You’ve just arrived in your dream destination, only to find out that the airport has lost your checked luggage. Your clothes, your gear, and everything you needed to travel and work has been lost. Can you afford to replace it all, or are you going to be wishing you had travel insurance that covered lost checked baggage?
It’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s better to have travel insurance and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Why Digital Nomads Need A Comprehensive Travel Insurance When Traveling The World
Travel insurance fees, or “premiums”, can vary based on how long your trip is, your age, where you are traveling, and the activities you’ll be doing while you are there.
As a digital nomad, you need to consider not only things like emergency medical treatment, lost or stolen baggage, and delayed flights, but also lost or stolen gear, the cost and coverage of home visits, and any adventure activities you may participate in.
You need a policy that covers extended travel and multiple destinations. Travel insurance is a way to protect yourself against anything unexpected that may come up, and save yourself the cost of having to replace everything or pay for everything out of pocket.
Travel insurance is meant to cover anything that may go wrong on your trip. It is not meant to substitute health insurance.
The Difference Between Travel Insurance and Health Insurance
Travel insurance and health insurance are very different types of coverage that deal with different circumstances. Always check the fine print of your insurance so that you know what is covered.
- Travel insurance typically focuses on issues you may encounter while traveling. This can include lost luggage, lost travel documents, being robbed, any accidents that occur while you are traveling, any emergency medical treatment you may need, and repatriation to your home country if you need to return there for medical treatments. Some plans will cover you for trip cancellations.
- Health insurance is focused on any medical issues and health-related needs you may have, in any country you are in. This includes pre-existing conditions, compassionate visits, maternity and baby care, and ongoing treatment for serious health conditions such as cancer. Health insurance does not cover lost luggage or stolen equipment. If you’re looking for health insurance, take a look at this post where we covered the top international health insurance plans for digital nomads.
What To Consider When Buying Travel Insurance That Is Good Enough For Every Person
Everyone, not just digital nomads, should have travel insurance to stay safe on their trips. When looking for a travel insurance policy, it’s important to look at the exclusions so that you know what is not covered. See if you can upgrade the plan to include some of these things that you may be interested in, such as loss of passport, dental emergencies, or acts of terrorism.
Some things that every good policy should cover are:
- Emergency coverage for medical or surgical procedures
- Emergency repatriation
- Trip cancellation
- Missed departure
- Baggage
The Top Travel Insurance Plans For Digital Nomads
Digital nomads have different needs than the average traveler. Your trips are longer, returning to home may happen much less, you may be more inclined to engage in adventurous and potentially dangerous activities, and you likely travel with gear for work.
These 3 travel insurance services are among the most important for digital nomads to consider:
1. World Nomads
World Nomads allows you to extend your policy for a maximum of 12 months. One of the main benefits of the World Nomads travel insurance policy for digital nomads is that gear is covered, and over 150 adventure activities are covered.
What’s Included
- Unexpected illness or injuries abroad, including hospital, doctor, prescriptions, or emergency dental treatment
- Emergency medical evacuation
- Missed and delayed flights
- Lost checked luggage
- Stolen or lost belongings, including camera, mobile phone, and laptop
- Adventure activities such as scuba diving, bungee jumping, mountain biking, and skiing
What’s Not Included
- Pre-existing conditions
- Items left unattended in a public place
- Gear damaged while in use
- Eyeglasses
- Cosmetic procedures
The price, terms, benefits, and limits for World Nomads insurance depends on where you are from, and where you are going.
2. Safety Wing
Safety Wing aims to “build a global safety net tailored to the needs of online freelancers and entrepreneurs” with their offer of travel medical insurance made for digital nomads, by digital nomads. It can be bought while traveling and there is no limit on how long you can travel.
What’s Included
- Unexpected illness or injury abroad, including hospitals, doctors, or prescriptions
- Emergency medical evacuation
- Travel delay
- Lost checked luggage
- Minimal health coverage in your home country: every 90 days, you are covered for 15 days in the US, or 30 days if your home country is not the US
What’s Not Included
- Routine checkups
- Preventative care
- Coverage for pre-existing conditions
- Equipment and belongings
Safety Wing travel medical insurance can cost as low as $37 for a four week period, depending on your age and if you will be traveling to the US. For many claims, there is no deductible at all, and they support direct billing to most hospitals and clinics.
3. True Traveller
True Traveller is available for travelers in the UK and the EEA. They offer a variety of plans, such as a one-way trip, a multi-trip, already travelling and a gap year trip, so you can find the one that suits you best.
What’s Included
What’s included will depend on the plan you choose, but some of the options are:
- Free home visits
- Medical repatriation
- Adventure activities, such as rock climbing, safari tours, and trekking
- Delays due to natural disasters
- Delays due to civil unrest
What’s Not Included
- Private medical treatment, unless no public treatment is available
True Traveller travel insurance varies in cost depending on the type of trips you are taking.
Before booking your next trip, purchase travel insurance to keep yourself protected against all of the unfortunate circumstances or unexpected expenses that may come up while you are exploring the world.
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