The Best Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads (Updated 2023)

Posted: 8/31/2023 | August 31st, 2023

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people were transitioning to remote work. Digital nomads were becoming increasingly common as people quit the cubicle to work from wherever they felt like working from.

Today, post-COVID, an even greater number people are working remotely. Studies show that workers are happier even as productivity has stayed the same — if not increased. Numerous countries now offer visas exclusively for digital nomads too.

I’ve written about finding the best travel insurance a ton over the years. But travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers is a different thing. Travel insurance is for travel emergencies with the idea that if something really bad happens, you’ll go home and take care of it. After all, travel has a start and end date.

But, when you are roaming the world without an end date and need prescriptions and regular check ups, regular travel insurance won’t really do.

If you’re considering the transition to working remotely abroad or becoming a digital nomad, it’s important to know your options.
 

What to Look for in Travel Insurance for Digital Nomads

Digital nomads need to make sure their travel insurance plans doesn’t just cover emergencies. They need plans that also include routine medical coverage.

First, I’d make sure your policy has at least $100,000 USD in medical coverage. High coverage limits are important because if you get sick, injured, or need serious attention and have to seek professional care, you want to make sure your high hospital bills are covered. The worst thing you can do is go cheap and get a policy with a $50,000 USD coverage limit and burn through it in an emergency, leaving you to potentially foot a bill in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Second, you want to make sure your travel insurance policy also covers emergency evacuation (separate from your medical coverage). If a natural disaster occurs or if you fall and break a leg hiking in a remote area and you need to be evacuated somewhere else, your plan should cover that as well, at least up to $300,000 USD (emergency evacuations are expensive!).

Additionally, here are a few other standard provisions a good travel insurance policy will have coverage for:

• COVID-19 (and coverage for pandemics in general)
• Lost, damaged, or stolen possessions (including some coverage for your electronics)
• Cancellations (hotels, flights, tours, etc.)
• Accidental death or…