Insurance for Digital Nomads: A Comprehensive Guide

This article contains affiliate links to Genki. If you sign up through them, Start Loaded may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend cover I use myself.

A few years ago my insurance ran out while I was abroad. Then a sea urchin put me in a hospital I did not trust, and I paid for everything myself. I wrote about it in the story of my sea urchin epidural. Since then I have never travelled without cover.

Insurance is the least exciting part of being a digital nomad, and one of the most important. This guide explains the types of insurance you might need, how to choose, and what I use myself. At the end you will find every guide I have written on the subject.

What a digital nomad needs to protect

A digital nomad works remotely and travels regularly. If you are new to the idea, start with what a digital nomad actually is. The freedom is real, and so are the risks:

• Your health. A broken wrist, a fever or a scooter crash abroad can cost more than a year of cover.
• Your trip and your things. Cancelled flights, delays, lost luggage and stolen laptops.
• Your business. Claims from clients, and anything you sell.

Health comes first. You can replace a laptop. You cannot replace a missed diagnosis.

Health insurance for digital nomads

There are four main options. Which one fits depends on how long you travel and whether you still have healthcare at home.

Travel health insurance

Built for the unexpected while you travel: accidents, sudden illness, hospital stays and getting you home if it is medically necessary. It usually excludes conditions you already had, routine checkups and most dental care. It suits trips, gap years and nomads who still have healthcare at home.

International health insurance

Sometimes called expat health insurance. It works more like health insurance at home, with doctor visits, ongoing conditions and, on higher plans, dental, mental health and checkups. It costs more and suits people who live abroad for years. I compare the two in travel health insurance vs international health insurance.

Local health insurance

If you settle in one country, local cover can be cheaper and some countries require it for residents. It usually only works in that country, so you still need something for trips elsewhere.

Your home country’s healthcare

Some public systems help you abroad. A UK Global Health Insurance Card, for example, gives access to state healthcare in the EU. It does not replace insurance: it will not fly you home or pay for private clinics.

Travel insurance for digital nomads

Travel insurance protects the trip rather than your body. Typical cover includes:

• Cancellation and interruption. Money back if you cannot travel for a covered reason.
• Delays. Meals and a hotel if your flight is badly delayed.
• Luggage and belongings. Lost bags and, on some policies, stolen equipment. Check the limit for laptops and cameras, because it is often low.

Some credit cards include travel insurance, so check yours before you buy a separate policy. Read the conditions, not the advert.

Liability insurance for digital nomads

If you freelance, a client can blame you when something goes wrong. Professional liability insurance, sometimes called professional indemnity, pays for your defence and any compensation. If you sell physical products, look at product liability too. If you rent a car, check what liability the rental includes. Rules differ by country, so speak to an insurer or broker where your business is registered.

Other insurance to consider

• Equipment cover for laptops, cameras and drones.
• Life insurance if people depend on your income.
• Pet insurance if your pet travels with you.

How to choose the right insurance

1. Start with how you really travel. Two weeks, one year or no end date need different products.
2. Check where you will be. Healthcare in the USA and Canada is expensive, so many policies limit it or charge more.
3. Check your sports and activities. Surfing, cycling, diving, scooters, trekking and snow sports all have conditions.
4. Read the exclusions. Existing conditions, mental health and dental care are the common gaps.
5. Avoid gaps between policies. Start the new one before the old one ends. If you have already left without cover, here is how to buy travel insurance when you are already abroad.
6. Compare prices for your age. Most health cover is priced by age.

What I use: Genki

I use Genki because it was built for people like me who are rarely in their home country. The first time I signed up it took me less than five minutes. Genki is health insurance, not travel or liability insurance, and it has two plans.

Genki Traveler

Travel health insurance for frequent and long term travellers. Under its current insurance conditions:

• It covers unexpected illness and injury worldwide for up to 12 months, up to €1 million.
• It is open to people from any country, up to age 69 when cover starts.
• You pay monthly and can cancel online any time after the first month.
• You can sign up from home or while you are already travelling. If you are already abroad with no previous cover, only emergencies are covered for the first 14 days.
• Hospital stays are paid directly by their 24 hour emergency assistance team.
• You pay the first €50 of each case. There is no deductible for hospital stays.
• Most sports are covered. Some have limits, such as diving down to 30 metres, trekking up to 4,000 metres and skiing on marked runs only.
• It excludes conditions you already had, mental health care, checkups and dental care except after an accident.

Your price depends on your age, start date and region, so Genki does not publish one price. You can check the price of Genki Traveler for your age.

Genki Native

Long term international health insurance for nomads, expats and families. It has no end date and you can join up to age 55. The Basic plan covers doctor visits, hospital stays and medical procedures up to €1 million. Premium raises that to €3.5 million and adds dental care, vision, mental health care and €500 a year for checkups and vaccinations. Genki lists Basic from €189 a month for ages 20 to 24 with no deductible.

The plan I first signed up for, Genki Explorer, is no longer sold. If you read an older review that mentions it, Traveler is the plan to look at now.

All my travel insurance guides

I publish new guides every week. Start with the one that matches your situation.

Before you go

• Travel health insurance vs international health insurance: which one do you need?
• Can you buy travel insurance when you are already abroad?
• Gap year travel insurance: how to stay covered for a year away
• Does travel insurance cover pre existing conditions?

Sports and adventures

• Travel insurance for surfing: what to check before a surf trip
• Cycling travel insurance for cycle tours and bike holidays
• Travel insurance for snowboarding
• Does travel insurance cover scooters and motorbikes abroad?
• Altitude sickness and travel insurance: trekking high without the risk

Destinations

• Travel insurance for Bali: what you need before you go
• Travel insurance for the USA: what to check before you fly

When something goes wrong

• What to do if you get sick or injured abroad
• Dental emergency abroad: what to do and what insurance covers
• How to claim on travel insurance: the paperwork that gets you paid
• Medical repatriation: when travel insurance flies you home
• The sea urchin epidural that taught me to never travel uninsured

Travel free, travel covered

The right insurance is the one that fits the way you really live. Sort it before you need it, then go and enjoy the freedom. If you want help with the business side of nomad life, read the 5 mistakes people make when becoming digital nomads.