)
- Doesn’t currently cover citizens of most European countries
HeyMondo – Great for the Long Stay
HeyMondo offers comprehensive travel insurance plans and so they offer a wide range of coverages, from medical expenses to personal liability, repatriation home, baggage, and travel disruption.
One of my favorite features about this insurance company is there outstanding customer service team thanks to its innovative app where there’s someone available to chat with you 24/7/365. That gives me huge peace of mind knowing how many different time zones I travel in.
Pros of HeyMondo Travel Insurance
- 24/7 Doctor chat/ emergency call app
- Offers a very high maxim coverage for medical expenses
- COVID-19 coverage
- Single trip or annual trip, or long stay options to meet your needs
- Giving back component in collaboration with “Doctors Without Borders”
Cons of HeyMondo Travel Insurance
- Coverage related to sporting activities is only available on the premium policy
- Trip cancelation is not available in the Long Stay Travel Insurance plan
Travel insurance is an incredibly smart safety net to have while traveling. Expect delays and cancellations and prepare for injuries or illness and you’ll be the smartest traveler around! Stay safe & happy traveling!
