Skip to Content

The Best ‘Cheap’ Backpacker Travel Insurance

The Best ‘Cheap’ Backpacker Travel Insurance

Throughout my adventurous travels, I have made travel insurance claims on theft from a hotel room, a fractured ankle, delayed travel plans, a broken camera, and that time I knocked out three teeth in a motorbike accident. When these accidents happened, I’ve been relieved that I was responsible enough to purchase comprehensive but cheap backpacker travel insurance for travelers.

Philippines backpacking, backpacker philippines, backpacking philippines, travel backpack philippines, backpacking route philippines, philippines backpacking itinerary, philippines backpacking budget, backpack in philippines, backpack the philippines, backpacking in the philippines, philippines backpacking route, backpacking in philippines, backpacking philippines alone, backpacking philippines itinerary, backpacking philippines blog, backpacking around the philippines, philippines backpacking guide, backpacking bohol philippines, backpacking trip philippines, backpacking philippines cost, backpacking in the philippines cost, cheap travel destinations philippines, cheap travel in philippines, cheap travel to philippines, cheap travel destinations in the philippines

I’ve had genuinely great experiences with two different types of travel insurance. I will explain the difference between these two cheap backpacker travel insurance options that I’ve used throughout the last six years of my travels, I have used a combination of the following three options.

  • HeyMondo annual coverage
  • HeyMondo single-trip coverage
  • + If you are a digital nomad the ‘Long-Stay‘ coverage is the best value.

HeyMondo TRAVEL INSURANCE 5% DISCOUNT CODE

Becuase you are a valued reader here on my blog, you can get a 5% DISCOUNT CODE on your HeyMondo travel insurance.

Click Here: Activate Discount Code

  1. When you click the code, it will re-direct you to the HeyMondo website
  2. Select the type of insurance policy you want
  3. Answer the questionnaire and click ‘Calculate Price’
  4. Your 5% discount will be automatically applied.

THE THREE TYPES OF TRAVEL INSURANCE

I’m going to give lots of personal experiences and information below in this blog post. However, these are the three most common types of insurance

Heymondo Single-Trip Insurance: is comprehensive travel insurance for domestic and international travel of less than 90 days

Heymondo Annual Insurance: travel insurance for multiple trips per year as long as each trip is less thn 90 days before you return to your place of residence. This is great for those with a home base but who do 3-4 big trips per year.

HeyMondo Long-Stay Insurance: travel insurance for all your trips throughout the year without a need to return home every 90 days. Basically this is great for digital nomads or those on a trip that lasts more than 3 months. This is a great option for someone like me.

Bali cliff jump

BEST CHEAP TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR BACKPACKERS

To set off on an adventure without backpacker travel insurance can be a huge financial mistake. Having good backpacker travel insurance is peace of mind and has proven to be a good investment for me over the years, receiving more in claims than I’ve paid in premiums!

The old quote is, If you can’t afford travel insurance you can’t afford to travel.’

In this post, I’ll discuss what to look for when choosing a good backpacker travel insurance policy and which of my two favorite providers better suits you. At the end of this post, I’ll also give a short explanation of each claim I have personally made and what the result was so you get an idea of what is regularly covered. So, let’s dive in and explore the two best travel insurance companies for backpackers and travelers!

COMPARING THE BEST INSURANCE PLANS

It can be tough to find cheap insurance for backpackers and travelers and even harder to get an accurate quote without having to spend lots of time entering all your information first. From my personal experience, HeyMondo is the most simple platform and they make all the inclusions and exclusions clear. Unlike many insurance companies, they aren’t trying to catch you out with lots of hidden fees or exclusions.

Often the exclusions are hidden fine print and you only find out you aren’t covered for certain activities in specific countries… when it’s too late. Other than extreme activities specific to you, the main things you NEED to be included in your travel insurance are the following:

  • Medical Expenses & Hospital Cover: While you may have free hospital care in your own country (if you are a lucky Australian for example) spending a night in a hospital in the USA or many countries around the world can cost you a five-figure sum. That’s no exaggeration, it is truly staggering. You want this limit to be high as you anticipate the worst-case scenario where you are in hospital for a few weeks or more after a big crash or health incident.
  • Emergency Evacuation: This is another big one and is usually only considered when it’s too late. Does your insurance provider have the coverage to evacuate you in an emergency or will you need to pay $10,000 plus for a helicopter-evacuation from the wilderness if you are out on a hike and have an accident?

Those are the two that are most likely to rack up a huge bill. Hospital bills and evacuation are the big-ticket items that can have a catastrophic financial impact on you.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY

So, I’ve detailed the two non-negotiables in the section above. Those should be standard but you also want to have coverage on the smaller and more likely-to-occur types of incidents. These six items should be included even in any cheap backpacker travel insurance.

  • Your coverage should apply in most/all countries in the world
  • Coverage on damaged, lost, or stolen personal items (without a low limit)
  • Easy access to customer service with a live chat or 24/7 phone helpline
  • Cover for adventurous activities (the fun stuff!)
  • Repatriation cover back to your home country in an emergency
  • Extendability if you plan to stay on your travels longer

WHAT IS THE BEST ‘CHEAP’ BACKPACKER TRAVEL INSURANCE?

So, let’s dive into the different types of Insurance packages are available and what one might be best for you.

HeyMondo TRAVEL INSURANCE

When I began traveling, HeyMondo was the first insurance provider I ever used. I’ve continued to use them for my travels to this day. I have trialed a few others such as SafetyWing, along the way.

  • Pretty affordable
  • You can select which countries you are visiting and the price will come down depending on the location
  • Highly professional company
  • The easy online claim process

HeyMondo have a very quick and easy process to get your coverage. With just a few details about your age, the countries you are visiting, and the duration of the trip, you can be set up and covered. Making a claim is equally as simple with an online portal where you fill out the claim and attach supporting documents. In my opinion, HeyMondo is the best cheap travel insurance for backpackers.

SAFETYWING TRAVEL INSURANCE

HeyMondo are great BUT when it comes to the cheapest backpacker travel insurance, you may also want to take a look at SafetyWing. The Nomad Insurance offered by SafetyWing is just $42 per month and unlike most insurance plans, it is paid on a monthly basis just like a prepaid phone plan. There is no lock-in contract and with a click of ONE button, you can switch it on or off for the next month. Each month the payout is automatically deducted from my account just like any app subscription on your phone. It’s how modern travel insurance should be.

It is CHEAPER than almost all travel insurance policies and has almost identical coverage. I had my entire $7000 surgery in Australia covered after I fractured my ankle hiking. The only key difference is that the maximum payout is $250,000. It is possible to rack that up in a foreign hospital but highly unlikely. Other than that, there isn’t much of a difference between SafetyWing and other providers.

There is also a ‘Remote Health‘ option within SafetyWing that is $200 per month but covers all surgeries and medical events such as dental, reconstructive surgeries, and other procedures that are beyond the scope of travel/backpacker insurance. Personally, if I chose SafetyWing, I would stick with Nomad Insurance for $42 a month.

MY PERSONAL TRAVEL INSURANCE EXPERIENCE

I’m a pretty seasoned traveler but I can tell you right now, I have made an insurance claim with either HeyMondo or SafetyWing in every single year that I have traveled. These are the claims I have made:

Medical Bills for motorbike crash in Bali: I knocked out two and a half teeth, had 8 stitches to my chin, a hairline fracture to my wrist, and considerable grazes to my body. Result: All medical expenses were covered including scooter/moped coverage, unlike many providers.

Stolen money from my hotel room: $500 AUD was stolen from my passport wallet in my hotel room when the door was locked. I believe it must have been the cleaner. Result: $250 payout as there is a limit of $250 on stolen/lost cash but a higher limit on personal items. Still good to get some back.

Medical Bills in Indonesia for another motorbike crash: I had x-rays and a cast put on my wrist for a hairline fracture after a crash in the Philippines days earlier. Result: All medical expenses were covered

Broken Camera: My camera stopped working after I was caught on a hike in the rain. Even inside my bag, the ferocity of this storm flooded my Sony A7ii. Result: HeyMondo covered the price of the repair and said if the repair was more than a replacement they would buy a new one for me.

Fractured ankle and ruptured ligaments while hiking in Australia: I required MRI, X-ray, Surgeon appointment, and then Surgery. The total cost in Australia was $7000. Result: I received full reimbursement minus the $100 excess from SafetyWing on my $40-a-month Nomad Insurance Plan.

TIPS FOR MAKING A TRAVEL INSURANCE CLAIM

While it should be straightforward it isn’t. The claims department is usually looking for any holes in your claim to avoid paying it, although SafetyWing and HeyMondo have seemed ready to help.

The main point that will help you end up with a successful claim and a payout is having all of your documents that back up your claim. If there was a theft or damaged items, I highly recommend getting a police report, which solidifies your claim and shows the insurance provider this truly did happen beyond doubt. You will also need receipts or proof you owned the items you are claiming were lost or stolen. I always keep all my electronic receipts in a folder.

HeyMondo tend to deal with claims within 2-3 weeks and SafetyWing took a little longer with 5 weeks passing between my submission of the claims and the payout but it was a larger amount of $7000 so they likely looked into it carefully.

madakaripura waterfall east java

THINGS THAT WON’T BE COVERED BY BACKPACKER TRAVEL INSURANCE

There are limits to what you can or cannot claim. You can expect that items on the list below will NOT be covered by your backpacker insurance policy.

  • Extreme Activities: Some policies will exclude highly dangerous activities like skydiving, cliff-jumping, and more. If you are someone who regularly participates in extreme adrenaline activities make sure to discuss this with your provider before taking out a coverage plan.
  • Pre-existing conditions: If you bring a sickness or injury into the policy period it usually won’t be covered. It makes sense. The idea is to purchase the policy and then be covered for the illness or injury not to only purchase the policy once you become sick. That isn’t how insurance works.
  • Traveling against Government warnings or restrictions: Traveling to countries or reasons that are on no-travel lists or have been advised against by your government can sometimes void your policy due to increased risk of evacuation needs, injury, or incident. Your insurance company is expecting you to go on vacation, not to a war zone.
cerro trinidad panama

I hope this guide helped to give you an understanding of what to look out for when purchasing your backpacker insurance. There are lots of options but these two listed are by far the most comprehensive when we are talking about cheap backpacker travel insurance. Hopefully, you never need to make a claim because your trip runs smoothly but in case you do, make sure you are covered! Stay safe out there and adventure hard.

darai

Sunday 17th of December 2023

You should specify early on that there's a max age of 68. would have saved me some time ! darn and WHY is this so cheap? heh. too bad i'm ancient apparently

Adam

Saturday 30th of April 2022

Thank you, for me the ideal insurance is now that covers not only medical costs for treatment, but also for covid-19 testing for travel. This makes planning easier and you don't have to spend extra money all the time.

Jonas S.

Monday 25th of April 2022

Hi, thanks for the guide. I am planing to make a 30-day vacation on the Philippines, more specifically in the Davao Region. However, my country(Germany), has issued a warning for traveling to this region because of terrorism and uproars, only the Mindanao Region, not the whole Philippines. The problem is, I need a travel insurance but I am scared they won't pay because of this. Do you by any chance know an affordable insurance that pays under these circumstances?

Thanks in advance,

Jonas

Mae

Tuesday 6th of October 2020

So,youve been already here in CEBU?

Jackson

Tuesday 6th of October 2020

I rent my apartment there.

Alina

Wednesday 24th of April 2019

Thanks for this info! I was curious about your experience with World Nomads, even though Im assuming they're a sponsor. I wish it were that easy for me to file a claim though. It took me about 2 hours to fill out all their forms (for going to a walk in clinic in New Zealand and doing some tests). I was proud of myself for just getting it done and fine with the process, but then an affiliate company emailed me for the same information and more, and on a time frame (within 24 hours or it will take a super long time, etc). And World Nomads also then emailed me for a lot more info. It felt like a lot of work. However, they at least did send me a cheque a couple weeks later, so that was nice. Any way, just wish it had been easier for me to file a claim with them.