Travel Insurance For Digital Nomads: 2 Options I Recommend

If you’re a digital nomad or just working remotely for a while, your insurance needs will differ from those of a tourist.

Firstly, you will likely be away for much longer than the average person on a holiday. Secondly, your requirements for coverage and policy costs will also be affected by your unique situation.

For example, for your medical insurance, you may be a bit more concerned with regular medical care than, say, an accident during a tourist activity — though both are important. You might also travel with more gear (such as your travel laptop), so you may wish for good theft insurance. 

Here I will review two options that have worked well for me.

Travel insurance for part-time nomads

If you plan to work remotely for part of the year or during specific remote work trips, then I recommend looking at travel insurance that simply supports long trips.

This is not true of most travel insurance. Often, regular travel insurance policies have a restrictive individual trip length limit (e.g. maximum 30 days).

If you will be working remotely for, say, the winter season, or if you plan to take several long remote work trips throughout the year, then such policies may not be right for you.

This is the policy I use myself as a full-time travel blogger. Since I spend part of the year living at home, but also take remote trips at different times of the year, this has been the perfect insurance for me. If you travel longer than 60 days, but not full-time, then you can also consider the Heymondo Long Stay Insurance

Heymondo is an insurance provider backed by AXA, the world’s third-largest insurance company.

Their policies have somehow better coverage than SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance, which is discussed below. For example, with Heymondo Annual Multi-Trip you have a much higher limit on medical expenses abroad. There are also no copayments, deductibles, or excess with Heymondo.

I’ve been really pleased with the value you get; I think providers like Heymondo are counting on most customers of these plans not really travelling that much in a year, because the costs are quite low.

The maximum trip length under the annual policy is 60 days. But after coming back home for a while, you can go on another 60-day trip and still be fully covered. So, this plan can also work for permanent digital nomads who revisit their home country at least every couple of months.

Insurance for digital nomads (full time)

If you are a digital nomad with no end date for your travels, then you will likely want a different type of insurance.

As a long-term nomad, it makes more sense to get a somewhat cheaper nomad insurance. This way you might get slightly fewer benefits, but it’s also easier to afford over a longer period.

After all, travel insurance for tourists can be expensive, as it’s designed for people who are on their precious holiday and want maximum coverage for every possible eventuality. As a digital nomad, you are typically living more of a regular life, just in different places, so your needs and risks are likely a bit different. You probably also don’t want expensive travel insurance to be a constant drag on your monthly finances.

If this applies to you, then I recommend SafetyWing. This company specializes in digital nomad insurance, with policies tailored exactly to the needs of remote workers around the world.

Here’s a thing most blogs don’t tell you though: the coverage you get with SafetyWing isn’t quite as good as with most other travel insurance. Firstly, there is a $250 deductible (the part you have to pay before they start paying you). Secondly, the maximum coverage for things like medical is quite a bit lower than with your typical travel insurance.

However, that’s by design. SafetyWing is meant to be used on a continuous month-by-month basis, so it’s less expensive. It covers you mainly for big unexpected costs, not the smaller things you could more easily pay for yourself. 

What I like about SafetyWing is that they are truly focused on digital nomad travel insurance. Their future products will include nomad pension plans and remote doctor consultations via video, so it looks like they’ll become a one-stop-shop kind of provider for nomads.

With SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance policy, you will be covered even if you come back home for a brief visit. This is a unique perk you don’t get with normal travel insurance.

By the way, the Nomad Insurance is still meant to be a travel medical insurance, so it won’t cover you for pre-existing conditions or serious chronic issues or things like cancer. For that, you could consider SafetyWing’s Remote Health policy, which is full medical insurance that can be used anywhere in the world, including your home country. This beefier policy costs more but also has fewer deductibles.