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4 Best Long-Term Travel Insurance in 2024 (w/ Prices)

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Planning on taking an extended trip soon? Long-term travel insurance is the perfect choice for travelers who are embarking on a long-term trip and need medical- and travel-related coverage.

Of course, insurance for long-term travel isn’t necessary for every traveler, particularly if you don’t take trips that are longer than three months. However, long-stay travel insurance is useful for anyone who is studying abroad, working abroad temporarily, taking a gap year, or simply traveling for a long period of time.

When I first moved to the US, I wasn’t sure if I would stay permanently, so I purchased a long-term travel insurance policy from Heymondo , knowing that it would save me money and give me coverage if I experienced any medical emergencies. It was exactly what I needed at the time.

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As soon as I decided to live in the US permanently, I switched to insurance with more medical coverage beyond emergency situations since extended-trip travel insurance is not suitable for expats who want routine medical care.

If extended-stay travel insurance is what you need, keep reading, because we have compared the best long-term travel insurance plans (Heymondo, World Nomads, Travelex, and SafetyWing) and can help you choose which of these is best for your trip.

What is long-term travel insurance?

Long-stay travel insurance coverage comparison

• Long-stay travel insurance price comparison
• Best long-term travel insurance companies

Long-term travel insurance is insurance for anyone taking a long-term trip who needs medical expenses and trip-related coverage. Any trip that lasts a minimum of 90 days and a maximum of one or two years (depending on the long stay travel insurance company) is considered a long-term trip.

Like other travel insurance, insurance for long-term travel provides medical- and travel-related coverage for incidents like emergency medical care, trip delays, baggage loss, and repatriation. It is not suitable, however, for anyone who is permanently living abroad, especially because it only covers emergency medical expenses and not routine medical care.

Long-term travel insurance vs. annual, multi-trip travel insurance

So, is long-trip travel insurance the same thing as annual, multi-trip travel insurance ? They might sound similar, but actually, insurance for long-term travel and annual travel insurance is completely different.

Long-term travel insurance is insurance for long trips that last three months or more, while annual travel insurance covers multiple shorter trips that happen within one year. With annual travel insurance, trips are restricted to 30-90 days, so it’s not a useful option if your trip will last any longer than that. Annual travel insurance is also only helpful if you’ll be taking at least four or more trips a year.

If you are going on a single, long-term trip or are taking multiple trips within a year that will last longer than 90 days, long-stay travel insurance is the best choice for you.

Who is insurance for long-term travel for?

There are several reasons you might need insurance for long-term travel . You might be taking an extended trip, working abroad, embarking on a gap year, or more. Below are the most common and useful reasons for buying travel insurance for long-term travel :

Extended stay travel insurance for long trips

If you’re about to take a long trip that will last at least three months, you will definitely want to have travel insurance coverage, particularly for emergency medical expenses.

Long-term travel insurance will work out to be the most affordable option for your trip, especially if you don’t plan on returning to your home country before 90 days have elapsed. If you plan on going back home before 90 days have passed, then annual, multi-trip travel insurance might be more helpful for you.

Long stay travel insurance for working abroad

Are you about to be working from another country for an extended but temporary period? Having travel insurance for working overseas is a must, as it’s very possible that you’ll need emergency medical care at some point during your time abroad.

Remember to put your country of residence as your home country, not the country you will be working in temporarily. Otherwise, you will not be covered since long-term travel insurance usually does not provide coverage in your designated country of residence.

Travel insurance for expats

Although it may seem like a great idea to use long-term travel insurance as travel insurance when moving abroad , long-stay travel insurance is not intended for expats. Long-stay travel insurance only covers emergency medical expenses, so it’s not suitable for someone who lives abroad permanently and will need routine medical care and check-ups.

On top of that, whatever country you move to will now be your country of residence. Insurance for long-term travel does not generally provide coverage in your designated country of residence, so you may not be eligible for coverage anyway.

Long-stay travel insurance for students

It’s incredibly exciting to study abroad, but accidents and mishaps can and do happen, so avoid paying for emergency medical expenses and replacing stolen valuables with your own money by getting extended-stay travel insurance .

Having long-term travel insurance coverage will be especially useful if you plan on taking weekend trips to other countries that are close to the country where you are studying abroad; you can still receive the same coverage for those smaller trips (just make sure to select worldwide coverage or, if you’ll just be traveling in Europe, Europe/EU coverage).

Round-the-world trip insurance

Taking a long-term trip around the world is many people’s dream. If you are lucky enough to get to live out that dream, it’s easy to make sure your extended-stay travel insurance worldwide will cover you everywhere you want to visit.

Just make sure you select “worldwide” or “around the world” coverage when you purchase your extended-trip travel insurance . That way, you won’t have to buy individual long-term travel insurance policies for each country you visit. Best of all, you’ll be covered for any spontaneous stops you make while traveling the world.

One-way travel insurance, the best gap year travel insurance

If you’re planning on spending a full year traveling the world, travel insurance for long trips abroad is exactly what you need. You’ll benefit from worldwide emergency medical coverage, so you can receive treatment if you get injured or fall ill, as well as travel-related coverage for baggage loss and trip delays.

I recommend purchasing a one-way travel insurance plan from Heymondo or SafetyWing since both companies allow you to renew your plan from month to month. That way, if you end up coming home unexpectedly early, you won’t lose out on any money.

Insurance for digital nomads

ith so many jobs transitioning to working from home right now, it’s easier than ever to work remotely from anywhere in the world. If you have the opportunity to travel the world while working, take it, but make sure you purchase digital nomad travel insurance before you leave.

You’ll want your insurance coverage to include electronics (laptop, tablet, etc.) so that you can easily replace these crucial pieces of technology for working remotely if they get lost or stolen. Additionally, if you’ll be trying to check a lot of places off your travel bucket list, choose worldwide coverage so that you’ll have the freedom and insurance coverage to go wherever you want.

There can be many considerations to keep in mind when purchasing long-term travel insurance , but coverage is certainly the most important aspect to consider when selecting the long-stay travel insurance you want to buy.

Below, you’ll find a long-stay travel insurance comparison that shows you the differences in coverage among the Heymondo, World Nomads, Travelex, and SafetyWing plans.

Long-term travel insurance price comparison

If you want a better idea of how much long-term travel insurance costs based on the length of your trip and/or the specific coverage you choose, below is a chart comparing the prices of 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, 8-month, and 1-year long-term travel insurance as well as the prices of long-stay travel insurance, annual multi-trip travel insurance, and cancellation insurance.

The price of long-term travel insurance will be impacted by several different factors, including your age, nationality, and state of residence (if you live in the US).

To give you an idea of how much insurance for long-term travel costs, I’ve used the example of a 30-year-old American citizen who lives in Pennsylvania and needs worldwide coverage to generate quotes for this long-stay travel insurance price comparison .

Best long-term travel insurance

As you can see from the charts above, each of the four long-term travel insurance plans I compared has its merits.

Heymondo offers the highest emergency medical expense coverage, plus it’s the only insurance for long-term travel that pays your medical expenses upfront, so you don’t need to file a claim after your trip to get reimbursed. I will say, however, that it’s not the cheapest long-haul travel insurance and it does have a deductible of $100 for emergency medical expenses. Still, I do think it is the best long-term travel medical insurance if you want ease and convenience.

SafetyWing ’s Nomad Insurance also provides very good coverage, but their deductible for emergency medical expenses is $250. In spite of this slight drawback, SafetyWing stands out as the best insurance for digital nomads since you can sign up for a plan and it will automatically be renewed every four weeks.

Travelex , on the other hand, has the cheapest travel insurance for long-term travel (for trips of six months or more). For shorter trips, there are other, cheaper options. Travelex’s plan has no deductible, but its emergency medical coverage is also very limited, so I would think twice before going on a long-term trip with such a small amount of coverage.

Last but not least, World Nomads offers the best gap year travel insurance. The emergency medical expense coverage is perhaps a little low, but it is at least higher than Travelex’s medical coverage. There is no deductible for medical expenses, but you will need to pay out of pocket and then file a claim to get reimbursed if you receive emergency medical treatment.

As you can see, the best long-stay travel insurance for you will depend on your needs and type of trip, so keep reading to learn more about each plan.

1. Heymondo , the best long-term travel medical insurance

Personally, I consider Heymondo the best long-term travel medical insurance since its Top plan provides the highest amount of emergency medical expenses and evacuation and repatriation coverage. It’s also one of the only types of travel insurance with COVID coverage that covers COVID testing required by a doctor. Moreover, you can easily extend your plan by anything from two weeks to eight months whenever you want to.

Best of all, you won’t have to worry about waiting to get reimbursed for medical expenses since Heymondo pays your medical expenses directly and upfront for you, removing the hassle of the claim-filing process. Heymondo also makes it easy to tailor your insurance for long-term travel to fit your needs since you can add optional electronic and/or adventure sports coverage to your plan.

Heymondo’s Top plan does have its limitations, though. There is a $100 deductible for medical expenses, which means you’ll have to pay $100 towards any medical bills before Heymondo pays the rest for you. This long-stay travel insurance also lacks trip cancellation coverage; you will need to buy that coverage independently here.

If you want cheap long-term travel insurance , Heymondo is ideal; its plans already provide very good value for the money, plus you can save an extra 5% on their insurance with the discount link below.

Heymondo is also the best travel insurance company for single trips. We currently have their travel insurance and have used their assistance app more than once. Heymondo has always been there to help us when things go wrong during our trips.

2. World Nomads , the best gap year travel insurance

If you’re taking a gap year, you’re probably interested in breaking out of your comfort zone and having a real adventure. In that case, World Nomads is the perfect travel insurance for living abroad for a year and trying new things.

Its Standard plan includes adventure sports and activities coverage, so you can try everything from trekking and ice fishing to hockey and horseback riding and still be covered for accidents and injuries. Moreover, you’ll benefit from solid overall coverage for emergency medical expenses, evacuation and repatriation, trip cancellation, trip delay, and baggage loss.

Even better, there’s a $0 deductible for medical expenses, so you won’t have to pay a cent out of pocket toward your medical bills. However, World Nomads’ long-term travel insurance is the most expensive out of all the ones I compared, so if you want to save a lot of money and get similar or better coverage, Heymondo may work better for you.

3. Travelex , the best travel insurance for long-term travel

Travelex ’s Travel Select long-trip travel insurance has a lower amount of emergency medical coverage than the other insurance plans I have compared, and I personally wouldn’t feel protected traveling with such a low amount of medical coverage on a long-stay trip. However, Travelex is a viable option if you’re traveling on a budget for more than six months because it’s really cheap (and has a $0 deductible for medical expenses)!

Travel-related coverage is another story since Travelex has the highest amount of trip cancellation and trip delay coverage of all the plans I compared. It’s the best plan to choose if you anticipate experiencing any travel mishaps. You’ll also enjoy great baggage loss and evacuation and repatriation coverage.

If you would rather benefit from more medical coverage for a similar price, Heymondo is the best choice for you.

4. SafetyWing , the best insurance for digital nomads

SafetyWing ’s Nomad Insurance lives up to its name by being the best insurance for digital nomads . Not only is Nomad Insurance a cheap long-stay travel insurance , but it also provides a high amount of medical-related and baggage loss coverage.

On top of that, you can choose to have your insurance renew itself automatically every 28 days. Automatic renewal will save you time and money; ensure you don’t forget to renew so you’re always covered; and provide you with more flexibility if you haven’t decided when to end your trip yet. Just select a start date (but not an end date) when you buy Nomad Insurance and keep renewing until you want to go home, at which time you can select an end date.

Nothing’s perfect, however, and unfortunately, SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance is no exception. There’s a $250 deductible for medical expenses, which means you’ll have to pay $250 out of pocket for medical treatment before SafetyWing will cover medical expenses for you.

SafetyWing also lacks trip cancellation coverage, which can be very useful if you have to cancel a trip due to weather, illness, injury, or many other reasons. If you want a lower deductible, go with Heymondo instead, and if trip cancellation coverage is important to you, choose World Nomads or Travelex .

What does long-term travel insurance cover?

The best travel insurance for long-term travel will usually include the following types of coverage:

• Emergency medical expenses : This is probably the most important type of coverage as well as the coverage you are most likely to need while traveling. Accidents, injuries, and illnesses can happen at any time, so having emergency medical expense coverage will ensure that you don’t have to pay out of pocket for hospitalization or medical transportation.
• Evacuation and repatriation : Hopefully, you’ll never have to use evacuation and repatriation coverage, but it is useful to have. Insurance for long-term travel with evacuation and repatriation coverage will pay for the transportation costs of taking you from a remote area to the nearest hospital or sending you back to your home country if you fall seriously ill or have an accident.
• Trip delay : Unfortunately, travel does not always go smoothly; your flight could be delayed due to inclement weather or an airline issue. If that does happen, long-stay travel insurance ’s trip delay coverage will cover expenses, such as meals and accommodation, that are incurred because of a several-hour delay.
• Baggage loss : Even when you take precautions to keep your belongings safe, there’s still a chance an airline could lose or damage your bags, or a pickpocket could take your purse. In any case, long-term travel insurance with baggage loss coverage will reimburse you for any valuables that are lost or damaged, so you won’t have to replace them with your own money.

Is long-term travel insurance worth it?

Ultimately, yes, long-term travel insurance is worth it for extended trips, working abroad temporarily, and taking a gap year. It’s also a great alternative for international student insurance . In all of these situations, insurance for long-term travel will ensure that you get the medical- and travel-related coverage you need without having to break the bank.

As you’ve seen in the long-term travel insurance comparison chart above, Heymondo is the best long-stay travel insurance in terms of medical coverage. It offers the highest amount of emergency medical expense and evacuation and repatriation coverage.

Heymondo’s extended-stay travel insurance also provides the convenient flexibility of being able to renew your policy for periods from two weeks to eight months, which is perfect if you haven’t yet decided when you’ll end your trip. To top it all off, you can even get 5% off their insurance just for being a Capture the Atlas reader.

If you’ll be traveling for more than six months and you’re looking for the cheapest long-stay travel insurance, then Travelex may be better for you. Just be aware of their plan’s lower amount of medical coverage.

If you have any questions about long-term travel insurance, feel free to comment below and I will happily help you out!

Don't miss a 5% discount on your HeyMondo travel insurance  

and the only one that pays all your medical bills upfront for you!

Ascen Aynat

22 replies on “ 4 Best Long-Term Travel Insurance in 2024 (w/ Prices) ”

Hi Ascen, we are US citizens and plan to spend about 6 months of the year in California and 6 months abroad. We have lived in California and in the past had insurance with our jobs which will now be no more. So the question is when we are are in California what is our insurance option so we can visit doctors, dentists etc. Thank you

Hi Sonu, you need standard health insurance for California and travel insurance for traveling out of the States. Travel insurance won’t cover routinary medical appointments.

Let me know if you have any questions, Ascen

Good day. Could I get overlapping coverages to address different issues? Does any of these cover rental car collision insurance during any portion of the stay? If not, what do you recommend for that?

Yes, you can hire different travel insurance to get different coverages. That is no problem.

Hi my husband was diagnosed with mestatic melonma in 2021, Weve been traveling back and forth to Moffitt overvs year now. Weve paid out over $7000 just in lodging. Do you have a plan for this??

I’m sorry about that but there is no insurance that can cover that. That is not an unforeseen issue that occurred during a trip that is mostly what travel insurance cover.

Hi There is an age limit on Heymondo 49+ not included. I am 60. Can you recommend any long stay travel insurance for this age group? Thanks Karan

Hi Karan, I recommend checking our article on senior travel insurance for the best options for you.

Hi! Do you know if you need basic medical coverage from your home country before purchasing any of these insurance plans presented above? My situation is a bit complex. I am a Canadian citizen currently living abroad (non-resident of Canada), therefore I have no basic Canadian health coverage. I am currently covered by the country I reside in (Qatar), however, once I leave, I will no longer have a residency permit and therefore no coverage here either. So when I leave, I won’t have coverage anywhere. I am planning on leaving to travel for a year, so I need long-term travel and medical coverage.

Hi Marisas, please take into account that these long-term travel insurance are travel insurance. That means that they don’t cover routine health checks or chronic diseases. They only cover you under unforeseen problems. For example, if you hire one of these long-term travel insurance and have a car accident during a trip and need surgery, the travel insurance will cover but it won’t cover cancer treatment, for example.

Hi can you recommend a travel insurance for a 7 month European trip for wife and self age 59 CA residents- many thanks

Please check the coverage for the insurance recommended in this article and choose the one that is best for you.

Hi Were planning to travel continuously for one year to Europe, Asia & med cruise. Is there a travel insurance that can cover this? Most insurances will require you to go back to your home country (US) after 60 to 90 days. Thanks

Hi Nate, I don’t believe you need to get back to the US with the Heymondo Long-Term Travel Insurance. Have you checked it out?

Hi Ascen We are a male 57years and female 58 years and we are travelling to south Africa to include Botswana Namibia Mozambique,Angola Zambia and Lesotho, we are shipping our car from Australia into south africa and will be travelling for two years we both hold Australian and UK passports Could you please recommend a medical insurance for this trip , we are not to bothered about trip cancellation baggage etc any help would be appreciated We have used world nomads previously but would consider others as well Thank you ag and rg

Hi Antony, that trip sounds amazing! If you’re doing a long-term trip like that one, I recommend Heymondo since they pay all medical expenses in advance. Just be aware of the 100$ deductible per claim.

Said that their price is very competitive and they have very high coverage.

Looking for long term insurance for cancel for any reason plus Covid coverage.

I recommend purchasing separately a long term travel insurance with Covid Coverage (I recommend this one ), and a cancel for any reason policy.

Interesting that this features Travelex and then notes: “Can get similar or better coverage for a more affordable price” From whom?

As you can see in the different comparison charts (coverage comparison chart and price comparison chart), Travelex is the one with the lower coverage, by far, and it’s only worth checking for 6-month insurance or more.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Hi! Do you know if you need basic medical coverage from your home country before purchasing any of these insurance plans presented above? My situation is a bit complex. I am a Canadian citizen currently living abroad (non-resident of Canada), therefore I have no basic Canadian health coverage. I am currently covered by the country I reside in (Qatar), however, once I leave, I will no longer have a residency permit and therefore no coverage here either. So when I leave, I won’t have coverage anywhere. I am planning on leaving to travel for a year, so I need long-term travel and medical coverage. Thanks!

Hi Melanie, no you don’t need it. You will need just long-term travel insurance and you will be covered wherever you go. Also in your home country as long that you’re traveling there and use the insurance just for emergencies (not regular checks, ongoing problems, chronic diseases, and things like that). In your situation, I think the long-term travel insurance of MONDO is your best bet.

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9 Best Travel Insurance Companies of April 2024

According to our analysis of more than 50 travel insurance companies and hundreds of different travel insurance plans, the best travel insurance company is Travelex Insurance Services. In our best travel insurance ratings, we take into account traveler reviews, credit ratings and industry awards. The best travel insurance companies offer robust coverage and excellent customer service, and many offer customizable add-ons.

Travelex Insurance Services »

Allianz Travel Insurance »

HTH Travel Insurance »

Tin Leg »

AIG Travel Guard »

Nationwide Insurance »

Seven Corners »

Generali Global Assistance »

Berkshire hathaway travel protection ».

Why Trust Us

U.S. News evaluates ratings, data and scores of more than 50 travel insurance companies from comparison websites like TravelInsurance.com, Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip, plus renowned credit rating agency AM Best, in addition to reviews and recommendations from top travel industry sources and consumers to determine the Best Travel Insurance Companies.

Table of Contents

• Travelex Insurance Services
• Allianz Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can help you protect the financial investment you made in your vacation when unexpected issues arise. Find the best travel insurance for the type of trip(s) you're taking and the coverages that matter most to you – from interruptions and misplaced belongings to illness and injury.

• Travelex Insurance Services: Best Overall
• Allianz Travel Insurance: Best for Trip Interruptions
• HTH Travel Insurance: Best for Groups
• Tin Leg: Best Cost
• AIG Travel Guard: Best for Families
• Nationwide Insurance: Best for Last-Minute Travel Insurance
• Seven Corners: Best for 24/7 Support When Traveling
• Generali Global Assistance: Best for Medical Emergencies
• Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection: Best for Specialized Coverage

Customizable upgrades are available, including car rental coverage, additional medical insurance and adventure sports coverage

Medical and trip cancellation maximum are not as high as some other companies

• 100% of the insured trip cost for trip cancellation; 150% for trip interruption
• Up to $1,000 in coverage for lost, damaged or stolen bags and personal items; $200 for luggage delays
• $750 in missed connection coverage
• $50,000 in emergency medical and dental coverage
• Up to $500,000 in emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage

SEE FULL REVIEW »

Annual and multitrip policies are available

Distinguishing between the company's 10 travel insurance plans can be challenging

• Up to $200,000 in trip cancellation coverage; $300,000 in trip interruption coverage
• $2,000 for lost, damaged or stolen luggage and personal effects; $600 for bag delays
• Up to $1,600 for travel delays
• Emergency medical coverage of up to $75,000
• Epidemic coverage

Generous coverage at the mid- and high-tier levels, and great group discounts

Preexisting conditions coverage is only available at mid- and high-tier plans

• 100% trip cancellation coverage (up to $50,000); 200% trip interruption coverage
• Up to $2,000 in coverage for baggage and personal effects; $400 in baggage delay coverage
• Up to $2,000 in coverage for trip delays; $1,000 for missed connections
• $500,000 in coverage per person for sickness and accidents

Variety of plans to choose from, including two budget-friendly policies and several more premium options

More limited coverage for baggage issues than other companies

• 100% trip cancellation protection; 150% trip interruption
• $500 per person for lost, stolen or damaged baggage and personal items
• Up to $2,000 per person in travel delay coverage ($150 per day); $100 per person for missed connections
• $100,000 per person in emergency medical coverage, including issues related to COVID-19

Travel insurance policy coverage is tailored to your specific trip

Information about policy coverage inclusions is not readily available without first obtaining a quote

• Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of your trip's cost; trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost
• Up to $2,500 in coverage for lost, stolen or damaged baggage; $500 related to luggage delays
• Up to $1,000 in missed connection and trip delay coverage
• $100,000 in emergency medical coverage

Variety of plans to choose from and coverage available up to a day before you leave on your trip

Limited trip cancellation coverage even at the highest tier

• Trip cancellation coverage up to $30,000; trip interruption coverage worth up to 200% of the trip cost (maximum of $60,000)
• $2,000 for lost, damaged or stolen baggage; $600 for baggage delays
• Up to $2,000 for trip delays; missed connection and itinerary change coverage of $500 each
• $150,000 for emergency medical and dental issues

Customer service available 24/7 via text, Whatsapp, email and phone

Cancel for any reason coverage costs extra

• 100% trip cancellation coverage (up to between $30,000 and $100,000 depending on your state of residence); interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost 
• Lost, stolen or damaged baggage coverage up to $2,500; up to $600 for luggage delays
• Trip delay and missed connection coverage worth up to $1,500
• Emergency medical coverage worth up to between $250,000 and $500,000 (depending on where you live)

Generous emergency medical and emergency evacuation coverage

Coverage for those with preexisting conditions is only available on the Premium plan

• 100% reimbursement for trip cancellation; 175% reimbursement for trip interruption
• $2,000 in coverage for loss of baggage per person
• $1,000 per person in travel delay and missed connection coverage
• $250,000 in medical and dental coverage per person

In addition to single-trip plans, company offers specific road trip, adventure travel, flight and cruise insurance coverage

Coverage for missed connections or accidental death and dismemberment is not part of the most basic plan

• Trip cancellation coverage worth up to 100% of the trip cost; interruption coverage worth up to 150% of the trip cost
• $500 in coverage for lost, stolen or damaged bags and personal items; bag delay coverage worth $200
• Trip delay coverage worth up to $1,000; missed connection coverage worth up to $100
• Medical coverage worth up to $50,000

To help you better understand the costs associated with travel insurance, we requested quotes for a weeklong June 2024 trip to Spain for a solo traveler, a couple and a family. These rates should help you get a rough estimate for about how much you can expect to spend on travel insurance. For additional details on specific coverage from each travel insurance plan and to input your trip information for a quote, see our comparison table below.

Travel Insurance Types: Which One Is Right for You?

There are several types of travel insurance you'll want to evaluate before choosing the policy that's right for you. A few of the most popular types of travel insurance include:

COVID travel insurance Select insurance plans offer some or a combination of the following COVID-19-related protections: coverage for rapid or PCR testing; accommodations if you're required to quarantine during your trip if you test positive for coronavirus; health care; and trip cancellations due to you or a family member testing positive for COVID-19. Read more about the best COVID-19 travel insurance options .

Cancel for any reason insurance Cancel for any reason travel insurance works exactly how it sounds. This type of travel insurance lets you cancel your trip for any reason you want – even if your reason is that you simply decide you no longer want to go. Cancel for any reason travel insurance is typically an add-on you can purchase to go along with other types of travel insurance. For that reason, you will pay more to have this kind of coverage added to your policy.

Also note that this type of coverage typically only reimburses 50% to 80% of your nonrefundable prepaid travel expenses. You'll want to make sure you know exactly how much reimbursement you could qualify for before you invest in this type of policy. Compare the best cancel for any reason travel insurance options here .

International travel insurance Travel insurance is especially useful when traveling internationally, as it can provide medical coverage for emergencies (in some cases for COVID-19) when you're far from home. Depending which international travel insurance plan you choose, this type of travel insurance can also cover lost or delayed luggage, rental cars, travel interruptions or cancellations, and more.

Cheap travel insurance If you want travel insurance but don't want to spend a lot of money, there are plenty of cheap travel insurance options that will offer at least some protections (and peace of mind). These are typically called a company's basic or standard plan; many travel insurance companies even allow you to customize your coverage, spending as little or as much as you want. Explore your options for the cheapest travel insurance here .

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance Trip cancellation coverage can help you get reimbursement for prepaid travel expenses, such as your airfare and cruise fare, if your trip is ultimately canceled for a covered reason. Trip interruption insurance, on the other hand, kicks in to reimburse you if your trip is derailed after it starts. For instance, if you arrived at your destination and became gravely ill, it would cover the cost if you had to cut your trip short.

Trip delay insurance can help you qualify for reimbursement of any unexpected expenses you incur (think: lodging, transportation and food) in the event your trip is delayed for reasons beyond your control, such as your flight being canceled and rebooked for the next day. You will want to save your receipts to substantiate your claim if you have this coverage.

Lost, damaged, delayed or stolen bags or personal belongings Coverage for lost or stolen bags can come in handy if your checked luggage is lost by your airline or your luggage is delayed so long that you have to buy clothing and toiletries for your trip. This type of coverage can kick in to cover the cost to replace lost or stolen items you brought on your trip. It can also provide coverage for the baggage itself. It's even possible that your travel insurance policy will pay for your flight home if damages are caused to your residence and your belongings while you're away, forcing you to return home immediately.

Travel medical insurance If you find yourself sick or injured while you are on vacation, emergency medical coverage can pay for your medical expenses. With that in mind, however, you will need to find out whether the travel medical insurance you buy is primary or secondary. Where a primary policy can be used right away to cover medical bills incurred while you travel, secondary coverage only provides reimbursement after you have exhausted other medical policies you have.

You will also need to know how the travel medical coverage you purchase deals with any preexisting conditions you have, including whether you will have any coverage for preexisting conditions at all. Read more about the best travel medical insurance plans .

Evacuation insurance Imagine you break your leg while on the side of a mountain in some far-flung land without quality health care. Not only would you need travel medical insurance coverage in that case, but you would also need coverage for the exorbitant expense involved in getting you off the side of a mountain and flying you home where you can receive appropriate medical care.

Evacuation coverage can come in handy if you need it, but you will want to make sure any coverage you buy comes with incredibly high limits. According to Squaremouth, an emergency evacuation can easily cost $25,000 in North America and up to $50,000 in Europe, so the site typically suggests customers buy policies with $50,000 to $100,000 in emergency evacuation coverage.

Cruise insurance Travel delays; missed connections, tours or excursions; and cruise ship disablement (when a ship encounters a mechanical issue and is unable to continue on in the journey) are just a few examples why cruise insurance can be a useful protection if you've booked a cruise vacation. Learn more about the top cruise insurance plans here .

Credit card travel insurance It is not uncommon to find credit cards that include trip cancellation and interruption coverage , trip delay insurance, lost or delayed baggage coverage, travel accident insurance, and more. Cards that offer this coverage include popular options like the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card , the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and The Platinum Card from American Express . 

Note that owning a credit card with travel insurance protection is not enough for your coverage to count: To take advantage of credit card travel insurance, you must pay for prepaid travel expenses like your airfare, hotel stay or cruise with that specific credit card. Also, note that credit cards with travel insurance have their own list of exclusions to watch out for. Many also require cardholders to pay an annual fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best time to buy travel insurance is normally within a few weeks of booking your trip since you may qualify for lower pricing if you book early. Keep in mind, some travel insurance providers allow you to purchase plans until the day before you depart.

Many times, you are given the option to purchase travel insurance when you book your airfare, accommodations or vacation package. Travel insurance and travel protection are frequently offered as add-ons for your trip, meaning you can pay for your vacation and some level of travel insurance at the same time.

However, many people choose to wait to buy travel insurance until after their entire vacation is booked and paid for. This helps travelers tally up all the underlying costs associated with a trip, and then choose their travel insurance provider and the level of coverage they want.

Figuring out where to buy travel insurance may be confusing but you can easily research and purchase travel insurance online these days. Some consumers prefer to shop around with a specific provider, such as Allianz or Travelex, but you can also shop and compare policies with a travel insurance platform. Popular options include:

• TravelInsurance.com: TravelInsurance.com offers travel insurance options from more than a dozen vetted insurance providers. Users can read reviews on the various travel insurance providers to find out more about previous travelers' experiences with them. Squaremouth: With Squaremouth, you can enter your trip details and compare more than 90 travel insurance plans from 20-plus providers.
• InsureMyTrip: InsureMyTrip works similarly, letting you shop around and compare plans from more than 20 travel insurance providers in one place. InsureMyTrip also offers several guarantees, including a Best Price Guarantee, a Best Plan Guarantee and a Money-Back Guarantee that promises a full refund if you decide you no longer need the plan you purchased.

Protect your trip: Search, compare and buy the best travel insurance plans for the lowest price. Get a quote .

When you need to file a travel insurance claim, you should plan on explaining to your provider what happened to your trip and why you think your policy applies. If you planned to go on a Caribbean cruise, but your husband fell gravely ill the night before you were set to depart, you would need to explain that situation to your travel insurance company. Information you should share with your provider includes the details of why you're making a claim, who was involved and the exact circumstances of your loss.

Documentation is important, and your travel insurance provider will ask for proof of what happened. Required documentation for travel insurance typically includes any proof of a delay, receipts, copies of medical bills and more.

Most travel insurance companies let you file a claim using an online form, but some also allow you to file a claim by phone or via fax. Some travel insurance providers, such as Allianz and Travel Insured International, offer their own mobile apps you can use to buy policies and upload information or documents that substantiate your claim. In any case, you will need to provide the company with proof of your claim and the circumstances that caused it.

If your claim is initially denied, you may also need to answer some questions or submit some additional information that can highlight why you do, in fact, qualify.

Whatever you do, be honest and forthcoming with all the information in your claim. Also, be willing to provide more information or answer any questions when asked.

Travel insurance claims typically take four to six weeks to process once you file with your insurance company. However, with various flight delays and cancellations due to things like extreme weather and pilot shortages, more travelers have begun purchasing travel insurance, encountering trip issues and having to submit claims. The higher volume of claims submitted has resulted in slower turnaround times at some insurance companies.

The longer you take to file your travel insurance claim after a loss, the longer you will be waiting for reimbursement. Also note that, with many travel insurance providers, there is a time limit on how long you can submit claims after a trip. For example, with Allianz Travel Insurance and Travelex Insurance Services, you have 90 days from the date of your loss to file a claim.

You may be able to expedite the claim if you provide all the required information upfront, whereas the process could drag on longer than it needs to if you delay filing a claim or the company has to follow up with you to get more information.

Travel insurance is never required, and only you can decide whether or not it's right for you. Check out Is Travel Insurance Worth It? to see some common situations where it does (and doesn't) make sense.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Holly Johnson is an award-winning content creator who has been writing about travel insurance and travel for more than a decade. She has researched travel insurance options for her own vacations and family trips to more than 50 countries around the world, and has experience navigating the claims and reimbursement process. In fact, she has successfully filed several travel insurance claims for trip delays and trip cancellations over the years. Johnson also works alongside her husband, Greg, who has been licensed to sell travel insurance in 50 states, in their family media business.

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The best travel insurance policies and providers

It's easy to dismiss the value of travel insurance until you need it.

Many travelers have strong opinions about whether you should buy travel insurance . However, the purpose of this post isn't to determine whether it's worth investing in. Instead, it compares some of the top travel insurance providers and policies so you can determine which travel insurance option is best for you.

Of course, as the coronavirus remains an ongoing concern, it's important to understand whether travel insurance covers pandemics. Some policies will cover you if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 and have proof of illness from a doctor. Others will take coverage a step further, covering additional types of pandemic-related expenses and cancellations.

Know, though, that every policy will have exclusions and restrictions that may limit coverage. For example, fear of travel is generally not a covered reason for invoking trip cancellation or interruption coverage, while specific stipulations may apply to elevated travel warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Interested in travel insurance? Visit InsureMyTrip.com to shop for plans that may fit your travel needs.

So, before buying a specific policy, you must understand the full terms and any special notices the insurer has about COVID-19. You may even want to buy the optional cancel for any reason add-on that's available for some comprehensive policies. While you'll pay more for that protection, it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and still get some of your costs back. Note that this benefit is time-sensitive and has other eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

In this guide, we'll review several policies from top travel insurance providers so you have a better understanding of your options before picking the policy and provider that best address your wants and needs.

The best travel insurance providers

To put together this list of the best travel insurance providers, a number of details were considered: favorable ratings from TPG Lounge members, the availability of details about policies and the claims process online, positive online ratings and the ability to purchase policies in most U.S. states. You can also search for options from these (and other) providers through an insurance comparison site like InsureMyTrip .

When comparing insurance providers, I priced out a single-trip policy for each provider for a $2,000, one-week vacation to Istanbul . I used my actual age and state of residence when obtaining quotes. As a result, you may see a different price — or even additional policies due to regulations for travel insurance varying from state to state — when getting a quote.

AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard receives many positive reviews from readers in the TPG Lounge who have filed claims with the company. AIG offers three plans online, which you can compare side by side, and the ability to examine sample policies. Here are three plans for my sample trip to Turkey.

AIG Travel Guard also offers an annual travel plan. This plan is priced at $259 per year for one Florida resident.

Additionally, AIG Travel Guard offers several other policies, including a single-trip policy without trip cancellation protection . See AIG Travel Guard's COVID-19 notification and COVID-19 advisory for current details regarding COVID-19 coverage.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, AIG Travel Guard wouldn't cover you for any loss or expense due to a preexisting medical condition that existed within 180 days of the coverage effective date. However, AIG Travel Guard may waive the preexisting medical condition exclusion on some plans if you meet the following conditions:

• You purchase the plan within 15 days of your initial trip payment.
• The amount of coverage you purchase equals all trip costs at the time of purchase. You must update your coverage to insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements that you add to your trip within 15 days of paying the travel supplier for these additional arrangements.
• You must be medically able to travel when you purchase your plan.

Standout features

• The Deluxe and Preferred plans allow you to purchase an upgrade that lets you cancel your trip for any reason. However, reimbursement under this coverage will not exceed 50% or 75% of your covered trip cost.
• You can include one child (age 17 and younger) with each paying adult for no additional cost on most single-trip plans.
• Other optional upgrades, including an adventure sports bundle, a baggage bundle, an inconvenience bundle, a pet bundle, a security bundle and a wedding bundle, are available on some policies. So, an AIG Travel Guard plan may be a good choice if you know you want extra coverage in specific areas.

Purchase your policy here: AIG Travel Guard .

Allianz Travel Insurance

Allianz is one of the most highly regarded providers in the TPG Lounge, and many readers found the claim process reasonable. Allianz offers many plans, including the following single-trip plans for my sample trip to Turkey.

If you travel frequently, it may make sense to purchase an annual multi-trip policy. For this plan, all of the maximum coverage amounts in the table below are per trip (except for the trip cancellation and trip interruption amounts, which are an aggregate limit per policy). Trips typically must last no more than 45 days, although some plans may cover trips of up to 90 days.

See Allianz's coverage alert for current information on COVID-19 coverage.

Most Allianz travel insurance plans may cover preexisting medical conditions if you meet particular requirements. For the OneTrip Premier, Prime and Basic plans, the requirements are as follows:

• You purchased the policy within 14 days of the date of the first trip payment or deposit.
• You were a U.S. resident when you purchased the policy.
• You were medically able to travel when you purchased the policy.
• On the policy purchase date, you insured the total, nonrefundable cost of your trip (including arrangements that will become nonrefundable or subject to cancellation penalties before your departure date). If you incur additional nonrefundable trip expenses after purchasing this policy, you must insure them within 14 days of their purchase.
• Allianz offers reasonably priced annual policies for independent travelers and families who take multiple trips lasting up to 45 days (or 90 days for select plans) per year.
• Some Allianz plans provide the option of receiving a flat reimbursement amount without receipts for trip delay and baggage delay claims. Of course, you can also submit receipts to get up to the maximum refund.
• For emergency transportation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Allianz, and Allianz must then make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, most Allianz policies provide an option if you cannot contact the company: Allianz will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Allianz Travel Insurance .

American Express Travel Insurance

American Express Travel Insurance offers four different package plans and a build-your-own coverage option. You don't have to be an American Express cardholder to purchase this insurance. Here are the four package options for my sample weeklong trip to Turkey. Unlike some other providers, Amex won't ask for your travel destination on the initial quote (but will when you purchase the plan).

Amex's build-your-own coverage plan is unique because you can purchase just the coverage you need. For most types of protection, you can even select the coverage amount that works best for you.

The prices for the packages and the build-your-own plan don't increase for longer trips — as long as the trip cost remains constant. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit is only available for your first 60 days of travel.

Typically, Amex won't cover any loss you incur because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. However, Amex may waive its preexisting-condition exclusion if you meet both of the following requirements:

• You must be medically able to travel at the time you pay the policy premium.
• You pay the policy premium within 14 days of making the first covered trip deposit.
• Amex's build-your-own coverage option allows you to only purchase — and pay for — the coverage you need.
• Coverage on long trips doesn't cost more than coverage for short trips, making this policy ideal for extended getaways. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit only covers your first 60 days of travel.
• American Express Travel Insurance can protect travel expenses you purchase with Amex Membership Rewards points in the Pay with Points program (as well as travel expenses bought with cash, debit or credit). However, travel expenses bought with other types of points and miles aren't covered.

Purchase your policy here: American Express Travel Insurance .

GeoBlue is different from most other providers described in this piece because it only provides medical coverage while you're traveling internationally and does not offer benefits to protect the cost of your trip. There are many different policies. Some require you to have primary health insurance in the U.S. (although it doesn't need to be provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield), but all of them only offer coverage while traveling outside the U.S.

Two single-trip plans are available if you're traveling for six months or less. The Voyager Choice policy provides coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger and already have a U.S. health insurance policy.

The Voyager Essential policy provides coverage (including medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger, regardless of whether they have primary health insurance.

In addition to these options, two multi-trip plans cover trips of up to 70 days each for one year. Both policies provide coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for preexisting conditions) to travelers with primary health insurance.

Be sure to check out GeoBlue's COVID-19 notices before buying a plan.

Most GeoBlue policies explicitly cover sudden recurrences of preexisting conditions for medical services and medical evacuation.

• GeoBlue can be an excellent option if you're mainly concerned about the medical side of travel insurance.
• GeoBlue provides single-trip, multi-trip and long-term medical travel insurance policies for many different types of travel.

Purchase your policy here: GeoBlue .

IMG offers various travel medical insurance policies for travelers, as well as comprehensive travel insurance policies. For a single trip of 90 days or less, there are five policy types available for vacation or holiday travelers. Although you must enter your gender, males and females received the same quote for my one-week search.

You can purchase an annual multi-trip travel medical insurance plan. Some only cover trips lasting up to 30 or 45 days, but others provide coverage for longer trips.

See IMG's page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Most plans may cover preexisting conditions under set parameters or up to specific amounts. For example, the iTravelInsured Travel LX travel insurance plan shown above may cover preexisting conditions if you purchase the insurance within 24 hours of making the final payment for your trip.

For the travel medical insurance plans shown above, preexisting conditions are covered for travelers younger than 70. However, coverage is capped based on your age and whether you have a primary health insurance policy.

• Some annual multi-trip plans are modestly priced.
• iTravelInsured Travel LX may offer optional cancel for any reason and interruption for any reason coverage, if eligible.

Purchase your policy here: IMG .

Travelex Insurance

Travelex offers three single-trip plans: Travel Basic, Travel Select and Travel America. However, only the Travel Basic and Travel Select plans would be applicable for my trip to Turkey.

See Travelex's COVID-19 coverage statement for coronavirus-specific information.

Typically, Travelex won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 60 days of the coverage effective date. However, the Travel Select plan may offer a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, the insured traveler must meet all the following conditions:

• You purchase the plan within 15 days of the initial trip payment.
• The amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid, nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the trip at the time of purchase. Additionally, you must insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements added to the same trip within 15 days of payment or deposit.
• All insured individuals are medically able to travel when they pay the plan cost.
• The trip cost does not exceed the maximum trip cost limit under trip cancellation as shown in the schedule per person (only applicable to trip cancellation, interruption and delay).
• Travelex's Travel Select policy can cover trips lasting up to 364 days, which is longer than many single-trip policies.
• Neither Travelex policy requires receipts for trip and baggage delay expenses less than $25.
• For emergency evacuation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Travelex and have Travelex make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, both Travelex policies provide an option if you cannot contact Travelex: Travelex will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Travelex Insurance .

Seven Corners

Seven Corners offers a wide variety of policies. Here are the policies that are most applicable to travelers on a single international trip.

Seven Corners also offers many other types of travel insurance, including an annual multi-trip plan. You can choose coverage for trips of up to 30, 45 or 60 days when purchasing an annual multi-trip plan.

See Seven Corner's page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Typically, Seven Corners won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition. However, the RoundTrip Choice plan offers a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You buy this plan within 20 days of making your initial trip payment or deposit.
• You or your travel companion are medically able and not disabled from travel when you pay for this plan or upgrade your plan.
• You update the coverage to include the additional cost of subsequent travel arrangements within 15 days of paying your travel supplier for them.
• Seven Corners offers the ability to purchase optional sports and golf equipment coverage. If purchased, this extra insurance will reimburse you for the cost of renting sports or golf equipment if yours is lost, stolen, damaged or delayed by a common carrier for six or more hours. However, Seven Corners must authorize the expenses in advance.
• You can add cancel for any reason coverage or trip interruption for any reason coverage to RoundTrip plans. Although some other providers offer cancel for any reason coverage, trip interruption for any reason coverage is less common.
• Seven Corners' RoundTrip Choice policy offers a political or security evacuation benefit that will transport you to the nearest safe place or your residence under specific conditions. You can also add optional event ticket registration fee protection to the RoundTrip Choice policy.

Purchase your policy here: Seven Corners .

World Nomads

World Nomads is popular with younger, active travelers because of its flexibility and adventure-activities coverage on the Explorer plan. Unlike many policies offered by other providers, you don't need to estimate prepaid costs when purchasing the insurance to have access to trip interruption and cancellation insurance.

World Nomads offers two single-trip plans.

World Nomads has a page dedicated to coronavirus coverage , so be sure to view it before buying a policy.

World Nomads won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition (except emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains) that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. Unlike many other providers, World Nomads doesn't offer a waiver.

• World Nomads' policies cover more adventure sports than most providers, so activities such as bungee jumping are included. The Explorer policy covers almost any adventure sport, including skydiving, stunt flying and caving. So, if you partake in adventure sports while traveling, the Explorer policy may be a good fit.
• World Nomads' policies provide nonmedical evacuation coverage for transportation expenses if there is civil or political unrest in the country you are visiting. The coverage may also transport you home if there is an eligible natural disaster or a government expels you.

Purchase your policy here: World Nomads .

Other options for buying travel insurance

This guide details the policies of eight providers with the information available at the time of publication. There are many options when it comes to travel insurance, though. To compare different policies quickly, you can use a travel insurance aggregator like InsureMyTrip to search. Just note that these search engines won't show every policy and every provider, and you should still research the provided policies to ensure the coverage fits your trip and needs.

You can also purchase a plan through various membership associations, such as USAA, AAA or Costco. Typically, these organizations partner with a specific provider, so if you are a member of any of these associations, you may want to compare the policies offered through the organization with other policies to get the best coverage for your trip.

Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

Is travel insurance worth getting?

Whether you should purchase travel insurance is a personal decision. Suppose you use a credit card that provides travel insurance for most of your expenses and have medical insurance that provides adequate coverage abroad. In that case, you may be covered enough on most trips to forgo purchasing travel insurance.

However, suppose your medical insurance won't cover you at your destination and you can't comfortably cover a sizable medical evacuation bill or last-minute flight home . In that case, you should consider purchasing travel insurance. If you travel frequently, buying an annual multi-trip policy may be worth it.

What is the best COVID-19 travel insurance?

There are various aspects to keep in mind in the age of COVID-19. Consider booking travel plans that are fully refundable or have modest change or cancellation fees so you don't need to worry about whether your policy will cover trip cancellation. This is important since many standard comprehensive insurance policies won't reimburse your insured expenses in the event of cancellation if it's related to the fear of traveling due to COVID-19.

However, if you book a nonrefundable trip and want to maintain the ability to get reimbursed (up to 75% of your insured costs) if you choose to cancel, you should consider buying a comprehensive travel insurance policy and then adding optional cancel for any reason protection. Just note that this benefit is time-sensitive and has eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

Providers will often require CFAR purchasers insure the entire dollar amount of their travels to receive the coverage. Also, many CFAR policies mandate that you must cancel your plans and notify all travel suppliers at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure.

Likewise, if your primary health insurance won't cover you while on your trip, it's essential to consider whether medical expenses related to COVID-19 treatment are covered. You may also want to consider a MedJet medical transport membership if your trip is to a covered destination for coronavirus-related evacuation.

Ultimately, the best pandemic travel insurance policy will depend on your trip details, travel concerns and your willingness to self-insure. Just be sure to thoroughly read and understand any terms or exclusions before purchasing.

What are the different types of travel insurance?

Whether you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy or rely on the protections offered by select credit cards, you may have access to the following types of coverage:

• Baggage delay protection may reimburse for essential items and clothing when a common carrier (such as an airline) fails to deliver your checked bag within a set time of your arrival at a destination. Typically, you may be reimbursed up to a particular amount per incident or per day.
• Lost/damaged baggage protection may provide reimbursement to replace lost or damaged luggage and items inside that luggage. However, valuables and electronics usually have a relatively low maximum benefit.
• Trip delay reimbursement may provide reimbursement for necessary items, food, lodging and sometimes transportation when you're delayed for a substantial time while traveling on a common carrier such as an airline. This insurance may be beneficial if weather issues (or other covered reasons for which the airline usually won't provide compensation) delay you.
• Trip cancellation and interruption protection may provide reimbursement if you need to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason, such as a death in your family or jury duty.
• Medical evacuation insurance can arrange and pay for medical evacuation if deemed necessary by the insurance provider and a medical professional. This coverage can be particularly valuable if you're traveling to a region with subpar medical facilities.
• Travel accident insurance may provide a payment to you or your beneficiary in the case of your death or dismemberment.
• Emergency medical insurance may provide payment or reimburse you if you must seek medical care while traveling. Some plans only cover emergency medical care, but some also cover other types of medical care. You may need to pay a deductible or copay.
• Rental car coverage may provide a collision damage waiver when renting a car. This waiver may reimburse for collision damage or theft up to a set amount. Some policies also cover loss-of-use charges assessed by the rental company and towing charges to take the vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility. You generally need to decline the rental company's collision damage waiver or similar provision to be covered.

Should I buy travel health insurance?

If you purchase travel with credit cards that provide various trip protections, you may not see much need for additional travel insurance. However, you may still wonder whether you should buy travel medical insurance.

If your primary health insurance covers you on your trip, you may not need travel health insurance. Your domestic policy may not cover you outside the U.S., though, so it's worth calling the number on your health insurance card if you have coverage questions. If your primary health insurance wouldn't cover you, it's likely worth purchasing travel medical insurance. After all, as you can see above, travel medical insurance is often very modestly priced.

How much does travel insurance cost?

Travel insurance costs depend on various factors, including the provider, the type of coverage, your trip cost, your destination, your age, your residency and how many travelers you want to insure. That said, a standard travel insurance plan will generally set you back somewhere between 4% and 10% of your total trip cost. However, this can get lower for more basic protections or become even higher if you include add-ons like cancel for any reason protection.

The best way to determine how much travel insurance will cost is to price out your trip with a few providers discussed in the guide. Or, visit an insurance aggregator like InsureMyTrip to quickly compare options across multiple providers.

When and how to get travel insurance

For the most robust selection of available travel insurance benefits — including time-sensitive add-ons like CFAR protection and waivers of preexisting conditions for eligible travelers — you should ideally purchase travel insurance on the same day you make your first payment toward your trip.

However, many plans may still offer a preexisting conditions waiver for those who qualify if you buy your travel insurance within 14 to 21 days of your first trip expense or deposit (this time frame may vary by provider). If you don't need a preexisting conditions waiver or aren't interested in CFAR coverage, you can purchase travel insurance once your departure date nears.

You must purchase coverage before it's needed. Some travel medical plans are available for purchase after you have departed, but comprehensive plans that include medical coverage must be purchased before departing.

Additionally, you can't buy any medical coverage once you require medical attention. The same applies to all travel insurance coverage. Once you recognize the need, it's too late to protect your trip.

Once you've shopped around and decided upon the best travel insurance plan for your trip, you should be able to complete your purchase online. You'll usually be able to download your insurance card and the complete policy shortly after the transaction is complete.

Related: 7 times your credit card's travel insurance might not cover you

Bottom line

Not all travel insurance policies and providers are equal. Before buying a plan, read and understand the policy documents. By doing so, you can choose a plan that's appropriate for you and your trip — including the features that matter most to you.

For example, if you plan to go skiing or rock climbing, make sure the policy you buy doesn't contain exclusions for these activities. Likewise, if you're making two back-to-back trips during which you'll be returning home for a short time in between, be sure the plan doesn't terminate coverage at the end of your first trip.

If you're looking to cover a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition, select a policy with a preexisting condition waiver and fulfill the requirements for the waiver. After all, buying insurance won't help if your policy doesn't cover your losses.

Disclaimer : This information is provided by IMT Services, LLC ( InsureMyTrip.com ), a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 5119217) and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. IMT's services are only available in states where it is licensed to do business and the products provided through InsureMyTrip.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not create or modify any insurance policy terms in any way. For more information, please visit www.insuremytrip.com .

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The Best Long-Term Travel Insurance of 2024

Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.

Tori Addison is an editor who has worked in the digital marketing industry for over five years. Her experience includes communications and marketing work in the nonprofit, governmental and academic sectors. A journalist by trade, she started her career covering politics and news in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her work included coverage of local and state budgets, federal financial regulations and health care legislation.

Key Takeaways:

• Based on research conducted by the MarketWatch Guides team, the best long-term travel insurance providers are Travelex, Allianz, Faye, IMG and World Nomads.
• According to our research, travel insurance companies define long-term trips as those lasting longer than 30 days, with many long-term policies providing coverage anywhere from 90 days to one year.
• Long-term policies can provide similar coverage to a traditional travel insurance plan, such as trip interruption, baggage and medical protection.

Our Rankings of the Best Long-Term Travel Insurance Providers

Our research team found the providers and plans below are the best long-term travel insurance options on the market. We considered coverage, cost, add-on protection and policy length when making our decisions. 

• Travelex: Travel Select
• Allianz : OneTrip Premier
• Faye : Travel Protection Plan
• International Medical Group (IMG) : GlobeHopper Senior
• World Nomads : Explorer Plan

How We Chose Long-term Travel Insurance Plans

When selecting the long-term travel insurance plans featured in this review, we considered various factors, including:

• Coverage : We examined the types of plans available for purchase and the coverage limits each travel insurance provider offered.
• Cost : While long-term travel insurance plans may cost more than a plan for a week-long trip, that doesn’t mean purchasing coverage needs to break the bank.
• Add-on protections : We took note of providers and policies that offered a variety of coverage add-ons, such as rental car collision, cancel for any reason (CFAR) and more.
• Maximum policy length : We looked for travel insurance with policies that could last a minimum of 180 days, favoring companies that offered coverage for up to a year.

Compare Long-Term Travel Insurance For U.S. Citizens

See the table below for a comparison of our recommended travel insurance providers and long-term coverage plans. 

Note: We calculated the below-average costs based on a 30-year-old couple taking a long-term trip to France with $8,000 in non-refundable expenses . Since IMG’s GlobeHopper Senior plan only applies to travelers aged 65 and older, we used a sample 65-year-old couple taking the same trip to France.

Best Long-Term Travel Insurance Plans

Based on our team’s extensive research into cost, coverage, policy lengths and add-on protections, we’ve chosen the following five plans as our picks for the best long-term travel insurance coverage.

Pros and Cons

Why we picked travelex.

Travelex’s Travel Select plan can cover trips for up to one year, making it ideal for long-term travelers looking for comprehensive coverage. This policy offers pricing that includes children and the choice of five different add-ons, including CFAR coverage, car rental collision coverage, an adventure sports exclusion waiver and more. In addition, early purchase benefits include financial default coverage and a pre-existing condition waiver.

Our research has shown that many long-term or annual, multi-trip plans don’t offer benefits such as CFAR coverage or trip cancellation benefits, making Travelex’s Travel Select stand out compared to other long-term plans. However, note that other providers in our review offer higher medical limits with their annual plans over the Travel Select plan.

Allianz Global Assistance

Why We Picked Allianz

Allianz’s OneTrip Premier plan provides a full year of consecutive travel coverage for both you and your children, a potential benefit for travelers with kids planning a long-term stay abroad. The company extends its benefits to each insured traveler, including trip cancellation, trip interruption , emergency medical coverage and more. In addition, pre-existing condition coverage is available if you purchase your travel insurance plan within 14 days of your first trip payment or deposit.

Allianz also offers what it calls SmartBenefits, which allows you to opt for a fixed “inconvenience” payment of $100 per insured person per day for a covered delay or baggage delay. You won’t need to provide receipts for this coverage, based on our research, just proof of a covered delay. While you may consider Allianz if you’re looking for comprehensive, long-term travel insurance, note that the average cost for the OneTrip Premier plan is higher than those of other providers we reviewed.

Why We Picked Faye

Based on our research, Faye offers a mix of travel and medical benefits that can make its Travel Protection Plan worth considering for a long-term trip. We like how Faye offers policyholders around-the-clock support, including an app to handle travel emergencies and claims. The company also offers telemedicine services at no extra cost. If your telehealth doctor prescribes medicine while you’re on a trip, Faye will reimburse you for the expense.

Faye covers pre-existing conditions with the Travel Protection Plan as long as you purchase a policy within 14 days of your trip. Available add-ons include an adventure and extreme sports waiver, vacation rental damage protection and vet expenses coverage if you take your pet with you on a long-term trip. However, Faye doesn’t offer the longest-lasting plan in our review, with just 180 days of coverage compared to other providers offering around a year.

Why We Picked IMG

Seniors looking for comprehensive travel medical coverage for long-term travel plans may consider International Medical Group (IMG) and its GlobeHopper Senior policy. This plan has no upper age restriction — which, according to our research, is unique in the travel insurance industry. Travelers ages 65 and up can purchase this policy, which can cover up to a year for a single trip. If you’re looking for a long-term, multi-trip senior travel insurance policy, this plan also offers the option of multiple trips per year, up to 45 days each.

We appreciate how IMG allows seniors to choose from various deductibles and maximum coverage limits, making this travel insurance policy more flexible than other companies we’ve researched. While there is no upper age limit, note that coverage limits decline for insured persons 80 years or older.

World Nomads

Why We Picked World Nomads

World Nomads offers the most extensive travel insurance coverage for adventure and extreme sports out of the providers in this review. Its Explorer plan covers medical expenses and evacuations for injuries related to over 200 activities that are often excluded by many policies, such as bungee jumping, scuba diving and more. We also like how you can purchase a policy even if your trip has already started, making it worth considering for last-minute coverage.

While World Nomads’ Explorer Plan could benefit long-term travelers who seek adventure, note that this provider doesn’t extend its coverage to children traveling with you. In addition, the only customization options include choosing between two plans and your length of coverage. If you’re looking for customizable long-term travel insurance or coverage that can protect your family, you may want to consider other options in this review.

How To Pick A Long-Term Travel Insurance Company

As you shop for a long-term travel insurance plan, consider the tips below to help simplify the process of finding the right policy.

Consider Your Coverage Needs

Understanding your travel needs can aid you in picking the best plan. For example, are travel benefits such as trip interruption and baggage coverage most important to you? Or, are emergency medical evacuation and medical care benefits your main concern? Once you’ve decided the types of coverage you want, you can start thinking about how much coverage you’ll need. If you plan on traveling long-term with children, you may also want to look for plans that offer free coverage for kids under a certain age.

Watch for Length Restrictions

Some travel insurance plans will provide more extended coverage than others. If you plan on traveling abroad for a few months, a plan that covers you for up to 180 days may work. If you anticipate staying abroad for up to a year, we suggest looking for plans that can cover you for that amount of time. In our experience, travel insurance providers will plainly state how long a covered trip can last, so it’s best practice to read through sample contracts before purchasing a plan.

Single Versus Multi-Destination Trips

Consider whether your long-term travel plans will include one or multiple destinations. Based on our research, some long-term plans will only cover a stay in one location. If you’re looking for coverage in numerous countries, a multi-destina t ion travel insurance plan may offer a better fit. However, according to our research, you may need to return to a home base between trips.

Understand Coverage Details and Exclusions

All travel insurance plans have a set list of exclusions for the coverage offered. Make sure you fully understand what is and isn’t covered by your chosen policy. For example, if your plan covers lost baggage, note any sub-limits or items excluded from your plan. It is also important to understand the maximum benefit amounts for each of the coverages you’ve purchased and whether any deductibles or copays are required before your policy kicks in.

What Is Long-Term Travel Insurance and How Does It Work?

Long-term travel insurance covers trips lasting longer than the time limits most travel providers set for a standard policy. For example, most insurers offer single-trip plans that cover trips lasting up to 30 days. However, a long-term policy often covers travels lasting more than 90 days, with some providing coverage for up to a year. If you choose an annual travel insurance plan for your long-term travel needs, note these policies don’t usually offer trip cancellation coverage as a standard inclusion.

A long-term policy can provide similar coverage to a traditional travel insurance plan. It can protect against trip interruptions , delays, baggage loss or damage, and more. In addition, it can cover emergency medical situations and evacuations while traveling. Long-term plans can help prevent travelers staying abroad for extended periods of time from having to purchase multiple policies to cover the duration of their trip. These plans can also cover multiple destinations , which may suit long-term travelers going from place to place.

According to our research, long-term travel insurance policies may best suit digital nomads, expats and international students. For those more concerned about their health in the event of an illness or accident over travel benefits, you may consider a long-term travel medical insurance plan for your trip. It’s best practice to consider your unique travel needs before settling on a plan, and taking the time to research long-term travel insurance can ensure you find a policy that suits your plans. 

Long-Term Travel Insurance Costs

Based on the quotes we gathered, a long-term travel insurance policy may cost $540 to $1,576 . To help you better understand the cost of a long-term travel insurance policy, we gathered quotes for a 30-year-old couple taking a long-term trip to France with $8,000 in non-refundable expenses. Since the GlobeHopper Senior covers senior travelers, our team gathered rates for a 65-year-old couple taking the same trip outlined above to France.

Comparatively, the average cost of a standard travel insurance policy for a short-term trip is around $221. We calculated this average based on quotes we gathered using seven unique traveler profiles across 20 different travel insurance companies. 

Travel insurance costs are influenced by several variables, such as plan details, trip costs, trip length, traveler age and more. Your exact costs for each of these policies will likely vary. The best way to learn how much one of the above plans could cost you is to get a quote from each company.

How Is Long-Term Travel Insurance Different From Regular Travel Insurance?

Long-term travel insurance differs from a standard travel insurance policy in that coverage is meant for trips lasting more than a few weeks. Typically, most standard single-trip plans can last up to 30 days. However, a long-term policy could cover anywhere from 90 days to a full year, depending on the provider.

While maximum trip lengths differ between policies for long-term and short-term travel, our research found the coverage offered remains largely the same. For example, both short- and long-term travel insurance policies usually offer trip benefits — such as trip interruption and baggage coverage — in addition to emergency medical assistance and evacuation coverage. However, some long-term or annual travel insurance plans may not offer certain add-ons, such as CFAR coverage or trip cancellation protection.

Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Insurance for Long-Term Trips

What is the longest you can get travel insurance for.

The length of a travel insurance policy depends on your chosen provider and plan. In this review, the longest-lasting policy can cover you for up to one year. However, other providers may offer plans that cover you for more extended periods.

Can you buy travel insurance for a whole year?

Yes. Various providers offer travel insurance plans that can last up to a year. However, our research found that some annual plans may only cover travel to one destination over this time. If you’re looking for coverage to multiple destinations, you may want to consider a multi-trip travel insurance plan.

Can you buy travel insurance for a six-month trip?

Travel insurance companies such as Faye and World Nomads offer policies lasting up to six months, according to our research. Most providers will note upfront how long each policy can last, so we recommend reading sample contracts and policy documents to ensure a plan will cover you for your entire trip.

How long does travel medical insurance coverage last?

The length of a travel medical insurance policy depends on your chosen provider and plan. Reading through coverage details on a provider’s website or sample contracts can help you better understand what a plan covers and related monetary and time limits.

How We Rated and Reviewed Long-Term Travel Insurance Companies

Our team surveyed dozens of travel insurance providers and created a scoring system to judge each company based on coverage, quality and service. We also collected sample quotes from each company, both over the phone and on the internet, to simulate an authentic customer experience. Here are the factors we take into consideration when rating providers:

• A 30-year-old couple taking a $5,000 vacation to Mexico.
• A family of four taking an $8,000 vacation to Mexico.
• A 65-year-old couple taking a $7,000 vacation to the United Kingdom.
• A 30-year-old couple taking a $7,000 trip to the United Kingdom.
• A 19-year-old taking a $2,000 trip to France.
• A 27-year-old couple taking a $1,200 trip to Greece.
• A 51-year-old couple taking a $2,000 trip to Spain.
• Plan availability (10%) : We look for insurers with a variety of travel insurance plans and the ability to customize a policy with coverage upgrades.
• Coverage details (29%) : We review the baseline coverage each company offers in its cheapest comprehensive plan. A provider with robust coverage earns full points, including baggage delay and loss, COVID-19 coverage, emergency evacuation and medical coverage, trip delay and cancellation coverage, and more. Companies also receive points for offering a variety of policy add-ons like accidental death and dismemberment, extreme sports, valuable items, cancel for any reason coverage and more.
• Coverage times and amounts (34%) : We compare each company’s waiting periods and maximum reimbursement amounts for baggage, travel and weather delays. Companies that offer customers reimbursement after fewer than 12 hours of delays earn full points in this category. We also reward travel insurance providers that cover more than 100% of trip costs in the event of cancellations or interruptions.
• Company service and reviews (17%) : We look for indicators that a company is well-prepared to respond to customer needs. Companies with an established global resource network, 24/7 emergency hotline, mobile app, multiple ways to file a claim and concierge services score higher in this category. We assess reputation by evaluating consumer reviews, third-party financial strength and customer experience ratings, specifically from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Note: We based our ratings for each provider on each company as a whole, not just available long-term travel insurance offerings. Learn more about how we chose each long-term travel insurance plan in the sections above .

If you have questions about this page, please reach out to our editors at [email protected] .

Complete Guide: Best Long Term Travel Insurance

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Jun 7, 2023 | Travel Tips

As you’re planning the trip of a lifetime, you’re already getting excited about the destinations you’re about to discover. Now is when you have to spend money again on travel insurance .

Depending on where you’re from, you might be aware of different travel insurance companies. Although, when it comes to long-term travel, long backpacking trips, or digital nomad trips, these classic companies might not fit your needs.

There is a few popular providers for long-term travelers.

In this post, I’ll give you information about SafetyWing so that you can see if it fits your needs, but we’ll also talk about Genki, and Heymondo which are also great for long-term travelers.

At the end of this post, I’ll be answering any questions you may have regarding travel insurance and long trips.

I know – buying a digital nomad or backpacker travel insurance isn’t that fun. So, let’s try to keep it simple!

Pros and Cons of Buying a Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of those things that you don’t realize you need it until you really really need it. Like being in a hospital bed in a foreign country faced with a $12,000 bill, need it.

As the saying goes, if you can afford to travel, you can afford to purchase travel insurance!

Pros of purchasing travel insurance

When sh*t hits the fan, you’re covered. As much as you think you are, you’re not bulletproof, and you’re not immune to Murphy’s Law.

Unfortunately, things happen, and I’d hate for you to have to return home only one month into your trip because of an emptied-out bank account due to an unexpected hospital visit.

That said, it’s important to know that you won’t necessarily need insurance during your trip. And that would be good news! It’s more about making sure you’re covered in case you need it.

This post is not about convincing you to get insurance, but about showing you different options if you feel like it’s the best choice for you.

Cons of purchasing travel insurance

It costs money. Do you know what else costs money? Contracting malaria or the bird flu while in Vietnam and racking up a hefty hospital bill that you can’t afford.

So, which carrier provides the best long-term travel insurance out there? Introducing…the battle of long-term travel insurance providers.

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance

SafetyWing is hot off the press regarding long-term travel medical insurance. Although new, SafetyWing is backed by some of the biggest insurance companies around.

Their slogan is “for nomads, by nomads” so one can only guess it’s excellent travel medical insurance for digital nomads. At the price point, it’s also the perfect cheap backpacker travel medical insurance, too!

SafetyWing has really come in to shake up the travel medical insurance game and here are some important points to note about this long trip travel insurance company:

SafetyWing Travel Medical Insurance Pros

• Price point. Coming in at $45.08 USD/month, SafetyWing is one of the cheapest long-term travel medical insurance options out there. If traveling in the US, it goes up to $83.44/month, which is still cheaper than most high-level health insurances. Worth it.
• Can be purchased while on the road. I get it. Pre-trip butterflies mean often forgetting things on your pre-travel checklist. If you fly into your destination and have a lightbulb moment that you forgot to purchase travel insurance, you’re in luck. You can purchase a plan at SafetyWing at any point of your travels. Pre-departure or 3 months in, it’s available to you. Learn more about purchasing insurance after departure .

SafetyWing Travel Medical Insurance Cons

• The deductible is relatively high. This means you’ll need to pay a fee to be covered. Depending on your destination, it might be worth it still. That said, you can read our SafetyWing review if you wish to learn more.

What’s covered by SafetyWing travel & health insurance

• Hospital coverage for illness or injury
• Urgent-care
• Prescribed medicines
• Physical therapy and chiropractic care
• Emergency dental
• Lost luggage (but not pricey electronics)
• Travel interruption/delay
• Natural disaster (a new place to stay)

Go To SafetyWing

Genki World Explorer

Genki provides health insurance for long-term travelers such as digital nomads and backpackers. You can get coverage from one month up to two years with a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime.

Their pricing depends on three main things:

• The region you’re visiting
• The deductible you choose

Regarding deductibles, you’ll get two options:

• Everything will be paid in full.
• A deductible of €50 will apply per case.

When it comes to destinations, let’s take a look at your options:

• Worldwide: You are covered everywhere, but the coverage in your home country is limited.
• Worldwide excluding Canada & USA: Like the Worldwide option but with cover in Canada and the USA limited to 6 weeks per 180 days.

Genki Insurance Pros

• Price point. The plans start at €35.70 per month if you’re between 0 and 29 years old. If you’re between 30 and 49, plans start at €54.60 per month. Now, the pricing will change depending on the destinations covered and the options chosen.
• Can be canceled anytime.  This can be quite practical if you don’t know how long you plan to travel.

Genki Insurance Cons

• It’s still new. Which means it’s hard to tell how good they will be in the long-run. You got to try it for yourself and see if it works. I have to say that even though, they are pretty new, they sound pretty promising to me.

What’s covered by Genki insurance

Let’s dive deeper into their coverage options.

Genki covers:

• Medical treatment
• Covid-19 treatments
• Sports injuries (take a look at the exclusions)
• Hospital visits
• Medical transport
• Repatriation
• Emergency dental treatment
• Initial mental issue treatment

You can learn more by reading the conditions and coverage on their website .

Go To Genki

Heymondo Long Stay

Heymondo is a travel insurance provider that focuses on tailor-made insurance so that you can get the best value for your money.

They offer different types of insurance:

• Single trip
• Annual multi-trip

For long-term travelers, the long-stay plan is the best option. Let’s have a look.

You can buy this insurance plan for a minimum of 90 days, even if your trip has already begun, and renew it as necessary on the go.

Heymondo Insurance Pros

• Price point. The plans are slightly more expensive than the other providers listed here, but it still is affordable. Considering the plans are comprehensive, it is a great option to consider. Our readers get 5% off by using our links to purchase a plan.
• Get help anytime. You’ll get access to an exclusive app so that you can get the help you need during your trip.

Heymondo Insurance Cons

• You won’t be covered in your home country. This can be an issue for some, but not for everyone. For example, if you’re a digital nomad who visits home once or twice each year and needs coverage during your visits, this could be a problem. However, if you don’t need coverage at home, you won’t be affected by this.

What’s covered by Heymondo insurance

Some elements come with limits, so make sure to keep that in mind when purchasing a plan.

• Emergency medical and dental expenses overseas
• Medical transportation and repatriation home
• Baggage loss or damage
• Trip cancellation and interruption
• Travel disruption
• Electronic equipment (optional)
• Adventure sport (optional)
• Cruise (optional)

If you wish to learn more about the policy, you can read the full details on Heymondo’s website . When starting the free quote, you can see all terms and conditions.

Read our complete Heymondo review to learn more.

Go To Heymondo

Things To Consider When Buying Your Travel Insurance

If you’re still undecided on which insurance could be the best option for you, here are the things you should keep in mind. Note: you should also read the full policies to be fully aware before making any rushed decisions.

• Where are you going to travel? Some countries are more pricey regarding medical bills (the United States for example). Are you going to the other side of the world? Are you heading to Southeast Asia? Some countries have more risks in terms of bacterias, viruses, etc. These are all things to keep in mind when choosing your travel insurance.
• Do you currently have health insurance at home? Some providers are pretty flexible, and some others aren’t. When getting your quote, give accurate information to see if you can access the insurance coverage with your current situation.
• Are you going to travel short-term or long-term? If you’re moving to another country or if you go on one-week holiday will definitely influence the cost of your travel insurance.
• Will you drive a scooter/motorbike? Will you dive? Or will you do anything “crazy”? You should make sure your insurance will cover you in any potential situations.
• Will you travel with valuables? Are you planning on insuring them?
• Do you have any ongoing medical conditions?

FAQ about Travel Insurance

Now, let’s have a quick look at the popular questions regarding travel insurance.

What’s the difference between travel insurance and health insurance?

Travel insurance is for what I would call “holiday people” which refers to travelers who visit a destination temporarily and then head back home. The travel insurance covers them for medical emergencies abroad, cancellations and possibly personal belongings depending on the plan they chose.

Health insurance is also what you have at home or what you could have if you’re an expat in a foreign country. The health insurance isn’t only for emergencies for also covers you for a chronic illness or ongoing treatments. It allows you to get regular check-ups too.

Can you buy travel insurance whilst abroad?

Depending on the providers and companies you decide to go with, you can or you can’t. It can also be a bit more pricey when you do this. Although, SafetyWing offers this option.

Ideally, you should buy your travel insurance before leaving your country. You never know when an incident could occur.

Can you cancel travel insurance?

Depending on your provider, you might be able to cancel your travel insurance within a time period. Before buying your travel insurance, make sure to know until when you can cancel your policy.

Real-Life Examples & Medical Travel Stories

Up to this day, I didn’t have any medical emergencies that required going to the hospital, but I also had a few minor injuries or problems abroad. Although, you should know I try to be very cautious when I’m abroad and I also am sober, which means, I know how to stay out of trouble! That being said, I’m not a superhero, which means anything could happen at any time. Knocking wood .

Some of my friends abroad weren’t that lucky though. So let’s talk about real stories from my experiences and from friend’s experiences.

After almost 5 years of traveling the world, I had a few minor injuries or problems.  None of them required me to use travel insurance or to go see a doctor, but you can judge for yourself! (To be fair – I hate doctors, ha, so I’m good at avoiding them.)

• I had a big eye infection (which created a small ulcer in my eye) – drops with antibiotics and a big break of contact lens helped.
• I had an ear infection after a surfing trip in Indonesia which became a throat infection later on.
• I had head lice (I know, ew.) in Indonesia (I guess the helmets didn’t help here.)
• I had another eye infection in Malaysia a few years later.
• I had a UTI in the UK (I managed to get a prescription for antibiotics without seeing a doctor).
• I had my finger squeezed in a chair in Portugal which resulted in a very swollen finger.
• I had a toe injury in Portugal (no idea how it happened).
• I had very bad food poisoning in Indonesia .

It doesn’t sound this fun, right? If you’re wondering why I didn’t see a doctor – well, in Indonesia, you can get antibiotics at the pharmacy without a prescription – so I skipped the prescription part. In Portugal, I was living with a pharmacist, which means, my friend gave me recommendations.  Then, in the UK, I was living with a family who had a family doctor, which they contacted for me. Basically – I was pretty lucky.

Over the years, and especially in Southeast Asia, I witnessed a lot of incidents as well as scooter crash .

Here are friend’s stories abroad:

• My friend got a very bad scooter crash in Bali . A lot of my friends had a scooter crash in Bali. I can count at least 5 close friends.
• My friend has a bad UTI, which became a bad kidney infection later on in Indonesia.
• My friend got a viral infection while doing her divemaster course in Indonesia. She had to fly back home eventually because she was too sick.
• My friend hit the reef while surfing in Indonesia, and he had to get plastic surgery after the incident as his face was destroyed .
• My friend got stitches after a surfboard hit his forehead in Indonesia.
• My friend got dengue fever in Thailand .
• My friend got stung very badly by a jellyfish in Malaysia.

And I probably forget some stories here. I also remember a story in the Philippines when someone from the hostel got a perforated foot from jumping in the water. It turned out, he jumped on an anchor.

Remember the saying Better Be Safe Than Sorry ? Well – sometimes it’s better to be safe.

Final Thoughts On Insurance For Long-Term Travelers

I personally think SafetyWing is the best option for long-term travelers. I’ve been using it for several years now, and it’s been great. But, I have to say that Genki seems promising too. If you’re traveling for a few months and don’t need coverage at home, it’s worth checking Heymondo too.

Traveling soon? You might also like the following:

• Airalo review
• Wise or Revolut
• iVisa review

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CHOOSING THE BEST LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY IN 2021

If you’re planning to travel long term, the common travel insurance companies won’t be any good because most of them only cover trips that are no longer than 6 months. In order to cover yourself for an entire year (or more), what you need is a reliable company that offers flexible plans and covers trips that are longer than 6 months .

In this article, we will compare 3 of the best long term travel insurance companies that cover any length of trip .

Whatever the length of a trip, it is always essential to have a good travel insurance plan.

You have to keep in mind that as you travel longer, the chances of lost luggage, delayed flights or something getting stolen inevitably increase.

And in the worst case [ this is very important ], you may need medical attention or end up in a hospital where bills are often in the 4 or even 5 digits.

In order to manage your financial risks, a long term travel insurance plan is inevitable.

You may wonder how much does long term travel health insurance costs? The truth is, an annual travel insurance coverage doesn’t cost a ton of money.

Some of the most reliable travel health insurance policies won’t even set you back the price of a coffee a day.

In this article, there is everything you need to know before purchasing your long term travel insurance. And we’ll compare 3 of the best travel insurance to help you make an informative decision. Also, we have made sure to include tips to help you speed up the claims process for when you need to make a claim. 

This post contains links to products and services that we may be compensated for, at no extra cost to you .

TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR LONG TERM TRAVEL

Let me tell you, we never travel without good travel health insurance coverage. 

And it’s not because we learned the lesson the hard way. In fact, we are fortunate enough to have only ever needed to use our travel health insurance plan for small claims.

We believe that if we cannot afford to buy travel insurance, then it is better not to travel at all. Having peace of mind and knowing that we are covered in case of injury or illness when abroad is very important to us. Therefore, we never skimp on travel health insurance even though we are budget travellers.

So, one of the first things we did when we were planning our one-year trip was research a long term travel insurance policy.

We first searched for long term travel insurance plans locally. And although we found a few options, all required that a single trip couldn’t be any longer than 6 months.

Since we were traveling for a whole year, they weren’t good for us.

So we checked online and in this article we include the best options we have found. 

Sifting through all the available options is not an easy task so we will include what we have learned in the process in order to make it easier for you to choose an insurance policy right for you.

This article is not a substitute for reading the policy terms. You should make sure you know what is covered by going through the policy wording. And like us, contact your insurance service provider in case you have any questions or concerns.

COMPARING LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE PLANS

1. safetywing travel medical insurance.

BEST BUDGET TRAVEL INSURANCE OPTION THAT COVERS COVID-19

SafetyWing is a popular option with long term travelers since it’s very affordable and flexible.

You can buy travel insurance for a minimum of 5 days and a maximum of one year. The best part of SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance is that it works like a monthly subscription plan. Instead of paying the full premium upfront, you only pay every 4 weeks in advance. If your travel plans change, you can stop your travel insurance coverage and avoid paying for coverage that you will not use. 

If you need travel insurance coverage beyond one year, you can enter into a new travel insurance contract which is automatically renewed every month for the next 12 months (unless terminated by you).

SafetyWing medical expenses coverage is capped at $250,000 (for those under 65 of age) per certificate.

Know what’s covered under SafetyWing Travel Medical Insurance here .

Here’s what we like about SafetyWing.

• Price is fixed at $1.43 per day (for those in the 10 – 39 age bracket).

The premium is payable every 4 weeks and is $40 no matter the countries you will be visiting. The only exception is the US and if traveling to the US, the premium increases to $73.

• The deductible of $250 applies for certain claims only and is due once per insurance period .

The deductible is the amount paid by you before the insurance provider pays the rest of the bill. If for example, you keep on renewing the travel health insurance every 4 weeks for 1 year, the deductible will be paid only once per year. 

• Works on a pay as you go basis .

Most travel health insurance providers ask for a trip end date and require payment in full in advance. With SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance there’s no need to include an end date when buying travel insurance. And you only need to pay for the next 4 weeks in advance. 

• Treats Covid-19 related issues just like any other illness .

Safetywing’s travel medical insurance covers Covid-19 hospitalisations no matter the country you are in. Unlike other travel health insurance providers which either do not cover Covid-19 hospitalisation or only cover hospitalisation in countries for which there is no Covid-19 related travel ban. 

In addition, an allowance of $50 per day is payable for 10 days if you test positive for Covid-19 or are symptomatic and need to quarantine, subject to having a minimum of 28 days coverage.

• Emergency Medical Evacuation is included .

If you are in a remote area and need urgent medical treatment, SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance will cover the cost of evacuation to the nearest hospital.

• For every 90 days of coverage, trips to the home country are covered for a maximum of 30 days (15 days for the United States).

Travel medical insurance policies usually do not provide coverage when you’re in your home country. But SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance provides a 30-day (for US 15 days) coverage for every 90 days of coverage bought. That comes in handy if you intend to travel back home for a short period of time and then resume travel after.

TIP : For remote workers and nomads, who do not have primary health insurance in their home country or those that need a truly global health insurance policy, SafetyWing has developed a new product, the Remote Health . The Remote Health coverage is much more extensive compared to travel medical insurance and includes coverage in your home country.

Check price and get more information on Remote Health here . 

• SafetyWing travel insurance can be bought even if your trip has already started .
• SafetyWing’s Travel Medical Insurance is available to everyone except for very few exceptions .

SafetyWing’s Travel Medical Insurance is not available to residents of Cuba, Iran and North Korea. And if your address is in Canada, Australia, Washington, Maryland or New York, you can’t physically be located there while buying. But you can buy travel insurance with SafetyWing the moment you’ve crossed the border.

• Covers certain pre-existing conditions that are not chronic or congenital .

SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance covers certain pre-existing conditions which are non-chronic and non-congenital. These are the definitions obtained from the travel insurance company for chronic and congenital conditions. 

Chronic is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. May require ongoing medical attention. Some examples would be heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis. One definition of Congenital disease is one that is present at birth. Although a person is born with such a disease, it may not appear until later in life. Examples are congenital heart disease, spina bifida.

Pre-existing conditions are conditions existing within 2 years (timeframe may change with different insurance policies) before the start of the travel insurance policy.

Here is a list of things that aren’t included. 

• Repatriation to home country is not included .

SafetyWing does not cover the cost of repatriation to your home country. The only exception is for foreigners travelling to the United States. In this case, non-US residents can be repatriated to their home country.

With SafetyWing, you can be returned to your home country under the trip interruption clause which is capped at $10,000. Trip interruption does not have medical transport.

• No coverage for lost or stolen valuables.  

This could be an issue if you’re carrying expensive equipment such as a laptop, camera or drone. Other travel insurance providers that cover the loss or theft of valuables include a limit per item and a total maximum benefit. Which makes the recoverable amount not representative of the true cost to replace the item.

If you have a home insurance policy, you should speak to your insurance provider to check whether your valuables such as laptop or camera are already covered or can be added to the policy.

Another option is to find an insurance provider that insures valuable items. But up to now, we weren’t so lucky. 

If you choose a travel insurance policy that does not cover valuables, be extra careful. Here are some tips to keep your valuables safe. Carry the items in your carry-on instead of the checked-in luggage, put them in the hotel safe before leaving the room or if there’s no safe, lock them in your bag and then secure the bag. If you’re out with your camera, sling bags or belt bags are a good way to keep it as close to you as possible.

For more travel safety tips , check out our guide including 27 tips to stay safe when travelling.

• Limitation on sports or activities covered , activities not covered include, white water rafting, quad biking, parasailing, cliff jumping, etc.

Make sure you know what activities are covered and plan your activities around this information. 

• No coverage for Pre-Trip Cancellation . 

SafetyWing travel insurance focuses more on the ‘medical’ aspect of travel insurance (which is the most important part) and less on the ‘travel’ part and excludes clauses such as pre-trip cancellation.

If you have paid for most of your trip expenses upfront and amounts paid are not refundable, you should consider a travel insurance plan with pre-trip cancellation. In this case, buy travel insurance at the same time as you start making payments against your trip.

But if you bought a changeable or refundable flight ticket and booked only the first couple of days’ accommodation, then trip-cancellation might be less important to you.  

2. WORLD NOMADS TRAVEL INSURANCE

BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR ADVENTUROUS TRAVELLERS

World Nomads provides a high limit coverage for medical expenses (this might not be true for everyone as coverage changes with residency), covers more adventurous activities compared to other travel insurance providers and includes coverage for theft of personal items and pre-trip cancellation.

Know what’s covered under World Nomads travel insurance here .

What we like about World Nomads Travel Insurance:

• High medical expenses limit but it is highly unlikely this limit will be required.

At World Nomads, the travel insurance coverage changes according to where you are from so your medical expense limit might be different than mine.  

My medical expense limit was much higher when compared to SafteyWing. In fact, I don’t think that this limit will ever be required or used.

Don’t forget that with all travel health insurance policies only necessary and urgent medical treatments are covered. If you can wait until your return to your home country then that medical treatment is not necessary and will not be covered under your travel insurance policy.

• Include Medical Evacuation and Repatriation .

With World Nomads travel insurance you are covered if you need medical evacuation and transportation to the nearest hospital. Transportation can also include transfer to your home country by air ambulance. 

TIP : Always contact the travel insurance emergency team as soon as possible, especially if you need to be hospitalized or medically evacuated. It’s always better to have their pre-approval and they can also provide you with the necessary guidance when you need it. 

• Covers more sports and adventurous activities plus includes an option to add specific sport or activity if not covered, at an extra cost.

With World Nomad’s you have an option to choose between two plans, the Standard or Explorer. They both cover a huge list of adventure sports and activities. The Explorer plan, which is more expensive, provides more coverage and covers more activities. There is also the option to insure a specific activity if not covered, at an extra cost. 

• Covers loss, theft or damage to personal items plus provides an option to insure specific valuables, at an extra cost.

World Nomads travel insurance covers the loss, theft or accidental damage of your belongings during your trip. 

But coverage is subject to a limit per item and total maximum benefit which is not always representative of the true cost of the items.  

If you’ll be carrying an expensive item, you can insure that specific item at an extra cost which is usually not cheap. 

• Coverage for Pre-Trip Cancellation .

World Nomads travel insurance covers pre-trip cancellation subject to a maximum limit that changes according to the chosen plan (Standard or Explorer). Pre-trip cancellation does not capture all the situations that can result in wanting to cancel your trip. Covered situations include illness or injury, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, etc.

What could be better with World Nomads Travel Insurance:

• More expensive compared to SafetyWing’s travel medical insurance .

World Nomads quoted price for the standard plan for 4 weeks was 3 times as much as that for SafetyWing’s travel insurance. Since World Nomads’ travel insurance coverage changes with residency, the price will also change with residency. Price is also affected by your destination & trip duration. 

• No Covid-19 coverage if travelling to a country with a Covid-19 travel ban .

Covid-19 hospitalisation and quarantine are not covered if you travel to a country with a travel ban . Covid-19 coverage also changes with residency. For Americans, Covid-19 is covered just like any other illness.

• Payment of the total travel insurance price is paid in advance .

Apart from paying the total travel insurance fee in advance, you also need to provide details of all the countries you intend to visit and the start and end date of your trip. Which can be anything from one week up to one year. 

There is also the possibility to buy a new travel insurance policy for another year. But whenever you buy a new travel insurance policy (even from the same insurance provider) anything which happened during your first year will be treated as pre-existing conditions for the second year and therefore these conditions will not be covered under the new travel insurance policy. 

• No coverage in your home country if you travel back home during the insured period.

Most travel health insurance policies rely on you having a primary health insurance plan in your home country. Therefore, travel health insurance coverage will cease once you’re back home. World Nomads limits the number of times you can return home during the covered period.

• The excess of €70 is payable more than once over the insured period .

The World Nomads’ travel insurance policy includes a €70 excess which is payable for some claims each time a claim is made. Payment of access changes with residency so this might be different for you. The €70 excess will add up if you need to make multiple claims.

World Nomads is temporarily not selling travel insurance to those with an EU residency as they’re making some changing to the travel insurance coverage .

3. INSURE MY TRIP  

MAKES PROCESS OF FINDING TRAVEL INSURANCE EASIER

InsureMyTrip works like a search engine. You provide some basic information such as your residency, any travel costs already paid for and it provides you with the best travel insurance options based on the information provided.

The website also includes a feature that compares the travel insurance options recommended to you.

InsureMyTrip will also help you with any claim you might have with the travel insurance service provider.

What we like about InsureMyTrip:

• The process of finding the best travel insurance is made easier
• More travel insurance options for over 65

What could be better with InsureMyTrip:

• The total travel insurance premium is payable in advance

Find the right coverage for you and compare plans with InsureMyTrip .

IS LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE WORTH BUYING?

Yes, without a doubt!

We were very lucky that over the course of our travels we only filed a few small claims! 

But we do have some very unlucky travel experiences to share. Of when a close relative was brought back home with an air ambulance or when another had to cancel her dream (expensive) trip to New York because she broke her leg. 

So travel insurance, although rarely used, is something you can’t do without. You shouldn’t even consider travelling without it. Especially without good travel medical insurance including adequate medical expense coverage and emergency medical evacuation (this one is especially useful if travelling to a less developed country). 

Replacing a stolen laptop or buying another flight is painful but not a huge financial burden. 

Paying for the medical cost of treatment abroad or worse needing medical evacuation and medical treatment while abroad are a huge financial loss probably not worth the risk for a small amount of dollars per day.

Booking a long term trip and paying thousands on flights, accommodation and food but not getting yourself a good international travel medical insurance plan, is probably one of the worst things you could do.

Besides being a travel necessity, travel health insurance is also a requirement for entry into certain countries.

WHAT IS NOT COVERED IN TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICIES?

As a rule of thumb, you should always read the fine print and policy wording of your travel insurance policy.

Don’t rely on what someone else told you. After all, you should always know what you are paying for and what is or isn’t included in your travel policy.

Keep in mind that ANY insurance company will always opt out if possible. Therefore, it is good to read your insurance policy fine print and abide by the terms and conditions.

So if anything has to happen, you will have everything in order and this also helps in speeding up your claim.

Here is a list of things that are generally not covered by travel insurance policies:

• Pre-existing conditions – Are there an recurring medical condition that might affect your trip?
• Routine medical examinationa & annual checkups
• Dental treatment except for emergency dental treatment
• Non emergency medical treatments 
• Hospitalisation in case of injuries caused while drunk, driving without the right paperwork or drunk driving
• Activities without the right gear, example, driving a scooter without a helmet
• Travelling to a destination with a travel ban even if you weren’t aware of the travel ban when you booked the flight. Before buying a flight ticket or book accommodation, always do a quick search on your destination.
• ​​Risky activities like skydiving, free diving, etc.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY

Medical expenses coverage.

This is the maximum amount of medical costs covered under the travel health insurance policy for the necessary medical treatment of an illness or injury while abroad. 

Medical expenses include the cost of hospitalisation, visits to a doctor, prescribed drugs and medical supplies and ambulance transport.

Medical expenses coverage is one of the most important aspects of travel insurance. And you should check that the medical expenses maximum limit is adequate to cover any medical cost you might have to pay in the country you will travel to. 

When we were researching travel insurance for our long term travel plans, we liked the flexibility of the insurance policy suggested to us by InsureMyTrip.

With the recommended option, we could choose the medical expense maximum limit ourselves.

Increasing the limit will obviously increase the insurance policy price. 

DEDUCTIBLE OR EXCESS

The deductible or excess is a portion of covered costs that should be paid by you.

You should check whether the deductible of your travel insurance policy is payable only once over the insured period or each time a claim is made.

Having to pay multiple deductibles will add up, so it is usually better to choose a travel insurance cover where you only pay the deductible once over the insured period.

COVID-19 COVERAGE

More travel insurance policies now cover Covid-19 related issues and are treating Covid-19 like any other illness.

And some policies also pay an allowance per day during required quarantine.

But whereas some policies cover Covid-19 related issues irrespective of the country you are in when tested positive, others do not, and you are not covered if you travel to a country with a Covid-19 related travel ban.

SPORTS & ACTIVITIES COVERED

Always check the sports and activities covered under the insurance policy and never assume that a particular sport or activity is covered automatically.

Some insurance policies provide an option to add a particular sport or activity if not automatically covered, at an extra charge.

MEDICAL EVACUATION & HOME REPATRIATION

Medical evacuation is important to have in your travel insurance if visiting a developing country or remote area.

Some travel insurance plans do not include repatriation to the home country for further medical treatment.

TRAVEL INSURANCE PROVIDERS’ REVIEWS

Before buying travel insurance, read the reviews from customers that filed a claim with the provider. 

Was it easy to speak to an agent? Is communicating with the insurance provider made easy? How long did it take for a claim to be processed? 

In order to get a good feel of the claims process, we recommend reading some reviews, and not just the first 2 or 3.

TRAVEL INSURANCE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you buy travel insurance when already abroad.

All travel insurance providers listed in this post are online and have the benefit of being more flexible than standard travel health insurance plans.

One of the best perks is that there is no need to be in your home country to purchase insurance coverage.

So if you left your home country without an insurance policy or forgot to get yourself covered, each of the sites listed offers the option of buying a policy when already abroad.

DO I ALWAYS NEED TO BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE?

If you have private health insurance or a credit card with travel insurance, you might not need to buy travel insurance.

Contact your health insurance provider and check whether the policy covers you when abroad. Read the credit card travel insurance policy and understand the extent of coverage.

DOES LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE COVER MULTIPLE COUNTRIES?

If you are planning a trip where you will visit multiple countries, then the international long term travel medical insurance websites recommended in this post, all offer the advantage of combining multiple destinations into your insurance policy.

For World Nomads, you will need to list down the countries you intend to visit when getting a quote. And although most countries around the world are covered, those with a travel ban are not.   

For SafetyWing there is no need to list all the countries you intend to visit.

One thing common in all insurance policies is when you include the United States, policy price increase.

HOW LONG IS TRAVEL INSURANCE GOOD FOR?

Year-long travel insurance coverage can be easily purchased from standard insurance companies in your home country.

However, these traditional 12-month travel insurance policies usually have a requirement that a single trip can’t be longer than 6 months.

Therefore, if you are planning to travel long term, the best option is to purchase a travel insurance plan from one of the reliable online travel insurance sites.

The most frequently used and recommended long term travel insurance websites are SafetyWing, World Nomads and *InsureMyTrip.

Each site has its own advantages. But in the end, each serves the purpose of covering your trip for up to 12 months without the need of flying back home.

And usually, new travel insurance contracts can be made for another year without the need to return back home.

*Insure My Trip is slightly different from the other travel insurance websites. How InsureMyTrip works is that it gives you a number of different travel insurance options to choose from depending on the information you provide. 

CAN YOU GET LONG TERM TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR OVER 65?

Yes, there are options to get yourself covered if you are over 65. 

SafetyWing offers coverage up to 69 of age.

But the best options for coverage for over 65, are found with InsureMyTrip.

TRAVEL INSURANCE TIPS

• As soon as you buy travel insurance, save your policy number and emergency number on your mobile phone. Share this information with a family member in case you will need some help communicating with the insurance provider. And always carry with you the insurance card.
• Save photos of receipts for all items you’ll bring on your travels. Store them somewhere where you can easily find – google drive? 
• If you’re sick or you had an accident, contact the emergency team as soon as possible. They’ll help you locate a doctor or the nearest hospital and it’s good for your eventual claim to have them in the loop as early as possible. If you need urgent medical help, call for an ambulance and then call (or ask a friend) to call the provider’s emergency team. 
• If you’re visiting a doctor or you’re hospitalised, always get original copies of invoices / receipts / medical reports.
• Depending on the medical bill and diagnosis, you might have to pay the medical cost yourself and then get a reimbursement after (this can take anywhere from days to months). That’s why it’s very important to get in contact with your insurance provider at the earliest. The insurance provider might arrange a direct payment and pay for the medical bill directly.

CLOSING NOTE

If you are planning a trip, make your travel insurance plan a priority. Although it seems like an extra cost that is usually never used (and we hope that this always will be the case), it will serve its purpose in any unfortunate event. 

Think of your travel insurance as a way to manage your risks. After all, insurance policies don’t necessarily have to cost a ton of money.

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——— ABOUT US ———

We're Jackie and James, now in our late 30's, we've been traveling on and off for 5 years now. After living our entire lives on a tiny island named Malta, we set off to explore Asia on a budget while writing detailed guides about awesome destinations. We hope our travels help you realize that traveling doesn't have to cost a fortune.

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The World's Best Travel Insurance for Long-Term Travelers

Updated: Jan 13, 2023 • by Thomas K. Running

While there are many types of insurance you might buy as a digital nomad or long-term traveler, the most essential is usually travel insurance—specifically a comprehensive “travel health insurance” policy.

Some of us may also need global primary health insurance (often called expat health insurance).

To help you determine the right type of insurance for your situation, I’ve created a short, interactive quiz. No personal data or contact details required!

In short, as long as you’re covered for long-term health care in your “home country” or somewhere else where you have the legal right to live indefinitely, a travel health insurance plan that covers medical costs in case of accidents and serious illness abroad is what you’ll need. And that’s what I’ll cover in this article.

Coronavirus update 🦠 Due to the novel coronavirus and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic, I want to provide some resources related to travel, insurance coverage, and how to stay safe and avoid disruptions to your travel plans. Insurance coverage of COVID-19: It’s very common for insurance policies to contain general exclusions regarding epidemics and pandemics, meaning it’s not a given that expenses related to the coronavirus outbreak will be covered by your policy. Check with your insurance provider to be certain what’s covered. SafetyWing now fully covers COVID-19 related illness as of August 1, 2020. They even cover PCR tests if deemed medically necessary by a doctor. Read more here . World Nomads do not cover anything related to the COVID-19 (or any other) pandemic for customers from most countries (their insurance policies vary depending on where you’re from). US residents are the one exception to the rule that I spotted. Read more in their FAQ (make sure to select the same country of residence you used when signing up). Changed travel plans It also varies what insurance providers will cover if your travel plans were affected by the pandemic (so check with them). However, many airlines (as well as hotels, cruise companies, car rental agencies, etc) are allowing you to make changes to your reservations free of charge. In many cases, they’ll even refund tickets you no longer need, want, or can use. Helpful resources: Worldwide travel restrictions (IATA) Information on country-specific measures (US State Department) WHO’s COVID-19 pages CDC’s coronavirus pages

Table of Contents ↺ Coronavirus update Should you insure your stuff? The alternative: Self-insure for the little things Getting the right insurance Travel Health Insurance Emergency Evacuation Travel Insurance Things to note when picking your policy The Showdown SafetyWing World Nomads True Traveller IMG Travel Health Insurance Other insurance providers worth looking into Common questions (FAQ)

Should you insure your stuff? 🎒

While some insurance is important, I’d recommend against getting too much insurance. Keep in mind that, on average, getting insurance doesn’t pay off financially. The insurance companies need to collect enough in premiums to cover not only claims (legit and fraudulent) but also their own staff, marketing, and profit margins.

My personal policy is to insure against the unlikely events that would ruin me financially.

Yes, it sucks having to pony up $2000 for a new MacBook Pro if it were to get stolen or destroyed. But is it worth paying $500 dollars for certain every year, just in case? Only if you cannot possibly manage to save up a few thousand dollars as a buffer or make do with a less expensive laptop for a while in case it breaks and can’t be fixed at a reasonable price.

If someone stole all the belongings that I travel with—including the clothes I was wearing and the phone in my pocket—it would cost me about $6000 to replace it all with brand new items.

While painful, I have enough of a buffer that it wouldn’t put me in debt. And the likelihood of it happening in the first place is quite slim. Hence, I won’t waste any money insuring my possessions.

The alternative: Self-insure for the little things 💰

Most people are paying way too much in insurance premiums. I can appreciate that you might value the extra peace of mind that comes with knowing that you’re covered no matter what happens.

But if you start doing even rudimentary back-of-the-envelope calculations, it becomes clear that you’re throwing money out the window.

Instead, consider this approach.

Get quotes for insuring everything you instinctively want to insure. Missed flight connections. That camera you bring along but almost never use. Your smartphone. Your laptop. Baggage delays. Petty theft. And, of course, emergency travel health insurance.

Get quotes for everything with zero deductibles if possible.

Let’s say your total yearly premium comes to $3000.

Then look at what you would be paying if you only get insurance for the stuff that would ruin you financially. In other words, probably only emergency health insurance.

Pick the highest deductible you’re comfortable with. At the very least a couple of hundred dollars per year. Remember, your goal is to never actually have to use the insurance, so it’s better to pay less every year and potentially a bit more in the year where you actually need to rely on your policy.

Say you end up with a premium of about $500 per year. As you’ll see later, that’s a very easily attainable number.

Now, buy the cheap insurance with the high deductible. Every year, put the money you saved ($2500 in this example) on a high interest savings account (or even better, a low-cost index fund or ETF ) earmarked for situations where you would have relied on the expensive, all inclusive insurance.

Now sit back and watch your own personal insurance fund grow ever larger year by year. Whenever you need to pay for something that would have been covered by the more expensive insurance (including deductibles), just withdraw the money to cover it from your own insurance fund.

As an added bonus, you don’t even have to fill out lengthy claims forms, go hunting for old receipts for your valuables, and fight with claims agents that are trying their very best to find loopholes to avoid paying you what you’re rightfully owed.

Getting the right insurance

Let’s take a look at the different types of insurance you should consider getting for your trip.

Travel Health Insurance 🏥

Even if you’re covered for health expenses in your home country, it’s important to be covered for emergencies abroad.

What would happen if you’re in the US, or Japan, or Australia (or even countries where health care is cheaper), and you get a debilitating disease or end up in an accident that has to be treated locally?

You’ll very quickly end up with medical bills in the tens if not hundreds of thousands. Unless you have insurance, that is.

A good emergency medical travel insurance will take care of any costs of any life-threatening treatment you get locally.

It’s important to note that most travel health insurance policies are not “primary” health insurance policies. They rely on you being entitled to treatment somewhere and will ship you there if needed for long-term care.

So even if you get travel health insurance, it’s important that you make sure you’re covered for long-term treatment at “home”.

If that’s not the case, you should check out our article on worldwide primary health insurance .

Emergency Evacuation 🚁

Many travel health insurance policies come with built in emergency medical transportation or emergency medical evacuation as it’s often called. There are also standalone evacuation memberships, which tend to be quite a bit more expensive for similar coverage.

What exactly is covered by such policies, what limit is sufficient for your needs, and do you actually need it?

Usually, an emergency evacuation policy will kick in when the initial hospital or medical facility is not suited to provide the appropriate care for your medical emergency.

The decision to move you elsewhere will usually be made by the local doctor and your insurance company’s medical advisor.

While the policy will cover transportation to a suitable hospital, the medical costs on arrival are not covered—unless part of a travel health insurance policy . In other words, the standalone evacuation memberships usually only cover you until you’ve reached the hospital.

Due to their nature, emergency evacuation policies are most essential if you’re often hiking in remote areas, traveling or staying long-term in less developed countries, etc. If you’re spending most of your time in large cities in developed countries, it’s less important. In that case you should just make sure you’re covered for individual trips you make where it can come in handy.

The policy limits usually range from $25,000 up to millions or even unlimited . Since evacuation costs can get really high in extreme cases, I’d recommend a policy with at least a $100,000 limit. Perhaps even more if you’re traveling in very remote and underdeveloped areas.

Travel Insurance 🛫

Although all the different types of policies we have covered so far could fit under the umbrella term travel insurance , in this section I am referring to things like delayed or lost baggage, missed flight connections, car rental insurance, and so on.

If you have it included in a credit card or similar for free, then of course it’s worth having. Rental Car insurance can save you some money as well, but make sure to read the fine print.

Many travel health insurance policies include some coverage for these things as well, so if you’re anyway getting that kind of insurance (which you should) and the price differential is small, it can be worth to get it bundled. As you’ll see below, my recommended all-in-one insurance (SafetyWing) is actually cheaper than the already affordable health-only insurance from IMG.

If on the other hand you’re not covered through your credit cards or other insurance you already have, spending money on a dedicated travel insurance is usually a terrible deal bordering on pointless. There are a few reasons why this is the case:

• It’s very unlikely that anything will happen, and if it does the insurance policy probably has an exclusion
• If something happens, it will be relatively cheap to deal with on your own
• In many cases you can get compensation from airlines or others, even without insurance

Let’s take one example; missed flight connection insurance . Most policies require from two to four (!) hours in between flights to be valid.

Ask yourself, how often are you traveling with connecting flights on separate tickets? Perhaps some times, but likely not that often.

And how many flights are more than two to four hours delayed? Only about 0.1% to 1.5% of flights, depending on airlines (US airlines generally coming out behind).

Assuming you mostly fly on through tickets and only have a handful of risky connections on separate airlines per year, that’s a very slim chance (perhaps 1-2%) that you will miss a flight connection on separate tickets in a given year. And even if you did, the expected cost of an average replacement ticket is only a few hundred dollars.

That means, even with as much travel as most nomads do, the expected financial loss of missed connections is only a few dollars per year. So skip the insurance, and put the money saved into your own self-insurance fund .

Things to note when picking your policy

• Usually whenever you extend your policy (technically, when you enter a new period of coverage ) any things that happened before the extension will now be treated as pre-existing conditions , and will often no longer be covered.
• You’re a legal (tax) resident of that country. If you’re traveling long term you might not be.
• For trips of a certain length (often 30 or 60 days, but I’ve also seen 90 days) before you have to return to your home country. Many even require you to have purchased round trip flight tickets before embarking on your trip for your coverage to kick in.
• If it’s a credit card policy, if at least 50% or even 100% of the trip costs have been pre-paid with the card in question.
• Many insurance policies (even some of the ones included in this article) limits the number of visits you might make to your home country during the lifetime of the policy. Say you purchase a typical one-year policy, and you happen to visit your home country for any reason more than once in that period, the rest of your policy will be canceled with no refund given.
• When it comes to deductibles, look out for if the deductible is per incident or per policy period (which can typically extend to a year). The latter is clearly better, since if you already had to pay the deductible once, you don’t have to pay it for the rest of the period/year.

The Showdown 🥊

In the rest of this article I will compare some of the most popular and well-suited insurance policies for digital nomads and long-term travelers who already have some sort of primary health insurance cover at home.

I’ve included policies that meet these basic requirements:

• It should be possible to buy and renew the insurance while already traveling.
• They should be available to the residents of many if not most or all countries.
• There should not be any upper limit for how long you can travel before returning home.

Note that all prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.

This relative newcomer is my personal top choice , and what I’m personally using. And while SafetyWing is still a startup (launching about two years ago), their insurance policy is backed by Tokio Marine, one of the most solid insurance companies in the world. So in the unlikely event that something were to happen to SafetyWing, you would still be taken care of by Tokio Marine.

Their long term goal is to offer a complete suite of products to build a country-independent social safety net for freelancers and digital nomads , which I think is really cool! In addition to the travel health insurance described here, they also recently launched a complete worldwide primary health insurance called Remote Health , so if you don’t have health coverage in your home country, check that out! However, their first product (which is what I describe in this article) is marketed as a “ digital nomad travel insurance ”.

And compared to the alternatives, it is both a really good value and offering some genuinely useful features that I know many of you will appreciate.

In many ways it’s even more comprehensive than the competitors, but still only a fraction of the price.

Some highlights:

• Recurring billing . Pay monthly just like you would for Spotify or Netflix without having to decide upfront for how long you need the policy. Why other companies don’t offer this is to me a complete mystery.
• The lowest cost of any company in this comparison. For a worldwide excluding the US policy you’ll pay about $37 per month, while most comparable companies charge over $100 for a less convenient product.
• A yearly deductible . While most companies charge a deductible for each claim, SafetyWing will cap your deductible at $250 per policy period (which—as long as you keep your subscription running—equals 364 days).
• No deductible at all for many types of claims , including emergency dental, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, crisis response, emergency reunion, bedside visit, trip interruption, accidental death and dismemberment, lost checked luggage, travel delays, personal liability and a bunch more.
• Home country coverage . While most of the competitors might even void the rest of your policy if you visit your home country, SafetyWing’s policy will even cover you in your home country for up to 30 days per 90 days of insurance.
• The same low daily price no matter how short cover you buy. Perfect for nomads who have other health coverage in the countries they spend most of their time (e.g. EU/EEA residents spending a lot of time in Europe), and only need cover for part of the year while traveling elsewhere.
• Covers private health care . No need to go to a public hospital or doctor in a third world country when there’s a much better private one available.
• They support direct billing to most hospitals and clinics in their extensive, worldwide network (searchable on your online account page). You can still opt for a different medical provider, but you’d generally have to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed later.

Some things to note:

• A bit high price if you order their US inclusive policy for a long time. If you are planning on visiting the US, you’re better off getting the US cover only while you’re in the country and switch back to the non-US cover as soon as you leave.
• After 364 days of coverage, the insurance will lapse if you don’t actively renew it. Luckily that’s as simple as clicking a link in an email that will be sent to you before your current policy expires.

Pricing for a 35 year old nomad who’s already traveling:

For recurring policies longer than 28 days, payment is only due every 4 weeks , so you don’t have to pay for a long policy in advance , unlike virtually any other insurance company.

Full policy wording

World Nomads

They might have been innovative a decade ago, but today I sincerely believe most bloggers are only recommending them due to financial incentives (they pay bloggers—including me—for referrals) or plain ignorance. Or perhaps a combination of both?

What they offer might have been revolutionary 10 years ago (travel insurance that could be purchased and renewed while already traveling), but today there are better alternatives available.

I’m really not sure what World Nomads offer that can justify the more than triple price, but my hunch is that it’s mostly due to brand recognition rather than any tangible benefits to you as a customer.

If you get their most expensive package, you do get pretty good extreme sports cover, although they have recently become much more restrictive here than before—without that being reflected in the price.

Highlights:

• They support direct billing , at least in some circumstances. In my only experience being hospitalized while covered by their Explore plan, I still had to pay the hospital myself and got the settlement about 6 weeks later. But they do claim that they can arrange direct billing, so I assume they would help out if the claim was a bit bigger (mine was only about $1300).
• Decent extreme sports cover in their most expensive package (although not as good as it used to be).

Things to note:

• Since World Nomads use different insurance providers depending on your country of residence the insurance price, terms, limits and benefits vary from one country to another . Be extra careful to read the full policy wording for your country of residence.
• Extensions are expensive . Say you take out and pre-pay for a long-term policy, you would pay about $75 to extend your policy with a mere week (assuming you’re from the US and on the Explorer plan).
• You’re only allowed return home once during the entire duration of your policy. If you’re a nomad with a home base, or you tend to return home to visit friends or family on occasion, you’re effectively not able to buy a long term policy to save money. Instead you’ll have to buy a series of short and expensive policies.

I’ve used World Nomads a bit in the past (with BUPA Global as the insurance provider) and while the claims involved lots of paperwork they usually were handled fairly. Payouts aren’t super quick, and I had to send them a few reminders before the claims were settled.

The only time I had an issue (which was at least partly my fault) was when I waited until only a few days before the expiry of my current insurance policy before extending it. In that brief time window a close relative first got very ill and later passed away. Since the relative became ill before I had ordered the extension (even though I was unaware of it until a few days after and she only passed away into my new policy period, since it was no longer “unexpected”), they refused to cover my round trip tickets back to Europe so I could attend the funeral.

According to the policy wording they were of course in the right, although someone more understanding could have used their discretion to decide otherwise. Anyway, with the auto-renewal feature that SafetyWing offers this would have been a non-issue.

Note that pricing for World Nomads depend on your country of residence. To get the long term discounts you have to order and pay for the whole period in advance . Extensions are charged at non-discounted prices and will start a new policy period. If you’re at all unsure about how long you need your policy, you’re much better off using SafetyWing’s subscription feature or another insurance provider with cheap extensions (also like SafetyWing, and IMG below).

Base price of a Standard/Explorer plan for a 35 year old traveler from the UK (prices converted from GBP at the time of writing):

Base price of a Standard/Explorer plan for a 35 year old traveler from the US :

The policy wording varies depending on your country of residence . To see the full policy wording, you have to request a quote where you enter your country of residence. On the next page look for the section “View full description of coverage,” and click the View button under the heading of the plan you are interested in.

True Traveller

This is a popular provider, particularly in the UK. Their insurance is only available to residents of the UK and other countries in the EEA.

Their cheaper plans are quite affordable—especially if you pre-pay for a year or more—but they are also quite limited and restrictive in what they cover. Adding various extras will quickly increase your premium.

• No limit on home visits , however you are not covered while in your home country .
• They have lots of good reviews on Trustpilot , for what that’s worth.
• They will strive to arrange direct billing for covered medical treatment surpassing £500. Below this you’ll generally pay out of pocket and be reimbursed once your claim is processed.
• Extensions cost a lot . E.g. if you had a 52-week policy (costing $462 with no extras) you would pay a whopping $50 to extend your policy by a mere week.
• Only available to current EEA residents . If you are a full-time nomad or have a base outside of the EEA, you likely won’t qualify even if you’re from the EEA.
• Does not cover private medical treatment unless no public treatment is available. Personally, I was really happy that my insurance covered private hospital stays when I got hospitalized in India a few years ago. Just saying. Update: True Traveller responded below , clarifying what this policy means in practice.

Base price* for a 35 year old nomad who is already traveling (prices converted from GBP at the time of writing):

* Their pricing changes massively depending on which extras you include. A 7 day policy ranges from £34 to £361 depending on your selections. A 52 week plan can get as pricy as £1511 with all extras selected. In this table I’ve included their mid-range package (“Traveller”), with zero extras and a £75 deductible per claim.

Policy wording

IMG Travel Health Insurance

This is an affordable travel health insurance, which does not include any non-health related benefits (unlike the previous options).

IMG is a financially solid company, with some of the best prices out there. For a reasonable health-only policy it’s a popular budget option, but be aware that they have a reputation for slow claims handling and sticking to the letter of the policy wording beyond what some people would find reasonable.

• Flexible deductibles , so you can select a high one and reduce your premiums.
• The deductible is only payable once per 12 months of continuous coverage (like SafetyWing ).
• Extending and renewing your policy is a lot cheaper than e.g. World Nomads and True Traveller, so if you find yourself needing your policy a bit longer than expected, it won’t break the bank. Extending this way will start a new policy period, however, (unlike SafetyWing’s subscription) which means issues that already arose while traveling will be treated as pre-existing and no longer covered.
• This is a travel health only policy , and will not cover things like trip interruption, travel delays, lost luggage, etc. It is still more expensive than the SafetyWing insurance , which includes those things. Also note that it’s still not primary health insurance , so you still need to be covered in your home country.
• Your insurance will be terminated if you return to your home country for more than 14 days, or at all if your home country is the United States or you returned home for medical reasons.
• They generally don’t support direct billing (i.e. the hospital or doctor billing them directly), which mean you might have to pay pretty hefty medical bills out of pocket and then wait for your claim to be processed before you will be reimbursed.
• The plan which includes travel in the US is not available to US residents .

Pricing for a 35 year old single traveler ( travel health only , $500,000 limit, $250 deductible):

Policy documents:

• Patriot International (excluding travel to the US)
• Patriot America (including travel to the US)

Other insurance providers worth looking into

While not available everywhere, Allianz is an insurance company with a good reputation and (sadly also) premium prices. They tend to be a bit pricier than the options we’ve looked at so far.

Click here to see if they offer their travel insurance product in your home country.

Note that they often require you to purchase your insurance before departing on your trip, making it a poor choice for most nomads.

Genki is a travel health insurance product, so it doesn’t come with any typical non-health-related insurance benefits, however we feel it deserves a mention as it is designed specifically for digital nomads.

While it still has few public reviews on websites like trustpilot.com, it is backed by both Dr-Walter and Allianz, so we see it as a trustworthy newcomer to the travel health insurance market.

They offer their product for travel to every country on the planet – upon questioning them on this, they said “Even North Korea” 😆.

It is based on a monthly subscription, and you can choose to be covered with their “Worldwide” plan or “Worldwide excluding Canada and the US”.

It’s a little more expensive than some of the travel insurance products available starting at €35.70 per month, however it has quite extensive coverage. Covid-19, travel costs for family members to visit your hospital in case of a medical emergency, mental ilness, sports-related injuries (only one’s that are not considered dangerous activities – hiking, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, biking, kayaking etc. are covered), pregnancy (except pre-existing), and emergency dental care are all included in their list of benefits.

Finally, in most cases there is no overall limit in medical cost cover, and they offer 24/7 emergency assistance and direct billing. They will cover emergencies in your home country as well for up to 6 weeks per 180 days.

Common questions (FAQ)

• Q: Will airlines compensate me for lost or delayed luggage?

A: Yes, up to certain limits which depend on the route you fly. For lost luggage on international flights, usually it’s limited to about $1,600 (or 1,131 Special Drawing Rights , to be exact). The limit is $3,500 for domestic flights in the US. For delayed luggage , the practice varies a bit from airline to airline, but generally they either give you a one-off payment to cover essentials or reimburse you based on reasonable and necessary expenditures resulting from the baggage delay when seeing receipts. They will also reimburse you for damaged luggage on the same basis (on seeing receipts documenting expenses).

• Q: Why do I have to fill in my country of residence when purchasing travel insurance? I’m traveling full time, with no fixed address anywhere.

A: While each insurer’s definition of “country of residence” will differ, they generally want to know where to send you in case of serious injury or if you need long-term treatment. So you should choose a country where you have (1) a place to stay (perhaps with family or friends), (2) will be covered by either private or public health insurance to take care of your long term medical bills, and (3) somewhere you have unlimited and unrestricted access (i.e. you don’t need a visa to enter, so typically where you’re a citizen, permanent resident, or—for EU/EEA citizens—all of the EU/EEA). While most of the providers listed in this article won’t require you to be a legal resident you should still read your policy wording carefully, exceptions do occur for certain nationalities with certain providers. Note that many insurance providers offering insurances to citizens or residents of a specific country will require you to be a legal resident there, and also in some cases part of the national social security or health insurance scheme.

• Q: When should I buy the insurance? Can I wait until I depart or already traveling?

A: While the providers listed above all allow you to purchase your policy while traveling, it is better to get it ASAP —ideally as soon as you have your departure flights booked or at least know your departure date. The insurance won’t cover anything that happens until after you buy the policy. So if you for some reason (e.g. medical) you can’t depart when scheduled, and you haven’t purchased the insurance before the issue arises, you won’t be covered. Typically there are also quite a few exclusions to the insurance cover in the first few days after you buy the policy (to combat insurance fraud), so that’s another good reason not to wait.

• Q: How do I know if a plan is good enough for a visa application?
• A: Some countries require you to have travel health insurance before applying for certain visas or entering the country as a visitor. This includes Australia, Canada, the United States, Ecuador, and the entire Schengen area (most of Europe)—among others. Usually the requirements include emergency health cover with varying limits, emergency repatriation to your home country, and a few more things. The providers listed in this article should be good enough for most—if not all—visa applications around the world, but if you’re unsure you can always reach out to the insurance company to make sure. To learn about the visa and entry requirements for various countries, check out the free services listed in the visa section of my travel tools article —particularly Timatic and TravelDoc.

Tips that will make your life a lot easier in a pinch

• Get in the habit of scanning all receipts , medical docs, etc, with your smartphone, and add it all to Evernote, Google Keep or a similar application that can be accessed on both your phone and online. Also do this for any expenses you have as a result of delayed luggage or flights, plus receipts when purchasing anything you will travel with (e.g. clothes, electronics, travel gear, valuables) in case you have to submit a claim at for it at a later date.
• Keep digital (and optionally paper) copies of your essential travel and financial documents , such as passport, driver’s license, visas, entry stamps, etc. Store your debit and credit card information in an encrypted password manager (like LastPass).
• Always bring both a travel-friendly debit and credit card , plus ideally leave a backup credit card at home or with some trusted friends, which you can use to make online purchases in case the cards you bring with you are lost or stolen. Accommodation (which can include breakfast), flight tickets, etc can usually be booked and paid for online.
• Keep a paper copy of your insurance card in your wallet and/or passport. In case of an accident, it’s good to have the relevant contact and policy information on hand. You might not even be conscious yourself, so then the emergency response personnel can still find your information.
• Use the ICE (in case of emergency) feature on your smartphone . That way emergency response or medical personnel can contact your specified ICE contacts without unlocking your phone, and also see potential allergies, blood type, and any other information you have included. It’s a good idea to also include a paper copy of this information in your wallet or on the back of your insurance card.

I hope you enjoyed the article! Hopefully it can save you both money, hassle, and maybe even your life.

Feel free to add any questions and comments (particularly your own first-hand experiences with different providers) in the community thread or below.

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Secure Your Journey: Exploring the Best Long-Term Travel Insurance Options

Have you ever considered long term travel insurance? There are various kinds of travel insurance for you to choose from. So, when travelling far away from home, what is the best long term travel insurance ? How do you know whether it is the right one for you?

Travelling around the world is an exciting experience. However, it can be tiring and stressful at times. And to deal with all these challenges, one needs to prepare well in advance.

Travelling for a month or a year requires different kinds of preparations. For instance, long-term travellers need to make sure that they have taken care of their passport, visas and other documents and secured them in a safe place. Moreover, they should be prepared to handle any medical emergencies that may arise while travelling.

Thus, getting the best travel insurance becomes very important before you set off on your travels. And this is where Best Long Term Travel Insurance comes into the picture! The following guide will help you understand what long term travel insurance is and why it is needed by travellers travelling abroad.

WHAT IS COVERED IN THIS ARTICLE?

What is the best long term travel Insurance?

Long term travel insurance is a particular type of travel insurance designed to meet the needs of individuals planning to be away from home for an extended period.

Purchasing a long term travel insurance policy can be an essential step in preparing for an extended trip. It can provide peace of mind, knowing that you are covered while travelling abroad, and it will assist you in the event of an emergency or illness while on your trip.

When purchasing long term travel insurance, it is essential to understand what is included in the policy and what coverage options are available. Many long term plans can be customized to fit your needs by adding additional coverage to suit your requirements.

Why is long term travelling different?

Travelling for an extended period is completely different from travelling for a few days or weeks. You are in a foreign country, and you have to be so much more careful. You have to buy travel insurance as an organized traveller. Living abroad can be very dangerous, especially if you haven’t planned.

The best thing you can do is get yourself the best long term travel insurance you can find. If you aren’t sure what to look for, continue reading for more information.

Why do I need travel insurance?

There are many reasons you need to obtain travel insurance before you leave. Travelling without first getting travel insurance can be a dangerous thing to do. If something untoward happens during your vacation, you need to know that there is a safety net for you to fall back on.

The money you have saved up for your holiday doesn’t cover the cost of medical care abroad or the flight home. Your travel insurance should be able to cover any expenses that arise, such as repatriation, medical treatment and emergency assistance.

Who should get long term travel insurance?

Long-term travel insurance is ideal for people travelling internationally for at least 9 months or those who plan to do a lot of travelling within a given time frame. If you’re taking a 3-4 month trip worldwide, don’t buy long term travel insurance. It doesn’t make sense to pay for it.

If you are planning on travelling abroad for less than three months and your primary reason for buying travel insurance is coverage while you’re there, you will most likely be better off avoiding long-term plans.

Long term travel insurance plans can also be purchased by a person who travels extensively to various countries in one year. Yes – it’s possible to get a single policy that works across these regions.

If you love to travel and plan to do a lot of it in the upcoming year, then long term travel insurance is a wise choice. Rates may vary based on where you’re going, but in general, they’ll be much lower than annual policies because they only have to cover you for up to nine months.

What kind of insurance do you need as a long term traveller?

In general, there are 5 different types of policies that cover your needs as a long term traveller: 1) Trip Cancellation Insurance – Covers if you need to cancel your trip due to unforeseen circumstances. 2) Trip Interruption Insurance – Cores if you need to cut your trip short due to unforeseen circumstances. 3) Medical Insurance – Covers medical expenses and medical evacuation if necessary. 4) Emergency Evacuation – If something wrong happens on your trip requiring an emergency evacuation, this policy will help you get home safely. 5) Accidental Death & Dismemberment – If something wrong happens on your trip resulting in severe injury or death, this policy will help you financially.

Travel insurance vs Health insurance

Travel insurance is generally much more comprehensive than health insurance. It covers a wide range of risks, such as cancellation due to sickness or injury, lost or delayed baggage, inadequate seating on an aircraft, loss of passport and even death.

Travellers are also covered for medical expenses and emergency repatriation. Some policies will cover your costs for dental care and dentures during the trip.

Another critical area is legal protection. This can cover you for anything from personal liability to accidents while abroad.

On the other hand, health insurance only covers you for specific ailments and procedures related to your pre-existing conditions – it doesn’t protect against accidents. There are several exclusions – any pre-existing condition you have before buying a policy could be excluded from the cover plan, even if it was diagnosed after you bought it.

So if you’re travelling with a pre-existing condition and decide to get travel insurance instead of health insurance, make sure you check your policy carefully first.

Review travel insurance options based on your budget

For many travellers, deciding on the best travel insurance policy is essential before booking their trip. Travel insurance companies often offer a variety of plans that vary in terms of coverage and cost. Comparing plans will help you choose the right plan for your trip based on your budget and needs.

The policies differ vastly from one company to another, so consumers should carefully review their options to find policies with the best combination of coverage, price, and benefits.

Travellers on a budget will want to pick an affordable travel insurance plan that covers their needs. Find out your options, know what to look for and which features you should prioritize when picking the best travel insurance policy for your trip.

Here is Top 10 Long Term Travel Insurance Companies where you can compare their packages.

1. safetywing.

This company provide a range of options for all types of travellers, including gap year students, backpackers and long stay travellers. They are reputable and offer great value policies at reasonable prices. They have an online quotation system to check exactly what is covered and get an instant quote.

2. World Nomads

This is an extremely popular option with travellers because they offer a wide variety of policies at very competitive prices. They have been around for many years and have great customer service.

3. Travelex Insurance Services

Travelex Insurance Services specializes in providing extensive travel insurance for your journey. They have a wide range of travel insurance plans that can meet your trip’s needs and budget. They provide coverage for medical emergencies, lost luggage, trip cancellations, trip interruption, and much more. Check out their website today to get a quote!

4. Allianz Global Assistance

Allianz Global Assistance offers some of the most flexible policies on the market, and its support staff is available 24 hours a day via phone and email. The company also has offices worldwide, so you can seek help from a local agent if necessary. As you’d expect from a company with such a global reach, Allianz offers policies that cover travellers all over the world.

5. IMG WorldWide

IMG provides its clients with multiple coverage options, including trip interruption/cancellation, emergency evacuation and more. This company is a great option for international travellers exploring the world while staying safe and secure.

6. AIG Travel

AIG Travel Guard is the best long term travel insurance company. It covers everything from medical emergencies to stolen baggage and even cancellation. This travel insurance company offers coverage for up to a maximum of 12 months at a time, and you can renew your plan when it runs out without requiring you to reapply. The protection that the AIG Travel Guard provides is truly global, as it covers all your trips around the world. It also provides a 24-hour assistance hotline for any claims that you may have during your time of need.

7. AXA Assist

AXA Assist offers policies for single, multiple, and annual multi-trip policies. The medical coverage includes emergency medical evacuation and repatriation and healthcare expenses, including treatment at private clinics. In addition, there is cancellation cover, lost or damaged baggage, personal liability and legal expenses cover, journey interruption, baggage delay or loss and even some legal assistance if you have an accident or get taken ill while abroad.

There is also a range of optional extras for those who need it, such as mobile phone insurance, family travel cover, winter sports cover, and specialized plans such as backpacking, gap year travel, and safari. Most customers who have reviewed the company say that it is great value for money and that claims are easily processed. They also say that the staff are friendly and helpful.

8. HTH Travel Insurance

HTH Worldwide provides comprehensive travel insurance plans to travellers around the world. With HTH, you can rest assured that you are protected against any possible circumstances that may arise while travelling.

Travelling has never been safer, but it is prudent to be prepared for anything that could go wrong. HTH is a leading provider of travel insurance in the U.S. and offers a variety of plans to best fit your needs.

9. Seven Corners

Seven Corners Travel Insurance is a specialist travel insurance for backpackers and adventure travellers. They provide personal and group travel insurance for your backpacking trip, gap year, working holiday and overseas work assignment.

10. Generali Global Assistance USA

Generali Global Assistance USA offers a flexible policy that gives you the coverage you need at a price you can afford. They have some of the best rates and benefits and 24/7 customer service available in many languages.

Trip cancellation coverage and emergency medical assistance are included for free! Other benefits include 100% coverage for lost or damaged luggage, trip interruption, baggage delay, rental car collision and delays, and more.

Explore what is covered and what isn’t

Most travel insurance policies will not cover your trip if you have pre-existing medical conditions that require care and medication while travelling. For example, if you have a heart condition and take daily medication, your policy will not pay medical bills associated with hospitalization or accident treatment if it’s related to this condition.

Get travel insurance before your trip

One of the most important things you can do before travelling abroad is to find a good travel insurance plan. Long term travel insurance gives you peace of mind knowing that if you injure yourself while on your trip, you’ll be able to get medical attention without having to pay out of pocket.

Travelling overseas without long term travel insurance is a risky business because it’s likely that something terrible will happen during your trip. You could fall ill and need medical attention, get into an accident, or experience a robbery.

Where to buy a long term travel insurance

If you want peace of mind when travelling abroad, make sure that you are fully covered with comprehensive travel insurance from SafetyWing . They offer comprehensive travel insurance policies designed to protect you from accidents, illness and injury without putting a strain on your budget.

There are many factors to be considered when purchasing a long term travel insurance policy, including: Deductible: A higher deductible will lower your premium. However, if you have an accident or illness and have a claim, you will pay more out of your pocket. Necessary Coverage: This is usually where the best companies differ from the rest! They will cover what you need and give you back some control of your expenses. Country Restrictions: Some countries don’t allow coverage from any company. Read the fine print closely in your policy. Your Medical History: If you have a medical condition that could cause complications with your trip, it’s essential to find a plan that will cover your specific needs without charging an arm and a leg for it!

You should research each of these areas and make sure the plan you choose is right for you .

Like everything else in life, travel insurance is not to be taken lightly. It’s not something that you switch without rhyme or reason. You need to take the time and find out everything you can about your travel insurance before making your final decision.

What’s more, you must know what to look for in a policy, along with all of the features included in each plan. Once you know what type of travel insurance is best for your situation, you’ll be glad that you took the time to take the necessary precautions.

Related Posts

How to become a safetywing ambassador – how affiliate marketing works, top 10 reasons why travel insurance is important., your ultimate guide to finding the best travel insurance, top 5 things you must know before buying a travel insurance.

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How To Know If Long-Term Travel Insurance Is Right For Your Trip

Y ou've packed your suitcase, got your passport, and selected a book to read in-flight, but there is one more thing you can't really start your trip without:  travel insurance . If you are going on a weekend getaway to the Florida Keys or a five-day honeymoon to Tulum, travel insurance may not be completely necessary. However, if you are planning a longer trip, you will certainly need comprehensive long-term travel insurance before jumping on that plane.

Typically, you can (and should) purchase long-term travel insurance for trips that last anywhere between a few months and a year or two, depending on the insurance provider and policy. Perhaps you are taking a gap year in Australia, or planning to study in Italy or work abroad in Japan -- serious life events can happen in this extended time period that could require practical, medical, and financial aid only offered by long-term travel insurance.

Taking multiple, shorter trips in the same window puts you in a similar boat. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a rough spot if something unpleasantly mundane or gravely unfortunate happens abroad. The world of insurance policies can often be difficult and overwhelming to navigate, so here is a comprehensive map to ensure you are insured for your upcoming long-term trip.

A Longer Trip Is A More Unpredictable One

While abroad for an extended period, peace of mind is essential. Start researching and comparing policies ahead of time, because plans vary in coverages, conditions, and prices. Check with the providers you rely on at home as well -- for example, health insurance -- to see what they cover and what gaps you may have to fill during your extended time away; this is another important factor in determining if travel insurance is right for your trip and what type to purchase.

Most long-term travel insurance policies cover medical expenses, trip cancellations or interruptions, personal liability, and personal effects, among other things. An insurance policy that checks all those boxes would be most recommended, because "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," per the infamous Murphy's Law. Longer trips require greater financial investment -- plus, the longer you're away, the higher the chances of something happening.

If you need to go to a hospital because you got stomach poisoning or to return back home due to an unexpected emergency; if your baggage gets stolen in a busy airport; or if you do something unintentional for which you can be held liable, you can rest assured you'll be covered. Something as simple and frustrating as mishandled or  delayed baggage  can easily ruin a trip, and it statistically averages about 5.69 bags per 1000 passengers as recorded in 2019 by SITA , a specialist in air transport. If you think it's not going to happen to you, think again -- especially if your long-term travel plans involve multiple flights.

Key Considerations When Choosing Long-Term Travel Insurance

Although obvious, yet also easily overlooked, it is crucial to make sure that your policy covers the entire duration of your trip and maybe even longer -- or that extending your trip is within your coverage limits. What if you feel like spending an extra week in Vietnam to explore the Northern Highlands -- or if unforeseen delays simply prevent you from returning home on time? You can entertain the spontaneous while legally covered.

Most importantly, purchase a travel policy from a reputable insurance company with a stellar track record for customer service and claims processing. Some highly rated providers offering long-term travel insurance policies include HTH Travel Insurance, Nationwide, and Seven Corners, among others. Pick a provider known for dealing specifically with issues likely to come up on your trip -- for example, look for evacuation provisions if you're traveling to unsafe areas, coverage for "adventurous" activities if you're planning on bungee jumping, or prescription coverage if you'll need to fill them while you're away.

In the case of an emergency abroad, caring and timely service from your insurance provider can truly be life-changing. Now, with a suitcase, passport, a book for the flight, and insurance information in hand, you are ready to go. Be smart, be safe, be explorative, and if you're gone for a few months or more, for Murphy's sake, be covered with long-term travel insurance.

Read this next: Most Dangerous Islands In The World

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Best Annual Travel Insurance in 2024

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

If you’re a frequent traveler, annual travel insurance may be something you’ve been considering. Unlike single-trip insurance, annual travel insurance plans can cover you for an entire year, no matter how often you’re on the road.

Let’s look at the best yearly travel insurance companies, why we choose them and the coverage you can expect.

Factors we considered when picking travel insurance companies

We used the following criteria when choosing which companies we thought were best:

Cost . Annual plans can be expensive — depending on the type of coverage you choose — so we wanted ensure that they stayed affordable. 

Types of coverage . Travel insurance for annual travelers can be limited in its coverage. We picked the ones with the broadest range of coverage for possible travel disruptions.

Coverage amounts . Annual trip insurance isn’t worth much if your limits are too low. Instead, we wanted plans with reasonable coverage amounts. 

Customizability . If your travels take you to different places, you’ll want the ability to customize your plan. The best annual travel insurance plans can provide this. 

» Learn more: What does travel insurance cover?

An overview of the best annual travel insurance

We gathered quotes from various travel insurance companies to determine the best annual travel insurance policies. In these examples, we used a year-long trip by a 22-year-old from Alabama. We indicated the main countries of travel as France and Malaysia, and when asked, put the total trip costs at $6,000.

The average cost for an annual travel insurance plan came out to $220. The plans ranged from $138-$386.

Let’s take a closer look at our top recommendations for annual travel insurance.

1. Allianz Travel

What makes Allianz travel insurance great:

Lower than average cost.

Provides health care and travel insurance benefits.

Includes rental car insurance up to $45,000. 

Here’s a snippet from our Allianz Travel insurance review :

“AllTrips Basic (annual plan) is suitable for those who would like emergency medical coverage while abroad but don't need trip cancellation and interruption benefits. The AllTrips Prime, Executive and Premier plans provide an entire year of comprehensive travel insurance benefits.

The Executive and Premier plans offer various levels of trip cancellation and interruption benefits. The Executive plan is specifically designed for business travelers since it offers protection for business equipment.”

2. Seven Corners

What makes Seven Corners great:

Offers up to $20,000 for acute coverage of pre-existing conditions. 

Includes up to $1 million for emergency medical evacuation. 

Optional add-on for adventure sport activities.

$0 deductible available. 

Here’s a snippet from our Seven Corners review :

“Seven Corners offers one annual policy called Travel Medical Annual Multi-Trip. The policy can be customized depending on how long you plan to be away from home for any one trip. You can travel as much as you like during the 364 days, so long as any one trip doesn’t exceed the option selected — 30, 45 or 60 days.”

What makes IMG great:

Good customizability with medical evacuations and sports coverage. 

Low $250 deductible.

Includes coverage for semi-private hospital rooms. 

Here’s a snippet from our IMG review:

“Some policies provide emergency medical evacuation coverage, while others skip this benefit entirely. This benefit may be more important to you if you travel to a remote location or engage in physical activity such as trekking.

More comprehensive plans may include other benefits such as assistance with acquiring a new passport, reimbursing reward mile redeposit fees or coverage for pre-existing conditions. If these are something you’re interested in, be sure to check that your policy includes these options.”

4. Trawick International

What makes Trawick International great:

100% coverage for trip cancellation and trip interruption. 

Emergency medical evacuation included. 

Trip delay reimbursement coverage. 

Here’s a snippet from our Trawick International review :

“Trawick International is a comprehensive travel insurance provider that offers trip delay and cancellation insurance, baggage delay coverage, medical coverage and medical evacuation, rental car damage protection, and even COVID-19 coverage among its various policies.

Trawick covers trips for worldwide destinations, including for foreign nationals coming to the U.S.”

What does travel insurance cover?

You’ll find a wide variety of coverage types offered by travel insurance policies. This is true whether you're purchasing a single-trip or annual travel insurance plan. Here are some common types you can expect to find:

Accidental death insurance .

Baggage delay and lost luggage insurance .

Cancel for Any Reason insurance .

Emergency evacuation insurance .

Medical insurance .

Rental car insurance .

Trip cancellation insurance .

Trip interruption insurance .

How to choose the best annual travel insurance policy

While we’ve highlighted some of the best annual travel insurance companies, the truth is that the best plan for you isn’t going to be the best plan for someone else. If you’re interested in buying annual travel insurance, you’ll want to collect a variety of quotes to see which policy best fits your needs.

This may mean opting for a plan that covers pre-existing conditions or one that specifically includes high-risk activities. Or, if you’re in a country where health care is notoriously expensive, you may want to choose a policy with higher maximums.

Many credit cards come with complimentary travel insurance .

Whatever the case, do your research first and review all the plan details before making your purchase.

» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance

If you want to buy annual travel insurance

Annual travel insurance can be a great option if you’re often out of town. With such a wide range of policies available, selecting a plan that fits your needs is easy. We’ve done some of the work for you by choosing the best annual travel insurance companies, all of which made the top of the list for their cost, customizability, types of coverage and plan maximums.

Like any travel insurance policy, the cost of your plan is going to vary. Factors that may affect the cost of your annual travel insurance include your age, where you’re going, how long you’ll be traveling, your policy maximums and whether preexisting conditions are included.

Although not all travel insurance providers offer annual travel insurance, many of them do. We’ve gathered together the five best, including Allianz Travel, World Nomads, Seven Corners, IMG and Trawick International.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-10x Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-2x Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Best overall
• Best for expensive trips
• Best for exotic trips
• Best for annual plans

How we reviewed travel insurance for seniors

Best travel insurance for seniors of may 2024.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

Reaching your golden years doesn't mean your adventures have to end. In fact, in this stage of life, you'll hopefully have more time and resources to travel. But as a senior citizen, you'll want to ensure you have travel insurance that covers any health-related issues arise while you travel.

Our top picks for the best senior travel insurance

• Best overall: Allianz Travel Insurance
• Best for expensive trips: John Hancock Travel Insurance
• Best for exotic trips: World Nomads Travel Insurance

Best for annual plans: Travel Guard

How we rate the best senior travel insurance companies »

Compare travel insurance for seniors

Your health gets more unpredictable as you age, which makes travel insurance more important for seniors. Unfortunately, it's also more expensive. The best travel insurance for seniors won't have too steep of a price hike compared to rates for younger travelers. It will have high coverage limits for emergency medical coverage, trip cancellations, and and emergency medical evacuation. It's also important that your travel insurance offers pre-existing condition waivers , ideally at no extra cost to the traveler. 

Here are our picks for the best travel insurance coverage for seniors in 2024.

Best overall: Allianz

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Good option for frequent travelers thanks to its annual multi-trip policies
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Doesn't increase premium for trips longer than 30 days, meaning it could be one of the more affordable options for a long trip
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Some plans include free coverage for children 17 and under
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Concierge included with some plans
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Coverage for medical emergency is lower than some competitors' policies
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Plans don't include coverage contact sports and high-altitude activities
• Single and multi-trip plans available
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage starting at up to $10,000 (higher limits with more expensive plans)
• Preexisting medical condition coverage available with some plans

Allianz Travel Insurance is one of the most widely recognized names in travel insurance, and it stands out as one of the top travel insurance providers for seniors. It offers a wide range of policies covering medical treatments overseas and emergency medical transport.

Allianz also provides options for varying trip lengths. Its annual multi-trip policies , for example, cover any trip you make during your policy period, even if they aren't yet planned, making it an excellent option for seniors who vacation multiple times per year.

Read our Allianz Travel Insurance review here.

Best for expensive trips: John Hancock

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Offers 3 travel insurance plans
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cancel for any reason rider available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Affordable travel insurance premiums
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Reviews of claims process are mixed
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Buyers may not get specialty coverage for sports equipment and other high value items
• Trip cancellation for 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption insurance for up to 150% of the trip cost
• Emergency medical coverage of up to $250,000 per person
• Medical evacuation coverage of up to $1,000,000

John Hancock Travel Insurance plans for seniors offer some of the best coverage available. It provides generous maximum benefit amounts while still offering affordable prices.

Each plan includes coverages like trip cancellation, emergency accident, and emergency medical, with the option to add benefits like CFAR (cancel for any reason) . Plus, getting a free online quote is a quick and straightforward process.

Read our John Hancock Travel Insurance review here.

Best for exotic trips: World Nomads

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coverage for 200+ activities like skiing, surfing, and rock climbing
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only two plans to choose from, making it simple to find the right option
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can purchase coverage even after your trip has started
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If your trip costs more than $10,000, you may want to choose other insurance because trip protection is capped at up to $10,000 (for the Explorer plan)
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer coverage for travelers older than 70
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option
• Coverage for 150+ activities and sports
• 2 plans: Standard and Explorer
• Trip protection for up to $10,000
• Emergency medical insurance of up to $100,000
• Emergency evacuation coverage for up to $500,000
• Coverage to protect your items (up to $3,000)

World Nomads Travel Insurance is a great choice for active senior citizens under 70 who want comprehensive travel insurance. The key difference between World Nomads and many other providers is that it covers 200+ adventurous activities like scuba diving, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and even bungee jumping. In addition, World Nomads' trip cancellation and emergency medical coverage includes COVID-19-related issues. Many other insurers are excluding that type of coverage now.

For adventurous senior citizens over the age of 70 years, World Nomads suggests working with its partner, TripAssure .

Read our World Nomads Travel Insurance review here.

Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of the trip cost and trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the cost, for all three plan levels
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. CFAR covers up to 75% of total trip costs (maximum of $112,500 on some plans) 
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Medical coverage of up to $500,000 and evacuation of up to $1,000,000 per person
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Includes COVID coverage 
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Above average baggage loss and delay benefits
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High medical evacuation coverage
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Premiums may run slightly higher than competitors

Travel Guard is a well-established and highly rated name in the travel insurance industry. It offers three main coverage options to choose from, and in general its policies have above-average coverage for baggage loss and baggage delays, plus high medical evaluation coverage limits.

• Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost
• Preexisting medical conditions exclusions waiver must be purchased within 15 days of initial trip payment
• Annual travel insurance plan and Pack N' Go plan (for last-minute trips) available

Travel Guard  offers comprehensive insurance plans for shorter and longer trips. One of its more unique offerings is its Travel Guard Annual Plan.

This annual travel insurance comes with standard coverage benefits (trip delay, baggage loss, etc.) and substantial coverage amounts, which is important for seniors who travel multiple times per year. Travel Guard also offers a preexisting medical condition waiver, meaning those with certain medical issues can still gain coverage.

Read our AIG Travel Guard Insurance review here.

Understanding travel insurance for seniors

Before diving into the specifics, it's essential to understand what travel insurance is and why it's particularly important for senior travelers. The best travel insurance offers financial protection against unexpected events affecting your trip, such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies, or lost luggage.

Types of coverage

• Medical Coverage: Ensures your medical expenses are covered in case of illness or injury.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage: Provides reimbursement if your trip is canceled or cut short due to unforeseen events.
• Baggage Coverage: Covers loss, damage, or theft of personal items during your trip.

Benefits of travel insurance for seniors

• Peace of Mind: Knowing you're covered in case of emergencies can make your travel stress-free.
• Financial Protection: Shields you from potentially overwhelming medical costs and trip cancellations fees.
• Assistance Services: Many plans offer 24/7 assistance services, providing help whenever and wherever you need it.

Making the most of your plan

After choosing a plan, it's crucial to understand your policy fully and know what services are available to you in case of an emergency.

Understanding your policy

• Read the fine print and understand the claims process to avoid surprises.

Emergency assistance services

• Familiarize yourself with the emergency assistance services offered by your plan and keep all necessary contact information handy.

How to pick senior travel insurance

It's wise to compare several different travel insurance policies for the best coverage and pricing, as premiums vary widely between insurers and depend on factors like your age and travel destination.

That said, some of the more essential coverages to look for if you're a senior citizen include:

• Travel medical coverage - This coverage will pay for your medical bills outside the US.
• Medical evacuation coverage - If you're injured or become sick while traveling, this coverage will transport you to the nearest hospital or even back home if your condition necessitates it.
• Preexisting conditions - Coverage for known health conditions. You'll need to purchase travel insurance within a certain time period from when you book your trip to qualify for a preexisting condition waiver .
• Cancel for any reason (CFAR) - The name says it all! It'll cost extra and you'll need to purchase insurance early, but it's the most comprehensive trip cancellation coverage you can get. Note that CFAR insurance usually only covers up to 75% of your trip fees.
• Trip cancellation insurance - This coverage provides reimbursement for your prepaid and nonrefundable costs if you cannot make your trip due to an unforeseen event.
• Baggage delay insurance - This coverage will reimburse you for essentials like toiletries and clothes if your bags are delayed.
• Lost luggage insurance - This coverage will reimburse you up to a specified amount if your bags get lost en route.

Of these, the most critical to note are whether or not your policy covers preexisting conditions and the limits for travel medical insurance and emergency medical evacuation.

Some insurance companies offer a waiver that will cover preexisting conditions. You'll have to follow the requirements for adding a waiver to your policy, like insuring the entire cost of your trip. Or purchase the policy within a specific time after making your first trip deposit payments.

You'll also want to find a policy with high maximum limits for travel medical and emergency medical evacuation coverage. These types of expenses can be substantial, so you want to have appropriate coverage.

When comparing senior travel insurance options, we looked at the following factors to evaluate each travel insurance provider:

• Coverage limits: We looked at each travel insurance company's coverage amounts for benefits like medical emergencies and trip cancellation.
• Flexibility: We looked at how customizable a policy is, so you can choose what your travel insurance policy covers .
• Coverage for preexisting conditions: Preexisting conditions are one of the more critical factors for travel insurance for senior citizens, so we looked at travel insurance companies that offer the best coverage for preexisting conditions.
• Price: We compared travel insurance providers offering reasonable basic and comprehensive coverage rates.
• Benefits geared towards seniors: We compared travel insurance companies that offer solid coverage for senior citizens, like medical evacuation, COVID-19 coverage, and trip cancellation.

You can read more about our insurance rating methodology here.

Seniors should look for travel insurance policies that offer comprehensive medical coverage, including for preexisting conditions and emergency medical evacuation. They should also consider policies with higher coverage limits to ensure adequate protection. Additionally, seniors should seek travel insurance plans that provide 24/7 assistance services, as well as coverage for trip cancellations, interruptions, and baggage protection.

The cost of senior travel insurance coverage can vary depending on your age, overall health, state of residence, travel destination, and length of your trip. However, assuming all other factors are the same, you'll pay more for travel insurance at 70 than at 30.

All travel insurance companies, except World Nomads, included in this guide offer coverage for pre-existing medical conditions as long as you buy your policy within the qualifying period from when you placed your trip deposit.

Allianz is the best travel insurance for seniors due to its wide array of medical coverages and emergency medical transport. Allianz also offers multi-trip insurance policies , which could make sense for seniors who travel frequently.

In some instances, travel insurance companies will have age eligibility restrictions, often only insuring people 80 years old and younger.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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Is travel insurance worth it?

April 30, 2024 | 2 min read

Planning a trip and wondering if you need a travel insurance policy? Keep reading to learn more about travel insurance to decide whether it’s right for you.

Key takeaways

• Travel insurance can provide financial protection if things go wrong before or during a trip.
• You might get travel insurance to cover potential losses from trip cancellations or delays, lost baggage or medical issues.
• Factoring in details specific to your trip and balancing with existing coverage might help you decide whether travel insurance is right for you.

Earn 75,000 bonus miles

Redeem your miles for flights, vacation rentals and more. Terms apply.

What does travel insurance do?

Travel insurance is a type of specialized protection that might help protect against financial losses from airline delays, medical issues or other unexpected occurrences. Some travel insurance plans focus on specific things, like lost baggage or health care. Others offer a wide range of benefits under a single plan. It’s a good idea to make sure you understand the terms and conditions, because coverage varies.

When might travel insurance be beneficial?

Some of the situations where it can help to have travel insurance include:

Interruptions and cancellations

Trip delay insurance covers food and lodging expenses if you experience an airline delay. Trip cancellation insurance can reimburse your prepaid costs if an illness forces you to cancel entirely.

Baggage issues

Baggage loss coverage can reimburse you if your luggage is lost, stolen, damaged or delayed.

Medical emergencies

Travel health or medical insurance can cover everything from medication to emergency medical evacuation if you become sick or injured when traveling abroad .

When might travel insurance be unnecessary?

There’s no right or wrong time for travel insurance. It depends on your circumstances. But when deciding whether travel insurance is worth it, you can consider things like:

• Type and length of trip: If the trip’s refundable, you might not need extra protection. And a short or cheap trip might not be worth the cost of coverage.
• Your existing coverage: Check existing policies and agreements. If you have coverage through your health insurance provider, credit card issuer or card network, you may not need more.

Considering travel insurance in a nutshell

Travel insurance can offer peace of mind if anything goes wrong before or during a trip. But it may not always be worth it. If you’re considering travel insurance coverage, looking at your situation, your trip and the terms and conditions of your existing insurance policies could help you determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs.

If you’re interested in getting insurance coverage from a credit card, you can check out the benefits that come with Capital One rewards credit cards .

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