The Dufresnes

We've been full-time travelers for nine years, and for most of that time SafetyWing has been the quiet safety net running in the background — across Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Bali and beyond. This is our honest review of what SafetyWing Nomad Insurance actually is, what it covers (and what it doesn't), how the claims process really works, and who it's genuinely the right fit for.

🎁 Your deal: 8 weeks of electronic theft coverage, free

New Nomad Essential members can get 8 weeks of electronic theft coverage free with code THEDUFRESNES — that's free cover for your laptop, camera, and phone while you settle in.

Start your SafetyWing plan with code THEDUFRESNES →

New Nomad Essential members only. Using our link costs you nothing extra and helps support the free guides we publish.

📷 Spot the pink camera: SafetyWing hides a little pink camera in the illustrations across their site. Find it, then sign up with the link above — consider it your treasure map to free theft coverage.

What SafetyWing actually is

SafetyWing is a travel medical insurance company built specifically for nomads, long-term travelers, and remote workers. It launched its Nomad Insurance product in 2018, created by a team who were living the borderless lifestyle themselves and were frustrated that traditional travel insurance assumed fixed trip dates, a departure city, and a return flight — none of which fit how we actually travel.

The result is insurance that works more like a subscription than a policy. You pay every four weeks, it auto-renews, and you can start it while you're already overseas. That last point matters more than it sounds: most conventional insurers won't sell you a policy once you've already left home. SafetyWing will.

Coverage extends across 180+ countries (US coverage is available as an add-on), up to age 69.

The two plans: Essential vs Complete

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance comes in two tiers, and choosing the right one is the single most important decision you'll make:

	Nomad Insurance Essential	Nomad Insurance Complete
Best for	Trips and shorter-term travel	Living abroad / no home base
Starting price	~$62.72 / 4 weeks (ages 18–39)	~$177.50 / month (ages 18–39)
Billing	Every 4 weeks, cancel anytime	Billed monthly, renewable indefinitely
Overall coverage limit	US$250,000	Full health insurance
Pre-existing conditions	Not covered	Broader ongoing/health coverage
Routine & preventive care	No	Yes
Mental health & wellness	No	Yes
Cancer treatment	No	Yes
Home-country coverage	Limited (up to 30 days)	No restrictions at home
Our code perk	8 weeks free electronic theft coverage	Not eligible for this bonus

Prices are starting points for the youngest age band and rise with age — always pull a live quote for your exact age and dates before you buy. The 8-week electronic theft coverage bonus applies to new Nomad Essential members only.

If you want the full breakdown of which plan fits which kind of traveler, see our dedicated guide: SafetyWing Essential vs Complete — which plan should you choose? (internal link — add live URL once published)

What Nomad Insurance covers

On the Essential plan, the core coverage includes:

• Medical treatment and hospitalization, up to a US$250,000 overall limit
• Emergency medical evacuation (up to US$100,000 lifetime)
• Treatment for new, unexpected issues that come up while you're traveling
• COVID-19 treatment (covered like any other illness)
• Up to 30 days of limited coverage during visits to your home country
• Travel-disruption benefits like lost checked luggage and travel delay
• Injuries from leisure sports and activities, and motor accidents (if properly licensed, helmeted, and not intoxicated)
• Optional add-ons for adventure/extreme sports, US coverage, and electronics theft (laptops, cameras, phones) — and with code THEDUFRESNES, new Essential members get 8 weeks of that electronic theft coverage free

One thing worth being precise about: adventure/extreme sports are an add-on on Essential, not automatically included — so if you dive, trek at altitude, or do anything your insurer might call "hazardous," add that coverage before you go.

The Complete plan is a different animal. It's genuinely health insurance rather than trip insurance: it covers routine and preventive care, mental health and wellness therapies, cancer treatment, and new health conditions that develop while you're on the plan — with no coverage restrictions back home, and it renews indefinitely. If you don't have a home base and you'd otherwise have no health coverage at all, Complete is designed to be that coverage.

What it doesn't cover

We think honesty here builds more trust than a sales pitch, so:

• Pre-existing conditions are excluded on Essential. Complete is more generous but still has rules — read the policy.
• On Essential, there's no routine, preventive, or cancer care, and no maternity — it's built for emergencies while traveling, not everyday healthcare.
• Coverage in your home country is limited on Essential (up to 30 days), by design. This is travel insurance, not a replacement for domestic health cover.
• As with any policy, adventure activities, alcohol-related incidents, and certain high-risk situations can be excluded or require the add-on. Read the description of coverage — the boring part is the part that pays out.

How the claims process really works

Claims are submitted online, and SafetyWing has leaned hard into making that fast — you tell them what happened, upload your documentation, and reimbursements are typically processed within a few days to about 10 business days. Independent review data (Trustpilot, thousands of reviews) puts SafetyWing at roughly 4 out of 5, with the most common complaints being about documentation requirements and pre-authorization timing rather than claims being denied outright.

Our biggest practical tip, learned the way most travelers learn things: contact SafetyWing for pre-authorization before treatment where you can, not after. It smooths the whole process and reduces the odds of a reimbursement headache.

[The Dufresnes: drop a real, specific claim or coverage story here if you have one — a genuine "here's the time it actually came through" anecdote is the most powerful trust signal you can add, and readers can tell the difference between real and generic.]

What SafetyWing costs

SafetyWing uses age-based pricing across several brackets, adjusted annually. As a directional guide for 2026:

• Essential: from about $62.72 per 4 weeks for ages 18–39, rising with age. Save around 10% if you pay up front for a set date range.
• Complete: from about $177.50 per month for ages 18–39.

Beyond the 8-week electronic theft coverage you unlock with our code, the one built-in way the price drops over time is SafetyWing's loyalty discount: 5% off after 12 months of continuous coverage, 10% after 24 months, and 15% after 36 months. For long-haul travelers like us, that's a genuine reward for staying covered rather than a gimmick.

Because it's insurance, always check the live quote for your age and dates before buying — pricing and policy terms change.

Who SafetyWing is (and isn't) for

It's a great fit if you:

• Travel long-term or full-time and need flexible, month-to-month coverage
• Sometimes need to buy insurance after you've already left home
• Want emergency medical + evacuation cover without a huge upfront annual commitment (Essential)
• Live fully abroad with no home base and need real, ongoing health insurance (Complete)

Look elsewhere if you:

• Need pre-existing conditions covered from day one
• Want a traditional single-trip policy with high-value "cancel for any reason" style benefits and big electronics limits baked in
• Are over 69 (SafetyWing's age cap)

Our verdict

After years of carrying it across three continents, SafetyWing remains the coverage we reach for first — not because it's the most comprehensive insurance on earth, but because it fits the way nomads actually live: flexible, buyable from anywhere, priced fairly, and honest about what it does and doesn't do. Read your plan, add the sports coverage if you need it, and it does exactly the job it promises.

Start your SafetyWing plan with code THEDUFRESNES →

Frequently asked questions

What does code THEDUFRESNES get me? If you're a new Nomad Essential member, signing up with code THEDUFRESNES (through our link) gets you 8 weeks of electronic theft coverage free — cover for your laptop, camera, and phone. It's not a price discount; it's a free add-on bonus for new Essential members.

How do I claim the 8 weeks of free electronic theft coverage? Start a new Nomad Essential plan through our link with code THEDUFRESNES applied. (And keep an eye out for SafetyWing's hidden pink camera in their site illustrations while you're there — it's a fun little easter egg.)

Is there a percentage discount on SafetyWing? No — SafetyWing doesn't do % off coupon codes. The customer perk is the free 8-week electronic theft coverage above. The only ongoing price reduction is SafetyWing's automatic loyalty discount after 12, 24, and 36 months of continuous coverage.

How many countries does SafetyWing cover? 180+ countries. US coverage is available as a paid add-on rather than being included by default.

Can I buy SafetyWing if I'm already abroad? Yes. This is one of SafetyWing's defining features — you can start a plan even after you've already left home, which most traditional travel insurers won't allow.

Does SafetyWing cover COVID-19? Yes, COVID-19 is covered like any other illness under Nomad Insurance.

Does it cover adventure sports? Leisure sports and activities are covered on Essential, but adventure/extreme sports are an optional add-on — add the coverage before you travel if you'll be doing anything high-risk. Complete includes broader care.

What's the difference between Essential and Complete? Essential is flexible travel medical insurance for emergencies while traveling; Complete is closer to full health insurance (routine care, mental health, wellness therapies, cancer treatment, ongoing conditions) for people living abroad without a home base. See our full Essential vs Complete guide.

Up to what age can I get covered? SafetyWing Nomad Insurance is available up to age 69.

The Dufresnes are SafetyWing ambassadors. Starting a plan through our link supports our free guides at no extra cost to you. This article is general information, not insurance advice — always read the current policy documents and get a live quote for your situation before buying.