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Travel insurance is generally the bane of any traveller’s existence and is the least exciting part of planning a trip.
Many people (especially budget backpackers) choose not to purchase travel insurance, so they can save a bit of money.
However, all it takes is a quick fall or some dodgy street food and you can soon end up owing $1000s to the local hospital. Then you will be out of pocket!
Generally speaking, if you travel enough something will eventually go wrong.
If it doesn’t, you’re a walking miracle.
After 9 years of backpacking & traveling the world, we have tried a lot of policy providers, as well as having made a few claims.
Based on this personal experience and in-depth online research, I've put together the ultimate guide on how to pick the best travel insurance for backpackers.
Considering a number of factors, including things like:
We're now in a new era of travel so we’ve collected the most up to date information to help you with your decision.
Let’s dive right in...
If you are in a rush, then I would highly recommend SafetyWing.
Their nomad insurance offers fantastic medical coverage and a variety of travel benefits (including trip interruption). They also cover a huge range of sports and activities.
SafetyWing's Complete plan is especially tailored towards long-term travellers and boasts comprehensive health insurance as well as travel coverage.
Highlights of this plan include:
Backpacker insurance is a type of cover that is aimed at long term-travellers. It’s for people who plan to travel for a long time and often to multiple countries within one trip.
Sometimes it comes under the same umbrella as ‘long-term travel insurance’ or ‘extended trip’ insurance.
Whereas, general travel insurance is usually for single trips or vacations.
Backpackers insurance offers many additional features and benefits compared to standard travel insurance and is a must if you’re planning a lengthy trip.
This type of insurance is tailored to insure you in multiple countries, and it also often covers a wider range of sports and activities.
COVID-19 has changed travel as we know it, and that includes travel insurance packages.
Many travel providers either aren’t offering new policies out at the minute or have changed their policies to include cover for COVID-19.
Before purchasing travel insurance in today's climate, it’s important to read through the wording of each policy.
COVID cover is one of the most important aspects of any travel insurance right now and is a must for backpackers.
We all know how quickly things can change with the pandemic, so you want to look for a policy that covers medical expenses and cancellation cover if you test positive for the virus.
Everyone has asked this question at least once in their lifetime - we are all guilty of it.
But, the answer is YES. You most certainly do need travel insurance, especially if you’re a backpacker.
Whether you’re planning to interrail through Europe or go backpacking through Southeast Asia, travel insurance is a must!
There are so many things that can go wrong during travel including:
Many of these things are often out of your control, and medical fees in some countries are outstandingly high.
Having a good travel insurance policy acts as a safety net if you find yourself needing emergency medical attention or you have to evacuate due to issues within the country.
You don’t want to pay for things like this out of your own pocket, because some countries (e.g. America) can leave you bankrupt in cases of long-term hospitalisation.
If you continue to think you’ll ‘be fine’, then you may lose out on a lot of cash or your family will likely have to pay for it.
Not a problem you want to be putting on their shoulders for the (very reasonable in most cases) cost of travel insurance.
All great travel insurance packages should include a variety of benefits. But there are some, you just don’t want to leave home without.
These include:
If these benefits aren’t included in the policy you’re looking at, move on and try somewhere else.
You’ll thank me eventually!
When it comes to travel insurance, some generic things aren't covered by most travel insurance providers.
These include:
Insurance providers are famous for their loopholes.
It’s all about the wording in their policy, and the circumstances/requirements you need to meet to make a claim.
For example: If you have to interrupt your trip and come home for whatever reason, only certain reasons will be eligible for a claim like a death of a family member. However, it often doesn’t state that on the main benefits page.
Read through the policy first to make sure you’re covered for the benefits it states.
There is nothing worse than paying for a travel insurance plan and then not being covered when you need it.
Luckily a lot of insurance providers offer a ‘free look’ policy. That means you have a certain period of time after you buy the policy, where you can read through and decide whether it’s still right for you.
If you cancel within the ‘free look’ policy you'll be entitled to a refund.
There are loads of different insurance providers and policies out there when it comes to travel insurance.
Choosing the right policy can be pretty overwhelming, so hopefully, this article will help you in your decision.
Many people may think using a travel insurance comparison site is the best way to find a good policy.
However, this isn’t often the case because it shows the main benefits and not the small print.
If you want to dig a little deeper, you’re best looking at some of the providers on this list and reading their policy wordings.
Make sure to focus on medical cover, emergency evacuation, repatriation and trip interruption to start with!
You’ll also want to watch out for sneaky claim requirements, clauses and expensive excess.
There are a variety of factors that can affect the price of travel insurance.
These include:
Many travel insurance providers offer an extra level of cover or add-ons that you can purchase for your insurance policy.
Some of the most popular ones include:
SafetyWing is our top pick when it comes to the best travel insurance providers for backpackers.
Not only are they comprehensive, but SafetyWing also has a lot of other features that make them stand out from the crowd.
A huge benefit of SafetyWing is that there is no limit on travel duration and you don’t have to declare which countries you’re travelling to (except the United States). This is perfect for the spontaneous travellers out there!
Like World Nomads, you can also buy travel insurance once you’re on the road, and they have a broad COVID-19 cover.
SafetyWing's Nomad Insurance policy is a real gem for backpackers and there are two levels of cover - Essential and Complete.
Although both policies have a lot to offer, the complete plan is designed for backpackers and long-term travel.
With the Complete Plan, you'll have everything the Essential plan covers, plus comprehensive health insurance. This includes routine healthcare, cancer screening and treatment, outpatient services, maternity, and mental health support.
You'll also have additional cover for trip/accommodation cancellation, delayed luggage, and burglary. Better yet, you'll have full coverage in your country of residency. It doesn't get much better than that!
Here is a quick overview of their coverage within each plan:
What is the cost?
The cost of SafetyWing travel insurance will differ depending on whether you choose the Essential or Complete plan.
If you go for the Nomad Insurance Essential plan , the policy is charged on a 4-week basis (28 days).
For 10 - 39 year olds, the policy will cost $56.28 per 28 days excluding travel to the United States, and $104.44 including travel to the U.S. This price increases with age.
If you go for the Nomad Insurance Complete plan, the policy is a yearly contract and is billed monthly.
For someone aged 18 - 39 years old, the estimated cost is $150.50 per month. This increases to $263.50 if you need cover in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Pros of SafetyWing:
World Nomads are famous within the travel community, and that’s because they have great plans tailored specifically for backpackers.
It’s a travel insurance provider that is made for travellers by travellers, so they know exactly what needs to be included.
Their plans are comprehensive, and the policies are easy to read and understand. Always a rare occurrence with insurance providers!
World Nomads is the perfect choice for adventurous travellers, who want to get involved in a variety of activities.
They provide cover for over 150 different sports and activities, and these include adventure sports if you go for the explorer plan.
They are also one of the only providers that let you buy travel insurance once you’ve already left for a trip and modify it whilst you’re abroad.
And one of the most important factors at this moment in time? They offer board COVID cover which is a must with travel. This includes emergency medical and repatriation if you get sick overseas and trip disruption cover (although this may vary between plans).
World Nomads has two main plans to choose from; the Standard plan and the Explorer plan.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
The Standard plan is probably enough if you’re just taking the odd trip, but if you’re a backpacker then the Explorer plan is a must.
It offers cover for a wide variety of adventure sports and has high coverage for emergency evacuation, trip cancellation and lost baggage.
In some countries such as the United States, World Nomad also offers the Epic plan which has more coverage, but for the majority of people, the standard and explorer plans will do just fine!
What is the cost?
The quote above is for a 1-month trip around Thailand for a 24-year old traveller, who lives in Florida.
Pros of World Nomads:
Unfortunately, World Nomads are temporarily unable to offer travel insurance for some European countries (including Austria and Norway).
Alpha Travel Insurance is available to UK residents and is a great insurance provider for backpackers.
With huge medical coverage and a travel duration of up to 2 years (if you opt for the backpacker policy), they are a great choice.
They also offer a variety of add-on packages including gadget extension, activity packs, cruise extension and a stop-over extension.
A lot of the great travel insurance providers don’t offer gadget insurance or even the option to have it as an optional upgrade, so this is a great benefit of Alpha Travel Insurance.
You can also add on an upgrade for extra sports and activities too, and of course, the biggie - this provider offers cover for COVID-19.
Another huge bonus of Alpha Travel Insurance is that you’re able to make two trips home for up to 21 days each without your policy becoming invalid.
We, travellers, know that sometimes you just want to see your friends and family, and have some home comforts. Alpha has made sure this is included within their policy, which is an amazing benefit.
Alpha Travel Insurance offers a variety of policies including single trip and multi-trip, but you’ll need a long-stay policy as a backpacker.
When it comes to long-stay policies, there are a few different ones to choose from. The only difference between them is the level of excess you choose.
Rather than reduce policy cover to provide lower premiums, they calculate the premium based on the level of excess you want.
Their policies are named Alpha 250, Alpha 150, Alpha 100, Alpha 60, Alpha 50 and Alpha Zero. Appropriately the amount of excess you pay is within the name, so in essence, the more you pay upfront the less you will need to pay when it comes to making a claim.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage for the long-stay plan:
Pros of Alpha Travel Insurance:
True Traveller is an insurance provider that covers European residents and British citizens.
Their policies have great benefits including personal liability, legal expenses cover and huge maximum cover for medical expenses.
True Traveller also allows you to return home as many times as you like, and it doesn’t affect your cover. The insurance will be suspended whilst in your home country but will start up again as soon as you leave.
There are three different policies to choose from; True Value policy, Traveller policy and the Traveller Plus policy.
They are all classed as ‘single trip’ policies but your insurance is valid for 12 months or more travelling around the world. You can spend as long as you like in any particular country, and you are allowed to visit home too.
True Traveller also offers annual multi-trip policies, where you can enjoy unlimited trips throughout the year for durations up to 30 days (the Traveller Plus policy covers unlimited trips lasting up to 70 days).
Aside from the policies themselves, there is also a range of add-ons to make sure your insurance is perfect for you.
They have additional activity packages including adventure, extreme and ultimate. You can then choose which one to pick depending on the activities you have planned for your trip.
Other upgrades include:
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
What is the cost?
The cost of travel insurance with True Traveller will depend on which policy you go for.
The quote above is for a 3-month worldwide trip for a 24-year old traveller from Spain.
The prices will increase further if you put your excess down to €0.
It’s also important to note that there are further add-on packages that can increase the cost.
Pros of True Traveller:
Travel Guard provides insurance for American citizens.
Their many benefits include trip interruption, lost, stolen or damaged baggage and emergency evacuation.
There are also plenty of optional upgrades available including car rental damage coverage, pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver, and a 'cancel for any reason' upgrade.
There are three different policies to choose from: the Essential plan, Preferred plan and the Deluxe plan.
The first plan is pretty affordable, while the other plans can be very costly - especially for a backpacker.
However, we’ve included this insurance provider within this list as they offer a lot of benefits, even within the Essential plan.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
What is the cost?
The cost of travel insurance with Travel Guard will depend on which policy you go for.
Here is a quote for a 3-month trip through Vietnam for a 24-year old traveller from Florida.
Now the Essential plan is pretty affordable, but the Preferred plan and Deluxe plan would be far out of budget for many backpackers.
However, the Essential plan offers all the benefits you require, and with the Deluxe plan, you would be paying for an extortionate amount of cover that you’re likely never going to need.
Pros of Travel Guard:
Globelink International is one of the cheapest options when it comes to travel insurance for EU and UK residents. They also provide cover for Australian, New Zealand and South African passport holders who are temporary residents within the EU.
They have a wide variety of benefits and have optional upgrades that can be added to your insurance policy.
These include cover for valuable items, adventure activities and a return home extension which allows you to travel home on up to two trips for any reason. These reasons include medical issues, family circumstances and weddings among others.
Their standard level of insurance provides cover for over 100 activities, but if you’re looking to do something a bit more daring you will probably require extra cover.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
What is the cost?
Here is a quote for a 3-month worldwide backpacking trip for a 24-year old traveller from Germany.
Globelink International is incredibly affordable compared to many other insurance providers.
However, there are a lot of benefits such as personal accident cover, baggage and legal expenses that aren’t included within Globetrekkers Standard (but are included within the Globetrekkers Standard Plus).
For the sake of an extra €20, it’s worth going for the Globetrekkers Standard Plus. It’s not worth going for a policy where things aren’t included if you’re probably going to need them at some point, for example, lost baggage.
Pros of Globelink International:
Click here to get a quote from Globelink International.
IATI is a travel insurance provider that’s popular across the world.
They have over 130 years experience of advising customers and COVID-19 is covered during your trip. This includes medical assistance, quarantine and repatriation if needed.
However, one of the top things that make IATI stand out is how many countries it applies to.
There are so many top insurance providers that only do plans for U.S citizens or EU citizens for example. However, IATI has policies available for nearly everyone!
They have a variety of policies available including single and multi-trip, but the one you should be most interested in is IATI Backpacker. We’re also going to compare two other IATI policies just to give you an idea. These other policies are IATI Standard and IATI Star.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
What is the cost?
Here is a quote for a 3-month worldwide backpacking trip for a 24-year old traveller from Malaysia.
The best choice to go for is of course the IATI Backpacker policy as it has benefits tailored specifically for long-term travellers.
This includes search and rescue which neither of the other plans has, and even better? Adventure sports are included in the policy!
Pros of IATI:
Insured Nomads is available to American citizens, and is a popular choice in the states.
With up to $2,000,000 maximum cover for medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation, it’s not hard to see why.
However, one of the best things about Insured Nomads is the Guardian membership (formally known as INC).
When you purchase a cover with this provider you also get a 12-month Guardian membership.
It comes with exclusive non-policy benefits including 24/7 specialised mental health support, airport lounge access, and health and safety alerts.
However, the most important factor of this membership is evacuation and relocation due to political unrest, terrorism and natural disasters.
When it comes to backpacking, there is only one policy to choose from and that’s the World Explorer.
They also have a World Explorer multi-plan for multiple trips throughout the year, but these trips can’t exceed 45 days so wouldn’t be suitable for a backpacker.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage for the World Explorer policy:
What is the cost?
This quote is for a 3-month worldwide backpacking trip for a 24-year old from the United States. This excludes travel throughout the U.S.
It’s important to note that the quote nearly triples if you include travel within the United States so please keep that in mind.
Pros of Insured Nomads:
1-Cover Travel Insurance issues cover for Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and British residents.
There are separate websites for each country of residence, so make sure you head to the right one before getting a quote.
For this example, I’ve used the Australian 1Cover website.
1Cover’s comprehensive plan is by far the most popular and offers a lot to backpackers.
It has high coverage for many aspects including unlimited cover for emergency medical assistance, and cancellation fees.
This insurance provider also covers credit card fraud and replacement, and hospital cash allowance which is uncommon when it comes to travel insurance.
1Cover also covers treatment for COVID-19 whilst overseas and they offer pre-trip cancellation cover (if you receive a positive diagnosis from a doctor confirming that you are not fit to fly).
Their policies are for people who’ve not yet departed from their home country, but there is a ‘1Cover Already Overseas’ travel insurance’ policy for those that have.
Here is a quick overview of the coverage from the comprehensive plan:
What is the cost?
This quote is for a 3-month worldwide backpacking trip for a 24-year-old Australian resident.
Pros of 1Cover:
Explorer Travel Insurance is an affordable travel insurance provider for citizens of the UK and Isle of Man.
They cover a variety of aspects including legal expenses, scheduled airline failure, a missed departure on your outward journey and curtailment charges.
They also have a variety of add-ons available including an excess waiver, activity packs for extra adventure sports and gadget cover.
Explorer Travel Insurance has two plans to choose from; the Backpacker plan and Backpacker Plus.
Here is a quick overview of their coverage, and the cover for each plan:
What is the cost?
This quote is for a 3-month worldwide backpacking trip for a 24-year-old British citizen.
There is a big difference in cover when it comes to some of the benefits in each policy.
For only £41.50 extra, you may as well go for the Backpacker Plus policy which has the extra cover (especially in regards to medical cover and personal liability).
Each policy covers over 50 sports and activities, but you can add on an ‘activity pack’ to give you coverage for adventure sports.
Pros of Explorer Travel Insurance:
When it comes to a good travel insurance policy, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
There are a lot of providers out there, and they all seem to be offering different policies at different prices.
Luckily for you, travel is a big industry and there are lots of nomads/backpackers/long-term travelers out there who’ve had great experiences with the companies on this list.
Ultimately, it all comes down to circumstance, your budget and what you want to be covered for, when it comes to picking the right policy.
The main tip we can give you is to read the fine print. Have a good look through all the terms and conditions, and make sure it’s the right policy for you.
World Nomads and SafetyWing are at the top of this list for a reason, as they are both great providers!
However, it’s important not to just take anyone's word for it and dig a little deeper into their policy documents before you make a purchase.
This way you know exactly what you’re getting, and what you’re covered for.
Hopefully, this article has given you a good idea of what to look out for, and what needs to be included when picking the right travel insurance for you!
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