The Best Travel Insurance in 2026: Nomad, Annual and Expat Cover Compared

Travel insurance is the one thing you buy hoping never to use, which is exactly why the small print gets skimmed. We read it so you don’t have to guess: seven policies, from backpacker cover bought in a hostel to expat health plans built for a new life abroad, compared on medical limits, excess, gadgets, sports, pre-existing conditions and who actually pays when things go wrong.

Quick Picks: The Right Policy for Your Kind of Trip

• Best overall for UK and EEA travellers: True Traveller, with £10m of medical cover on every plan and screening for medical conditions.
• Best for expats settling abroad: Cigna Global, private health cover you can tune with a deductible and cost share.
• Best for active trips bought on the road: World Nomads, which you can buy or extend online after you have left home.
• Best for holidays with a doctor in your pocket: Heymondo, with medical limits up to US$10m and a 24/7 doctor chat in the app.
• Best for open-ended nomad life: SafetyWing, a rolling four-weekly subscription with no deductible on Essential.
• Best health-only cover with a European insurer: Genki, €1,000,000 of cover and fast reimbursements.
• Best for American families: Travelex Insurance, with one child included per insured adult.
• Best for UK travellers with medical conditions: Staysure, with unlimited medical cover on Comprehensive and screening for more than 1,300 conditions.
• Best all-rounder for US residents: Allianz Travel, with free cover for children on OneTrip Prime and an 80% Cancel Anytime upgrade.
• Best for skiers: see our winter sports travel insurance guide, including which policies cover off-piste.

The Top 7 Travel and Health Insurance Policies, Ranked

Prices are shown in the currency each provider charges, with conversions at mid-market rates. Several insurers quote only once you enter your age and trip, so where no starting price is published we say so.

Travel Insurance Compared: Limits, Excess and Small Print

Provider	Rating	Type	Who can buy	Top medical limit	Excess or deductible	Pre-existing conditions	Buy while abroad	Age limit	Gadgets	Promo Code
True Traveller	4.4	Single trip, annual multi-trip	UK and EEA residents	£10m, every plan	£35 to £125, by plan	Screened, may be covered	Yes, 48-hour wait	75 single trip, 65 multi-trip	Valuables £250 to £500; specified items extra	None needed
Cigna Global	4.2	International health insurance	People living abroad, subject to underwriting	Paid in full on Platinum	US$0 to US$10,000, your choice	Assessed; covered, excluded or extra premium	Not stated	Not stated	Not applicable (health plan)	None needed
World Nomads	4.1	Single trip; annual for UK and Irish residents	UK residents (UK policy)	£10m on Explorer	£100	Excluded	Yes, 72-hour wait	64 at purchase	Valuables £250 or £500; specified items extra	WNFOUND, direct purchases only
Heymondo	4.0	Single trip, annual, long stay	Anyone travelling outside their home country	US$10m	None by default on single trip; US$250 on Annual and Long Stay	Excluded	Not stated	69 (up to 29 days); 49 (30 days or more, Annual, Long Stay)	Optional, 50% to 100% of baggage limit	LOCALS
SafetyWing	4.0	Nomad subscription	Any nationality except Cuban citizens	US$250,000 (Essential), US$1.5m a year (Complete)	None on Essential	Excluded	Yes	69 (Essential)	Add-on, US$1,000 per item	None needed
Genki	4.0	Nomad health subscription	Any nationality and residence	€1,000,000 (Traveler)	€50 per case	Excluded on Traveler	Yes	69 (Traveler)	Not covered	None needed
Travelex Insurance	3.9	Single trip	US residents only	US$250,000 (Ultimate)	US$50 medical, seven states only	Waiver on Ultimate within 21 days	Not stated	Not stated	Within baggage limit, US$500 per item on Ultimate	None needed

Where You Live Decides Which Policy You Can Buy

Travel insurers care far more about your country of residence than your passport. A policy is written for the healthcare system, consumer law and regulator of the place you call home, which is why a Londoner cannot buy an American trip policy and a New Yorker cannot buy a British one. Start here, then pick by trip.

Provider	UK residents	US residents	EU and EEA residents	No fixed home
True Traveller	Yes (UK policy)	No	Yes (EU policy)	No
Staysure	Yes	No	No (separate Irish and expat products)	No
World Nomads	Yes (UK policy)	Separate US plans	Country policies vary	No
Heymondo	Yes, outside home country	Yes, outside home country	Yes, outside home country	No home-country cover
SafetyWing	Yes	Yes (travel within the USA not covered by default)	Yes	Yes, any nationality except Cuban citizens
Genki	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, any nationality and residence
Cigna Global	For people living abroad	For people living abroad	For people living abroad	Subject to underwriting
Travelex Insurance	No	Yes	No	No
Allianz Travel	No (US plans)	Yes	No (US plans)	No
Travel Guard	No (US plans)	Yes	No (US plans)	No

If You Live in the UK

UK residents get the widest choice of single-trip and annual policies, and the strongest consumer protection when they buy from an FCA-authorised firm. Check the seller and the underwriter on the Financial Services Register before you pay; some well-known brands are authorised in Gibraltar and trade into the UK on that basis. Carry a free GHIC for state healthcare in Europe, but do not treat it as insurance. Our guide to the best travel insurance for UK residents compares Staysure, True Traveller, AllClear, Saga, Post Office, Holiday Extras and World Nomads.

If You Live in the US

American policies are built around trip cancellation as much as medical cover, and most add-ons, from cancel for any reason to pre-existing condition waivers, have to be bought within 14 to 21 days of your first trip payment. Medicare usually does not cover care abroad, so the medical and evacuation limits deserve as much attention as the cancellation cover. Our guide to the best travel insurance companies for US residents compares Allianz Travel, Travel Guard, Seven Corners, Travelex, Generali, Tin Leg, IMG and World Nomads.

If You Live in the EU or EEA

Your European Health Insurance Card, issued free by your national health insurer, covers medically necessary state care across the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, on local terms. It does not pay for private healthcare, return flights or cancellations, and some mountain rescue costs fall outside state healthcare altogether. True Traveller sells a separate EU policy in euros, Heymondo is sold by a Spanish broker to anyone travelling outside their home country, and SafetyWing and Genki accept almost any residence. Our guide to travel insurance for EU residents sets out who each one accepts and who it suits.

If You Have No Fixed Home

Nomads who have given up a home address fall outside most travel policies, which assume you live somewhere and will go back. SafetyWing and Genki are the two built for this: both can be started from abroad, and both define “home” loosely enough to work for people on the move. Once you settle somewhere for good, move to international health insurance such as Cigna Global or Genki Native.

Nomad, Single-Trip, Annual or International Health: Which Do You Need?

The word “insurance” covers four different products here, and buying the wrong one is the commonest mistake.

Single-trip travel insurance covers one journey with fixed dates: medical emergencies, repatriation, cancellation, lost bags. True Traveller, World Nomads, Heymondo and Travelex all sell it.

Annual multi-trip cover insures every trip in a year, but each journey has a ceiling: 60 consecutive days on Heymondo’s Annual plan, 30 days on True Traveller (70 on Traveller Plus). If a long summer trip sits alongside the city breaks, check that ceiling first.

Nomad insurance is a subscription. SafetyWing renews every 28 days until you stop it; Genki Traveler runs month to month for up to 12 months. Both can start after you have left home.

International health insurance is for people who live abroad. Cigna Global and Genki Native pay for the scans, specialist referrals and long-term treatment you would otherwise get from a national health service. Neither is built for a fortnight in Portugal.

What Six Months in South-East Asia Costs to Insure

A 34-year-old copywriter from Manchester plans six months between Chiang Mai, Hanoi and Bali, working remotely. At the starting prices:

• Heymondo Long Stay: US$162 (£121.56 / €144.28) for 90 days plus three 30-day renewals from US$54 (£40.52 / €48.09) comes to US$324 (£243.12 / €288.55) for 180 days, excluding the USA, with US$2.5m of medical cover and a US$250 medical excess.
• SafetyWing Essential: six four-week periods at US$62.72 come to US$376.32 (£282.42 / €335.16) for 168 days, with US$250,000 of medical cover and no deductible.
• Genki Traveler: six months at the published price for a 24-year-old come to €315 (£265.44 / US$353.70); at 34 she will pay more. Cover is €1,000,000, with a €50 deductible per case.

Heymondo is cheapest on paper with the highest limit, but its age limit for long trips is 49 and it offers nothing back home. SafetyWing costs a little more, includes lost luggage and adds emergency cover on visits home after 90 days. Genki brings a European insurer and the widest sports cover, but her laptop would need insuring separately.

The Right Cover for the Trip You Are Taking

The same policy can be excellent for one trip and useless for the next. These are the points that matter most for each kind of journey.

City Breaks and Beach Holidays in Europe

Medical costs are lower in Europe and a GHIC or EHIC covers state care, so the priorities shift to cancellation, delays and belongings. An annual multi-trip policy usually pays for itself after two or three trips, provided each trip stays within its maximum length. A policy with £5m of medical cover is a sensible floor; most of the UK policies we compare offer more.

Long-Haul Trips and the USA

Treatment in the USA, Canada and parts of Asia can cost many times more than in Europe, and a GHIC is no help. Look for at least £10m (or US$500,000 of evacuation cover on American plans), check the USA is included rather than an add-on, and read the medical excess. SafetyWing excludes the USA without an add-on, and Genki Traveler gives seven days of emergency-only cover per US stay unless you pay more.

Ski and Snowboard Holidays

Standard policies exclude winter sports unless you add cover. Check equipment, ski pass and piste closure limits, the number of ski days on an annual policy, and above all the off-piste wording: most UK policies cover off-piste only within resort boundaries. Our winter sports travel insurance guide compares seven policies, and our off-piste ski insurance guide explains guides, avalanche ratings and rescue costs.

Trekking, Diving and Adventure Trips

Read the altitude and depth, not just the activity name. True Traveller covers trekking to 3,000m as standard and 4,600m with its Adventure Pack; Heymondo’s add-on stops at 5,000m; Genki covers dives to 30 metres. World Nomads sorts activities into levels you can upgrade between, and lets you buy cover mid-trip.

Long Stays and Remote Work

Single-trip policies cap trip length, and annual policies cap each trip. For three months or more, compare a long-stay policy such as Heymondo Long Stay with a subscription such as SafetyWing or Genki, and check home-country cover if you plan to fly back during the trip.

Travelling With a Medical Condition

Declare everything the insurer asks about, including medication and tests you are waiting for. Specialists such as Staysure screen more than 1,300 conditions, and True Traveller screens online. If you are refused, the government-backed MoneyHelper service runs a directory of specialist insurers. American travellers should buy within their insurer’s waiver window, which is 14 days on Allianz and up to 21 days on Travelex Ultimate.

Medical Limits: What the Big Numbers Mean

The medical limit is the most an insurer will pay for treatment, hospital stays and, usually, getting you home. It matters more than any other figure: a stolen rucksack is an annoyance, a serious accident far from home is not.

The spread is wide. True Traveller offers £10m on every plan and World Nomads £10m on Explorer; Heymondo reaches US$10m on Premium. Genki pays up to €1,000,000, SafetyWing Essential US$250,000 and Travelex Essential just US$25,000, which is fine for a weekend in Cancún but thin for a serious accident in Europe or Asia. Check evacuation too: SafetyWing Essential caps it at US$100,000 over your lifetime.

The USA needs its own check. SafetyWing excludes it without an add-on, Genki Traveler gives seven days of emergency-only cover per stay unless you pay more, and Cigna Global’s cover excluding the USA still pays for emergency hospital treatment there within its out-of-area limit.

The Excess: Why the Cheapest Policy Can Cost You More

The excess, or deductible, is the slice of each claim you pay yourself. It is easy to ignore at checkout and impossible to ignore when you claim.

A Stolen Phone in Goa: What Each Plan Pays

A teacher from Bristol has her £300 phone stolen on a beach in Goa. On True Traveller, her plan decides the payout:

• True Value: £150 single-item limit, £125 excess. She receives £25.
• Traveller: £300 limit, £75 excess. She receives £225 (about US$300 / €267).
• Traveller Plus: £350 limit, £35 excess. She receives £265 (about US$353 / €314).

A little more premium can be worth ten times as much at claim time.

World Nomads charges £100 per person, per insured event on most sections. Heymondo has no excess by default on single trips, but US$250 on medical claims under Annual and Long Stay. Genki takes €50 per case: a €180 clinic bill for an ear infection returns €130, and follow-up visits count as the same case.

Cigna Global lets you choose. On Gold with a US$750 (£563 / €668) deductible and a 10% cost share, a US$8,000 (£6,003 / €7,125) knee operation in Lisbon costs you US$1,475 (£1,107 / €1,314) and Cigna pays the remaining US$6,525 (£4,896 / €5,811). A higher deductible lowers the premium, which suits healthy people with savings to absorb a bad year.

Phones, Laptops and Cameras: How Gadget Cover Works

Most policies treat electronics as an afterthought. World Nomads and True Traveller put phones and laptops under a valuables limit of £250 to £500, and both sell specified items cover that lifts the per-item limit: to £750 on World Nomads Explorer and £850 on True Traveller’s Traveller Plus. Heymondo’s optional gadget cover is worth up to 100% of the baggage limit on Top and Premium, so Premium’s US$2,500 has to cover bags and electronics combined. Genki covers neither.

A Laptop Stolen in Canggu: Depreciation in Action

A designer’s laptop, bought two years ago for US$1,500, is taken from a café table in Canggu. SafetyWing’s electronics theft add-on pays up to US$1,000 per item, but depreciation runs at 2% a month from purchase. After 24 months the laptop has lost 48% of its value, so the most she could recover is US$780 (£585.37 / €694.69), and only with a police report filed within 24 hours. Accidental damage is never covered.

On a UK policy with specified items cover, the ceiling is the per-item limit less the excess: up to £650 on World Nomads Explorer and £815 on Traveller Plus. For a camera and laptop together, a separate gadget policy may be the better answer.

Adventure Sports: Read the Altitude, Not the Activity Name

Activity cover is where policies differ most and where claims most often fall apart. The question is rarely whether trekking or diving is covered, but to what height or depth.

Everest Base Camp: Matching Cover to Altitude

A couple from Leeds plan to trek to Everest Base Camp, which tops out at about 5,364m. True Traveller’s Adventure Pack covers trekking to 4,600m, so they need to check the higher packs against their highest night. Heymondo’s adventure add-on stops at 5,000m. SafetyWing’s add-on covers mountaineering below 6,000m. On World Nomads, they should read each level’s activity list; anything not listed needs confirming before purchase.

Diving works the same way. Genki covers dives to 30 metres, Heymondo’s add-on goes below 20 metres and True Traveller’s Extreme Pack to 50m, while SafetyWing and World Nomads cover you within your certified depth. For skiing, SafetyWing covers on-piste with a helmet, Genki marked runs and World Nomads conventional skiing only; True Traveller’s Winter Sports option includes off-piste. Our winter sports insurance guide compares the ski cover in detail.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions: Who Covers What

If you have asthma, diabetes, a heart condition or anything you have seen a doctor about recently, this table matters more than the price.

Provider	Approach
True Traveller	Online medical screening; conditions accepted in writing are covered, sometimes for an extra premium
Cigna Global	Full medical history at application; a condition may be covered, excluded or covered for more
Travelex Insurance	Waiver on Ultimate only, if bought within 21 days of your first trip deposit
Genki	Traveler excludes anything treated or diagnosed in the year before cover starts; Native uses a questionnaire
World Nomads	Excluded if you knew of it, or had advice, treatment or medication in the 180 days before buying
SafetyWing	Excluded; on Complete, anything ever diagnosed or treated, or with symptoms in the past two years
Heymondo	Excluded

Declare everything honestly, because inaccurate answers can void a claim or the whole contract, and tell the insurer if your health changes before you travel.

GHIC and EHIC: Useful, but Not a Substitute for Insurance

UK residents can get a UK Global Health Insurance Card, or GHIC, free from the NHS. Valid for up to five years, it gives access to state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you get home, including emergency treatment and care for long-term or pre-existing conditions, on the same terms as local residents. If locals pay a charge, so do you.

It works across the EU and in a short list of other places, with Switzerland covered only for certain nationalities. It does not pay for medical repatriation, private clinics or ski and mountain rescue, which is why the NHS itself advises taking out travel insurance too. Apply only through the NHS GHIC page; unofficial sites charge for a card that is free.

Picture a walker who breaks a wrist on a path above Sóller. Her GHIC gets her treated in a Spanish state hospital. It will not pay if she ends up in a private clinic, or needs a stretcher flight back to Gatwick. That is where her travel policy earns its keep. EU and EEA residents carry a European Health Insurance Card from their own health system, with the same gaps. Our guide for EU residents explains how the EHIC works.

Buying Mid-Trip, and Cover When You Fly Home

Forgot to insure before you left? World Nomads applies a 72-hour wait and True Traveller a 48-hour wait, neither with cancellation cover. SafetyWing and Genki can be started from anywhere, though Genki covers only emergencies in the first 14 days.

At the other end, Heymondo’s cancellation cover applies only if you buy within seven days of your first trip booking, a rule that catches out people who book flights in January and insurance in June.

Nomads should check home-country rules. SafetyWing covers emergencies on visits home once a plan has run for 90 days; Genki Traveler covers emergencies for the first six weeks of a home stay after at least four weeks abroad; Heymondo covers nothing at home.

Making a Claim That Gets Paid

Missing paperwork is the commonest reason claims stall, and the insurer named on your certificate, not the brand on the website, is the one that pays. The same habits help everywhere:

1. Call the assistance line first. True Traveller wants a call within 48 hours of an ambulance admission, and Cigna Global cuts payments by 20% without prior approval for planned treatment.
2. Report theft within 24 hours. True Traveller and SafetyWing both want a police report.
3. Get a carrier report for lost bags, or write to the airline within seven days on True Traveller.
4. Keep originals: receipts, medical reports and proof of ownership.
5. Ask before cutting a trip short. True Traveller and World Nomads both want authorisation first.
6. Watch the deadlines. Cigna Global wants claims within 12 months of treatment.

Save the policy wording and emergency number on your phone, ideally on a travel eSIM that works the moment you land. Our travel essentials guide covers the rest of the kit.

How We Test and Compare Travel Insurance

We read each provider’s policy wording and plan pages, checked the insurer of record and its regulator, and compared Trustpilot and app store ratings for patterns in claims complaints. Scores are weighted as follows:

• Cover and limits (30%): medical, evacuation, cancellation, baggage and gadgets
• Small print (20%): excess, exclusions, pre-existing conditions and age limits
• Flexibility (15%): buying abroad, extensions and home-country cover
• Price and value (15%): published prices and what each saving is worth
• Claims and support (10%): assistance lines and what customers report
• Regulation (10%): who the insurer is and where a dispute would go