If I were to highlight one life lesson I learned from my 10+ years of solo travel experience is that travel mishaps are prone to happen to anyone. Take it from someone who fell ill on her first-ever solo trip, and many other adventures later, lost her luggage at least once, and had her flights delayed multiple times on a single day many times before. That’s why I believe travel insurance for solo travelers is non-negotiable; you just can’t travel without it.
Traveling alone poses unique challenges and risks, and navigating these situations by yourself can be nerve-wracking. That’s why it’s essential to choose a travel insurance plan that you fully trust to cover you when you need it. So, after a decade of solo traveling in my home country and abroad, I found a policy that matches exactly how we, solo travelers, actually travel: it’s SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance.
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What Solo Travelers Actually Need From Travel Insurance
Now that we’ve already established that solo travelers can’t afford not to be insured, let’s see what we actually need from it.
- Flexibility when plans change.
- Affordability.
- Worldwide coverage.
- Easy online claims.
- Adventure activity coverage.
- Coverage while traveling long-term.
- Ability to purchase after leaving home.
Why SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance Is a Great Travel Insurance for Solo Travelers
Flexible subscriptions
Solo travelers are often spontaneous, and that spontaneity requires flexibility. One of the things that makes Nomad Insurance a great travel insurance for solo travelers is the flexibility of its subscriptions. You’re billed monthly, or annually if you’re a digital nomad who’s constantly on the road. That also means you won’t be limited to fixed trip dates, so if you make any changes to your itinerary, you’re covered as long as they’re within your subscription period. Not to mention that you can cancel your subscription anytime.
The ability to buy it while already abroad
This one’s a huge selling point, especially for solo backpackers and digital nomads: you can purchase your plan after you travel. You don’t have to do this before your trip, and even if you do it the day before your flight or on the same day, your plan is only active after you cross a border.
Designed for long-term travel
Unlike many policies aimed at short vacations, Nomad Insurance bills you on a monthly basis, which is perfect for solo travelers who travel long-term. So, if you’re going on a multi-destination adventure, working remotely, or constantly on the road, this is the best travel insurance for solo travelers.
Emergency medical coverage
Like I said earlier, navigating travel challenges can be overwhelming when you’re all alone. Since Nomad Insurance is both a travel and a medical insurance, it helps you deal with all kinds of emergencies through one plan.
Medical emergencies covered vary depending on whether you choose the Essential or Complete plan. The Essential plan covers health basics like medical treatment and hospitalization, medical evacuation, and injuries from some sports and activities. On the other hand, the Complete plan covers all of that plus extras like mental health, wellness therapy like acupuncture, all sports and activities injuries, all motor accidents, and more.
Another perk I absolutely love about SafetyWing is their Nomad Care Map. If I get a dollar for every time I got sick while traveling alone, I’d be super rich. Traveling sick, especially when you’re a solo traveler, is insanely stressful. You’re all alone in a foreign country, where you possibly don’t speak the language, and you might be in need of finding a trusted doctor or hospital. The Nomad Care Map is a free resource that changes the travel game for us; the worldwide directory features doctors and healthcare providers’ reviews, created by nomads for nomads.
Travel interruptions
In case you were forced to cut a trip short due to unforeseen, covered emergencies like illness, injury, or severe weather conditions, you don’t have to worry about non-refundable trip costs. Nomad Insurance will reimburse you for unused trip costs, as well as extra expenses that arise. You can get up to USD 5,000 to return home.
Travel mishaps
The basics of travel insurance are covered, of course. You can receive USD 500 for a single stolen or lost checked item. As for delayed travel, you can get USD 60 for a 3-8 hour delay and USD 150 for 8+ hours. In the case of canceled or inaccessible accommodations, you get up to USD 150 per night and up to USD 300 per insurance period.
Adventure sports and electronics theft add-ons
A lot of solo travelers are often adventurers, so if you’re into hiking, scuba diving, surfing, or other outdoor activities, it’s worth choosing a policy that matches your travel style. Nomad Insurance offers an adventure sports add-on that covers a wide range of adventure sports. You can learn more about the activities covered and excluded here.
On the other side, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably traveling with expensive gadgets; be it your laptop for working remotely, camera, drone, AirPods, or simply your smartphone. When traveling with electronics and tech essentials, the risk of having them stolen can make you extra nervous. Luckily, there’s another add-on for electronics theft that saves you the worry and provides you with an extra layer of protection while on the road. These add-ons make Nomad Insurance a great travel insurance for solo travelers as it caters to such needs.
Cost Breakdown of This Travel Insurance for Solo Travelers
Since solo travel usually comes with extra costs, affordability is a crucial factor for any travel insurance for solo travelers. The monthly subscription model that SafetyWing offers makes its plan quite affordable and flexible, especially because there are two plans to choose from: Essential and Complete. Not to mention that the price depends on age, so millennial travelers, as well as Gen-Z and even Gen-Alpha, can save big time on insurance.
One of the things I personally love the most is that you can easily get a quote online with just a few clicks using SafetyWing’s pricing calculator.
Who It’s Best For
By now, you’re probably convinced that Nomad Insurance is great travel insurance for solo travelers, but which solo travelers? Here are all sorts of solo travelers that Nomad Insurance is ideal for:
- Solo backpackers
- Digital nomads
- Slow travelers
- Gap year travelers
- Remote workers
- Long-term travelers
- Travelers taking multiple trips per year
How to Sign Up
Signing up for Nomad Insurance is easier than ever; it only takes 4 easy steps. You’ll choose a plan, your home country, fill out your basic information, and get covered in minutes.
Final Thoughts
Solo travelers often have unpredictable itineraries, make last-minute changes, many of them work remotely, and all of them travel without a support system. All of these challenges are quite stressful, and can make finding suitable travel insurance for solo travelers overwhelming. But I’ve done all the research and guesswork for you. All you have to do is get a quote in a few seconds.
Booking a trip soon? Here are some useful travel resources:
- Book your flight with Skyscanner, Kiwi, CheapOair, or WayAway.
- Book your hostel with Hostelworld.
- Book your hotel with Booking.com.
- Get your travel insurance with SafetyWing.
- Hire a car with Skyscanner, Discover Cars, Rentalcars, or AutoEurope.
- Book your tours with Get Your Guide, Viator, Tiqets, or Klook.
- Download an eSIM from Airalo or Jetpac.
- Check out my trip planning tools for more travel resources.
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You might also like:
- Getting Sick on Vacation: The Ugly Side of Solo Travel
- Nomad Insurance: 6 Reasons Why Travel Insurance Is Essential
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Nadine is an Egyptian curly-head who decided to quit the norm because it just doesn’t suit her. She ditched her 9-5 as a magazine editor to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time digital nomad and to inspire aspiring travelers to embark on their own solo adventures.
