How to Buy Travel Insurance After Departure

Already abroad? Did you just realize you left without travel insurance? Or did you forget to renew your travel insurance? Finding travel insurance after departure can be tricky. Many travel insurance companies don’t allow you to buy insurance once you left. We found two companies that allow you to buy insurance after departure. 

Note that there are more than two, but most companies are restricted to a region and since you guys come from different countries, I thought I should focus on the global ones. If you are a nomad, you may want to take a look at this full comparison between insurance plans for nomads.

 

SafetyWing

 

Buying post-departure travel insurance could not be any easier with SafetyWing. In fact, if you are from Canada, Australia, or the states of Washington, Maryland or New York; you can ONLY purchase SafetyWing Insurance after you have left the country. As I said, many companies don’t allow you to purchase insurance after departure.

 

How much does it cost? 

 

SafetyWing medical insurance starts at $36.96 for 4 weeks(28 days) and you can either put an end date on your coverage OR subscribe for automatic renewals so that you won’t go a day without your insurance. Children under the age of 10 can be added to a group plan for free (limited to 2 children per group).

 

How do I sign up?

 

Once you have created an account with SafetyWing and filled in your personal information such as your name, home address and country; you can register for travel insurance easily for all of your future adventures.

Signing up for SafetyWing travel insurance is done in five easy steps:

  1. Insurance – Choose whether you need coverage up until a specific date or indefinitely
  2. Destinations – Select all of the countries that you plan on visiting. If you are not sure where your travels are going to take you, no worries! Just choose you first stop and any others if you need to prove you have travel insurance for a visa to those countries.
  3. Group members – If you are doing a group trip with friends that have matching passports, you can get SafetyWing travel insurance for the whole group all at once. The price doesn’t change but it is much more convenient to have your insurance details all in one place. 
  4. Summary – Double check all of your information to avoid any complications if you need to make a claim.
  5. Payment – SafetyWing accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover Card through their secure, web-payment system.

 

Why should I choose SafetyWing?

 

SafetyWing is easy to understand, sign up, and file a claim. They also have an agreement with multiple hospitals both outside and inside the US where you can file a claim directly through your insurance; which means you won’t have to pay upfront for your medical services.

They also include coverage for your short visits home. For all countries except the United States, you will be secure for 30 days within a 90 day period whereas American citizens are insured for 15 days.

 

Some downsides to SafetyWing

 

There are not many downsides to choosing SafetyWing but the key thing to note is that they do not service the countries of North Korea, Cuba, and Iran. They also only provide insurance for people up to the age of 69.

 

Visit SafetyWing

 

World Nomads

 

If you have looked at any blogs or done any research at all to prepare you for your trip, you will have most likely already heard about World Nomads Travel Insurance. Sign up with World Nomads before you leave to make sure you are secured but don’t worry, you can also purchase travel insurance after departure. 

Just keep in mind that depending on where you are from, your travel insurance will not be put into effect up to 3 days after you have purchased it.

 

How much does it cost? 

 

The cost of your insurance with World Nomads is determined by a few factors; where you are from, how long you need coverage for, and which plan you would like to choose. World Nomads offers two different levels of protection. The Standard vs. Explorer plan offers the same features, just differs in how much you are covered for. 

As an example; 4 weeks(28 days) for a Canadian traveling to Thailand cost $149.84 CAD on the Standard Plan and $193.52 CAD for an Explorer Plan. (It is more expensive than SafetyWing.)

 

How do I sign up?

 

World Nomads has also made it an easy 4 steps to acquire travel insurance:

  1. From the homepage, fill out your travel details to get a quote for the duration of your travels. You can then review and decide which plan you will opt for purchasing.
  2. Check to make sure that any activities that you are thinking about doing on your trip are covered under your chosen insurance plan. If you even considering engaging in anything remotely adrenaline-pumping on your journey such as scuba diving, you want to make sure you don’t need to pay the sports premium.
  3. This part is easy, you are almost done! If you have bought with World Nomads before (which is kind of weird that you are here) you can sign in to check out effortlessly. At the bottom, before heading to the next page, they have a reminder of their policies as well as any other alerts that you should be aware of.
  4. Pay for your insurance! World Nomad accepts payments via Visa and Mastercard.

 

Why should I choose World Nomads?

 

World Nomads has been in the business of protecting fellow nomads around the world for a while now. It started with people who are travelers themselves that were seeking a better and more secure insurance option, so they have a good idea about what you are looking for.

They just do good things for the world. When choosing World Nomads for your travel insurance, you are supporting a company that does what it can to give back to the communities of these incredible destinations around the world as well as the community of travelers through donations and scholarships.

And lastly, you can buy travel insurance after you have left for your destination!

 

Some downsides to World Nomads

 

Honestly, the website is a little confusing, the options are a little overwhelming, and the insurance is a little pricey. Can you really put a price on your safety? That is up to you to decide.

 

Visit World Nomads

 

READ MORE

 

‣ Best Insurance for long-term travelers
‣ Packing list for Southeast Asia
‣ Backpacking Southeast Asia 

 

BEFORE YOU GO

 

☑ Book your flight: If your flight isn’t booked yet – check out the flights on Skyscanner or via Google Flights. My top saving tip is flexibility. If you’re flexible, you should be able to find a cheaper flight.

☑ Book your accommodation: I always use Airbnb and Booking.com. If you’d rather stay in a hostel, you should take a look at the options on Hostelworld. If you click on the Airbnb link and you don’t have an account yet – you’ll get a $30 discount on your first booking.

☑ Pack the essentials: You can consult this list when it’s time to pack your bag! Do not leave without a universal charger, a power bank and your passport!

☑  Do you need a visa? If you aren’t sure if you need a visa, it would be a smart idea to take a quick look before you go. You can use iVisa – it’s super useful and easy to use.

 

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