One thing many people end up learning the hard way is just how important it is to have insurance when travelling. If you don’t, and something happens to you, you can run up some hefty bills.
I have seen it firsthand. A friend of mine was admitted to the hospital after a bad accident in Vietnam, and his hospital bills were eye-wateringly horrific. I knew at that point that I needed to get covered myself.
But travel insurance is more than just peace of mind. In fact, quite a few countries now require proof of insurance before you can even apply for a visa.
At its core, good travel insurance should include solid health coverage abroad. But after years of dealing with flight delays, lost luggage, and unexpected cancellations, I’ve learnt that a well-rounded policy makes all the difference.
In this guide to the best travel insurance for 2025, I’ll share my top picks. Each provider offers something a little different, depending on what kind of traveller you are.
Top tip: Always make sure to read the fine print of all insurers so you know what is and isn’t covered before you sign up.
My top picks
- Best overall: Heymondo | Skip to review
- Best for health coverage: Genki | Skip to review
- Best comprehensive coverage: SafetyWing | Skip to review
- Best for adventure sports: World Nomads | Skip to review
- Best for pre-existing conditions (North America): Visitors Coverage | Skip to review
Heymondo
- Best for: Overall – i.e. well-rounded travel insurance coverage that suits most travellers
- Included: Emergency medical & dental, medical transportation & repatriation, baggage loss/theft, travel disruption and cancellations
- Additional: Electronic equipment, adventure sports, and cruises
For me, Heymondo strikes the perfect balance between comprehensive coverage, high medical expenses and coverage limits, ease of use, and great customer service assistance.
Because of this, I believe they are the best all-rounder travel insurance. And in fact, the one I use for the majority of my ongoing travels.
Their international travel insurance covers up to $10,000,000 USD of medical expenses (much larger than most of their main competitors), luggage theft and damage up to $2,500 USD and trip cancellation up to $7,000.
They have a few different plans for short and long stays, as well as multi-trip insurance. Making it perfect for your next holiday/next year’s worth of holidays, or for longer-term travelling, i.e. nomadic full-time travel.
Get 5% off Heymondo when clicking the link above!
Genki
- Best for: Health coverage
- Included: Unexpected injuries and illnesses – Genki Traveler. Additional preventive health care, dental, vision, pregnancy check-ups, plus full coverage at home – Genki Native.
- Additional: They offer two plans – get preventive health care and more when upgrading to Genki Native
If your priority is solid medical coverage (rather than full travel protection), Genki is the one for you. Their ‘Genki Traveler‘ plan covers unexpected illnesses or injuries while abroad, including doctor visits, hospital stays, emergency transport, and even repatriation.
For many travellers, this covers what they truly need, especially for those who already have coverage for their tech and belongings.
If you are after more comprehensive health care, then check out the ‘Genki Native‘ premium plan. It adds preventive care, dental, vision, maternity, and even mental health. Plus, you get better home country coverage. If you’re settling abroad for longer, or want one policy to cover more of your health needs, this is the upgrade!
That said, there are trade-offs (as always). The ‘Genki Traveler’ plan doesn’t cover routine check-ups or chronic/pre-existing conditions, and home-country coverage is limited. If you really want everything health-related covered in one plan, you’ll likely need to go Premium on ‘Genki Native‘ and accept a higher cost.
Get an instant quote for Genki Native here:
SafetyWing
- Best for: Comprehensive coverage
- Included: Medical treatment, lost luggage, travel disruption, routine check-ups, wellness therapies, cancer tests, maternity care, stolen belongings (abroad and at home)
- Additional: Electronics theft and dental coverage
If you are something a little more comprehensive, like routine check-ups and therapy, then you will want to check out SafetyWing’s ‘Complete’ plan. They also offer a lighter and cheaper ‘Essential’ plan starting at just $56.28 per month.
Their travel insurance plans are made with nomads and frequent travellers in mind – providing coverage for all the essentials, plus additional extras in their ‘Complete’ plan that really ought to be essentials in all health insurance policies!
You can also add on extras like electronics theft (up to $2,000 per stolen item) and dental coverage (up to $1,000 per year) for routine check-ups and procedures.
One thing to note: while SafetyWing provides home country coverage (only up to 30 days on the Essential plan), this doesn’t extend to their electronics policy. So when I had my phone stolen at home in the UK, I wasn’t able to claim for it.
World Nomads
- Best for: Adventure sports
- Included: Emergency medical coverage, trip cancellation, travel disruptions, adventure sports
- Additional: Cover for lost or stolen money and valuables, and missed departures or delays
If your travels involve pushing boundaries, hiking remote trails, surfing, skiing, or even rock climbing, World Nomads is built for you.
Their plans include emergency medical coverage, trip cancellations, travel disruptions and, crucially, cover for 150+ adventure sports and activities. Everything from scuba diving and mountain biking to zip lining and snowboarding (depending on your plan and country).
They make it relatively easy to match the policy to your adventure level. There are different “sports/activity levels,” so the riskier the activity, generally, the more you’ll pay or you’ll need to pick a higher-tier plan.
You also get extras like cover for lost or stolen money or missed departures, great for when your gear gets lost or travel plans go sideways.
That said, as with anything “adventure”-related, you really need to keep an eye on the policy wording. Some activities are excluded entirely or require special conditions. If you plan to be extra adventurous, double-check your plan covers exactly what you’ll be doing.
I receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. I do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
Visitors Coverage
- Best for: Preexisting conditions (in the USA, Canada, and Mexico)
- Included: Medical coverage for people with preexisting conditions, emergency medical services, emergency medical evacuation, emergency dental, and COVID-19 coverage
- Additional: Adventure sports (up to 65 years), electronics theft and telehealth
If you’ve got pre-existing medical conditions and are travelling to North America, VisitorsCoverage is one of the few insurance providers that handles that pretty well.
Their Visitor Protect type plans offer medical coverage designed for people with existing health issues. Including things like emergency medical services, medical evacuation, emergency dental, and even COVID-19 treatment.
They also offer extras like telehealth, electronics theft cover, adventure sports up to certain age limits (65 years), and emergency pregnancy care in some plans.
But obviously, like any insurance, there are many caveats. As well as a few different plan options. So make sure to read the policies thoroughly before purchasing.
More travel essentials: Discover all the best eSIMs here 
Insurance comparison table
Compare each of the travel insurance companies in this handy table, including information on what they are best for, their key strengths, whether you can buy whilst abroad, and the average monthly cost:
| Provider | Best for | Key strengths | Buy whilst abroad | Avg. monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heymondo | Overall | Easy claims, strong app, worldwide support | Yes, but a waiting period may apply | $102 |
| Genki | Health | Focus on long-term medical coverage | Yes | $60+ |
| SafetyWing | Comprehensive | Electronics theft, wellness, routine checkups | Yes | $161.50 |
| World Nomads | Adventure sports | Covers 100s of activities | Yes, but a waiting period may apply | $70–$100 |
| Visitors Coverage | Pre-existing conditions | Few insurers cover this | Check when purchasing | Varies |
Leave a Reply