Our comparison of the best backpacker insurance (also the cheapest) in 2024

Choosing a Backpacker Insurance (or a long term travel insurance… it’s the same) for a trip around the world is probably THE most annoying / boring question of the preparation phase. Right, you have decided to set off on an adventure, to discover the world, you are really motivated by this project and then someone tells you :

Yeahh cool project… but did you think about a travel insurance?

That’s when the nightmare begins! You start looking for information online. You read on travel blogs or on forums that you should take a backpacker travel insurance for your round the world trip.

The problem is that there are almost as many travel insurance providers as there are travel blogs (this is a bit exaggerated, especially because most bloggers recommend the same backpacker insurances 😉 #GuessWhy lol), that they won’t cover you for the same things, that their prices vary between 300€ and 1000€ per year (sometimes even more)…

You might have also read that with your credit card you could already have a medical insurance, that your social security and/or health insurance might be sufficient for traveling… In the end, you are getting confused and you don’t know what to think anymore!

But don’t worry, that’s where we come in!

Our goal with this guide of the best travel insurance for backpackers is to take all these informations, to present them in a clear and understandable way (because no one like to go through the insurance jargon) in order to help you find the right backpacker insurance for your specific case.

At the beginning of this guide, you will first find our interactive table comparing the best backpacker insurances available. Then we will review what are the best backpacker insurance policies in our opinion and according to different situations (solo traveler, couple, family, older traveler…). Finally you will find all the important information you need to know to choose the right travel insurance coverage. You can start where you prefer by using the table of contents below.

Are you ready??? Let’s dig into it!

Comparison of the best travel insurance for backpackers

If you already did some research online on different websites and travel blogs, you may have noticed that people recommend mostly the same backpacker insurance policies 😉 (usually WorldNomads and SafetyWing). However, there are many other long-term / backpacker travel insurances that have a much better quality/price ratio than those travel coverages everyone talks about (wonder why all the blogs recommend WorldNomads even though they are one of the most expensive option out there 😉 ).

In the table below, you will find the best (and cheapest) backpacker insurance providers in 2024. This travel insurance comparison is the result of a lot of research (also from feedback or discussions with other travelers) and we sincerely hope that it will help you find the best cheap backpacker insurance for your long trip.

Last update: 13.02.2024

How to use the interactive backpacker insurance comparison table?

The table below is interactive and allows you to compare the backpacker insurance coverages you are most interested in. Here’s how to use it:

• Check the travel coverages you want to compare (for better readability, check no more than 4-5 on desktop and 2-3 on mobile)
• You can remove all the lines you are not interested in by clicking on the crosses and hide some parts you don’t need by clicking on the sub-headings
• To reset the comparison table, simply refresh the page.

If you have any suggestions or remarks, do not hesitate to leave us a comment.

The interactive backpacker insurance comparison table

	Subscribe	Subscribe	Subscribe	Subscribe	Subscribe	Subscribe (-5%)	Subscribe	Subscribe	Subscribe (-5%)
Price / months (less than 35-40 years old)
Solo traveler (Out of USA / Canada)	37.5€	52€ / without options	41€ for 28 days	70€ (37€ in Europe)	55€ to 62€	55€ to 59€ (44€ to 47€ in Europe) / without options	29€ to 46€ (15€ to 24€ in Europe) / without options	39€ to 58€ (20€ to 30€ in Europe) / without options	38€ to 39€ / without options
Solo traveler (USA / Canada included)	37.5€	91.5€ / without options	75€ for 28 days	96€	58€ to 73€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA)	57€ to 85€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA) / without options	35€ to 55€ / without options	46€ to 70€ / without options	47€ to 70€ / without options
Couple (Out of USA / Canada)	75€	104€ / without options	82€ pour 28 jours	140€ (74€ in Europe)	105€ to 118€	100€ to 104€ (80€ to 83€ in Europe) / without options	58€ to 92€ (30€ to 48€ in Europe) / without options	78€ to 116€ (40€ to 60€ in Europe) / without options	76€ to 78€ / without options
Couple (USA / Canada included)	75€	183€ / without options	150€ for 28 days	192€	109€ to 138€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA)	102€ to 130€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA) / without options	84€ to 100€ / without options	92€ to 140€ / without options	94€ to 140€ / without options
Family of 4 (out of USA / Canada)	150€	187€ / without options	82€ for 28 days / if the kids are less than 10	200€ (125€ in Europe)	188€ to 212€	170€ to 174€ (136€ to 139€ in Europe) / without options	74€ to 114€ (38€ to 59€) / without options	97€ to 146€ (50€ to 76€)/ without options	152€ to 156€ / Without options
Family of 4 (USA / Canada included)	150€	333€ / without options	150€ for 28 days / if the kids are less than 10	208€ to 300€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA)	196€ to 247€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA)	172€ to 200€ (depends on the duration of the trip to the USA) / without options	88€ to 137€ / without options	116€ to 175€ / without options	188€ to 280€ / without options
Price / months (older than 35-40 years)
Solo traveler (out of USA / Canada)	not available	52€ / without options	67€ to 141€ for 28 days	78€ to 112€ (48€ to 71€ in Europe)	61€ to 169€	73€ to 80€ (59€ to 64€) / without options	not available	42,5€ to 87,5€ (22€ to 46€ in Europe) / without options	38€ to 39€ / without options
Solo traveler (USA / Canada included)	not available	91.5€ / without options	123€ to 278€ for 28 days	102€ to 135€	72€ to 247€	81€ to 125€ / without options	not available	51€ to 105€ / without options	47€ to 70€ / without options
Couple (out of USA / Canada)	not available	104€ / without options	134€ to 282€ for 28 days	156€ to 224€ (96€ to 142€ in Europe)	116€ to 321€	138€ to 145€ (111€ to 116€) / without options	not available	85€ to 175€ (44€ to 91€ in Europe) / without options	76€ to 78€ / without options
Couple (USA / Canada included)	not available	183€ / without options	246€ to 556€ for 28 days	204€ to 270€	137€ to 469€	146€ to 175€ / without options	not available	102€ to 210€ / without options	94€ to 140€ / without options
Details of the insurance policy
Contract duration	max 12 months (renewable 1 time with the approval of the insurance company)	max 12 months	from 1 to 12 months (indefinitely extendable)	from 2 to 24 months	from 3 to 24 months	from 3 to 12 months renewable	18 months max	18 months max	12 months max
Maximum Age	less than 40 years old	less than 66 years old	less than 70 years old	no limitation	less than 80 years old	less than 50 years old	less than 40 years old	less than 65 years old	less than 50 years old
Country of residence for the coverage	Worldwide	Worldwide	Worldwide	Worldwide	European union	European union	European union	European union	Worldwide
Subscribe during the trip	waiting period of 8 days	waiting period of 8 days	no waiting period	waiting period of 15 days	waiting period of 12 days	waiting period of 12 days	waiting period of 48h + supplementary costs	waiting period of 48h + supplementary costs	waiting period of 72h
Refund of unused months	not possible	not possible	pay as you go	possible	possible	in the form of a credit	not possible	not possible	pay as you go
Medical coverage
Medical expenses abroad (max per person/year)	100% of the costs up to 300’000€	100% of the costs up to 150’000, 300’000 or 500’000€ depending on the option (except USA Canada 500’000€)	100% of the costs up to 225’000€	100% of the costs up to 300’000€ out of Europe / 100’000€ in Europe	100% of the costs up to 200’000€ out of USA Canada / 1’000’000 € in USA Canada	100% of the costs up to 300’000€ out of USA Canada / 1’000’000 € in USA Canada	100% of the costs up to 10’000’000€	100% of the costs up to 10’000’000€	100% of the costs up to 2’500’000€
Excess	no excess	no excess	225€ (over the entire policy period and not for each claim)	35€/claim	no excess (except 35€ in USA Canada)	no excess (except 30€ in USA Canada)	150€ (option to reduce to 0€)	90€ (option to reduce to 0€)	200€
Medical expenses in case of Covid	Yes medical expenses (indicated on the insurance certificate)	Yes medical expenses (indicated on the insurance certificate)	Yes medical expenses (possibility to obtain a certificate)	Yes medical expenses (possibility to obtain a certificate)	Yes medical expenses (possibility to obtain a certificate)	Yes medical expenses (possibility to obtain a certificate)	Yes medical expenses (indicated on the insurance certificate)	Yes medical expenses (indicated on the insurance certificate)	Yes medical expenses (indicated on the insurance certificate)
Emergency medical expenses in your country of residence	No	No	Every 3 months, 30 days of coverage in your country of residence (15 if it is the US)	1550€ following a medical repatriation	Yes, Max 15’000€	Continued medical coverage for 1 month in your home country	No	No	No
Daily amount in case of hospitalization	not included	not included	90€ per night at the hospital	not included	30€/day from the 6th day (max 300€)	not included	12€/day (max 120€)	20€/day (max 200€)	not included
Emergency dental care	300€	300€	900€	150€	600€	300€	300€	420€	included
Dental expenses following an accident	600€	600€	900€	500€	440€ per tooth, max 1300€	300€	300€	420€	included
Repatriation / Assistance abroad
Medical Repatriation – Emergency Medical Transportation	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs	100% of actual costs (max 500’000€)
Medical repatriation in case of Covid	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Return of accompanying policyholders	not included	Round trip ticket	not included	Return ticket	Return ticket	Return ticket	Return ticket	Return ticket	Return ticket
Presence of a family member in case of hospitalization	Round trip ticket plus 80€/night (max 8 nights from the 7th day)	Round trip ticket plus 80€/night (max 8 nights from the 6th day)	Round trip ticket plus accommodation and food costs for max 15 days	Round trip ticket + 75€/night (max 525€)	Round trip ticket plus 80€/night (max 10 nights)	Round trip ticket plus 50€/night (max 10 nights)	Round trip ticket plus accommodation costs	Round trip ticket plus accommodation costs	Round trip ticket plus accommodation costs
Non-medical repatriation (natural disaster, terrorism, war)	not included	Transfer to a neighbouring country or home country (only in case of unstable political situation)	evacuation to the nearest safe location	not included	not included	not included	as an option	as an option	up to 1’000€ in the event of a natural disaster
Accidental death / repatriation	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 8’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 10’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 22’500€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 15’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 12’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 8’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 6’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (100% of the actual costs) and 12’000€ accidental death benefit	Repatriation of the body (max 100’000€) and 5’000€ accidental death benefit
Early return in case of death or hospitalization of a family member	Return ticket in case of death only	Return ticket in case of death only	Return ticket	Round trip tickets	Round trip tickets	Round trip tickets	Return ticket (round trip as an option)	Return ticket (round trip as an option)	Return Ticket
Search and rescue expenses	3’000€	5’000€	not included	2’000€	3’500€	5’000€	not included	18’000€	included
Legal expenses	3’000€ lawyer’s fee and 7000€ criminal deposit	3’000€ lawyer’s fee and 7000€ criminal deposit	not included	3’000€ lawyer’s fee and 7500€ criminal deposit	13’000€ lawyer’s fee and 7500€ criminal deposit	3’000€ lawyer’s fee and 7500€ criminal deposit	9’000€	18’000€	Included in the personal liability<
Personal Liability
Bodily injury	4’500’000€	4’500’000€	22’500€	750’000€	4’500’000€	4’500’000€	1’000’000	2’000’000	60’000€
Property damage	450’000€	450’000€	22’500€	450’000€	450’000€	450’000€	1’000’000	2’000’000	60’000€
Excess	100€	100€	no excess	no excess	80€	80€	150€ (option to reduce to 0€)	90€ (option to reduce to 0€)	no excess
Baggage / valuables
Theft, loss or destruction of baggage	1’150€ (during the round journey and in addition to the carrier insurance)	2’000€	2’700€ (max 450€ per item and only for air/boat trips)	2’000€ (max 300€ per item)	2’000€	2’000€ (only during flights)	as an option (1200€)	as an option (2500€)	1’200€
Max refund per valuable item	1’150€	2’000€	450€ (900€ as an option)	max 300€ / item	max 1’000€ / item	max 1’000€ / item	as an option (125€)	as an option (300€)	max 600€
Exclusions for valuables	camera, phone and computer not covered	theft of cameras, phones and computers not covered	camera, phone and computer covered in option	none	camera, phone and computer not covered	none	none	none	electronic equipment as an option
Delayed luggage delivery	not included	150€	not included	not included	150€	not included	as an option (30€ every 12h up to 90€)	as an option (40€ every 12h up to 120€)	200€
Included / excluded activities
Motorbikes less than 125cm3	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Trekking / Hiking	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (less than 3000m)	Yes	Yes	Yes (less than 3000m, higher as an option)	Yes (less than 3000m, higher as an option)	Yes (less than 3000m, higher as an option)
Mountaineering	No	as an option	as an option (less than 6000m)	No	No	No	as an option	as an option	No
Surfing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
KiteSurfing	Yes	Yes	as an option	Yes	Yes	as an option	Yes	Yes	as an option
Rafting / Kayaking	Yes	Yes	as an option	oui (not extreme)	Yes	Yes	oui (more dangerous as an option)	oui (more dangerous as an option)	kayaking yes, rafting as an option
Diving	Yes	as an option	yes up to 10m	Yes	Yes up to 40m	Yes	Yes up to 18m (deeper as an option)	Yes up to 18m (deeper as an option)	up to 20m as an option
Parachute	No	Yes	No	No	No	as an option	as an option	as an option	No
paragliding / hang-gliding	No	as an option	as an option	No	No	as an option	as an option	as an option	No

Our review of the best long term travel insurances for backpackers

As you can imagine by analyzing this comparison table, the best travel insurance policies for a long backpacking trip will probably be different depending on your situation (solo traveler, couple, family, your age, destination…) and your needs.

In our opinion, here are the best backpacker travel insurance policies for different situations:

Backpacker insurance with the best quality/price ratio (solo travelers and couples)

The Traveller coverage from TrueTraveller insurance (which you will see a lot of in the next few lines) is in our opinion the best value for money travel insurance for long-term travelers. This coverage is already very solid from the start (without any options) with the best coverage limits for medical expenses (10’000’000€) and a good civil liability.

What we also appreciate a lot with TrueTraveller is that they only include the most important things in the base coverage (medical expenses, repatriation, personal liability…) and thus offer very attractive prices! For the rest, you can simply customize your coverage according to your needs by paying small extras (if you want to insure your luggage, your valuables, adventure sports etc… there are about ten options). And honestly, even if you add several options, they are still competitive in terms of price! A very flexible travel insurance!

Their only con is that they only insure people from Europe.

If you’re not from Europe, the best overall insurance for backpacking you can have is the Long Stay coverage (-5%) from Heymondo. They have a very decent offer with high limits for medical bills (2’500’000€), a super easy to use app for their customers and interesting prices for solo travelers and couples (+ you get 5% discount using our link 😉 )

I would say their only weaker point is their personal liability limit that only covers you up to 60’000€. It’s better that SafetyWing already but it could be a bit higher in our opinion.

the cheapest backpacking travel insurance

If you have a very tight budget but still want to be covered for the most important things (medical cover, repatriation, civil liability), you have 2 options in our opinion;

If you come from the EU and are under 40 years old, you can choose the True Value coverage from TrueTraveller. 10’000’000€ limit for medical expenses, 1’000’000€ for civil liability from 29€ per month! It’s hard to beat that offer!

If you’re not from the EU, the cheapest travel coverage you can get is the Globe Partner from ACS. Their limit for medical coverage went up to 300’000€ in 2023 (really cool news) and they offer a good civil liability. So it is really the minimum you need to to have if you are backpacking for more than 3 months!

the best backpacking travel insurance for families

Not all insurance companies offer affordable prices for families… which means that there are big price differences between different companies!

If you have 1 or 2 children under 10 years old, SafetyWing offers very attractive prices since each contract includes 1 child under 10 for free (on the other hand, we find that the personal liability limit at SafetyWing is too low). Otherwise, if you live in the EU, we recommend once again TrueTraveller’s coverage which offers very good prices for families with much higher coverage limits than SafetyWing.

If you’re not an EU resident, the best choices you have for families are ACS Globe partner (budget option) or Heymondo Long stay if you need extra coverage limits.

Backpacking travel insurance for people over 50

We received a lot of comments from older travelers who felt a little disadvantaged when it came to insurance! Indeed, many insurers don’t even cover travelers over 50 years old and with some others, the prices increase horribly fast with age! So if you’re over 50 and you’re going on a long backpacking trip (or just a long trip), here are the best options available to you:

If you are under 65-70, you will clearly find the best deals with ACS Globe Traveller (< 66 Worldwide) or TrueTraveller (< 65 and from the EU). ACS offers slightly cheaper prices but TrueTraveller has much better coverage limits.

If you are over 70, there are unfortunately few options left and only AVI international has no age limit. Their Marco Polo coverage is quite extensive and their prices do not triple with age (like SafetyWing 😉 ).

As you can see after this detailed comparison, the insurance policies that are most recommended online are not the ones that offer the best quality/price ratio according to your situation. This shows that marketing is also reflected in the price of insurance coverages lol (We did not even include WorldNomads in the table as their price is much more expensive for a similar coverage)

A backpacker insurance? Why would you even need one?

We have started by comparing the best travel insurance companies for Backpackers and giving you our honest opinion about them because people often look for these information first and don’t necessarily want to read a lot of blabla about insurances.

However, in the following section we’ll explain what long term travel insurance is for and when you really need it (because it’s quite a budget so you might as well understand why you’re spending the money 😉).

Before we look further into whether you really need a backpacker insurance, let’s start by understanding in more detail what long term travel insurance is for and what types of coverage it offers. This will make it easier for you to decide whether or not you need such coverage!

Depending on the package, a long term travel insurance may include a combination of the following:

Medical emergencies and expenses abroad

If you have a serious problem during your travels that requires urgent hospitalization, medical costs can quickly skyrocket. This is especially true in the USA / Canada where a prolonged hospitalization could put an entire family in debt for several generations!

But even if it is just for less serious medical care, a visit to the doctor for an injury or medical analysis can quickly add up to your medical bills. In such cases, a good travel insurance policy will cover 100% of the medical costs.

Most of the good long stay travel insurance policies will also guarantee the presence of a family member in case of a serious hospitalization ( plane ticket refund + accommodation costs). You never want to be alone in this kind of situation!

Personal liability abroad

If you accidentally (i.e., unintentionally) injure someone or damage someone else’s property (e.g., you break something in your hotel room or injure someone during an activity), the costs can quickly escalate, especially with legal proceedings plus damages. For this kind of situation, a comprehensive travel insurance will take care of the repair costs, the possible treatments or the cost of the legal proceedings.

An important detail is that the personal liability of these insurances does not cover you for damages you might have done while driving a motor vehicle! Some insurances offer additional options for these cases or it is possible to take an additional insurance when renting the vehicle.

Repatriation (medical evacuation coverage)

If, following an accident or illness, your health condition is such that you cannot be treated on site, you will have to be repatriated to the nearest hospital or even to your home country. Please note that a medical repatriation can cost up to 50’000$. In this type of emergency, there is usually no other option. So to avoid putting your families in trouble, it is better to have travel insurance plan that covers this kind of situation!

Baggage cover (theft, loss or destruction)

A well-known situation for backpackers: you arrive at your destination but unfortunately your backpack is not, or is damaged. Your personal belongings may also be damaged during a bus ride or worse, even stolen.

For this kind of unfortunate events, some travel insurance companies will reimburse you for at least part of the total amount of your personal items. Be careful, however, to check carefully what is considered as luggage by the insurance company 😉 (electronic gear, other expensive items for example).

Then again, the costs and the importance of a theft / damaged luggage are in general far less important than the health related issues. So we recommend you not to be obsessed with this kind of coverage… Of course it’s annoying if your camera gets stolen but it’s not the end of the world either 😉

Expensive items ( computers, cameras, lenses, tent, jewellery… )

Rarely included in travel insurance plans (or only for very small amounts), it can be interesting for people who travel with expensive personal items, to have a travel insurance that covers for theft or destruction of this gear.

But as we just said, don’t focus too much on that either and get a travel insurance especially for the risks that could put you in real financial difficulties!

Trip cancellation coverage

You may have to interrupt your trip because of the death of a loved one… you could also get very sick on the day of your flight to South America. You may not even be able to fly because of a natural disaster or a general strike… In such situations, it could be interesting to be insured against these cases of trip cancellations / interruptions. It’s bad enough having to cancel a trip so you might as well get your money back!

Covid19 (outbreaks)

With the events of the last few years (i.e. Coronavirus 😉), you might want to be covered in case of an outbreak. In the case of Covid19, this means that with some coverages, medical expenses might not have been reimbursed if you contracted the Coronavirus during your trip.

Well, now most backpacker insurance plans improved and cover you properly for Covid. But at the beginning of the outbreak, many travelers found themselves abandoned by their insurance 🙁

Adventure / Extreme sports

For some people, backpacking is an opportunity to get their adrenaline pumping by practicing Adventure activities or even extreme activities such as rafting, canyoning, skydiving, mountaineering (this is the case with Ben 😉).

Unfortunately, being insured in case of accidents during the practice of these extreme activities often requires paying an extra fee when buying your backpacking travel insurance plan. So it’s up to you depending on the activities you plan to do during your trip!

Traveling with peace of mind

This is probably THE reason why you’re going to get a backpacker travel insurance. You will simply enjoy your trip more if you know you are covered in case you need it and that you won’t put your whole family in debt in case something bad happens 😉

Most common exclusions

Now that I’ve explained the purpose of travel insurance and the cases where you are covered, it is equally useful to know the situations where you will not be covered. Yes, insurance contracts contain exclusions that you must know! That’s why it’s always very important to read the general conditions of your insurance policy!

Note: this list is not meant to be comprehensive and there are differences depending on the insurance policies, but we have tried to highlight the most important exclusions.

• Pre-existing medical conditions: Most medical insurances will not cover you for medical expenses related to a pre-existing condition. TrueTraveller, unlike others, covers a fairly extensive list of pre-existing conditions. You will be able to consult this list when you purchase your insurance and if your medical condition is not on the list, you will have to declare it and truetraveller will come back to you with more details.
• Damage caused while driving a motor vehicle (damage to the vehicle itself, to what was hit or to a person injured by your vehicle). For example, if you are involved in an accident while driving a motor vehicle, your travel insurance will cover your medical expenses, but not the costs of damage to the vehicle itself, another vehicle involved or the medical expenses of another person involved in the accident. Some travel insurances offer supplementary coverage for these situations, as do car rental companies.
• Extreme Sports: As you can imagine, most of the above mentioned insurances offer additional packages for risky sports, but if you do not subscribe to one of these options, you will not be covered during these “dangerous” activities.
• Personal liability while working or volunteering. So if you are planning to work while traveling or doing a WHV, you need to purchase specific insurance (most of the insurance companies mentioned above have offers for these situations).
• Claims resulting from the use of a motorized vehicle with 2 (or 3) wheels with a cubic capacity superior to 125cm3: This is an important case to know in South-East Asia for example where scooter/motorcycle rental is very common! You will not be covered in case of an accident if the vehicle’s cubic capacity is superior to 125cm3 (you must also have a driving license, wear a helmet etc…). As far as we know, only TrueTraveller offers an optional coverage up to 250cm3… but if not, just make sure you don’t rent a motorbike with more than 125cm3!

Do I really need a long term travel insurance for my backpacking trip?

Now that you have seen what a backpacker travel insurance can be used for, let’s analyse together the scenarios where you may already be insured for some of the above mentioned points. Travel insurance is definitely a budget and it would be a shame to be insured twice for the same thing 🙂 .

Credit card travel coverage?

You may have heard that if you have a premium credit card provider, you already have travel insurance. This is indeed the case, but it is better to know a little more about what your credit card covers in case of problems.

The first thing to know is that if you have a classic Visa or Mastercard, your coverage is almost non-existent. You absolutely must have a premium credit card to have a decent coverage (like a chase sapphire reserve or any other premium card).

Now, if you have a premium credit card, you will have decent coverage for medical expenses, liability, cancellation, luggage but with some drawbacks:

• The insurance is only valid for the first 90 days of the trip.
• You must have paid for your trip with your credit card.
• The limits are lower than for a regular travel insurance.
• There are a lot of nice little exclusions depending on the cards and banks that you should be aware of (always read the general conditions).
• You will often be reimbursed in complement to your primary health insurance (so you will have to pay in advance and this implies additional paperwork)

So in our opinion, for a long journey or a round the world trip, it’s not worth the headache to save between 50€ and 100€ for the first 3 months of coverage!

Your home / primary health insurance ?

Remember that backpacker insurance companies are not meant to replace your home health insurance. It’s more about emergencies or getting you back home quickly if you really need it! So you always need to be covered in your home country even while traveling.

That said, depending on your home country and your health coverage, you might not need to buy a third party backpacker insurance. It could be more interesting to simply buy an additional travel package to your home health insurance (for example in Switzerland that’s the solution that works the best, in France not at all).

So my advice would be that you check what covers your home health insurance when you travel abroad (usually it’s not much and not long enough for a round the world trip) and see if you could buy a travel insurance plan that covers the important criteria for a good backpacker insurance.

Why think about the worst before leaving on a trip?

Some of you might think:

Why think about the worst when we are about to experience an extraordinary adventure?

Well, yes, after all, no one is forcing you to buy a backpacker insurance for your round the world trip! (especially since it is clearly a budget) But ask yourself the question: Is it worth it?

Even if you are healthy and never had an accident until now, it does not mean you’re invulnerable. When you travel, you will surely have bad days, or you may be tired, distracted. And then you will cross countries with different rules than the ones you are used to. You might also just have bad luck one day and be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Obviously, the decision is yours, but if you are reading this, it is because our opinion is somewhat important to you.

So our recommendation is that if you’re going backpacking for a while, don’t be reckless and buy a cheap backpacker insurance at least!

How to choose the best long term travel insurance for backpackers?

We hope we have convinced you that if you are leaving for a long backpacking trip (more than 3 months), you should buy a travel insurance without hesitation. So if that’s the case, the next question is obviously the following:

Which of the many backpacker travel insurance coverage is the right for me?

And the answer is not so obvious because there is no perfect backpacker insurance! In fact, the ideal coverage will vary according to your trip, your expectations or your needs. To make it easier for you, let’s look at the points that will influence the choice of your insurance.

To choose the right backpacker insurance company, evaluate your needs

• Duration of the trip : Most insurances offer decreasing prices depending on the duration of your trip. Obviously the longer the trip, the cheaper it gets per month
• Visited countries : If you travel to countries like Canada or the United States where medical expenses can be really high, you probably won’t choose the same insurance as if you were traveling in Asia.
• I’m traveling solo, as a couple or with my family : Some backpacker insurances have special prices for couples or families.
• Small budget and minimal coverage or large budget and global coverage : Do you want to spend as little money as possible into your backpacker insurance and be covered for the most important points or do you want to invest a little more money and increase your level of cover.
• Adventurous activities : As mentioned earlier, it is often necessary to pay extra to be insured while doing adventure sports considered more risky.
• Valuables : Do you travel with 5000€ camera gear and a North Face tent or rather just a smartphone and a cheap tent 😉 ?

Backpacker insurance : the most important criteria

Even if you don’t have a huge budget, there are some non-negotiable points that are essential to any good long term travel insurance.

• The Essentials of any backpacker insurance:
  • Medical expenses : Your coverage must absolutely cover 100% of medical costs, whether they are emergencies or not (even if you go to the doctor for a flu, this must be covered). Obviously, the coverage limit should be as high as possible. (let’s say you need at the very least 100’000$)
  • Repatriation : In case of emergency, you must have a backpacker insurance to cover the costs of any medical repatriation.
  • Personal liability : Property damage or bodily injury caused unintentionally are usually very expensive and you need to be covered for this kind of situation.
  • Support number 24/24, 7/7 : Because usually, when you need to contact your travel insurance for an emergency, you don’t want to wait 5 hours for the customer support to open.
• other interesting points to consider
  • Excess ? Some coverages require a small amount to be paid per travel insurance claim and others don’t.
  • Trip interruption: following the death of a close family member for exemple
  • Legal assistance: In case of a lawsuit following an accident or an incident.
  • Costs of research: if anything bad happens during a trek for example
  • Visit of a family member in case of hospitalization
  • Disability and death insurance

Based on all the points mentioned above and your priorities, you should now have less trouble choosing the right backpacker insurance for you… Especially by using the detailed comparison at the beginning of this guide or by reading our reviews of the best travel insurance for various situations.

And you, which backpacker insurance did you choose for your trip around the world?

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P.S. If you buy an insurance through one of our links, you will pay the same (or even get a small discount with AVI, Heymondo or GObyAVA) but we will get a small commission. This has in no way influenced the choice of the insurances presented above but will help us keep creating free and independent content on this blog.

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