Best Travel Insurance Comparison for Long-Term Nomads (2026)
Heads up: this post contains affiliate links. If you click and end up buying something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend stuff I have actually used or tested, and the commission is what keeps these guides free. Thanks for supporting the site.
Short-term travel insurance (1-2 weeks vacation) is a different product than what nomads need. If you are away from your home country for 6 months+, you need different coverage. Here is what I have learned the hard way.
What changes at 6+ months
- Pre-existing conditions matter more (longer exposure window)
- Routine care becomes relevant (annual checkup, dental)
- Mental health coverage gaps become visible
- Maternity (if applicable) requires specific provisions
- Multiple countries means more border-crossing claims
The 4 main options compared
1. SafetyWing Nomad Insurance (best subscription)
SafetyWing charges around 45 USD per 4-week period for the basic nomad plan. Auto-renews. Covers 175+ countries.
Best for: healthy nomads who want flexibility and low cost.
Watch out: limits on US coverage, exclusions for high-risk activities.
2. Ekta Traveling (best thorough)
Ekta offers more thorough plans with higher medical limits, baggage cover, and trip cancellation. Pricing is per-trip rather than subscription.
Best for: nomads with expensive gear (creators), longer trips, families.
3. IMG Global Medical (best for chronic conditions)
IMG functions more like real expat health insurance. Higher premiums but actual ongoing care coverage.
Best for: nomads with chronic conditions, families with kids, long-term expats.
4. World Nomads (best for adventure)
Premium pricing matches premium coverage. Covers 200+ adventure activities that most insurers exclude.
Best for: active nomads doing diving, motorbiking, climbing, etc.
My setup
Baseline: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance auto-renewing every 4 weeks. For trips with adventure activities, I add a World Nomads policy for the specific dates. For longer European stays where I want better trip cover, I switch to Ekta.
Add flight delay compensation
None of these cover EU flight delays specifically. For that, use AirHelp on a per-claim basis. They handle the EU261 paperwork and take a cut on success.
