Travel insurance is one of the topics that always comes up in conversation as a digital nomad. It usually comes in this order: What’s your name, where are you from, do you have a base, where do you pay taxes, and which health and travel insurance do you have?
It’s one of those things that is so important, yet a lot of people don’t look into it properly because there’s so much information out there and it can be quite challenging to navigate the ins and outs of it all…
So in this post, we want to focus on getting digital nomad insurance and why it doesn’t have to be challenging. Specifically, we will go over SafetyWing‘s new and updated travel insurance!
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SafetyWing has always been great and reliable but now with their Nomad Insurance Essential & Complete plans it seriously makes what used to feel like this daunting task super easy to do.
Whether you’re a digital nomad or a traveller trying out remote work for the first time, SafetyWing will likely be a great option for you!
Keep reading to learn more about why we think this is one of the best travel insurances on the market, what it covers, as well as the difference between the Essential and the Complete package to see which one fits you best.
The Essential Plan vs the Complete Plan
SafetyWing now offers two different plans for health and travel insurance: The Essential Plan and the Complete Plan.
In the past, they just had one travel insurance, so the biggest change now is that SafetyWing doesn’t only offer travel insurance – they also offer medical insurance!
This is an absolute game changer, especially for those who are “citizens of the world” where you don’t really have one place you call home, or if you are always travelling, having medical insurance through SafetyWing could quite literally be a lifesaver.
We’re so excited about this revamp they made because it’s just another step into making this lifestyle easier for everyone! So which of these two plans should you go with?
What is SafetyWing’s Essential Plan?
The Essential plan is perfect for you if you are going on the road from anywhere between 1-2 months to a year at a time. Maybe you have a base somewhere and are going on the road for a few months, maybe you’re travelling solo to South East Asia or joining one of our Pop Up Coliving experiences and need travel insurance for a few months – then the Essential Plan should be more than sufficient.
One of the perks of the Essential Plan is that it runs on 28-day cycles and you can cancel it at any time – or extend it if you decide to extend your trip. You can also purchase this insurance after you’ve left your country of residence. It doesn’t get much simpler than this.
SafetyWing is built by nomads for nomads and they truly understand how important those little things can be for our lifestyle that other insurances just don’t offer.
Here is a bit more information on what exactly SafetyWing’s Essential Plan covers and does not cover:
What is covered?
Pros:
✅ Emergency medical coverage – which includes evacuations and trip protection
✅ Unexpected illnesses and accidents
✅ Add-ons for sports and adventure available
✅ Trip protection for delays, interruptions, and lost luggage (which are very common when living this lifestyle)
✅ Medical evacuation + other add-ons can also be added to your policy
What is not covered?
Cons:
❌ Routine checkups like dental, vision, and maternity care are not covered
❌ Any pre-existing conditions (which is fair as the plan isn’t meant to cover ongoing health conditions but rather things that can arise while travelling)
As we mentioned, this plan is great if you need travel insurance for your trip abroad for a month or two – or even a full year as you can get the Essential Plan as a year policy if you plan to be doing a lot of travelling.
What is SafetyWing’s Complete Plan?
If you’ve packed up everything back home and are ready to travel the world full-time with no home base in sight and no country to call home, the Complete Plan will be the stability in your life you need.
Honestly, it’s a game changer that SafetyWing created this plan as it makes figuring out the whole travel and health insurance for digital nomads super easy. The contracts are 12 months long because they are set up for nomads who are on the go all the time, unlike The Essential Plan.
It does give you complete coverage in your country of residency as well so if you do have a home base, this plan still works for you! It covers both ‘home’ and travel! Like we said, it’s a game changer and The Complete Plan is going to make life a lot easier for many nomads!
Here is a bit more information on what exactly SafetyWing’s Complete Plan covers and does not cover:
What is covered?
Pros:
✅ As the name indicates, “Complete” means you get everything in the essential plus some. This includes routine healthcare, mental health, and even maternity care
✅ Cancer screenings
✅ Therapies like chiropractor
✅ You have coverage for things like accommodation cancellation, burglaries, and delayed luggage too
What is not covered?
Cons:
❌ Very similar to the Essential Plan where pre-existing conditions are not covered, the same goes for the Complete Plan. However, if a condition occurs during your plan and you renew it for another year then that condition will be covered in the plan
The Complete Plan is an annual plan and what’s great about it is that if you pay annually (vs monthly), you get 10% off! (This is a great option if you’re travelling on a Working Holiday Visa).
Pricing for the SafetyWing nomad insurance
The pricing varies quite a bit between the two plans because they are both quite different…
The Essential Plan is more for the nomad who needs coverage for a few months at a time while travelling. If you have a home base and health insurance in your own country and just need travel insurance for a few months while on the road, then this plan is great!
On the other hand, you have the Complete Plan which is more if you’re looking to have your health and travel insurance all in one place. If you’ve moved abroad or are travelling full time and are looking to make things as easy as possible while ensuring you’re fully covered, then this plan is perfect for you!
SafetyWing Essential Plan: Starts at $56 / 4 weeks (cancel at any time)
SafetyWing Complete Plan: Starts at $150.5 / month (annual plans only)
Below you can see the basic difference + pricing models for the Essential Plan vs the Complete Plan:
Recap of SafetyWing’s travel insurance plans
Now you should have a good idea of what the difference is between the Essential Plan and the Complete Plan from SafetyWing – and which one better fits your needs!
In our opinion, SafetyWing is the best nomad insurance out there (read our comparison with World Nomads here) and they’re highly reputable. We’ve sadly had to make a claim through them before but the process was super easy and fast – and we really appreciate their chat box with real humans (no bots!) whenever we need their help.
If you have any questions about travel insurance or being a digital nomad, Feel free to DM us on Instagram @redwhiteadventures! We always love connecting with fellow nomads and travellers alike 🙂
And if you’re ready to join SafetyWing, you can sign up right here!
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