Are you planning a trip abroad or do you want to start a new life as a digital nomad? Whether you’re a remote worker or are moving to a new country for a business opportunity, I have gathered some helpful information on the best travel insurance for digital nomads.
Before we dive into the insurance company reviews, you may still doubt whether you need travel insurance or any form of health insurance coverage.
If you’re planning a long-term stay in a foreign country and your local medical insurance plan doesn’t cover the expenses abroad, you should look for a digital nomad travel insurance or global health insurance with more comprehensive coverage.
You can read more about what travel insurance is, what types of travel insurance for digital nomads are available, and why you need international travel insurance coverage in my previous article.
The Best Travel Insurance for Long-Term Travelers
To help you make the right choice, I’ve put together a list of the best travel insurance providers and highlighted the soundest option for each scenario.
1. Safety Wing
About
SafetyWing is a startup backed by Tokio Marine, one of the most powerful insurance companies around offering one of the most comprehensive travel and health insurance for long-term travelers. The ideology behind SafetyWing is to create a social safety net independent of a traveler’s country for all digital nomads and freelancers.
It offers two main products: Remote Health and Nomad Insurance. The Nomad Insurance is the international healthcare insurance package that’s all about assuring affordable travel medical insurance for digital nomads. This digital nomad insurance covers people from all around the world while they stay outside of their home countries.
In addition to their travel insurance program, Remote Health is targeted to individuals without health insurance in their home countries.
This company has one of the best travel insurance for digital nomads on the market, and for good reason.
What they offer:
- Recurring billing – You can pay monthly, just like with YouTube or Netflix subscriptions, and don’t have to commit to a long-term policy.
- Affordable pricing – There’s hardly a travel insurance provider that offers the same nomad health insurance for such a low cost. SafetyWing is more than half the price of its competitors.
- Better U.I. than most – Super intuitive U.I. will make your registration process a breeze.
- Unlimited travel duration – You can travel for as long as you want, even for a decade – that’s fine with the company.
- One-Way Ticket Travel – Another thing that sets this company apart from competitors is that it offers global medical insurance coverage even if you don’t have a return ticket.
Cost:
Starting at $40/month.
Features:
- 24-Hour Assistance
- Basic Medical Coverage
- Dismemberment
- Trip Cancellation
- COVID-19 Coverage since August 2020
- Transparent pricing
- Free coverage up to two children under 10
Pros:
- Great for remote workers
- Great for nomads
- Affordable
- Focused on the long-term traveler and remote worker
Cons:
- Doesn’t cover all countries
- No lost and stolen electronics coverage
- No pre-existing chronic conditions coverage
- No rental cars coverage
Bottom line:
SafetyWing starts at the most affordable price and is targeted at today’s long-term travelers. Whether you’re a digital nomad planning the trip alone or with your family, the SafetyWing travel medical insurance offers plans to suit most of your needs.
2. World Nomads
About
World Nomads is one of the most renowned nomad health insurance providers on the market. It was founded in 2002 by Simon Monk, an Australian traveler who mostly cared about freedom, connection, and safety.
At the time, getting any form of digital nomad health insurance was challenging because of the market’s highly fraudulent nature. Luckily, Simon got into the business with passion and found a fair way to offer comprehensive health insurance for travelers to secure their trips.
The company now operates in more than 130 countries, offers flexible plans for medical expenses and ongoing medical care, provides options for adventure sports coverage, and a solid client base.
However, travelers interested in buying travel insurance from World Nomads need to be extra careful when reading the policies. The company has different insurance providers for different countries. This means the price, limits, benefits, and terms will vary from country to country.
Just like most private health insurance providers, World Nomads’ coverage limits include pre existing medical conditions or non-emergency treatments.
What they offer:
- U.S. residents can get travel insurance for travelers and their families, including 24/7 emergency medical evacuation connecting travelers with medical transportation or treatment to several medical facilities.
- They have over 200 adventure activities, including scuba diving, mountain biking, surfing, bungee jumping, and skiing. But, of course, the number of activities the travel medical insurance covers depends on the plan you choose.
- Their Protection Plan for US residents may cover certain benefits for positive COVID-19 tests for travelers, including emergency medical evacuation coverage, trip delay, or trip interruption.
- What makes World Nomads stand apart from the competition is that they offer electronics coverage if they get stolen, lost, or damaged.
Cost:
Starting at $54 per week. Note that your World Nomads quote, including basic services, will vary depending on your home country or your current location as a digital nomad. You have to request a travel medical insurance policy wording on their website to see full prices.
Features:
- 24-hour emergency medical assistance
- Digital nomad health insurance available in 140 countries
- Terrorist attacks and assault protection
- Delayed baggage insurance
- Trip cancellation insurance
- Domestic travel insurance
Pros:
- Quick claim processing
- Easy policy renewal
- Electronics insurance for digital nomads
- Friendly staff
- Fair price
Cons:
- Expensive extensions
- Digital nomad travel insurance policy allows for only one return home
- Only cover travelers up to age 69
Bottom line:
World Nomads is an insurance service company with a long history, and is mostly known for giving incentives to bloggers. Today, its services work best for a long-term traveler rather than a digital nomad.
The strict travel insurance policy about returning home doesn’t make it the best option for any digital nomad who wants to visit home every now and then.
3. Insure My Trip
About
If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ll be familiar with Skyscanner. You can think of InsureMyTrip as a Skyscanner for travel insurance.
This website recommends and helps compare nomad insurance packages to ensure you get the best purchase to fit your needs, whether you’re looking for travel insurance providers offering not only annual coverage for emergency medical expenses but also extras like rental car damage, interruption coverage, or international scooter license protection.
There are over 23 different digital nomad insurance providers on the website, and the company offers some of the best travel insurance for any type of digital nomad and traveler over 70, with great coverage options for that age group.
Unlike most travel insurance companies, Insure My Trip has insurance options that let you “cancel for whatever reason.” This kind of package gives you a certain percentage back in case of trip cancellation for just about any reason.
Cost:
As this is an aggregator website, the prices vary depending on your needs and preferences.
Features:
- Low prices
- Senior-friendly
- Comparison of 23 companies
- Accommodation coverage if you get quarantined at your destination abroad
Pros:
- A variety of plans
- Tons of options for senior travelers
- Offers assistance for denied claims
Cons:
- Third-party service, so you deal with a middleman
Bottom line:
If you want to do comprehensive research for the best digital nomad insurance companies for you, Insure My Trip can help you find them.
4. IMGlobal Insurance
About
IMGlobal Insurance offers some of the best travel insurance for expats. They offer some of the most attractive emergency medical insurance for long-term travelers, mostly built around expatriates and their families and are generally a good option for globally mobile citizens.
Everyone familiar with standard US health insurance plans will have an easy time understanding how this company operates.
Thanks to its comprehensive expat packages, it has one of the best travel insurance for business travelers. IMGlobal Insurance is also a famous travel insurance company for non-US citizens or visitors to the US.
Expats looking to ensure that they’re insured nomads who have plans covering doctor visits, medication, and various ongoing medical care will appreciate everything this company has to offer. As most other nomad travel insurance packages only cover emergencies, IMGlobal covers your daily visits on top of that.
Cost:
Their individual long-term plan starts at less than $100 per month. The cost varies depending on the age, coverage area, medical history, or payment frequency.
Features:
- 24/7 service
- Annual renewable medical coverage and direct billing
- Long-term worldwide medical insurance
- Additional plans for the marine crew, mission groups, emergency evacuation, and remote workers
Pros:
- Expat and business traveler plans
- You choose your own coverage limit
- Covers certain pre-existing conditions
- Covers up to $10,000 for trip interruption
Cons:
- Lacks trip cancellation coverage
- No rental car coverage in main travel packages
Bottom Line:
This digital nomad insurance company has comprehensive packages covering trip cancellation and interruption, baggage delay, emergency evacuation, numerous medical benefits, and other daily health-related expenses. Their selection of travel insurance plans for business travelers and digital nomads is worth considering for all remote professionals.
5. MedJet
About
MedJet arguably has the best travel insurance for digital nomads. This US-based transport membership program focuses on repatriation coverage, as it mainly specializes in crisis response and transportation in medical emergencies.
With more than 20 years of experience, insured nomads under this company are offered unique opportunities to be transported back home if they are to be hospitalized more than 150 miles away.
You should know that this is not your regular travel insurance company. The MedJet membership doesn’t include trip interruption or hospital bills. It will, however, provide air-medical transfer to your home hospital of choice.
You can choose between short and long-term plans, so the offer is pretty flexible and can fit most digital nomads’ and travelers’ needs.
Cost:
Starting from $295 per year.
Features:
- Medical transport that gets the insured person home
- You can determine which medical facility to be moved to
- No need for government-issued warnings for emergency evacuation
- Offers medical transportation in the US and abroad.
Pros:
- Sends insured digital nomads back home and not just to random acceptable medical facilities
- Affordable
- Partly covers COVID-19
- Potential extended coverage for persons up to 84
Cons:
- Only available for residents of the US, Canada, and Mexico
- No baggage coverage or trip cancellation
Bottom line:
Should you experience an emergency crisis on your trip and wish to head straight back to your home country, MedJet is the perfect insurance company for you.
It’s best to add this membership service to your basic travel insurance plans covering other expenses such as baggage or trip delays.
This way, you’ll have peace of mind that someone will take you home in case of an emergency but will also cover your expenses for other less critical situations such as toothache, flu, and similar.
Choose the Best Travel Insurance Company for You
There are quite a few high-quality travel insurance companies on the market today. Each has specific features that make them stand out from the crowd. I’ve reviewed some of the top companies out there, so you can see which one works best for your needs.
Whether you’re a long-term traveler, a remote worker, or a business professional, it’s important to choose the best travel insurance that fits all your requirements.
Chances are you won’t have to dial a single number to the travel insurance company during your trip, but remember: it’s better to be safe than sorry.
