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Do You Need Travel Insurance For Backpacking?
Some of you who may be looking to save a buck may ask “do I need travel insurance for backpacking.” The answer is yes. Yes you do.
While I understand we all want to save money travel insurance (also known as backpackers travel insurance) isn’t where you should cut costs if you are going on a backpacking trip. The reason being is that no matter how much you prepare for your trip, you can still encounter inclement weather, broken gear, or injury on the trail. Good travel insurance helps keep you financially covered for any mishaps that may come your way.
We will go over the benefits of travel insurance, what’s not covered, and the best one for you!
What is Backpackers Travel Insurance?
Backpackers travel insurance is a type of travel insurance that caters to the needs of those participating in adventure activities when traveling. These policies also have extended coverage options such as gear, emergency medical evacuation, and emergency medical expenses. I will be using “backpackers travel insurance” and “travel insurance” interchangeably throughout this article as the names don’t matter as much as what their coverages include.
What Should Your Travel Insurance Cover If You Are Backpacking?
When researching the best backpacking insurance for your next trek, you want to ensure that the following is included in your policy.
- Trip Cancellation
- Emergency Medical Expenses
- Emergency Medical Evacuation
- 24-hour Assistance
- Broken / Lost gear
- Covid 19 Related Cancellations
Trip Cancellation
No matter what the trip, you should have trip cancellation coverage. This coverage helps get your money back for nonrefundable trip expenses in situations of such as illness, accident, or bad weather. It is a nice safety net to have should you have to cancel your trip altogether.
Emergency Medical Expenses
While this is a benefit that I hope you never have to use, emergency medical expenses must be included in any travel insurance you consider purchasing for your next backpacking trip. As we said, regardless of how much you prepare for your trip, accidents and injuries can happen, making it essential to have emergency medical expenses included in your travel insurance.
Emergency Medical Evacuation
This is a biggie. Again I hope that none of you have to use this benefit. Still, in situations where you are injured in a remote region and can’t continue hiking, emergency medical evacuation may be needed. These evacuations are costly and can put you in financial trouble if you have to pay out of pocket, so make sure they are included in your plan.
24-Hour Assistance
It would be best if you had an insurer available 24/7. Accidents can happen anytime, so you need an insurer that is always available to help you through any situation that comes up.
Broken / Lost Gear
Say your baggage is lost or damaged during travel. Without this coverage, you may be stuck with footing the bill for new gear. With gear protection, you are covered up to a certain amount of money for any lost or damaged equipment, so you can continue on your adventure without missing a beat!
Covid-19 Coverage
Especially in this day and age, with the ever-evolving rules and regulations of travel restrictions regarding Covid 19. I recommend purchasing a policy covering Covid 19 related trip delays or cancellations.
What Does Backpackers Travel Insurance Not Cover?
- Pre-existing conditions: Your backpacking/travel insurance provider will likely punt the claim back to your health insurance.
- Travel In Areas Of Political Unrest: Probably best to avoid these destinations altogether. It’s a big planet pick a safe place to hike.
- Travel Less Than 100 Miles From Your Residence: That’s what we have medical insurance for.
What You Should Know Before Buying A Travel Insurance Policy For A Backpacking Trip
Before you jump right in and buy your plan, you should make sure you do your due diligence and ask yourself the following questions:
- What will I be doing on this trip?
- How much coverage do I need?
- Is the plan I am considering purchasing fulfill all of my needs?
After answering these questions, do a bit more digging into reading some of the policy’s fine print, especially regarding medical evacuation. Unfortunately, many of these companies use a lot of legal wording when describing their policies, making it difficult to understand. If you find this to be the case, give the company a call to make sure the plan you want to purchase will handle all of your needs.
Backpackers Travel Insurance Agencies
insuremytrip.com
Insure My Trip is the kayak of travel insurance. All you have to do is plug in some of your trip details, such as:
- The type of coverage you are looking to have (recommend the comprehensive for backpacking)
- The estimated cost of your trip
- Who needs to be insured
Then, insuremytrip will hook you up with a tone of different insurers to help you compare prices and coverages to find the best policy for you.
World Normads
World Nomads is an excellent travel insurance company for us adventure folk! It has a TON of coverage options you can choose from and is an insurance designed for people participating in adventure activities. Depending on how extreme of a trip you’re going for, you can choose from “the standard plan” or “the explorer,” the explorer being more pricy but covering many more activities with a higher payout.
Travelex
Travelex is a travel insurance company that has been operating for over 55 years. They offer a number of different plans at affordable rates. Click the link below to see if any of their plans would be suitable for your travel insurance needs.
What Is Digital Nomad Insurance
Since the boom of WFH, Digital Nomad Insurance has become essential for those individuals traveling the world while working remotely. SafetyWing is a company that has sprouted up in this time of work from home and offers several different policies for digital nomads. The two major policies they offer include:
- Nomad Insurance: covers medical and travel insurance expenses when traveling outside one’s home country.
- Remote Health Insurance: This is health insurance that caters to remote workers abroad from or within their home country.
Click the logo below to read more into SafetyWing’s insurance options to see if any of them would work for you.
Do I need Travel Insurance If I Am Just Camping And Doing Day Hikes?
Even if you plan on doing day hikes, I think it is better to air on the side of caution and get travel insurance anyway. All it takes is one hospital visit to make many years of purchasing travel insurance well worth it.
Now, this does not mean you need the most comprehensive travel insurance policy. If you are doing shorter day hikes you can probably get one with a bit less coverage but I would still make sure it includes trip cancellation, emergency medical expenses and 24/7 customer support.
Get The Travel Insurance!
I hope this article has been helpful and answers your questions on backpackers’ travel insurance. As I said I think it is money well spent. Have fun and stay safe out there!
