It’s a dream come true, your Round the World Trip is coming closer! However, before packing and flying away, this ultimate trip needs a few preparations. To make sure that the experience won’t be spoiled, it is important to spend a bit of time on choosing a good travel insurance. As there are many offers for travel insurances, it can be difficult to choose one. In this article, we will explain the reasons why you should get a backpacker travel insurance. We will then give you a few tips to help you find the one that suits you.
Compare travel insurance
Comparing the plethora of travel insurances out there is a tedious affair. First, have a look at what the backpacker travel insurance policies include. If you’re going on a round-the-world trip, they should definitely cover the majority of countries. You might have to decide whether you want to travel to the USA & Canada or to high-risk countries, as those are often excluded from a standard policy. Furthermore, they should offer a 24-hour emergency assistance. They should cover your luggage and personal belongings, travel documents, a minimum of 1,000,000 EUR of medical expenses and personal liability, repatriation, trip cancellation and curtailment costs. It’s a big plus if you can extend your insurance as you can’t plan your trip in detail. You might change your mind a few times on such a long journey.
There are a plethora of comparison websites with search engines that spit out an overwhelming number of travel insurances. It’s difficult to make a general comparison though, as individual interests and plans differ. We have been working successfully with the partners listed below. If their policies don’t meet your needs, you will surely find a travel insurance provider that offers what you want, when doing your own research.
We receive a fee when you get a quote using these links. We do not represent the insurances companies. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
Created by a passionate traveller, World Nomads‘ core concept is the ability to buy a travel insurance policy and extend it again and again as needed. World Nomads aims to cover trip essentials. Even if you run out of travel insurance or leave without it, you can still purchase it.
Established in 1999, Go Walkabout aims to provide quality insurance cover to UK residents. With the Long Stay & Backpacker Plans, you can find the perfect coverage for your trip around the world for a maximum duration of 2 years. Get 10% off your Travel Insurance with the promo code ABG10.
Safety Wing Insurance is designed to meet the medical and travel needs faced by Digital Nomads and remote workers while they are travelling the world. Nomad Insurance option provides coverage for those traveling outside their home country in case of illness or injury. Remote Health option is a fully-equipped health insurance for freelancers that works regardless of where you live, work or travel. Work from your home country, or any country you choose. Your insurance travels with you.
True Traveller offer three Policies on single trips, called True Value, Traveller and Traveller Plus. True Value is designed for travellers under 40 years of age, and is designed for last minute travellers and backpackers. The Traveller policy is designed for holiday makers and adventurous travellers alike, and Traveller Plus gives enhanced medical and cancellation cover.
To view the details of these policies, please refer to the general conditions of each insurance company.
Why get backpacker travel insurance?
When leaving your country, you usually lose your rights to your national health care system. For passport holders of member states of the European Union, if you are travelling in the European Union, you can get the European Health Insurance Card, that allows you to get treated in any European country at no cost for you.
When you are travelling outside of the European Union, know that any medical or hospital costs that you may need will be your responsibility, and it can quickly become a massive bill. Incidents under your civil liability and the protection of your property are not negligible.
Trips out of the European Union
During a trip to countries of the European Union, you are covered by the health care system of your country. To benefit of this, you first apply for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can apply for or renew your European Health Insurance Card if you’re from the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. This health card will allow you to get state healthcare in other EEA countries and Switzerland at a reduced cost or for free depending on the situation. You can apply for it online on the government website or at your public health insurance fund. It is valid for a maximum of 2 years. Outside of Europe, you will no longer be covered by the Social Security of your home country.
For UK citizens, you should have a UK Global Health Insurance Card or a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The UK Global Health Insurance Card(GHIC) replaces the EHIC and lets you get state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. If you have a UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) it will be valid until its expiration date. Once it expires, you’ll have to apply for a GHIC.
Credit card cover
If you use a standard Visa or MasterCard, the covers are virtually non-existent.
However, some Visa Premier or MasterCard Gold cards offer you travel insurance if you pay for your flight ticket using the card. However, they are usually limited to travel periods of less than 90 days. Also be cautious as the banks use high deductibles and have several exclusion clauses. In most cases these credit card travel insurances are insufficient but, discuss with your bank all the pros and cons.
Cost of medical care
The highest risks are obviously related to your health. A simple fracture could cost you thousands of dollars, potentially even more if there are complications. On top of the financial aspect, logistics also can cause a financial nightmare if you require repatriation. Plus, the recent pandemic showed us that we never know what can happened when we are ont he other side of the world !
In case of Luggage loss or theft
What’s more annoying than having your backpack stolen right in the middle of your long-awaited world trip? With the right insurance and luggage cover, this kind of situation would be easier to manage. When deciding on an insurance company make sure to thoroughly read through the terms and conditions as you want to avoid any bad surprises especially in the case of theft.
Overall, travelling with travel insurance is travelling with peace of mind. You’ll know that if insurance related problems were to occur, you will receive support to manage and rectify the situation.
How to choose your travel insurance plan?
To get the best backpacker travel insurance, it is not enough to choose the one that everyone else recommends to you or the one you hear about the most. Although the popularity of an insurance provider is a positive indication for their reliability, you should make your choice based on your individual needs and the way you travel. Generally speaking, here are some coverage criteria that you need to consider when choosing your worldwide travel insurance.
The length of your trip
First, it is important to determine how long your trip will take. You will be travelling around the world, so it won’t be a short one! A Round The World flight ticket is usually valid for twelve months.
You get travel insurance for a single trip for up to 6 months or multiple trips for long term travellers. Check that the travel insurance plan you intend to purchase covers you for your entire trip or that it can be renewed even if you are already on the roads.
The travel-related risks
When determining the risks you may be exposed to, you should think about:
- The countries of destination and the seasons you will be travelling there. You might need medical and evacuation coverage depending on your destination. Find out, what countries are covered by the travel insurance of your choice.
You usually have to choose between a worldwide coverage including or excluding US, Canada, and the Caribbean. So if you intend to travel in those countries, make sure you include them in your insurance plan. - The mode of transport you will use. The risks won’t be the same if you are riding a bike or if you only fly from point A to B.
- Standards of food hygiene and sanitation in the countries you are visiting.
- Your health. If you have a medical condition for example, you will probably need a higher coverage.
- The activities you will be doing. What would be a round the world trip without the fun of doing all kinds of activities. Some of these activities are riskier than others, and not all insurances are equal in coverage. For example, not every insurance company covers sports like scuba diving or surfing. Take this into account if you enjoy fun activities or if you want to learn.
⚠️ You must be aware that certain countries are not covered. This could be because of a war, the political situation etc. Make sure you verify with your insurance companies that you will be covered in EVERY country you will be visiting.
The reimbursements for medical expenses and hospitalisation
A crucial point of a backpacker insurance is the reimbursement for medical expenses and hospitalisation. You need to know how the insurance will cover you and how your expenses get reimbursed. Remember to keep all of your invoices as well as important forms and documents related to your claim.
Also check if there’s a support service included in the cover. You should be able to contact your insurance quickly and easy at any time (we don’t always have internet reception when travelling).
The repatriation assistance
In extreme cases, repatriation assistance is essential. For example, if you need surgery and you are in a country where medical care is not well-developed, your insurance covers your repatriation. You should also consider whether you want your insurance to reimburse a return ticket in the event of hospitalisation or death of a relative.
Luggage & Personal belongings Cover
When travelling for a long time, you are carrying everything you need with you. You also carry valuable goods such as camera, travel documents, jewellery etc. If your bag gets stolen or lost, you are going to be in a stressful situation having to replace all your belongings.
On a long trip like this one having a high luggage coverage is essential. Insurances offer different levels of coverage for belongings. These range from luggage delay on flights to theft. Carefully read the conditions! It’s often the case that electronic devices such as mobile phones or cameras are not covered.
Civil liability and legal assistance
In some situations (e.g. car accidents), you might be directly responsible for the consequences, in which case you will have to pay the costs. This could be for replacing property of a third party or even medical expenses.
Also make sure that legal assistance is included in the insurance package!
Cancellation insurance
Also remember to check whether your insurance includes coverage for cancellations: trip cancellations, hotel reservations, flight tickets etc.
In addition to the criteria in this list, read the general conditions of the insurance. You find information on the conditions of reimbursement, how you make claims, and the cases in which you won’t be covered.
Worldwide travel insurance including the USA and Canada
Perhaps you have already noticed that insurance companies offer worldwide travel insurance including or excluding the USA and Canada. Insurances that include the USA and Canada are more expensive. This is because the health care system in the USA and Canada is much more expensive than in other countries.
FAQ Backpackers Health Insurance
Don’t panic, you can still purchase travel insurance if you’re already overseas. Unfortunately you won’t be able to make a claim for an incident that already occured. Most insurance companies allow you to subscribe while already overseas (i.e.World Nomads, True Traveller, Safety Wing, etc).
Always check the following is covered: Medical treatment and repatriation, luggage and personal belongings, activities, holiday disruptions and cancellations.
Hopefully you won’t ever have to claim on your policy. However, it will give you peace of mind if something bad happens. Most policies for backpackers aren’t very expensive, so you will be able to find a cover without spending a lot.
Following the pandemic, most insurance companies have updated their products to cover you for all medical expenses related to Covid-19. Make sure to check this with the company prior subscribing.
Medical care in Australia can be expensive for travelers and visitors. So it is strongly recommended to have travel insurance when travelling to Australia.
Updated on 23/03/2023
