How to Buy Travel Insurance After Departure or When Already Abroad (With COVID Coverage)

“I just got off my flight and I realized that I didn’t buy insurance that will cover my trip. I totally forgot about it! Is it still possible to buy travel insurance after departure?”
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– Jake D. from UK
So if you’re like Jake who overlooked buying one before his departure, do NOT fret! There are actually some insurers that allow you to renew, extend, and buy travel insurance after departure. Sure, there are only a few of them, but rest assured, they are reliable and I will be sharing their full details in this post!
I hope this guide helped give you some peace of mind as well as show your best options on how to buy travel insurance after departure!

Truth be told, I have used them in the past years for most of my travels!
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—until I discovered SafetyWing above. I switched to them mainly because World Nomad’s policy for Philippine citizens has changed (they passed things over to their partner: AXA). Not to mention the fact that World Nomads is a lot more expensive than SafetyWing if, let’s say, I want to avail a travel insurance for longer travel sprees.
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Insurance Companies

As previously written above, World Nomads does NOT cover pandemics, so COVID cover is technically not included in their plans. They currently have a Coronavirus FAQ page set up and you will see here that most nationalities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the UK are not eligible — however, World Nomads’ Travel Protection plan for USA and Canadian residents seemingly cover COVID-19 sickness.

• SafetyWing

BUT I do admit that World Nomads’ coverage includes FAR more than the former (especially when it comes to activities, health cover, and lost electronics/gear) which is great because you’ll be assured of quality service if worse comes to worst! Moreover, if your age is 60+, SafetyWing’s price becomes a lot more expensive than World Nomads!
As of August 2020, SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance and Remote Health plans covers COVID-19.

• Nomad Insurance: SafetyWing’s basic travel medical insurance product that covers travelers and nomads alike from all over the world.
  • COVERAGE: They offer amazing coverage perfect for those who lead a nomadic lifestyle, but they stress more focus on the medical aspect when you travel…
    • Medical — access a qualified global network of medical care for unexpected problems and accidents, covering doctors, hospitals, ambulance, emergency dental care, and emergency medical evacuation
    • Travel — includes coverage for: travel delay, travel interruption, lost checked luggage only, political evacuation, emergency response & natural disasters, and personal liability
    • Exclusions — lost tech gear, travel cancellation, high-risk sports activity done in a professional capacity, cancer treatment, and pre-existing disease or injury
  • OTHER PERKS: SafetyWing also offers these added benefits that are unlike other policies…
    • Limited coverage when you visit your home country (up to 30 days every 3 months).
    • 1 young child per adult or up to 2 per family, with ages between 14 days and 10 years old, can be included on your insurance without any added cost.
    • Pandemic and/or COVID-19 coronavirus coverage
  • COUNTRIES: Available for purchase in over 180 countries (Cuba, North Korea, and Iran are excluded)
  • DURATION: There is NO cap on the duration of travel.
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE: Offers 24/7 support with great response times and you can talk to a real person who is also a nomad!
  • PRICE: Starts at only $40 for every month or 4 weeks (for ages 18-39, and other ages are available at different price points). If you travel to the USA, it adds $31 per 4 weeks because medical services are a lot more expensive in that country. Nevertheless, this is 1/3rd of the price compared to other insurance companies that offer similar coverage.
    • It works like a subscription with automatic monthly payments that you can cancel at any time (it’s totally flexible and with no added fees when you suddenly cancel out of the blue!). From your chosen start date, your SafetyWing insurance automatically extends every 28 days until you pick an end-date. Rest assured, you can also get travel insurance that spans for days or weeks instead of on a per month basis.
  • For more info visit the Nomad Insurance page.
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• Remote Health (Nomads): A more comprehensive health insurance for traveling nomads and remote workers who plan to stay in one place for a longer period of time (may it be abroad or in their own home country). If you own a business composed of remote workers, they also offer an amazing Remote Health plan for companies.
  • COVERAGE: Up to $1Million per year on additional services not normally included in Nomad Insurance…
    • Hospital charges, medical practitioner and specialists fees
    • Cancer treatment
    • Day-patient and out-patient surgery
    • Drugs and dressings
    • In-patient emergency dental treatment
    • Diagnostic procedures
    • Rehabilitation
    • Emergency ambulances
    • Evacuation and repatriation
    • Newborn coverage
  • OTHER PERKS: SafetyWing also offers these added benefits…
    • Add-on options for out-patient and prescriptions, dental, $0 deductible as well as USA, HK and SG coverage
    • Pandemic and/or COVID-19 coronavirus coverage
  • COUNTRIES: 175 + countries with full coverage and emergency coverage (Cuba, North Korea, and Iran are excluded)
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE: Offers 24/7 support with great response times and you can talk to a real person who is also a nomad!
  • PRICE: Starts at only $153 per month (for ages 18-39, and other ages are available at different price points).
    • It works like a subscription with automatic monthly or yearly payments that you can cancel at any time (it’s totally flexible and with no added fees when you suddenly cancel out of the blue!).

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• World Nomads

PACKING: Check out my list of packing guides — or check out my carry-on packing checklist to ensure that you don’t leave without the essentials!
NOT a lot of travel insurance companies cover pandemics or epidemics so always make sure to read the fine print. Currently, the aforementioned insurers have the following policies regarding cover if in case you get infeected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

World Nomads is another company that is a favorite among a lot of travelers and nomadic workers. Launched in 2002, it has an established record that’s why I’m sure you’ve probably heard of them by now given that a lot of publications and bloggers have placed it as the ‘best travel insurance’.
For a complete list of travel resources:

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• COVERAGE: World Nomads offers detailed coverage that is perfect for those who want something ‘more’, and they currently have product options of Standard and Explorer (the latter covers more extreme sports activities).
  • Standard
    • Emergency medical expenses overseas
    • Unlimited medical transport & repatriation home (including local funeral)
    • Accompanying person
    • Prescribed physiotherapy
    • Counseling services
    • Out-of-pocket expenses in the hospital
    • Emergency dental treatment
    • Pre-trip cancellation
    • Trip interruption
    • Travel delays
    • Trip resumption
    • Natural catastrophe
    • Lost, damaged, and delayed baggage and tech/electronics
    • Personal Liability
    • Some adventure & sport activities
    • COVID-19 Coverage (limited to certain nationalities)
  • Explorer — all of the above benefits plus…
    • Personal accident
    • Student loan and credit repayment
    • Missed connection
    • Hijack
    • Money theft
    • Rental car excess
    • Replacement of car rental keys
    • Most adventure & sport activities
  • Exclusions — Pandemics, acts of war, civil unrest, pre-existing medical conditions, and check-ups
• COUNTRIES: Worldwide, no limit on countries (but some policies may change depending on the country you’re traveling to or on your citizenship).
• DURATION: There is NO cap on the duration of travel.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: Offers 24/7 support
• PRICE: Starts at about $110~ (standard plan) and $200~ (explorer plan) per month
  • You can also get travel insurance that spans for a few days or weeks instead of on a per month basis
• For more info visit the World Nomads’ page.

ALWAYS read the fine print whenever you buy travel insurance after departure — or basically, just about any type of insurance that you buy. Otherwise, you might be paying for something that doesn’t actually cover the ones that you’ll be needing. So choose wisely! To start off, here are some of the factors that you should keep in mind when buying the best travel insurance.

• Allianz

ALWAYS read the fine print whenever you buy travel insurance after departure — or basically, just about any type of insurance that you buy. Otherwise, you might be paying for something that doesn’t actually cover the ones that you’ll be needing. So choose wisely! To start off, here are some of the factors that you should keep in mind when buying the best travel insurance.

• Coverage Summary: Comparison Table

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You can read all about it here.
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COVID-19 Coverage

You can read all about it here.
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» What To Look For In a Travel Insurance Plan

You can read all about it here.
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» Tips Before You Go

You can read all about it here.
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