SafetyWing Nomad Insurance For Short Trips and Slow Travels

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance – perfect for short getaways and long slow travels. Affordable, reliable and built for peace of mind!

We all know that we need travel insurance before heading abroad. But how many times have you started to generate a quote online, only to find yourself unsure how to answer the questions or uncertain about the level of coverage you have actually paid for?

Travel insurance is a necessity for anyone heading overseas – yet the process of actually securing it is so often inaccessible and challenging.

That’s why, as an avid traveller, I’ve made it my mission to get to the bottom of the best travel insurance for extended travel and for someone who wants to be able to say YES to every experience (without worrying about the implications on insurance cover!)

In this article, I’m talking specifically about travel medical insurance with SafetyWing, my new go-to following challenges in the past with insurers who wouldn’t cover me for slow travel trips that extended past the three-month cut-off.

Do You Need Travel Insurance?

A simple place to start is with the do’s and don’ts of travel insurance.

You should never travel without insurance – no exceptions. When you have an accident or need urgent medical care, as I did when I got cellulitis in Nepal, you quickly realise just how important travel medical insurance is. This type of insurance ensures that you can access medical support abroad, receive emergency care, and even get reimbursed for last-minute trip cancellations. It’s designed to cover unexpected expenses that you might not be able to afford on your own.

DO… research, generate several quotations, and choose a provider that best suits your specific travel needs.

DON’T… forget to check the fine print and ensure that everything you plan to do during your trip is covered.

For me, SafetyWing has recently come out on top as the most flexible and reliable insurance provider for my overseas adventures. Keep reading to find out why!

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance For Avid Travellers

Who is SafetyWing?

SafetyWing is an insurance provider that specialises in packages for nomads – that is, people like me who spend extended periods of time exploring and travelling, and who seize every adventure by the horns.

Because this company is operated by self-proclaimed nomads and adventurers, it’s the only provider I’ve found that builds its packages specifically for travellers – from those booking their first holiday to those who spend more time away than they do at home.

Some of the benefits of choosing insurance through SafetyWing include the global coverage, the ability to buy travel insurance whilst already abroad, the accessible pricing options, and the 24/7 human interaction that supports you with any claim big or small.

Choosing the Right Travel Insurance Plan

Despite its many benefits, SafetyWing keeps things simple with just two main plans.

The Essential Plan covers travellers for unexpected medical conditions, offers standard travel coverage for the cost of your trip and unforeseen challenges, offers a $250,000 limit on payout, and requires renewal every four weeks. Travellers can cancel the policy at any time, with no long-term commitment.

In contrast, the Complete Plan covers travellers for both unexpected and ongoing issues that started when covered under an old policy. Other details include the $1,500,000 payout limit, support with travel delay costs, and the increased payout in relation to all manner of extras. This is a minimum 12 month plan, paid monthly.

Understanding SafetyWing’s Travel Coverage

When we talk about travel medical coverage insurance, the main thing that we are looking at is how long the policy can remain active for and what you get included under that policy.

For me, as someone who likes to enjoy extended periods of travel, I need a plan which covers trips beyond 3 months – a limit which is considered standard by many insurance providers.

SafetyWing’s long-term Complete package covers travellers for a minimum of 12 months, payable upfront or monthly, while the Essential plan is more of a short-term arrangement and has to be re-confirmed every 4 weeks. The monthly fee for the Complete package spaces this cost out nicely and makes it a small investment into the security of health and international safety for nomads like me.

Medical Coverage: What’s Included?

I always find it interesting, when spending time in different countries, to get to know their medical policies, insurance packages, and more.

Comparing major Western giants like the US and the UK demonstrates just how far removed our policies can be from each other – highlighting the need for a very clear idea of what our travel insurance covers when we’re abroad.

SafetyWing puts medical cover front and centre of its package overviews.

The Essential package has an overall $250,000 maximum limit on medical expenses, with coverage including emergency dental treatment up to $1,000, ambulance cover, diagnostics, and hospital stay expenses.

The Complete package increases the limit right up to $1,500,000, covering all the same details as the Essential plan but with a much broader budget. This maximum limit covers all those aged 18 to 65.

Crucially, as I mentioned earlier, the Complete package allows you to continue to be covered for something that occurred or became apparent while under a previous insurance agreement. The Essential package, however, is stricter and restricts medical cover to new issues that arise during the set period of cover only.

NOTE: Neither package covers underlying or pre-existing health conditions that existed prior to taking out any insurance.

So, What Exactly is Covered?

We’ve covered medical coverage, identified the different payout limits, and mentioned some of the details of both of SafetyWing’s travel insurance packages.

But one thing I haven’t mentioned is the limits on coverage – specifically when returning home.

While the Complete plan offers uninterrupted coverage both abroad and in your home country, returning home under the Essential plan starts a countdown on your coverage – limiting cover to just 30 days for every 90 days of travel.

This means that if you plan on zipping back home regularly during your stay, you will need to remain vigilant of the allowances and limitations when covered by the Essential plan. The Complete Plan is a better option for those who spread their time overseas and in their home country.

Both packages allow for add-ons owing to the different levels of cover they offer as standard.

As the simpler plan of the two, if you opt for the Essential Plan then you will have to add named sports and activities, while the Complete packages covers all adventure sports as standard. If you are an avid hiker, they even cover up to 6,000m so that bucket list Kilimanjaro summit will be covered.

The Essential Plan also gives you the choice to add an electronics cover. Interestingly, this has yet to be rolled out on the Complete Plan – likely due to the cost and complexity of covering electronics over such long periods across multiple countries.

Finally, while there are countries not covered as standard by these policies (such as the USA), they can easily be added for an extra cost.

How to Buy SafetyWing Nomad Insurance

This is arguably the best thing about SafetyWing – it’s so easy to buy!

Once you’ve picked from the two plans available, simply select the ‘Buy Nomad Insurance’ button and create an account, tailoring your quote until you are confident that you’ve got everything covered for the amount of time that you need.

Once your policy is set up, you will activate your own SafetyWing dashboard which is where you go for information about your policy, to file a claim, and to change or update any details. When making a claim, you will have to documents and receipts to prove any bills or expenses that you have paid, so be sure to familiarise yourself with the dashboard before travel to make this process simple.

Best of all, with real people just a phone call away, even the most complex questions and cases can be dealt with in record time – leaving you free to enjoy your next adventure!