Essential
US$62.72
every four weeks for ages 18–39
Designed primarily for unexpected illnesses, injuries and selected travel problems while you are abroad.
Can You Buy Travel Insurance While You’re Already Abroad?
Yes, you can. Here’s what every digital nomad, remote worker and long-term traveller should know before buying travel insurance after they’ve already left home.
Imagine this.
You’re a few weeks into what was supposed to be a short trip. You’ve extended your stay once already, you’re thinking about heading to another country next month, and you realise that your original insurance policy is running out. So you start to look for policies online.
Almost immediately, you run into problems. One insurer wants the date you left your home country. Another asks when you’ll be flying home. A third asks you to choose a single destination, even though you’ve already visited three and haven’t decided where you’ll go next. Before you’ve even looked at what’s covered, you’re trying to answer questions that don’t really apply to the way you’re travelling.
At this point you’ll be wondering if there’s any way to buy insurance when you’re already abroad.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that you need to choose both the right provider and the right policy. There are now a number of insurers that allow you to buy on the road, but here we’re looking at SafetyWing to show how this kind of policy works, and how it’s different from traditional insurance. It’s one of the names we hear recommended most often within the digital nomad community, which made it a sensible place to start.
Providers such as SafetyWing have developed digital nomad health insurance for long-term travellers, allowing travellers to purchase cover even after they’ve started their journey. A team of Norwegians founded it to bring the social safety net they grew up with in Norway to people living borderless lives. They started with travel insurance, now offering income protection, visa assistance, parental leave and more, through their latest plan, Nomad Citizen.
SafetyWing’s Essential plan starts from around US$2 per day, making it an affordable option for many people travelling long-term rather than taking a traditional holiday. Of course, price should never be the only factor when choosing travel insurance. Understanding how the policy works, what it covers and where its limitations are is just as important.
Why Traditional Travel Insurance Doesn’t Always Work
Traditional travel insurance was never designed for someone spending six months moving between countries while working remotely. Its original purpose was relatively straightforward. You left home for a fixed period, travelled to one or two destinations and returned before the policy expired. Every part of the journey could be planned in advance, making it relatively simple for insurers to calculate risk.
Location-independent travel rarely works like that anymore. Many digital nomads leave home without booking a return flight. Others know roughly where they’ll be over the next few months but leave plenty of room for flexibility. Recommendations from other travellers, networking opportunities, visa changes and seasonal weather often influence where they go next far more than a carefully planned itinerary.
If you’ve been to any of our Coworking Days meet ups, you’ve likely met plenty of people in the same boat. Someone attends one of our pop ups in Barcelona before deciding to continue to Lisbon after hearing positive reviews from other members. Another arrives in Bansko for a conference, discovers the local community and stays for the rest of the summer. Others begin travelling through Southeast Asia with no intention of visiting Japan until someone recommends an event taking place the following month.
Historically, buying travel insurance after departure wasn’t always possible. Many insurers required travellers to purchase cover before leaving their home country, effectively closing the door once the journey had begun. That approach worked when international travel was largely built around holidays. Recognising this shift, some insurers have adapted their products to support people who travel for longer periods and don’t always know when they’ll return home.
SafetyWing is one example. Its Nomad Insurance was created specifically with digital nomads, remote workers and long-term travellers in mind. Eligible travellers can purchase cover while already abroad, removing one of the biggest frustrations faced by people whose original plans have changed unexpectedly. That flexibility alone makes it very different from many traditional travel insurance policies.
However, buying insurance after departure doesn’t mean every situation is automatically covered. Different insurers apply different eligibility rules, waiting periods and exclusions. Depending on your circumstances, cover may not begin immediately or certain existing medical situations may not be included. Reading the policy wording carefully before purchasing remains a key step regardless of which provider you choose.
Why SafetyWing Stands Out: Plans and Pricing
SafetyWing offers two insurance plans suitable for digital nomads or anyone else who wants to buy insurance while they’re already overseas: Essential and Complete.
If you’re looking for cover while travelling, the Essential Plan is the one most digital nomads and long-term travellers will be considering. Starting at $2 per day, it’s travel medical insurance, designed to protect you against unexpected illnesses and injuries while you’re abroad, alongside a number of travel-related benefits.
Coverage includes emergency medical treatment and hospitalisation, emergency medical evacuation, treatment following motor accidents (provided you meet the policy requirements), injuries from many leisure sports, travel delays, lost checked luggage, trip interruption due to the death of a family member and evacuation caused by local unrest. The plan also includes up to 30 days of medical coverage when you’re back in your home country during the policy period. Plus kids under 10 can be added to the Essentials plan for free.
It’s also possible to buy 1 year coverage ahead, unlocking:
- 10% discount;
- 90 days home trips instead of 30 days, for a total of up to 179 days of home coverage each year;
- $150 preloaded debit card to pay for smaller claims
For many digital nomads, that’s exactly what’s needed. Most people aren’t worried about routine healthcare while they’re travelling, they’re worried about the unexpected. That could be anything from a nasty bout of food poisoning that lands you in hospital for a couple of nights to breaking your wrist after coming off a scooter. They’re the sort of situations you hope never happen, but they’re also the ones that can become very expensive very quickly if you’re paying out of pocket.
The Complete Plan is aimed at a different type of traveller. Rather than functioning purely as travel medical insurance, it’s designed as an ongoing global health insurance solution for people spending extended periods abroad, priced from $6 per day. Alongside emergency care, it includes routine healthcare, outpatient treatment, wellness benefits, mental health support, and cancer treatment. It also includes a $500 virtual payment card so that you don’t need to pay out of pocket and cover that continues in your home country, making it more suitable for people who want comprehensive healthcare rather than emergency travel cover alone.
For most of our CoWorking Days community, the Essential plan is likely to be the better fit. If you’re travelling between countries, working remotely and simply want reliable protection against unexpected medical emergencies while abroad, it covers the core risks without paying for healthcare features you may never use. On the other hand, if you’ve effectively moved overseas and want a long-term replacement for traditional health insurance, the Complete plan is worth considering because it’s designed for ongoing healthcare as well as travel.
Whichever plan you choose, it’s still worth reading the full policy wording before purchasing. Insurance products change over time, and the exact benefits, limits and exclusions will depend on the plan you select and your personal circumstances.
What SafetyWing Doesn't Cover
No travel insurance policy covers every possible situation, and understanding the limitations before you buy is just as important as understanding what’s included. Like most travel medical insurance providers, SafetyWing has exclusions that travellers should be aware of.
For example The Complete plan can only replace comprehensive private health insurance for someone settling permanently in another country if they don´t have pre-existing medical conditions.
Pre-existing medical conditions are an area that deserves careful attention. As with many insurers, these aren’t generally covered unless specifically stated in the policy. If you have an existing health condition, it’s essential to read the policy wording carefully before purchasing so you understand exactly what is and isn’t included.
So consider it as being intended for people who are travelling or living a location-independent lifestyle rather than establishing long-term residency overseas.
Travellers should also pay close attention if they plan to take part in higher-risk activities. While many everyday activities are covered, some adventure sports, professional sports and specialist activities may require additional protection or fall outside the standard policy.
It’s equally important to understand that travel insurance isn’t designed to cover every inconvenience you might experience while travelling. Situations involving known events, travelling against official government advice or circumstances specifically excluded within the policy terms won’t usually be covered.
None of these exclusions are unusual. In fact, they’re common across the travel insurance industry. The important point is that understanding them before purchasing helps you choose the right product for your own travel style rather than discovering a limitation when you need to make a claim.
Plan comparison
SafetyWing Essential vs Complete
Both plans can be purchased while you are already abroad, but they are designed for different needs. Essential focuses on unexpected medical problems while travelling, while Complete adds ongoing healthcare and broader travel protection.
Complete
US$177.50
per month for ages 18–39
Broader ongoing healthcare that includes routine treatment, outpatient care and additional travel benefits.
| Policy feature | Essential | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Travellers who mainly want protection against unexpected medical emergencies. | Long-term nomads who also want routine and ongoing healthcare. |
| Buy while already abroad | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum medical cover | US$250,000 | US$1,500,000 |
| Policy duration | Up to 364 days at a time. | Renewable indefinitely, subject to the policy terms. |
| Unexpected illness and injury | Included | Included |
| Hospital stays and surgery | Included For eligible unexpected conditions. | Included Subject to medical necessity and policy limits. |
| Routine doctor appointments | Not generally included | Included Subject to the outpatient limit. |
| Outpatient care | Unexpected conditions only | Up to US$5,000 |
| Preventive care and vaccines | Not included | Up to US$350 |
| Mental health support | Routine care not included | Included Eligible psychologist or psychiatrist visits are subject to plan limits. |
| Cancer treatment | Not included | Included Subject to eligibility and the overall policy limit. |
| Maternity care | Not included | Limited cover Waiting periods and benefit limits apply. |
| Emergency medical evacuation | Included | Included |
| Lost checked luggage | Included | Included |
| Travel delays | Included | Broader protection |
| Trip cancellation | Not generally included | Limited cover |
| Coverage in your home country | Up to 30 days during the policy period. | No general home-country coverage restriction. |
| Pre-existing conditions | Not generally covered | Not generally covered |
| Optional add-ons | US cover, adventure sports and electronics theft may be available. | Regional cover, dental and electronics theft may be available. |
Essential is likely to suit you when...
You are travelling between countries and mainly want affordable cover for unexpected illness, injury, hospital treatment and common travel disruptions.
Complete is likely to suit you when...
You are living abroad for longer and want routine appointments, outpatient care and broader ongoing health insurance alongside travel protection.
This comparison is a general editorial summary and is not personal insurance advice. Prices, benefits, limits, eligibility and exclusions can change. Check the latest plan documents and personalised quotation before purchasing.
Compare SafetyWing Plans
Check the latest prices and coverage options based on your age, destination and travel plans.
View Plans and PricesWho Should (and Shouldn't) Choose SafetyWing?
No travel insurance provider is the perfect choice for every traveller, and that’s true of SafetyWing as well. Where it stands out is for people whose travel style doesn’t fit the assumptions built into traditional holiday insurance.
If you’re travelling for several months, working remotely, moving between multiple countries or simply don’t know exactly when you’ll return home, the flexibility offered by SafetyWing is among its biggest strengths. Being able to buy cover after you’ve already left home, combined with pricing that starts from around $2 per day, makes it particularly attractive for digital nomads and long-term travellers.
If you’re taking a one or two-week holiday with fixed travel dates, a traditional single-trip travel insurance policy may still be the simplest option. Likewise, if you’re relocating permanently to another country or need comprehensive private health insurance rather than travel medical insurance, you’ll probably want to look at products designed specifically for those situations.
The important thing isn’t choosing the insurer with the biggest marketing budget or the cheapest premium, it’s choosing one that matches the way you actually travel.
For a broader overview of the different types of cover available, read our ultimate insurance guide for digital nomads.
The Verdict
Travel insurance is one of those things that’s easy to put off because, most of the time, nothing goes wrong. It’s only when plans change, you end up staying longer than expected or something unexpected happens that you realise how important it is that you’re covered.
There is no shortage of insurers out there, but SafetyWing stands out by acknowledging that not everyone travels the same way anymore. If your trip looks more like a series of decisions than a carefully planned itinerary, it feels like a product that’s been built with that in mind.
For our CoWorking Days community, that’s probably the biggest takeaway. If you’re heading off on a package holiday with flights and accommodation booked months in advance, you may well find a traditional travel insurance policy that suits you perfectly. But if you’re already on the road, working remotely or simply leaving room for your plans to evolve, SafetyWing is among the few providers that genuinely fits that style of travel.
If you’re comparing your options, it’s certainly one we’d have on the shortlist.
SafetyWing Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy SafetyWing travel insurance after you’ve already started travelling?
Yes. One of SafetyWing’s main advantages is that eligible travellers can purchase cover even after leaving their home country. Always check the latest eligibility rules and waiting periods before purchasing.
How much does SafetyWing cost?
The Essential Nomad Insurance plan starts from around $2 per day for eligible travellers, although the exact price depends on factors such as your age and add-ons, or if it’s purchased for 1 year instead of a monthly subscription (1 year gets 10% off)
Is SafetyWing good for digital nomads?
It’s specifically designed for digital nomads, remote workers and long-term travellers whose trips don’t always have fixed end dates. That’s one of the main reasons it has become so popular within the location-independent community.
Does SafetyWing replace private health insurance?
No. It’s designed as travel medical insurance rather than comprehensive private health insurance for permanent residents abroad, but the Complete plan is essentially a private health insurance plan, with the advantage of being available in 170+ countries, including at home.
What doesn’t SafetyWing cover?
Like all travel insurance providers, SafetyWing has exclusions. These may include pre-existing medical conditions, certain higher-risk activities and situations specifically excluded in the policy wording. Always read the latest terms before purchasing.
Is SafetyWing better than traditional travel insurance?
It depends on how you travel. For a short holiday with fixed dates, The Essential plan can work, but traditional travel insurance may still be the better fit. For long-term travel, remote work and flexible itineraries, SafetyWing offers several advantages that traditional policies often don’t.
This article was created in partnership with SafetyWing. CoWorking Days may receive compensation if you purchase a policy through links in this post. That said, the opinions and analysis shared here are our own and are based on our independent research and community experience.
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