They say you don’t really need travel insurance until you do. I’ve found that out twice on my long eight year trip around the world.
The first time was Barcelona back in 2015, when my backpack got stolen while I was loading onto a bus. Everything I owned at the time was in it.
The second one was a lot more expensive. In 2024 I tore my distal bicep tendon clean off the bone during Muay Thai training in Thailand, and the doctors gave me 14 days to get surgery or live with a messed up arm for good. I had it repaired at Bangkok Hospital and the bill came to over $10,000 USD.
Between those two I haven’t spent a day without travel insurance. So when I sold my stuff and set off in 2018 on what turned into 8 years of full-time travel, insurance was one of the first things I sorted. The policy I went with was SafetyWing, and I’ve continued to use it in variation with other providers in regions spanning the Philippines, Uganda, Pakistan, Nepal, Colombia, and many more countries since.
Safetywing’s pricing and policy has changed slightly throughout the years, but here’s my honest review of Safetywing and how I think their policies hold up for adventure travelers today.
Quick disclosure: SafetyWing paid me to write this and I earn a commission if you buy through my links. They didn’t get to approve what I wrote, and my opinions are 100% my own.
My SafetyWing Review: The Short Version
SafetyWing's Nomad Essential plan currently costs $62.72 USD for 4 weeks if you're aged 18 to 39. At the moment that works out to about $2.24 USD a day, which is less than a coffee in most of the countries I've used it in.
For that you get $250,000 USD in medical coverage, emergency evacuation, and no deductible. You can buy it after you've already left home, you don't have to pick an end date, and you can pause it from the app between trips.
It's not the most comprehensive policy out there and it doesn't try to be. What it is, is the cheapest way I know of at the moment to never be uninsured on long trips.
Where it falls short: baggage is capped at $500 USD per item without the add-on, you're not covered at 4,500m or above unless you tick the adventure box, and there's no trip cancellation coverage at all.
In my opinion, these are all things you sacrifice to get good coverage for the essentials, without making insurance the most expensive item on your packing list.
Get a quote: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
So What Actually Is SafetyWing?
Safetywing caught my attention way back when I first left because it wasn't your standard, boring travel insurance. They offer coverage, but they're also helping build the framework of how nomadic work and travel looks in the future.
They launched in 2018, started by three Norwegians: Sondre Rasch, Sarah Sandnes, and Hans Kjellby. Rasch used to be a policy advisor for the Norwegian government, and the original idea was to take the Norwegian social safety net and rebuild it as something you could join from anywhere with wifi.
Travel medical insurance was the first product.
This is a different approach, a subscription rather than a trip policy. It renews every 28 days until you cancel it. It was built for people who haven't booked a flight home, which was exactly me in 2018.
Policies are underwritten by Tokio Marine, one of the biggest insurers in the world. When something actually goes wrong, the company paying your hospital bill is a massive Japanese insurer.
How Much Does SafetyWing Cost in 2026?
Nomad Essential starts at $62.72 USD per 4 weeks for ages 18 to 39. Per day, that's roughly $2.24 USD.
Prices step up in age brackets at 40, 50, and 60, and they climb quick. By the time you're in the 60 to 69 bracket you're paying several times the entry price, and they won't cover you at all past 69. If you're over 50, run a real quote before you assume this is the budget option, because when I told my parents about it, they told me it wasn't the cheapest at all.
There's no deductible on Essential anymore, so you're not covering the first chunk of every claim yourself. They dropped the old $250 USD deductible back in 2024 and to be honest it made the policy much better value on the small stuff.
Nomad Essential vs Nomad Complete
SafetyWing used to sell one plan. Now there are two, with a few add-on options as well.
| Nomad Essential | Nomad Complete | |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $62.72 USD / 4 weeks (ages 18 to 39) | $177.50 USD / month (ages 18 to 39) |
| What it is | Travel medical insurance | Closer to global health insurance |
| Medical limit | $250,000 USD | $250,000 USD |
| Deductible | None | None |
| Trip length | 5 to 364 days | Renews indefinitely |
| Routine care | No, emergencies only | Yes |
| Mental health | No | Yes |
| Maternity | No | Yes |
| Cancer treatment | No | Yes |
| Pre-existing conditions | No | Limited |
| Home country cover | 30 days per 90 abroad (15 if you're American) | No day limits |
I can't tell you what insurance to buy, but the simple way to decide, for me is that if you've still got health cover back home and you just want a safety net while you're away, that's what Essential is basically for.
On the other hand, if you've let your home cover lapse and this is the only insurance you've got, then Complete gets you routine checkups, mental health support, and the conditions Essential excludes. Even though it's nearly 3x the price, for some people (cough, USA cough), it's likely cheaper than your own insurance back home.
What Years on SafetyWing Looked Like
I bought SafetyWing in 2018 and kept it running through Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Colombia.
In that time I worked as a Dive Master in Thailand, fought Muay Thai, completed a 30-day mountaineering course in with the Indian military, and did several treks at altitude in the Himalayas. During most of that time, SafetyWing ws my coverage.
However, being honest, I never claimed on it. Twice I got close and didn't bother simply because the hospital fee was less than a few dollars. I had a fine-needle biopsy in the Philippines and a few stitches in Indonesia, and both were cheap enough that claiming would've cost me more in admin than the treatment cost in cash.
What I Actually Got For My Money
I know "I never claimed" can read like either a glowing review or a useless one. So let me be specific about what close to eight years at $2 a day actually bought me.
It bought me the ability and peace of mind to say yes.
Over 8 years I've been to plenty of places people told me not to go, and done a fair bit of stuff a sensible person would think twice about. I've never once stood at the edge of something interesting doing maths in my head about what happens if it goes wrong. The cost is about $2 a day, and I'd already paid it.
The Claim I Never Made, And The One I Did
In 2024 I tore my distal bicep tendon clean off the bone during Muay Thai training in Thailand. The doctors told me I had 14 days to get surgery or I'd have a messed up arm for life. Surgery at Bangkok Hospital came to over $10,000 USD.
During that time I'd switched to a competitor, so that claim went through them, not SafetyWing. They approved the pre-authorisation and settled with the hospital, so I never had to put a five-figure bill on my credit card. However, I was out of pocket around $2,000 USD for a surgical implant their policy didn't cover, which was in their terms, but I didn't look that deep when I first bought it.
I wrote about the whole claim here.
What I can tell you about claiming with SafetyWing is second-hand, so take it as that. Over many years living in hostels, guest houses, volunteer villages, and AirBnb's, I met plenty of travelers who did claim with them, and the story was consistent. Safetywing claims are almost always straightforward reimbursements, paid within a few weeks, all sorted through the app. The complaints I've seen since tend to be about repeated document requests rather than refusals to pay, which to be honest is pretty fair but a good reminder to keep your itemised receipts and a copy of the doctor's notes if you ever need to claim.
Where SafetyWing Doesn't Cover You
The 4,500m Altitude Line
The base plan stops at 4,500m (14,764 ft). Anything at or above that isn't covered at all unless you buy the Adventure Sports add-on, which runs about $10 USD per 4 weeks and lifts trekking and mountaineering coverage to 6,000m (19,685 ft).
For ten bucks that's the best value altitude coverage I've found anywhere. It's enough for Kilimanjaro at 5,895m (19,341 ft) and the Everest Base Camp trek at 5,364m (17,598 ft). It's not enough for Island Peak at 6,189m (20,305 ft) or Mera Peak at 6,476m (21,247 ft).
One thing almost nobody mentions: the add-on covers emergency medical evacuation, but not search and rescue. Out on a remote trail those are two very different things, and the difference decides whether a helicopter actually comes for you. If you're heading properly high, read my guide to high altitude trekking insurance, or run your trek through the free insurance calculator.
The $500 Per Item Gear Cap
Standard baggage coverage goes up to $3,000 USD per policy period, but it's capped at $500 USD per item, and it only applies to checked bags lost or damaged by an airline rather than gear nicked out of a hostel locker.
I shoot travel and adventure photos for a living, so a single camera body is worth several times that cap. This is the actual reason I started to move my policy elsewhere, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise in an honest review.
SafetyWing has since added an electronics theft add-on at around $10 USD per 4 weeks, covering $1,000 USD per stolen item up to $3,000 USD a year. If your kit is a laptop and a mid-range camera, that's usually enough (depending what you have).
NEW: Safetywing are running a promo where We Seek Travel readers can get 8 weeks of the electronics theft add-on completely free. Use code WESEEKTRAVEL
No Trip Cancellation
SafetyWing doesn't cover trip cancellation. If you've paid deposits on flights, tours, or trekking permits and you want that money protected, this isn't the policy for it.
Essential does cover trip interruption up to $5,000 USD, which is a different thing. It helps once you're already traveling, not before you go.
What I'd Change About SafetyWing
They asked for an honest review, so here's my list.
- Pay and claim instead of direct billing. Biggest weakness in my opinion. Fine for the small stuff, hard when it's a real emergency and you've got to front the money yourself.
- That $500 USD per item baggage cap. Pretty low for a policy sold to people whose laptop is their income.
- Pricing after 50. It climbs steeply and stops dead at 69, right around the age a lot of people finally get the time to travel long-term.
In my personal opinion, these shortfalls are the things I'd personally cut out of a policy if I could to save on the premium. For the price, these are items I'd happily forget about personally.
Who Should Actually Buy SafetyWing?
Get it if: you're traveling open-ended and can't name a return date, you want the cheapest reliable way to stay insured, you've already left home and need cover today, you want to pause and restart between trips, or you're trekking under 6,000m and you'll remember to tick the adventure box.
Look elsewhere if: you need trip cancellation cover, you carry expensive camera gear, you want a policy that bills the hospital directly, you're over 60, or you're heading above 6,000m.
SafetyWing vs The Alternatives
I've used the main three over the years, so here's the short version.
Heymondo has a higher medical ceiling and bills hospitals directly. They had an introductory pricing which beat Safetywing, which is why I swapped over at the time. However now their premiums have gone up and costs a bit more AND there's no home country cover. Full breakdown in my SafetyWing vs Heymondo comparison.
World Nomads is the adventure traveler's default and has higher altitude ceilings on some plans, but it's definitely the priciest of the three. I've written a SafetyWing vs World Nomads comparison too.
A rescue membership like Global Rescue is a completely different product. It's a field rescue service, not travel insurance, and for anything high altitude adventure I carry one on top of a normal policy rather than instead of one.
If you just want the cheapest thing that works for a long trip, I keep running lists in my guides to cheap backpacker travel insurance and insurance for long-term travel.
SafetyWing FAQ
The questions I get asked most about this policy.
Is SafetyWing legit?
Yes. It's a Norwegian company that's been running since 2018, and the policies are underwritten by Tokio Marine, one of the biggest insurers in the world. It sits at around 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot. I'll be straight though: I've never claimed with them myself, so I'm going on the underwriting and on other travelers' experiences here.
What travel insurance can I buy if I've already left my home country?
SafetyWing is the one I'd point you to. You can buy it mid-trip with no waiting period, which is rare. Most insurers either want you at home when you buy, or they'll make you wait 72 hours before your cover actually starts.
Does SafetyWing charge a deductible?
Not anymore. They scrapped the $250 USD deductible back in 2024, so Nomad Essential now pays from the first dollar of a covered claim. That made a real difference on the small stuff like a doctor's visit or a course of antibiotics, which is most of what actually goes wrong out here.
How fast does SafetyWing pay claims?
Most reimbursements land within two to four weeks of submitting through the app. I haven't claimed with them personally, but the travelers I met who did were paid out without much fuss. The delays I hear about almost always come back to missing paperwork, so keep your itemised receipts and grab a copy of the doctor's notes.
How can I get my electronics covered from theft?
Add the electronics theft add-on. It's around $10 USD per 4 weeks and covers $1,000 USD per stolen item, up to $3,000 USD a year. The standard baggage cover only does $500 USD per item and only applies to checked bags an airline loses, so if your laptop is your income, the add-on is doing the real work. NEW: Safetywing are running a promo where We Seek Travel readers will get 8 weeks of the electronics theft add-on free. Use code WESEEKTRAVEL
Does SafetyWing cover trekking at altitude?
Only up to 4,500m on the base plan, and nothing at or above that line without the Adventure Sports add-on. That's about $10 USD per 4 weeks and lifts you to 6,000m, which covers Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp but not Island Peak or Mera Peak. It covers emergency evacuation, not search and rescue.
Does SafetyWing include non-emergency benefits?
Only on Nomad Complete. Essential is emergency cover, so routine checkups, maternity, pre-existing conditions and cancer treatment are all excluded. Complete adds routine care, mental health support and maternity, which is why it costs roughly three times as much.
Does SafetyWing cover me in my home country?
Partly, which is unusual for travel insurance. On Essential you keep cover for 30 days per 90 days spent abroad when you visit home, or 15 days if you're American. Complete drops those limits. It's no replacement for proper health cover at home, but it's handy for trips back.
Is SafetyWing worth it?
Depends what you want it for. For open-ended travel where you can't name a return date, at $2.24 USD a day I reckon it's the best value going. If you need trip cancellation, you're carrying expensive gear, or you want a policy that bills the hospital directly, you'll want something else.
A Discount Worth Grabbing
If you've already made up your mind, there's a bit of money on the table. Use the code WESEEKTRAVEL when you buy Nomad Insurance Essential for the first time and you'll get 8 weeks of the electronics theft add-on free. Given the standard baggage cover caps out at $500 USD per item, that's the add-on I'd personally want switched on anyway.
I'd never pick an insurance policy over a freebie. But if it's the one you were buying anyway, no reason to leave it behind.
My Verdict
SafetyWing was the first travel insurance I ever bought for a proper long trip, and 8 years later I still reckon it's the right answer to one specific question: how do I stay insured indefinitely, cheaply, without knowing when I'm going home.
At $2.24 USD a day, with no deductible, no end date, and the ability to buy it from a hostel in Hanoi at midnight, SafetyWing does something the traditional travel insurance policies just can't. It makes staying insured so cheap and so easy that there's no good excuse not to be.
Get a quote: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
Prices and policy details were checked in August 2026. Insurance changes faster than anything else I write about, so always read the current policy wording before you buy.