Being a digital nomad offers an exciting life where you can balance work and adventure! But with that, there are still important responsibilities to be on top of – like travel and international health insurance.
When you’re exploring places like Japan or Croatia, the last thing you want to encounter is a medical issue that you have to pay for completely out of pocket. That’s where travel and health insurance for digital nomads come into play.
With so many options for coverage, it can be challenging to decide which one to go with.
We will make it a little easier for you by sharing with you the best travel insurance for remote workers and digital nomads. We’ll also share why insurance is worth the extra cost, learned from experience.
Why Travel Insurance and Health Insurance for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers is Important
Whether you work from an office or work worldwide, life happens. You never know when you’re going to encounter an issue. Whether you have a medical situation or lost luggage, travel and health insurance can help you tackle the financial aspect.
Here are a few top reasons why travel insurance is necessary.
- A Medical Emergency: Unfortunately, illness and accidents can happen from anywhere. Digital nomad healthcare can be expensive, especially when are paying entirely out of pocket.
- Natural Disasters: One situation that can put a damper on travel plans is a natural disaster. And, since this is something we can never fully prepare for, it’s helpful to be covered if a natural disaster requires you to delay or cancel a trip altogether.
- Lost or Stolen Items: This is something many travellers like to avoid thinking about. We can do everything to keep our items safe, but sometimes things can happen. Especially as digital nomads and remote workers, you need insurance that could potentially cover your essential items like the beloved laptop you do all your work on. Speaking as someone who had their laptop stolen on a train in Belgium wiht no insurance, it is not fun.
- COVID-19 Related Issues: Now more than ever, travel and/or health insurance for digital nomads are necessary. Many of the best digital nomad travel insurance plans offer COVID-19 coverage for related events such as illness or evacuation.
- Minor Inconveniences: Even things that aren’t a true emergency, such as lost luggage and travel delays, can affect your plans. Many of the best digital nomad travel insurance plans will reimburse you for these situations.
Read more: 7 Ways to Find Cheap Flights (for Thrifty Digital Nomads)
Which digital nomad travel and health insurance is right for you? (Quick Look)
So, now it’s time to decide which plan is best for you! Here’s a rundown of which plans may be best for particular kinds of travelling.
- Safety Wing’s Remote Health and Travel Insurance: best digital nomad health insurance for a short-term traveller who wants coverage for both health and travel-related issues
- Insured Nomad Travel Insurance: best for someone who wants travel and health insurance while travelling short-term or taking multiple trips in a year
- Insured Nomad Global Health Insurance: best for someone who plans to live abroad for more than a year
- World Nomads: best for someone who wants both medical and travel coverage, especially those who want adventure sports covered; good for long and short trips
- HeyMondo: Best for someone who needs an inexpensive, flexible plan with 24/7 access to support when you need it and an easy claims process
- Genki World Resident: Best for long-term digital nomads that want their basic healthcare and dental needs met.
Best Digital Nomad Travel and Health Insurance Plans
To help you choose what works for you, here is a more detailed look at the four best travel insurance options for remote workers and digital nomads. Let’s take a look!
1) SafetyWing Insurance Review
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance is created specifically with digital nomads in mind. With their basic plans starting at only $42 per month and covering both medical and travel, it’s difficult to find a more inclusive plan in this price range. They now also offer COVID-19 related coverage.
One aspect that sets the SafetyWing travel insurance plan apart is that you can sign up during your journey. So, you can sign up and immediately have coverage even if you’re in the middle of a trip. Another thing is that they offer both travel and health insurance for digital nomads.
Their health insurance plan for remote workers and nomads offers full health coverage in your home country and wherever you visit abroad. It includes many health-related issues, but not travel. This plan is for long-term travellers, and the estimated rate for those ages 18-39 is $153/month.
If you’re looking for coverage for medical and travel expenses, SafetyWing’s insurance for nomads is best. This one can also be purchased for short or long-term use. It covers medical care, travel delay, lost luggage, natural disasters, and more.
The estimate for this plan per month is $42, but this will vary depending on your age and where you plan to travel to.
Overall, if you’re looking for full-coverage health insurance for digital nomads or you want a plan that covers travel and health expenses, Safety Wing’s Nomad Insurance is a great option.
Now that their new policies include COVID-19, it’s a very well-rounded plan covering most medical or travel issues you could encounter at a more affordable rate than many other plans.
Read our full review of SafteyWing’s service.
2) Insured Nomad Review
Insured Nomad has two insurance options to cover you no matter the type of traveller you are – digital nomad or not.
The Travel Insurance and Global Health policies include a 1-year subscription to their INC program, which offers perks such as travel alerts, country-specific datasheets, telemedicine consultations, airport lounge access, and more.
Their Travel Insurance option is created for those on short-term trips (less than a year) or for multiple short trips within the 1-year coverage period.
This option includes both medical coverage, including Covid-19 and acute onset of pre-existing conditions, and typical travel coverage such as lost luggage and emergency evacuation, as well as the option to add on their Adventure Sport option.
Cost varies, but their example of a 32-year-old on the basic World Explorer plan comes in at around $84 per month.
The Global Health option from Insured Nomad is definitely a leading health insurance for digital nomads. It’s intended for those on extended trips (365 days or more) or living abroad as a digital nomad.
The coverage includes emergency, routine, preventative, and maternity medical care in the countries selected in your 1-year renewable plan. Their cost estimate for people aged 29-39 is $365 per month with no deductible and a €1mil maximum.
Both of the insurance options from Insured Nomad come in at a higher cost than many competitors, but their coverage is quite extensive compared to standard travel insurance policies. If you’re a short-term traveller looking for insurance that covers pre-existing conditions or adventure sports, two things that aren’t as commonly seen in lower-priced policies, then this might be the best digital nomad travel insurance for you!
It’s also great if you’re a digital nomad needing proper comprehensive medical insurance.
Brose Insured Nomads plans
3) World Nomads Insurance Review
Designed by travellers for travellers, World Nomads is a digital nomad’s favourite! It offers some of the best coverage globally, particularly for adventure travellers.
You have two plans to choose from: Standard and Explorer. Both plans offer excellent perks such as 24/7 emergency assistance, emergency medical care, repatriation, and trip cancellation. Some COVID-19 coverage is also included.
The Standard Plan is the more affordable option but offers less coverage. You’re covered for trip cancellation up to $2,500, emergency medical up to $100k, emergency evacuation up to $300k, and lost or damaged bags up to $1,000.
This plan also covers hundreds of activities considered “adventure sports,” which many digital nomad healthcare plans don’t cover.
For more coverage, the Explorer Plan is your best option. With this policy, you’re covered for trip cancellation up to $10,000, emergency medical up to $100k, emergency evacuation up to $500k, and lost or damaged bags up to $3,000. It also includes all the adventure activities included in the Standard Plan plus dozens more that are considered dangerous (but exciting!), such as shark cage diving and wingsuit flying.
World Nomads doesn’t publish their rates on their site, so you’ll need to input some information to get a quote for your trip. For a 26-year-old American travelling in Europe for a month, the Standard plan comes in at $120/month and the Explorer plan at $211/month.
Prices will, of course, vary depending on the demographics of the insured and of the countries/regions you visit. Overall, World Nomads are considered fair prices, especially with the vast number of adventure activities included in their coverage.
4) HeyMondo Travel Insurance Review
Patterned with the AXA Group, this is a stripped-back simple travel insurance policy with affordable and flexible plans and a great interface. You can also start your plan mid-trip and it will be active 72-hours after taking out the policy.
Some of Heymondo’s benefits include a 24/7 remote doctor for any emergency questions and online assistance calls to help you in a pinch. They promise that you won’t be out-of-pocket when it comes to covering medical expenses and instead will be able to contact them via the app and let them take care of everything.
As it’s all built with the HeyMondo app in mind, you can file claims directly from your phone, which makes things very smooth whenever there is an issue.
They have also introduced a new Covid policy with multiple insurance benefits, which includes coverage for extended stays if you test positive and cover for non-refundable expenses.
What makes this insurance particularly great for digital nomads is not only do they provide cover for single trips but you can also take out a policy annual multi-trip policy which covers trips up to sixty days and, most conveniently, long-stay flexible plans which cover over ninety-day trips.
Their plans (with no add-ons) typically cost between $55 – $76 a month, depending on the level of coverage you need.
Extra add-ons include electronic coverage, cruise coverage for any medical expenses abroad cruise ships, and adventure sports coverage covering a wide range of activities.
5) Genki World Resident Health Insurance for Digital Nomads
Genki Health Insurance is a health insurance provider designed specifically for digital nomads, offering coverage for individuals who travel frequently and work remotely.
It provides flexible plans that can be tailored to suit individual needs, offering coverage for medical emergencies, hospitalization, and other health-related expenses.
Their fully digital platform, makes it easy to sign up and manage your coverage online. The new World Resident International health insurance is particularly exciting as it can cover your basic healthcare worldwide, including vaccinations, eye care, and dental.
Final Thoughts on Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads
Travel and health insurance for digital nomads is a must-have! The perfect plan for you depends on your budget, what incidents you’d like coverage for, where you’re travelling to, and how long you’ll be travelling.
The good news is that with the three best digital nomad travel insurance options we shared with you, there’s an excellent variety to choose the right one for your needs!