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SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: My Honest Review

Heading off on a trip anytime soon and looking for the right travel medical coverage? Let’s talk about SafetyWing Nomad Insurance!

It’s funny to think how my travels have evolved over time. Not even 10 years ago, I never thought about travel medical insurance for my trips. But the more traveling I’ve done, the more I’ve realized how easily things can go wrong! With more experience, I’ve come to realize how much less anxious I am knowing that I have something to protect me in case the unexpected happens. But, at the same time, my budget has always been pretty limited and I’m still not at a point where I would splurge on insurance.

Enter SafetyWing! This review will go over their insurance policy, as well as a look at my experience using SafetyWing during my own travels!

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*Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

 

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: Summary

Over view of SafetyWing Nomad Insurance policy

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance works a little differently compared to other insurance policies. For starters, they are quite affordable, made with budget travelers in mind (they even have a 0$ deductible!!). And, what I find most important, is that they are flexible. You can start your policy even after you have started traveling and can use it as a monthly subscription.

The reason behind this is that their insurance was made with digital nomads in mind. Its made for people who work and travel abroad. People who are looking for something flexible that is required with this type of work. As a result, they have developed a subscription-based policy, available for 180 countries that even has limited at-home coverage.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that SafetyWing nomad insurance is reserved for only the nomadic lifestyle. It can be used for any holiday 3 days or longer! Anyone can use it as long as the destinations they are traveling to are included in their list of covered countries. You do not have to have a recurring subscription and can pay for coverage just your travel dates – they have all types of travelers in mind! It’s really simple (I’ll go over my experience using their insurance below)!

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What is covered?

As any qualified adult would do, the first thing I did was have my mom look at what was covered under SafetyWing nomad insurance. As I mentioned above, for a long time travel medical insurance was never on my radar, so I didn’t really know what to look for in a policy. She gave SafetyWing the stamp of approval; in her mind, any coverage is good coverage! And SafetyWing has some pretty thorough coverage!

Quick reminder that SafetyWing offers travel medical insurance. Meaning that they break down their coverage into these 2 categories. Below you can find a quick summary of what is included:

Summary of inclusions of the SafetyWing nomad insurance

They also have add-ons that include:

🤿 Adventure sports (such as injuries from scuba diving, sky diving, whitewater rafting and more)

💻 Electronics theft (stolen or lost personal items such as cameras, laptops or tablets)

🇺🇸 US coverage (for travel to the US and US territories)

 

What is not covered?

Like most insurances, not everything under the sun is covered. SafetyWing should not replace your primary at-home medical insurance, it is to protect you from emergencies and unexpected costs while traveling.

Here is a quick summary of what is NOT included with SafetyWing nomad insurance:

🤕  Pre-existing diseases or injury

❌ Cancer treatments

👩🏼‍⚕️ Non-medically necessary treatments

🩺 Routine check-ups

To keep in mind: this is just a quick summary of their policy. You should review their full list of inclusions and exclusions before purchasing! You can find their complete policy online.

 

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: My Experience

Someone in the distance standing on a desert dune in the Sahara

For context, I used SafetyWing nomad insurance on my 2-week trip to Morocco in November 2023. This was a new country (and continent!) for me and we had quite a range of activities planned. Not that I heard of friends or family having major problems in Morocco, but one thing that kept coming up was the possibility of getting sick. Now, everyone is different but to be safe rather than sorry we opted for insurance!

 

How does it work

Leading up to my trip, I got myself insured. My fiancee, however, bought his insurance when we already arrived in Morocco since he didn’t get around to it before we left. I was genuinely impressed about how easy and user-friendly it was to navigate their site. All of the information was clear, easy to find and I really appreciated the transparency.

Since I knew my travel dates and didn’t want to opt for the subscription model, I inputted my dates and the country I was visiting. And the moved on to payment!

READ MORE: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance

 

Pricing

On the nomad insurance page and in the space above, you can get an estimate of what your coverage will cost you. Again, it was super easy to use! The cost of your insurance will change depending on your age, the length of your trip, and if you opt for any add-ons.

For my 2 week trip to Morocco in 2023, it cost me $32.02 CAD. It was really not that much to make me feel so much more secure and confident while traveling. Luckily for me, I did not need to use their insurance on my trip!

 

Pros & Cons:

SafetyWing banner including a futuristic bird standing looking off to the side with mountains in the distance

Pros

✅ Simplicity: I’ve said it a few times when explaining my experience using their insurance, but I’ll say it again: it was really easy and clear to get set up. Everything felt super transparent and clear to understand, which is something I appreciate!

📆 Flexibility: you don’t need to have an end date for your travels when you subscribe. You can renew your subscription on a monthly basis, plus you can already be traveling when you sign up for their insurance. Basically, they’re very flexible!

💰 Affordability: As I said above, SafetyWing was a very affordable option that left me feeling more covered and protected. Of course, there are more expensive, thorough plans out there, but I found SafetyWing to be very cost-effective for what I needed.

🗺️ Home country coverage: This is a very new and rare option to find with insurance! It’s great for nomadic travelers who might need to pop home every now and then! For every 90 days, you have 30 days of coverage in your home country.

🩺 Coverage: I found that what is covered under SafetyWing nomad insurance to be quite thorough, specifically for medical emergencies such as hospital, doctor visits, and some eligible prescription drug expenses. They even have COVID-19 coverage!

🎉 0$ deductible: you’re covered right from the get-go and don’t need to pay anything before making a claim!

 

Cons

❌ Age limit: you are not covered if you are over the age of 70.

📸 Limited coverage unless you opt for the add-on: without the electronics and extreme sports add-on, there are some limitations to what is covered. Just make sure that if you’re traveling with expensive gear or have adventure activities planned to include the add-on when you purchase your policy!

❤️‍🩹 Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered: if you have any serious pre-existing conditions that may need medical attention while traveling, do keep in mind that this will not be covered as part of your policy.

 

Final Thoughts on SafetyWing Nomad Insurance

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: my honest review

I would say that SafetyWing has A LOT more positives than negatives behind them. I will admit, I personally have not had to file a claim. Therefore I cannot truly judge that side of the experience of using SafetyWing. But everything I have experienced so far, I loved!

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Whether it’s their 0$ deductible, the flexibility, or their very user-friendly experience, I think SafetyWing Nomad insurance is great for all types of travelers! As someone who has gone a long time not insuring themselves while traveling, I can say with certainty that having SafetyWing in my corner definitely helps me travel with confidence!

To keep in mind: If you are a travel blogger and are interested in becoming a SafetyWing ambassador, click here to learn more!

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2 Responses

  1. Hey Caity,

    I’m looking to sign up for the Nomad Insurance.

    Do I have to pay the medical bills upfront, and where can I find a list of the bigger hospitals that work directly with SafetyWing?

    Kind regards,
    Leo

    1. Hi Leo! So sorry for the late reply! So SafetyWing explains that payment works depending on the claim. Generally, any outpatient treatment would be on a pay-and-claim basis, and for inpatient treatment, the Hospital can contact SafetyWing and set up a GOP (guarantee of payment) – this is usually for large bills. It’s the hospitals who decide whether they will accept a guarantee of payment from SafetyWing. And in terms of a list of hospitals, SafetyWing doesn’t restrict members on what hospital they can visit. Hopefully, that answers your question! 🙂

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