Best Travel Insurance for International Travel (for Americans)

Travel insurance is definitely one of the least sexy aspects about traveling, but one that is undoubtably very important. But how does one know which insurance is right for them? In this article I’ll help you figure out just that.

After over half a decade of traveling full time, I have tried and tested out a fair share of travel insurance companies. After a lot of trial and misfire, I’ve compiled what I believe to be an accurate list of the best travel insurance providers for Americans going abroad, and what type of trip each is well catered to.

Here is my rating and honest review of the best travel insurance for international trips!

1. SafetyWing

Rating: 10/10
Pricing: Starting from $56 a month
Deductible: $0

The absolute best travel insurance in the market for long term travelers has to be SafetyWing.

This company is run by digital nomads for digital nomads and as a result, they know exactly what people working and living longterm on the road need from a travel insurance and deliver on that.

On top of being both flexible and affordable, they’ve recently just introduced their zero deductible policy. That means for just $56 a month, or less than two bucks a day, you can give yourself the utmost peace of mind knowing that if things go wrong, you won’t pay anything out of pocket before filing your claim.

SafetyWing travel insurance is very flexible, and you can purchase your insurance plan month by month and top up as you go. This is ideal since, let’s be real, most digital nomads and long term travelers have no idea when their trip will end (if ever!).

Ready to travel? Book SafetyWing travel insurance here!

SafetyWing is best for:

• Digital nomads – people working and traveling abroad
• Long-term travelers – people who’s trips exceed one month
• Adventure travelers – they’ve just updated their adventure sports insurance policy
• Budget conscious travelers – this is the best deal as far as travel insurance goes
• Travelers wanting well-rounded coverage – this policy covers all travel mishaps from trip cancelations, to lost items to medical emergencies
• Travelers wanting flexibility – you can book month by month even while traveling

2. Cigna Global

Rating: 8/10
Pricing: Starting from $102 a month
Deductible: $750

Cigna Global is a renowned and trusted international healthcare provider.

I used Cigna Global in the past when I was slow traveling through Switzerland. At the time we were in the middle of the pandemic which made me feel it’d be wise to have more robust healthcare coverage.

Plus just the fact that Switzerland is notorious for outdoor activities, meaning many opportunities to get injured, coupled with very costly healthcare, getting better healthcare just seemed like the responsible thing to do.

What that said, I don’t think all travelers need this type of extensive medical insurance. If you still have medical coverage in your home country, you probably don’t need this. If you are a digital nomad who has not had a permanent home in years, then yes, this is good to have.

Overall, I was impressed by the wide range of medical expenses Cigna covered. Unlike regular travel insurance, they cover non-emergency situations, such as dental cleanings, and non-emergency doctors visits as well.

It’s only health insurance, so you’ll need to cover the cost of everything else like trip cancellation, lost or stolen items, etc. It’s also the most expensive travel insurance I’ve ever purchased.

Cigna Global Insurance is good for:

• Elderly travelers – travelers more likely to need non-emergency doctors visits
• Travelers with health concerns – If you have a condition or just worried about your health
• Travelers traveling in countries with expensive out-of-pocket healthcare (Switzerland, Iceland, USA)

3. World Nomads

Rating: 7/10
Pricing: Starting from $127 a month
Deductible: $0 for Americans

World Nomads is another popular insurance for longterm travelers. It’s touted widely by many major travel bloggers and as a result, I assumed it was the best.

And in many regards, they are definitely one of the best in the market. They offer a comprehensive list of situations they cover from trips interruptions, lost or damaged luggage, and of course emergencies.

For those interested in sports, Wold Nomads offers excellent coverage for anyone engaging in extreme sports while traveling. By their definition, these include anything from scuba diving to bungee jumping.

On paper, they seem solid as a rock, but my actual experience with them was a little disappointing. I needed to file a claim twice in one month and throughout the claims process, my insurance actually expired.

I wanted to see how things panned out before renewing and honestly, I’ll never know if that was the reason why, but they stopped responding and I never got my claim processed.

In addition, the pricing used to be much more competitive, but is now on the more expensive side. With policies starting at $130 a month for just a standard plan, World Nomads is certainly creeping up towards premium pricing levels.

World Nomads is good for:

• Long-term travelers who can pay upfront – their pricing goes down to $91 a month if you book for 6 months
• Extreme sports enthusiasts – they have excellent coverage for a ton of extreme sports, some that aren’t covered by other providers

5. Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance

Rating: 6/10
Pricing: Free for Sapphire Reserve Card Holders ($650 annual fee)
Deductible: unknown

I am a happy longtime user of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and it’s many perks, but the travel insurance they claim to provide leaves much to be desired, if it really exists at all.

From what I’ve gathered, no one I know has been successfully able to file a claim through their Chase Sapphire policy. The rules are hard to find and navigate, and even when you call customer support to ask, they also seem confused about it.

It’s really unclear what is and isn’t covered. It’s not very clear how to even file a claim.

For long term travelers, this is not a viable option for you.

These credit card travel insurance policies only cover trips of 2 months in duration or less, and it’s extremely unclear what they consider a trip. If I go back to the US am I still on a trip if I am staying with family in another state? How do they measure when my trip is over if I don’t have a permanent address?

Honestly, I’d recommend for people to be wary of these credit card travel insurances as the conditions are unclear to consumers and even their own people. It should be seen as a back up plan and not an actual safety net.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance is good for:

• Vacationers – if you are just doing short vacations, this card may be fine
• People who travel once or twice a year – this card is probably catered more to regular Americans who have 2 – 3 weeks of PTO max and go abroad 1 – 3 times a year

0