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Heymondo vs. WorldNomads or SafetyWing?

May 4, 2022
Candy

Comparing travel insurance plans really isn’t much fun.

I mean, who wants to go through all those policy pages with just endless terms and conditions?

And yet… getting a comprehensive travel insurance plan is essential to having peace of mind when you travel.

To save you time (and money) I did some of the boring work for you. I carefully combed through the fine print is the most popular travel insurance policies. I’ve also personally used World Nomads and Heymondo, giving me some experience with their customer service. 

Before you scroll to my comparisons, keep in mind that the prices mentioned below are only examples. The exact price of a policy may depend on your home country, age, or travel destinations.

I selected a trip of 30 days for this review but travel insurance can be for any trip length. You can request a personal quote to know the exact price to insure your particular trip(s).

 

Heymondo review

Example cost: €114 or $123 for 30 days (premium plan)
Underwriter: AXA

If you’re not sure which travel insurance to get, I recommend Heymondo. They offer good value for money, a streamlined app, and clear policies without any deductibles.

I’ve been using them myself since 2019 (with their annual plan) and I’ve been very satisfied.

Heymondo’s policies are clear about what they include and lack any complicated gotchas, like deductibles or excess. I also like that Heymondo is more digitally savvy than other insurers I’ve used, offering communication through an app and even WhatsApp. Whenever I needed to know something their customer service responded quickly.

Not heard of Heymondo yet? They’ve been around since 2016 and they’re backed by AXA, the world’s second-largest insurance company. They have a 4.6/5.0 score on TrustPilot based on 1000+ reviews.

Value for money
If you’re from Europe, then Heymondo will likely cost you a bit less than World Nomads. If you’re from the United States, then Heymondo may actually be significantly cheaper. For example, a 30-day plan with Heymondo will be around $123 (Premium Plan) versus ~ $205 with World Nomads (Explorer Plan).

Easy to use app
The Heymondo app lets you easily manage your policy, make claims, and get 24/7 travel assistance. This is a lot nicer than using clunky web forms or printing out PDFs, as is sadly often still the standard for most insurance companies.

No copayments, deductibles, or excess
This means there isn’t a part you have to pay first before your insurance starts to pay.

Tailored policies
Different plans are available for individual trips, long term travel, or annual coverage (which has a 60-day maximum individual trip length)

Covid-19 included
Heymondo has kept insuring for covid-19 related issues. You only can’t use the cancellation coverage if your reason for canceling a trip is an epidemic.

Could have more activities covered by default
Heymondo covers basic sports and activities like riding a motorbike, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and surfing. However, other activities such as scuba diving, caving, hang gliding, mountain biking, quad biking, or trekking require paying a supplement.

Useful Tip 1: Heymondo Premium offers the best value. It costs only 15-20% more than the Top and Medical policies but the coverage is a lot better.

Useful Tip: 2: If you travel a lot, consider the Heymondo Annual Multi-Trip package. It covers you year-round for trips up to 60 days. If you do lots of trips that are not longer than 2 months, then it can be a lot cheaper to get the annual insurance than insuring them one by one. If your trip is longer than 60 days, you can choose Heymondo Long Stay Insurance.

 

World Nomads review

Example cost: $205 for 30 days (US resident)
€116 for 30 days (EU resident)
Underwriter: many different ones

World Nomads has long been recommended by big brands such as Lonely Planet and Intrepid Travel, but I think they’re facing more competition these days and haven’t updated their offerings or systems.

While World Nomads is a good insurer, you may find more advantages with Heymondo or SafetyWing — especially for longer trips.

Highly recognized brand
World Nomads has been around for over 20 years now so they’ve built up a lot of trust and goodwill. When they started out, they were basically the only ones tailoring travel insurance to independent travelers. Their TrustPilot score is 3.8/5.0.

Inconsistent offering
World Nomads uses various underwriters including Nationwide, Bupa, AXA and Lloyd’s — and the policies will be entirely different based on your home country. This makes it difficult to generalize about what World Nomads offers. Some of the policies have deductibles that you’ll need to keep in mind.

Best for sports & adventure
While every World Nomads policy is different, they tend to have more sports and activities included by default. For example, in the policy I had, quad biking or rock climbing were included without needing to pay a supplement. 

No annual multi-trip or digital nomad insurance
There are no tailored offerings for frequent or long term travelers.

No covid-19 coverage
World Nomads doesn’t cover covid-19. During the pandemic, it excluded all coverage for any country with a covid-19 travel warning (which was basically everywhere at one point)

All things considered, World Nomads may not be the strongest offering, though it depends on the type of trip. They can be a bit expensive too. The main reason I’ve included it here is that it’s such a big brand and has long been the favored insurer of many bloggers and travel sites.

I have used them myself in the past and think they are highly reliable, though they also have some disadvantages in terms of price and clarity around the different policies.

If you want to compare for yourself, you can get a quote below.

 

SafetyWing review

Example cost: $43 for 30 days
(for ages under 40; cost rises with age)
Underwriter: Tokio Marine

SafetyWing’s is mainly targeted at digital nomads needing ongoing insurance, though they can also be an interesting option for backpackers and long-term travelers.

The policies by SafetyWing are cheaper (especially if you’re young) but they are also more limited in several respects. This doesn’t mean SafetyWing is worse or better, it just means it’s specialized in a different way towards digital nomads or similar types of travelers.

Subscription-based insurance for nomads
While you can use it for single-trip insurance, by default SafetyWing works on a month-to-month basis. It’s tailored to digital nomads and remote workers who travel year-round or for extended periods. The plans are designed to be more affordable for ongoing coverage.

Home country coverage
After being abroad for 90 days, you can keep using medical coverage for up to 30 days in your home country if something happens while you’re there. This unique feature is ideal for nomads making occasional home visits.

Cheaper if you’re young
The standard policy is just $40 per month if you’re under 40. But this goes up to $64 for age 40-49, $101.64 for age 50-59, and $137.76 for age 60-69.

Deductibles & lower maximums
With such low prices, there has to be a catch. Well, the coverages are lower: there is a total maximum of $250,000 for medical expenses, while Heymondo or World Nomads cover this for up to multiple millions. There is also a $250 deductible. This means in the case of any incident you’ll have to pay out of pocket up to $250 before SafetyWing will start compensating you. 

Includes covid-19 coverage
While initially excluding coverage at the start of the pandemic, SafetyWing added covid-19 coverage back in August 2020.

SafetyWing is a great insurer, though the trade-off is that you’ll be accepting some lower coverage in return for lower costs. Considering the $250 deductible, think of SafetyWing as being more focused on big unexpected expenses or situations, less on covering small issues you can pay for yourself. 

If you’re looking for good insurance on a budget, or for travel insurance that works well if you’re traveling continuously, then SafetyWing may be the ideal travel insurance for you.

 

Tips for using travel insurance

I’ve summarized the pros and cons of these travel insurers here, but you should always read the fine print and understand what your insurance does and doesn’t cover. The links in this post are affiliate links, which may give me a small commission, though I’ve tried to give an objective review.

Keep in mind that travel insurance policies are intended for emergency medical coverage abroad, so they don’t cover preexisting conditions and they (normally) don’t cover medical issues at home. Only SafetyWing offers a rare exception on this.

When it comes to theft coverage, know that you’ll need proper documentation to make any claim, which often includes a police report. You can’t claim anything for petty theft (situations where you left your belongings unguarded). Check if your policy includes coverage for electronics, as this is sometimes a separate add-on. 

All insurers reviewed here will let you buy insurance while you’re already traveling, or extend/renew a policy while you’re on the road.

Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn commission from products or services I recommend. For more, see site policies.