SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: My honest review

Are you looking for the best travel insurance? Let’s take a look at whether or not SafetyWing Nomad Insurance is the best choice for you.

As a travel blogger who has traveled the world for 15 years, I have seen it all. A guy in Bali who needed 150 stitches on his face after being cut a surfboard fin, and another guy on a scooter who slipped on gravel doing 50 m/h down a steep hill wearing only boardshorts. It wasn’t pretty.

No matter how careful you are (I’m a nervous Nelly who considers everything 100 times before going anywhere), accidents DO happen on the road.

With so many different insurance providers on the market, I wanted to make it a little easier for you by reviewing SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential, a subscription-based travel medical insurance for digital nomads.

Disclosure: I’ve written this SafetyWing Nomad Insurance review to the best of my knowledge and understanding, however, changes to insurance policy terms can happen. Use the information within this article at your own discretion. Before purchasing a policy, do your own research and make sure all your personal travel needs will be covered!

What is SafetyWing?

SafetyWing is a travel insurance provider, created for nomads by nomads. They want to remove the role of geographical borders as a barrier to equal opportunities and freedom for everyone.

SafetyWing’s new and improved travel insurance is called Nomad Insurance (travel + medical coverage) and is designed specifically for those who previously fell through the cracks, the location independent.

The Nomad Insurance is now divided into Essential coverage and Complete coverage. You can read my comparison of Essential vs. Complete here. But for now I want to focus on the Essential plan which is meant for short- and mid-term travelers.

Do I need travel insurance?

The short and only answer is YES!

While exploring the world is the most fun and enriching thing you can do in life, accidents do happen. While living in Poland, and traveling through countries like India and remote Indonesia, I saw my fair share of horrible accidents, even a shipwreck.

So don’t take the chance and skip it to save like $60. In my mind, if you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel.

What is covered?

The first thing I did before deciding on travel insurance was to make sure everything I need for my type of travel was included. Price is an important factor, but NOT if it means skimping on things like hospital stays or evacuations.

Below I have included a visual overview of the most important inclusions in SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential. For more detailed information, check out the full policy.

What is not covered

As with most insurance, there are some exclusions to be aware of. Here is a quick overview of what is NOT included with SafetyWing Nomad Insurance:

My personal experience

Three days before my move to Indonesia a few years ago, I realized I needed an extended policy. I knew I would be gone for at least 105 days, however, my current travel insurance didn’t want to give me extra coverage beyond the standard 70 days.

I was panicking because I knew that with traditional travel insurance, you need to know your itinerary in advance. You also need to buy your policy before you leave your home country.

After days of research, I was so stressed that I started thinking about just canceling the whole move. I mean, not following my dream because of travel insurance would have been heartbreaking.

12 hours before I was set to leave, I came across SafetyWing. What a relief. But if I hadn’t, I could even have bought a policy when I was already abroad.

Luckily, I didn’t end up in any life-threatening situations, but I did experience some smaller mishaps.

• Like when a monkey in Bali scratched me to the bone and stole my brand-new sunglasses.
• When a group of children stole my phone in Kuta, Bali (why was I even there?).
• When I almost swallowed a mini scorpion in Lombok (that could have gone bad quickly).
• Or when I got really ill in Indonesia (Malaria-like symptoms) and had to get home asap.

SafetyWing claims process

The best thing about SafetyWing is their new and improved claims process, often with a 48-hour turnaround. They got a lot of feedback on the previously lengthy waiting period and did something about it.

After getting their own carrier license, SafetyWing now has direct control of the process. In fact, the claims process is supposed to be 84% more efficient.

Submitting a claim took only a few minutes. Just make sure to have your medical report, any invoices, relevant receipts and your bank information available. It is like filling out a simple online questionnaire.

SafetyWing pros & cons

To make sure you can make the most informed decision possible, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential.

Pros

💵 It’s affordable: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance is one of the cheapest options available on the market at the moment, which makes them a great choice if you’re a backpacker, budget traveler or a digital nomad who is just starting out.

Their prices start at just over $56 for 4 weeks and that covers people up to the age of 39 who are not traveling in the US. That’s $2 a day. One child between 14 days and 10 years old, per adult, is included in the insurance without added cost. Just enter your information below to get a quote!

📆 Flexible policies: I love that SafetyWing’s subscription-based policies offer a lot of flexibility. You are charged every 4 weeks and can cancel at any time. At the end of 364 days, you will be asked to renew again.

SafetyWing also offers the flexibility of buying a fixed-length policy if you want to. In addition, there’s no cap on the duration of a trip.

🌍 Worldwide coverage: SafetyWing is available in 180+ countries. The only decision is whether to include the US or not, as understandably, this increases the price significantly.

There are also some limitations when traveling in countries like Somalia or Iraq, where kidnappings are more likely to happen. However, if you’re traveling there you’ll most likely do your fair share of research beforehand anyway.

🏡 Home coverage: If you’re anything like me, you love visiting home as much as you love to travel. For every 90 days, you are covered for up to 15 days if your home country is the US or for up to 30 days in the 179 other countries

🏄‍♀️ Most sports and activities covered: SafetyWing includes a huge range of sports, activities and even adventure sports (if you choose the add-on).

🌟 $0 deductible: I love that they have now also eliminated the previous $250 deductible.

Cons

⚠️ It’s not a conventional travel insurance: Nor a replacement for traditional health insurance. SafetyWing offers a “travel medical insurance”, which means some things one would expect to be included in standard travel insurance aren’t.

While SafetyWing does provide some coverage for trip interruption, lost luggage and travel delays, there are a number of notable exclusions. The most important one is that your electronics are only covered for up to $1000 in case of theft (if you choose the add-on). Definitely, something to think about if you’re a digital nomad who makes your living from your laptop and camera.

You are also not covered if you cancel your trip, which might be a concern for those of you who book flights way in advance to get the best deals.

However, SafetyWing’s affordable prices mean you might still be better off getting let’s say electronics insurance separately through a third party and still pay less when compared to other travel insurance.

And just like SafetyWing is not a conventional travel insurance, their Essential plan is also not designed to be a replacement for traditional health insurance.

This means that, while you are covered if you get sick or injured abroad, you won’t be covered for most pre-existing conditions, routine check-ups or cancer treatments. For this, check out the Complete policy.

📈 Low maximum payout: The $250,000 max payout is much lower than the millions or even unlimited coverage others offer. The reason behind this is of course the goal of making their policies affordable so that digital nomads and long-term travelers don’t choose to go without insurance entirely.

While $250,000 should be enough coverage in most cases, if you suffer a very serious injury in an expensive country such as the US, there’s a chance you could reach or even go over the max payout.

🩺 New conditions become pre-existing in future policies. Meaning when you start a new policy after 364 days, the illness or injury is no longer covered. This is not unusual, because travel insurance is mainly meant for one time mishaps. But good to know.

👨‍🦳 There is an age limit: Travelers over the age of 69 can’t purchase a policy.

🇺🇸 US travel costs extra: It costs an extra $48.16 per 4 weeks if you’re traveling to the US (this option is only available to non-US citizens).

Final thoughts on SafetyWing

Whether you want to chase the best waterfalls in Ubud, go paragliding in Bali or rafting in Murcia, SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential makes a compelling case for being the best insurance for long-term budget travel.

In my mind, the affordable price and flexible policies outweigh the few limitations I mentioned above. But make sure to double-check that everything you need is covered.

And be sure to check out the Complete plan if want more comprehensive medical coverage.

Can I buy Nomad Insurance 2.0?

Yes, you most likely can. The few exceptions are:

• If you are under 2 weeks old.
• If your age is 70 or older.
• If your home country is sanctioned (North Korea, Syria, Cuba and Iran).
• If you, as an individual, are sanctioned under any of the sanctioned regimes.

Click below to get started!

Psst. If you’re a travel blogger or creator, you can also earn by becoming a SafetyWing ambassador. Just click here to learn more!