When traveling abroad, having insurance is a must. Unexpected events like medical emergencies, trip cancellations, or lost belongings can be both costly and stressful. For digital nomads who move between countries for extended periods, choosing the right insurance is key to ensuring comprehensive coverage and peace of mind.
In this article, we’ll break down the differences between travel insurance and international health insurance, helping you pick the best coverage for your digital nomad journey abroad.
Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Travel Insurance = Essential Coverage for Short-Term Travel
- What’s Covered?
- Who’s it For?
- Health Insurance for Nomads = Comprehensive Care When You’re Far from Home
- What’s Covered?
- Who’s it For?
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Complete Plan
- About SafetyWing
- How to Choose the Right Insurance for Digital Nomads
- Travel Insurance
- Health Insurance
- Frequently Asked Questions about Health Insurance Digital Nomads
- Securing Your Health and Peace of Mind
Key Takeaways
- International Health Insurance: Covers comprehensive medical care, including routine check-ups, specialist visits, maternity care. Ideal for long-term stays abroad.
- Travel Insurance: Covers medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost baggage. Best for short-term trips.
- Complete Plan by SafetyWing: Offers global health insurance coverage in over 180 countries, with 24/7 support, easy claims, and fast reimbursement, tailored for digital nomads.
Travel Insurance = Essential Coverage for Short-Term Travel
Travel insurance is designed to cover the costs and losses associated with traveling. It offers financial protection against unexpected events before or during a trip, such as emergency medical expenses, trip cancellations or interruptions, lost or delayed baggage, and travel delays.
This type of insurance is perfect for short-term trips like vacations or business trips, focusing mainly on emergencies and travel-related issues. However, it doesn’t cover routine check-ups or specialist doctor visits, making it less ideal for digital nomads who need comprehensive healthcare for extended periods.
What’s Covered?
Travel insurance typically covers:
- Emergency Medical Treatment: Covers hospital stays, surgeries, and emergency medical evacuations.
- Trip Cancellations or Interruptions: Reimburses non-refundable trip costs if you need to cancel or cut short your trip due to covered reasons.
- Lost Luggage: Compensates for lost, stolen, or delayed baggage.
- Travel Delays: Provides compensation for additional expenses incurred due to travel delays.
Who’s it For?
While perfect for short trips, travel insurance is not ideal for long-term digital nomads. It focuses on emergencies and does not cover regular medical care or chronic conditions, which are crucial for those living abroad long-term.
Travel Medical Insurance
For digital nomads who are away for a short period and need emergency coverage, consider travel insurance like Nomad Insurance Essential Plan by SafetyWing.
Health Insurance for Nomads = Comprehensive Care When You’re Far from Home
Health insurance for digital nomads is designed to provide comprehensive medical coverage for individuals living and traveling abroad for extended periods.
When you’re living abroad for an extended period, there will inevitably be times when you need to see a specialist—whether it’s a dermatologist, gynecologist, or mental health professional. You might also want to schedule routine check-ups, get vaccinated, or seek treatments like chiropractic care.
Unlike travel insurance, health insurance covers a wider range of medical services beyond emergencies, including preventative care, mental health support and maternity. This type of insurance ensures that digital nomads have access to consistent and quality healthcare regardless of their location, making it an essential investment for those who travel long-term and require ongoing medical attention.
It’s important to note that digital nomad visas offered by many countries do not provide access to local health insurance. Digital nomads must have their own insurance to cover healthcare needs, often with specific coverage requirements. For instance, the Japanese digital nomad visa mandates medical insurance with a minimum coverage of 10 million JPY.
What’s Covered?
Health insurance designed for digital nomads and expats provides more extensive coverage than standard travel insurance.
In addition to protection for trip interruptions and medical emergencies (What a travel insurance covers), it includes benefits like routine check-ups, specialist visits – long-term care while living abroad.
For example, here are some of the coverage included in the Complete Plan of SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance:
- Routine check-ups: regular medical examinations and preventive care like vaccines.
- Doctor and specialist visits: such as a dermatologist or gynaecologist.
- Maternity care: routine care during pregnancy, labor and after-labor care.
- Mental health: visits with a psychologist or psychiatrists
- Cancer tests & treatments: including chemotherapy, radiation, medications and more
- Coverage in the country of residence: includes both the resident country and any other destinations visited, excluding countries or regions under sanctions.
Who’s it For?
International health insurance is perfect for digital nomads or remote workers on long-term stays abroad, typically over a year. This type of insurance is designed to ensure continuous healthcare no matter where you are located, making it an essential investment for those who travel and live in different countries for extended periods.
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Complete Plan
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance has 2 types. While Essential Plan covers emergency medical care and travel-related issues, Their Complete Plan is tailored for digital nomads and remote workers, offering global coverage including home country visits. It provides:
- 24/7 Human Customer Support: You can reach their customer support quickly via live chat anytime.
- Easy Claims Processing: Streamlined process for submitting and tracking claims.
- Fast Reimbursement: Quick turnaround for reimbursing medical expenses.
- Wide Range of Coverage: From emergency care to routine check-ups, ensuring all medical needs are met.
About SafetyWing
SafetyWing offers various types of insurance tailored specifically for digital nomads, including their comprehensive Nomad Health insurance. Their plans are designed to meet the unique needs of individuals who live and work internationally, providing extensive coverage and support.
With SafetyWing’s Nomad Health, digital nomads can access any licensed doctor or hospital worldwide, making it an ideal choice for those living and traveling internationally. For more details, visit SafetyWing Website.
How to Choose the Right Insurance for Digital Nomads
So, how can you choose the right insurance?
Start by evaluating the length of your stay and your healthcare needs. If you’re on a short trip and need coverage for emergencies and travel-related issues, travel insurance is the way to go. If you plan to stay abroad for over six months or a year and require comprehensive medical care, international health insurance is essential.
Consider your travel habits, health conditions, and the types of medical services you might need while abroad to make the best decision.
Travel Insurance
Choose travel insurance if:
- Your trip is short-term.
- You need coverage primarily for emergencies and travel-related issues.
Health Insurance
Opt for health insurance if:
- You are a digital nomad or remote worker on a long-term stay abroad (eg. over a year)
- You need coverage for emergencies and travel-related issues.
- You need comprehensive medical coverage, including routine and preventive care.
Frequently Asked Questions about Health Insurance Digital Nomads
No, travel insurance and health insurance for digital nomads are not the same. Travel insurance typically covers short-term trip interruptions or emergencies, while digital nomad health insurance includes ongoing medical coverage, including routine check-ups and preventative care.
When choosing health insurance for digital nomads, it’s important to consider global coverage, emergency services, and flexible policy terms. Look for a provider that understands the unique lifestyle of remote workers abroad.
Absolutely. Even if you’re young and in good health, a travel insurance for digital nomads is crucial in case of unexpected illnesses, accidents, or emergency medical evacuations. If you are planning a long-term travel or settle in a foreign country on digital nomad visa, a complete health insurance is recommended which covers more than emergencies.
SafetyWing’s Complete Plan is designed to cover comprehensive heal insurance for long term, perfect for digital nomads and expats who need to take care of their health while staying abroad for more than a year.
The cost of digital nomad health insurance varies depending on factors such as age, and coverage regions. For example, SafetyWing’s Complete Plan for age 18-39 costs $161.50 monthly, with 12-month commitment.
Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered by travel health insurance. Any new conditions that arise while you are already covered will continue to be covered as long as the plan is renewed.
Securing Your Health and Peace of Mind
Understanding the differences between travel and health insurance is crucial for digital nomads. Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies and travel-related issues, while international health insurance is essential for long-term stays, providing comprehensive medical care.
By assessing your travel duration, healthcare needs, and potential risks, you can choose the right insurance to ensure your health and peace of mind during your travels. SafetyWing’s Nomad Health offers an excellent option for those needing extensive coverage while living and traveling abroad.
