SafetyWing Travel Medical Insurance - The Best for Digital Nomads

Nomad Insurance 2.0 - Travel Medical Insurance by SafetyWing

SafetyWing is a partner of this site and I have not used it. The links on this page are partner links.

Who Is SafetyWing?

SafetyWing is a company that sells insurance for digital nomads and remote workers. Its main product was Nomad Insurance, international travel medical insurance, which had just launched a version 2.0 when I wrote this page. It also offered Nomad Health, a health insurance plan, and Remote Health, for remote companies that want to cover their employees.

The company also publishes free courses and expert talks for remote workers.

SafetyWing’s Homepage

Travel Medical Insurance Vs. Health Insurance

Nomad Insurance, SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance plan, focused on emergency medical coverage during international travel, while Nomad Health, its health insurance plan, was a fuller package for people living a nomadic or remote lifestyle. Which one fits depends on the coverage and benefits you need.

Nomad Insurance Vs. Nomad Health

Is Travel Medical Insurance Worth It?

Travel medical insurance pays for treatment and for some travel problems abroad. Whether it is worth it depends on your trip and on what a hospital stay would cost where you are going. These are three cases from people close to me.

Take my experience in Bolivia, navigating the Uyuni Salt Flats in my 2018 World Trip. Altitude sickness struck, leading to a three-day hospital stay and a hefty $500 bill. Thankfully, my travel insurance covered the costs.

My parents faced a challenging situation in Corsica in the summer of 2023, with hospital stays and surgery. While credit cards helped with some costs, the potential €50,000 bill for a medical helicopter back to Portugal emphasized the importance of having travel insurance.

Consider my friend in Colombia, dealing with appendicitis in a remote village. His travel insurance covered the entire medical journey, including an upgraded business class ride back to Austria for him and his girlfriend. Without insurance, the financial implications could have been daunting.

In my view, travel medical insurance is worth having for trips like these, in the same way car and home insurance are.

SafetyWing’s Essential plan currently shows $62.72 for four weeks for travelers aged 18 to 39. Prices and plans change, so check the current price on SafetyWing’s own page.

Nomad Insurance’s Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Included in SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance

The figures in this section are the plan’s terms as of November 2023. SafetyWing has changed its plans since then, including its tiers and deductibles, so treat these figures as a snapshot and check the current policy before you buy.

Medical Coverage:

Covers accidents or illnesses requiring medical assistance while outside your home country: Max Limit: $250,000 ($100,000 for WorldTrips policy holders over 65).
Deductible: $250.
Includes medically necessary treatment of unexpected illnesses or injuries (inpatient or outpatient).
Ambulance and emergency transportation: Covered up to the max policy limit when the covered illness or injury results in hospitalization.
Emergency transportation to a better-equipped hospital (medical evacuation): Up to $100,000 lifetime max, or up to $25,000 for pre-existing conditions.
Emergency dental treatment: Covered up to $1,000 for the acute onset of pain if treated within 24 hours.
All other benefits covered up to the overall max limit.

Notable exclusions include high-risk sports activities, pre-existing diseases or injuries, and cancer treatment. (To cover high-risk sports activities, you now have the option to purchase an additional “Adventure Sports” Add-On.)

Travel Coverage:

Covers travel-related issues such as: Delay, lost luggage, emergency response, natural disasters, and personal liability.
Trip interruption (due to an unforeseen event in your home country): Up to $5,000.
Unplanned overnight stay: Up to $100 per day for up to 2 days.
Lost checked luggage: Up to $3,000 per active insurance period, $500 per item, with a $6,000 lifetime max.
Accommodation in a different place due to a natural disaster causing evacuation: Up to $100 a day for up to 5 days.
Evacuation from local political unrest: Up to $10,000 lifetime max.
Personal liability: Up to $25,000 lifetime max for third-person injury or property, and up to $2,500 for related third-person property.
Coverage for arrangements for your body (burial or repatriation of remains): Up to $20,000 for transportation or up to $10,000 for local burial.
Cash payout to your beneficiary (accidental death): Up to $25,000, with the death being the sole and direct result of bodily injury caused by external, violent, and visible means.

Click here for the entire Nomad Insurance’s Policy.

Nomad Insurance’s Main Page

Nomad Insurance Details

What is covered in this Travel Medical Insurance

Nomad Insurance 2.0

Adventure Sports & Electronics Theft Coverage

If the standard coverage falls short, SafetyWing offered two add-ons in 2023, Adventure Sports and Electronics Theft Coverage. They matter because activities like hiking and mountaineering at altitudes over 4500m, as well as scuba diving, are usually not covered in standard travel insurance. I carry a lot of electronic gear when I travel, so theft cover is something I look for in any policy.

In 2023, the Electronics Theft add-on covered up to $1000 per item. Check the per-item limit of any policy against the value of your camera and laptop.

The 2023 update added the adventure sports listed below.

For the details, see: Electronics Theft Coverage.

Adventure sports covered by the add-on in 2023: