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The best travel insurance providers for digital nomads
Joanna Horanin
Hi, I'm Joanna, the author of The Blond Travels. In the worlds of Thailand and Portugal, I feel like a fish in water - and it's no coincidence! I've been exploring Thailand for over a decade, and I've settled in Portugal for 6 years now. My mission is to support Dreamers - just like you - in discovering these fascinating countries and helping those in love with them find their own place on Earth, preferably for good! Let's uncover these unique corners of the world together.
Choosing the right travel insurance as a digital nomad is tough. There are a lot of options, but not many are adjusted to our needs. Find out how to make the right choice and which companies are the best at the moment.
Digital nomads don’t have it easy when it comes to insurance. We often don’t fulfil most of the requirements of the insurance companies and need to struggle to find the best solutions. There are often many obstacles we need to overcome to be fully insured and not to worry about what happens if we have an accident abroad. Luckily, more and more companies create products just for us!
If you are a digital nomads and want to buy a good travel insurance, you are in the right place! Here is the best advice on how to find a good travel insurance for a digital nomad.
Travel and medical incident insurance built specifically for digital nomads. It can be purchased while already abroad, covers home trip visits and operates like a monthly subscription.
Why do you need a travel insurance as a digital nomad?
Digital nomads travel a lot. Many of us don’t have a permanent base and rent out apartments in many countries in the world. We pack and unpack all the time. We’re constant travellers.
During these trips many things can happen: we can get suddenly ill, have an accident, our things can get stolen, or we would need to go to our home country out of a sudden. There is always a risk of delayed flights, lost luggage and other unpleasant circumstances.
It’s better to be safe than sorry and travel with a peace of mind. Buying a good travel insurance for digital nomads is a thing we must do before we even set foot on our first flight.
The difference between travel insurance and medical insurance
Remember that travel insurance insures you only in cases of accidents, lost luggage, or cancelled or delayed flights.
If you get seriously ill and need a long-term treatment, your insurance will only help you to travel to your home country. They will not pay for any long stays in hospitals. Diseases like cancer are not covered.
To be able to use medical services abroad you either need to pay taxes there, or have medical insurance.
It’s not easy for a digital nomad
Digital nomads must be aware that we often don’t fulfil all of the requirements set by insurance companies. Here are things, which you might encounter when buying insurance.
You can’t be away from your home country for longer than…
Some insurance companies require you to be away from your home country for not longer than 3 months, 6 months, or a year. So, if you’re planning to be travelling for a long time, you might have a problem.
You can’t be in one country longer than…
If you stay in one country for more than 180 days, you might not be able to claim anything back, if you have an accident, or something else happens. According to insurance companies, you should be a resident after this time.
You don’t have a permanent address
Some digital nomads decide to de-register from paying taxes in their home countries and register somewhere else, or just not pay taxes all together (which is a very bad idea, by the way). Therefore, they don’t have a permanent address. If you don’t have one, it will be impossible for you to buy travel insurance.
How to choose travel insurance for digital nomads
When buying travel insurance as a digital nomads, pay attention to the below things.
Your location
There are insurance companies that allow you to buy your insurance anytime, anywhere. That’s important to pay attention to. Normal travel insurance require you to be in your home country when buying the policy.
Implementation period
I think the best option is to buy a policy that will be valid straight away. That’s not very common and quite often the companies will implement the policy after a couple of weeks from buying it.
What’s included?
Not all insurance for digital nomads are the same. Some offer extra protection in case of accidents during doing sports, others don’t. Keep in mind that it’s worth insuring your equipment, like your laptop or a camera.
Deductible
This is the amount you have to pay from your own pocket when something happens and you need to use your insurance. The larger the amount, the smaller the insurance price.
Travel insurance for digital nomads – The best options on the market
I chose the best travel insurance policies for digital nomads available on the market at the moment. I hope it will help you to choose the best option.
World Nomads
This is the most popular option on the market and probably one of the best ones. Although, there are cheaper options. However, World Nomads are very reliable and trustworthy. I have used them a couple of times and I’ve been always happy with their service.
They cover:
- Healthcare in case of accidents, or sudden illness.
- Delayed flights, cancelled flights.
- Lost luggage.
- Equipment.
- Extreme sports.
Things to look out for:
- They charge for extending the policy if you do it in less than a week from the expiration date of your current policy (if you have one from World Nomads).
- You are only allowed to go home once during the duration of your policy.
Price: it depends on the countries you’ll be travelling to.
Website
SafetyWing
SafteyWing calls itself medical travel insurance for digital nomads. They are not much different from World Nomads. They are normally cheaper, but don’t cover certain things, like extreme sports.
What’s included:
- Intensive care.
- Ambulance.
- Urgent care.
- Travel delay and trip interruption.
- Evacuation.
- Accidental death.
What’s not included:
- Extreme sports.
- Equipment.
What to look out for:
- Deductible – $250.
Price: From $34 per month.
Website
Read my review of SafetyWing here.
You can also use the below form to find the cost of your future policy.
True Traveller
I have never used this insurance, but heard good things about it. It’s only available to people from the UK and EEA.
What’s included:
- Emergency care.
- High risk travel.
- Travel interruptions.
- Equipment.
What to look out for:
- This is only available for people from the UK and EEA.
Price: From around $50 per week.
Website
If you’re looking for travel insurance for digital nomads, these 3 options will be the best ones for you. You can check out other companies, too but please bear in mind that these policies are often not tailor-made for us.
I hope that I’ve helped you and that you will have the most amazing journey! Travel safe!
Do you have any questions? Would you like to share your experiences or your point of view? Don’t be shy! Leave a comment!
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