Tobermory Lighthouse on the Isle of Mull, Scotland.
I live a very unconventional life—I travel most of the year for either work or fun. I am part vagabond, nomad and business traveler. Often, I’m gone for months and never quite know exactly when I’ll be flying back to the U.S. My life is a series of one-way flights, which makes it difficult to find flexible travel insurance since I never really know when my trip will end exactly. I’m a huge fan of SafetyWing’s flexible policies and monthly travel insurance options. They recently launched their new Nomad Insurance 2.0 with a lightning-fast claims process and new add-ons. Keep reading for the benefits of flexible travel insurance and #ClaimYourAdventure with SafetyWing!
Why do you need travel insurance?
Travel insurance covers all the worst-case scenarios—the flight delay that left you stranded in Istanbul for the night or the bout of food poisoning that hits a few hours before your flight home from Mongolia. Both are true stories from my travel adventures and not fun memories. I ALWAYS buy travel insurance for every trip, which only costs a few dollars a day no matter what brand you purchase.
Who is SafetyWing?
SafetyWing is a fully remote Norwegian startup based in California. It is run by nomads and expats providing insurance for budget travelers and nomads since 2018. (You don’t have to be a nomad or a budget traveler to use their insurance. It’s available to everyone under age 69.)
Why is flexible travel insurance important?
Travel requires a lot of planning, which can be exhausting. Thankfully, SafetyWing’s insurance policies help make things easier. Not all travel insurance companies cover one-way flights. If I don’t have a return flight booked, I always buy a recurring plan. SafetyWing offers reoccurring plans that renew monthly and can be stopped at any time. Then, the minute I get back in the U.S., I cancel the plan, and they provide a pro-rated refund. (Please note they currently offer U.S. coverage on plans for non-U.S. residents only. The reason I wait until I return to the U.S. to cancel is to ensure all my travel is completed with no delays.) SafetyWing’s customer service is 24/7, and you ALWAYS get a real human. It just takes a couple of minutes to cancel, and the refund shows up quickly.
If I know my set travel dates, I often just buy a policy for the entire time and pay upfront in full. I’m currently in Europe for three months mostly for work with a bit of personal travel. Since my travel dates are set, I paid in advance for the entire plan. If there’s even a chance I might extend my travel, then I’ll opt for a monthly travel insurance plan, which is what I’m doing for the fall. (In August, I’m heading to Asia for five months. I know I’ll be back in late February or March but will not book my return flight before I leave.)
Forget to buy travel insurance before you depart for your trip? One of the other great perks of SafetyWing policies is that you can buy it while you are traveling. Since I work for a travel company that covers me when I’m working. When I have a few days in between contracts, I’ll wait to buy policies until the eleventh hour. They offer same-day start dates. You can even buy policies if you’re already abroad and don’t know exactly where you are traveling.
SafetyWing Travel Insurance Options
SafetyWing offers two different times of travel insurance with global coverage. Their Nomad Insurance is travel medical insurance for people outside their home country. They recently added policy add-ons for extra coverage options include adventure sports coverage, electronics theft, and U.S. coverage (for non-U.S. citizens or residents). (U.S. residents do get 15 days of home country coverage for every 90 days of travel abroad as part of the policy without this add-on.)
One of the best benefits of SafetyWing is that they have 24/7 customer support with a REAL human! (I can vouch that they are excellent at assisting and will follow up with you afterward!) Check out the full details here!
What does SafetyWing Nomad Insurance 2.0 cover?
While it’s important to always read the full insurance policy, these are covered by SafetyWing. Each policy has a $250,000 USD max limit and a $100,000 USD max limit for US residents over 65.
- Emergency Accident & Sickness Expenses.
- Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation. (Evacuation to a better-equipped hospital when needed is included with a $100,000 USD lifetime max.)
- Trip Cancelation, Delay or Interruption. (Benefits kick in usually for delays after 12 hours. $100/day for two days)
- Baggage Delay & Damage. ($500/item with a $3,000 policy maximum)
- Injuries from leisure sports and activities.
- Motor Accidents. You must be properly licensed, not intoxicated and wearing safety equipment to be covered.($250,000 US max limit)
- Continued coverage in your home country after 90 days abroad. (30 days for non-U.S. residents and 15 for U.S. residents.)
- For more details, read the full policy on their website.
What’s not covered?
SafetyWing doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, cancer treatment, lost or stolen personal belongings, trips that were canceled before you left and high-risk or professional sports activities.
Purchasing Process with SafetyWing
It just takes minutes to fill out the form online including your age, home address and countries you’ll be visiting. Their chat box makes it easy to ask questions and talk to a real human 24/7 within minutes. Their customer service can easily answer any questions quickly. They are also great about following up when needed. You can pay monthly or in full for policies. You can even set policies to auto-renew. When you cancel a policy you’ve paid for, they will give you a pro-rated refund.
How do you file a claim with SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance 2.0?
Filing a travel medical insurance claim may feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be thanks to SafetyWing’s new Nomad Insurance claims. Fill out the simple new form in as little as five minutes and get reimbursed within 2.8 days!
- Type of Claim: Choose medical or non-medical claims (stolen electronics, travel delays, natural disaster evacuation)
- Medical Information: For medical claims, enter the location, date of service and total cost for the claim. The next two questions ask about preexisting conditions and if you’re covered by any other form of insurance.
- Personal Information: Enter your contact information and passport number
- Reimbursement: Add your bank account details and how you’d like to be paid for the claim.
- Upload Documents: This is one of the most important sections so be sure to have all of your documentation together before you leave the doctor’s office. A copy of your medical report (doctor’s notes about your symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.) Invoices and receipts to show the breakdown of the cost of the bill are also required. I recommend using the free Genius Scan app to make a PDF that can be exported easily.
- Review and Submit: Check over the information you have entered to ensure it is correct, especially your bank account information. This ensures the claim can be paid ASAP! You can always check your claim status anytime on the website.
If you have any questions about claims or buying a policy, SafetyWing’s 24/7 support can connect you with a REAL human instantly!
*Please note that some affiliate links are used in this post. If you make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no cost to you, which goes toward the cost of maintaining this blog. If you would like to support this blog and are ready to make a purchase, these links are one way to show your support. I only recommend products and companies I truly love and use. Please email me with any questions.
