When I quit my job to travel full time back in 2022, I no longer had affordable health insurance. Getting a policy through one of the big carriers like Blue Cross or Kaiser Permanente was going to cost me an arm and a leg – that was out of the question. So for a while I went without insurance. I hiked up volcanoes in Nicaragua, surfed waves in Costa Rica, and took boat trips in Panama without any health insurance. In the back of my head I always knew this was a risk.
“What if this bus crashes? What if I break an arm sand-boarding down this volcano? What if I really hurt myself on this motorbike??”
Everything was a risk. But as far as I knew, the only alternative was paying $350 per month to some big corporation back in the US … which I definitely was not going to do. That sum of money was my monthly budget!
Until one day I stumbled across Safety Wing. Somehow I was browsing the internet and learned of this “nomad insurance” that would cover me on my travels in case I broke a leg in a motorbike accident, or needed to be medevaced back to the US for surgery. As a healthy 25 year old with no medical needs besides this type of emergency, this was exactly what I was looking for.
A few years later it turned out that I would need this in Colombia for that nightmare situation that every traveler dreads. (skip ahead to ‘My Experience with Safety Wing’ if you’re interested) In this post, I plan to give an overview of Safety Wing, as well as my experience with the platform. Skip ahead to whichever part applies to you. (or read the whole thing word-for-word)
SEE 👉 The Perfect 2 Week Turkey Itinerary
Safety Wing Travel Insurance – An Overview
First off, I have Nomad Insurance through Safety Wing Travel Insurance, which is ‘Global Travel Medical Insurance for the unexpected‘. This covers you while traveling outside your home country, and for up to 15 days when you’re in your home country. (policy must be active for 90 days before home country coverage is valid)
I pay $48 every 4 weeks, and am covered if I get sick or injured while traveling.
This includes things like…
- ambulance for hospitalization
- prescriptions
- lost checked luggage
- motor accidents
This does not include…
- cancer treatment
- pre-existing conditions
- ‘high-risk or professional sport activity’
For me, this was perfect as I only was looking for emergency coverage in case of a freak accident. I couldn’t care less about ‘routine doctors appointments’ or things of this nature.
It’s important to note that Safety Wing Nomad Insurance is different than Nomad Health. Nomad Health is a bit more comprehensive and is much closer to a traditional health insurance plan, with the only difference being that it covers you all around the world. (I use Nomad Insurance)
➡️ Read: Our Favorite Travel Credit Cards 💳
Pricing for Safety Wing Nomad Insurance
Pricing depends on a few different factors.
- Age
- If you want extra coverage for US travel, adventure sports, or property theft
I would recommend you just plug in your information in the widget below to get an exact price. I have mine set to auto-renew every 4 weeks, but I can cancel anytime. (This is a HUGE plus for me)
Also, if you only want insurance for your upcoming 2 week (or any time period) trip, Safety Wing can prorate that and tell you exactly what it will cost, very easily. This is important because a lot of standard insurance policies in the US won’t cover you if you’re out of country. It’s definitely worth the ~$30 or so for the peace of mind in case a freak accident happens.
My Experience with Safety Wing – The Freak Accident Strikes
I was hiking up Monserrate in Bogota, Colombia (the #1 thing to do in the city!) and decided I wanted a better view of the city. There were some dogs tied up, lying down by a tree – but I thought nothing of it. I walked to the edge and BOOM – one of the dogs ran right at me. I tried to get out of his area so the rope would catch him, but it was too late … he got me. He took a chunk out of the back of my leg, and I was in trouble.
I walked to the medical center near the top of the hill, and the workers immediately asked me to pull down my pants so they could look at the bite. They were worried the dog might of had rabies. They bandaged it up and told me to go to the hospital so I could get some antibiotics to kill whatever the dog might have gotten into me.
Long story short, I ended up being fine because the dog did not have rabies. I took the antibiotics and everything was good. BUT if the dog did have rabies, I would have needed a helicopter back to the US immediately, and Safety Wing would have covered me. During the whole process of going to the hospital, getting the meds, etc, Safety Wing was very responsive and helped me with all of the claims. I’ve broken bones in the US before and know first-hand how much of a nightmare dealing with the bureaucracy of health insurance can be. Safety Wing came with none of these problems.
The humans I dealt with at Safety Wing were all very responsive and super helpful. There were no complicated hoops to jump through. As soon as I got attacked by the dog, all I had to do was find the closest hospital and I knew I would be good. No worries about whether I would be covered or not.
Based on my first-hand experience with this company, I would highly recommend Safety Wing!
READ 👉 The Ultimate 2-Week Colombia Itinerary 🇨🇴
Pros of Safety Wing Nomad Insurance
For me, the customer service, easy-to-use interface, and affordable price make Safety Wing a no-brainer for travelers.
- Amazing interface – very easy to use
- Great customer service
- Very affordable (compared to normal health insurance)
➡️ Read: The Perfect Greece Road Trip 🇬🇷
Cons of Safety Wing Nomad Insurance
None of these apply to me (which is why I pay for the insurance), but I suppose they might apply to you.
- Pre-existing conditions not covered
- Cancer treatment not covered
- Age limit (can’t be over 70)
- Not covered in the US past 15 days (15 days for Nomad Insurance, 30 days for Nomad Health)
SEE 👉 3 Weeks in Philippines Itinerary 🇵🇭
Safety Wing Nomad Health – More Comprehensive Insurance for World Travelers – Primary Residence Still Needs to be outside US
I pay $48 every 4 weeks for Nomad Insurance, which covers me for 15 days in the US for every 90 days of total active coverage.
Nomad Health (different than Nomad Insurance) covers you for up to 30 days in the US, as long as the US is not your official ‘country of residence’. This covers you in all other countries as well. (exceptions are sanctioned countries like Russia, Syria, Iran, Cuba, …)
Nomad Health is more of a comprehensive coverage than Nomad Insurance is. This comes with a standard 12-month plan that costs about $140 per month.
In general, Nomad Health is a fully-equipped insurance plan for you and/or your family while living outside the US (but you are covered if you visit the US for up to 30 days) while Nomad Insurance is travel medical insurance for the unexpected accident/emergency.
READ 👉 Top 10 Things to Do in Kas, Turkey 🇹🇷
Summary – Safety Wing Insurance
I you’re between 20 and 35 years old and you have no health problems, then Safety Wing Nomad Insurance is a no-brainer if you’re traveling – in my opinion. I only use the medical system for emergencies. I do not need nor want ‘routine check-ups’ or anything like this. I take care of my body with diet and lifestyle, and do not need the help of a medical system in this regard. If you are like me, then this insurance is perfect. You get the peace of mind to know that if you crash your motorbike abroad … you won’t go bankrupt. The same if you contract dengue fever in the Philippines, or get attacked by a street dog in Colombia.
Safety Wing Travel Insurance is also a great way to supplement your domestic insurance when you’re taking a trip. Many health insurances will not cover you if you break your leg on a motorbike in the Philippines, so you want to make sure you’re covered in the event of an emergency.
You can check out all the details of Safety Wing here. As always, make sure you read the fine print and the details of the policy before you sign up. But hopefully this post helped you understand more about Safety Wing.
