What is the best travel insurance? SafetyWing, World Nomads, or Genki?
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If you travel frequently or live and work as a digital nomad, finding health or travel insurance that fits your lifestyle can feel tricky. Nowadays, SafetyWing, World Nomads, and Genki are often considered three of the top insurance companies, especially for long-term travelers. Below, I will break down their policies and share why I’ve relied on SafetyWing’s “Nomad Essential” travel medical insurance to stay protected on my trips.
SafetyWing vs World Nomads vs Genki
First, let me give you a background on each of them:
SafetyWing
Medical travel insurance for digital nomads and remote workers
World Nomads
Short and long-term travel insurance for independent travelers and families
Genki
Travel health insurance for travelers and residents anywhere in the world
SafetyWing: All you need to know
Founded in 2018 in San Francisco, SafetyWing offers two main insurance options. One is Nomad Insurance, ideal for digital nomads, and the other is Remote Health, made for companies with remote teams. The Nomad Insurance has two plans: the Essential, which is travel medical insurance, and Complete, which includes full health insurance and additional travel protection. In this article, we will focus on the Nomad Essential insurance.
World Nomads: All you need to know
Born in Sydney, Australia, in 2002, World Nomads works as a travel and health insurance company focused on backpackers, digital nomads, and families. Their prices are based on your age, destination, and travel dates. World Nomads has three main plans: Standard, Explorer, and Epic. Standard is the most basic one, while the others cover missed flight connections, optional cancellation for any reason, rental car damage, travel inconvenience and pet kennel in different levels. For a fair comparison, we will focus on the Standard option.
Genki: All you need to know
Genki is a German company founded in 2021 focused on health. They have two different insurance alternatives. Genki Native is basically an international health insurance, perfect for expats, for example, while Genki Traveler, the one we will discuss in more detail in this article, is a travel health insurance ideal for frequent and long-term travelers.
SafetyWing vs World Nomads
We will start by comparing SafetyWing’s Nomad Essential insurance vs World Nomads’ Standard and Annual plans.
|
SafetyWing Nomad Essential |
World Nomads Standard |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ideal for |
Digital nomads, remote workers, short and long-term travelers. |
Independent and adventurous travelers. Short and long trips. |
|
Plan options |
Single-trip and monthly plans. |
Single-trip and annual plans. |
|
Price |
Varies according to your age, trip duration and add-ons. Monthly plans start at USD 62.72 (4 weeks), which is what I would pay as 39-year-old U.S. citizen, up to USD 218.96. Optional add-ons starting at USD 53.48 for U.S. coverage, USD 10 for adventure sports, and USD 10 for electronics theft coverage. |
Depends on your age, the length of your trip, and your chosen destination(s). For reference, we got a quote for a 39-year-old U.S. citizen spending 4 weeks in Brazil, Thailand, and Switzerland. The prices started at USD 177.57. An annual plan would cost USD 506, covering up to 45 days per trip. |
|
Payment |
You can choose to pay upfront for specific dates or every 4 weeks, with the option to cancel anytime. |
Upfront payments with credit and debit cards. |
|
Deductible |
Not applicable. |
Depends on the country of residence. Usually no deductible for U.S. citizens. |
|
Medical treatment and hospitalization |
USD 250,000 max limit. |
USD 125,000 max limit. |
|
Emergency evacuation (Up to) |
USD 100,000 lifetime maximum for medical evacuation and USD 20,000 for transport of remains. USD 10,000 lifetime max in case of evacuation from local unrest. |
USD 400,000 for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. USD 25,000 in case of political or natural disaster evacuation. |
|
Travel insurance (Up to) |
USD 5,000 for ticket home for trip interruption. USD 60 for a 3–8-hour trip delay and USD 150 for a delay of 8+ hours. USD 500 per lost luggage item. |
USD 2,500 for trip interruption. USD 250 per day for a trip delay, to a maximum of USD 1,000. USD 1,000 for baggage and personal effects lost or stolen, and USD 150/day for luggage delay. |
|
Coverage summary |
Hospital stays, surgeries and medications + lost luggage, travel delays and emergency evacuations + 24/7 human support + death arrangements + trip interruption in case of family death + injuries and motor accidents. |
Accident and sickness medical expenses + trip cancellation + traveling companion hospitalization + trip delay + evacuation, death, and repatriation of remains + baggage return or delay and personal effects. |
* The information above is a summary of the plans and is provided for reference only.
Which travel insurance is better? SafetyWing or World Nomads?
The main factors that make me choose SafetyWing over World Nomads are definitely:
Besides that, SafetyWing covers more countries and even short trips to your home country.
The only situation in which I would prefer World Nomads is when traveling to extremely remote areas, such as the Falkland Islands, for example, where emergency evacuation costs could surpass USD 100,000. In these cases, World Nomads could bring more peace of mind with up to USD 400,000 coverage.
SafetyWing vs Genki
Here is a summary of the benefits offered by SafetyWing’s Nomad Essential and Genki Traveler’s plan.
|
SafetyWing Nomad Essential |
Genki Traveler |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ideal for |
Digital nomads, remote workers, short and long-term travelers. |
Long-term digital nomads and travelers. |
|
Plan options |
Single-trip (minimum 5 days coverage) and monthly plans. |
Monthly plan (minimum of one month coverage) |
|
Price |
Varies according to your age, trip duration and add-ons. Monthly plans start at USD 62.72 (4 weeks) up to USD 218.96. Optional add-ons starting at USD 53.48 for U.S. coverage, USD 10 for adventure sports, and USD 10 for electronics theft coverage. |
Varies according to your age, starting at EUR 52.50 (USD 60.50) per month, up to EUR 168.30 (USD 193.89). Worldwide healthcare (limited in Canada & USA). For a fair comparison, a 39-year-old would pay EUR 63.90 (USD 73.62) / month and could add Canada & USA coverage for extra EUR 59.70 (USD 68.78). |
|
Payment |
You can choose to pay upfront for specific dates or every 4 weeks, with the option to cancel anytime. |
Paid monthly (between 28 and 31 days depending on the month), cancel anytime after the first month. |
|
Deductible |
Not applicable. |
EUR 50 |
|
Medical treatment and hospitalization |
USD 250,000 max limit. |
EUR 1,000,000 max limit. |
|
Emergency evacuation (Up to) |
USD 100,000 lifetime maximum for medical evacuation and USD 20,000 for transport of remains. USD 10,000 lifetime max for evacuation from local unrest. |
EUR 1,000,000 for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. Does not cover local unrest or natural disasters. |
|
Travel insurance (Up to) |
USD 5,000 for ticket home for trip interruption. USD 60 for a 3–8-hour trip delay and USD 150 for a delay of 8+ hours. USD 500 per lost luggage item. |
No coverage. |
|
Coverage summary |
Hospital stays, surgeries and medications + lost luggage, travel delays and emergency evacuations + 24/7 human support + death arrangements + trip interruption in case of family death + injuries and motor accidents. |
Medical treatment + ambulance + consultations and telemedicine + medical care + assistance and direct billing + sports injuries + medical repatriation + hospital visits + physiotherapy + emergency dental treatment. |
* The information above is a summary of the plans and is provided for reference only.
What is the best travel medical insurance company? SafetyWing or Genki?
In this case, the answer depends on your needs. Here is what you should consider:
- Based on where you are going and the activities you plan to do, do you think you are more likely to need healthcare, travel insurance, or both?
- How much would a medical repatriation cost from the places you will be visiting?
- Do you plan to visit your home country? For example, during a sabbatical year?
- How long will you be traveling for?
Note that their prices are very similar. For some age groups, Genki may be cheaper, while for others, SafetyWing ends up being more competitive.
Here is my final conclusion:
SafetyWing
Best for short-term travelers, digital nomads carrying electronics wherever they go, backpackers, and long-term travelers visiting several countries.
Genki
Best for long-term trips to countries where healthcare is very expensive (e.g.: Monaco, Norway, and Switzerland) and trips to remote islands.
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance makes it easy and simple
I started using the Nomad Essential insurance plan from SafetyWing in May of 2023 and luckily I have not needed to make a claim so far. Basically, what I can personally tell you is that the registration, renewal, and cancellation processes are all extremely simple.
Elaine Villatoro
Founder of Live More, Travel More
Did you like our comparison: SafetyWing vs World Nomads vs Genki? I really hope this post was useful to you.
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Disclaimer:
* Travel medical insurance policies may change at any time, and exceptions may apply. Please read the full, updated policy before any purchase.
** The USD prices are estimates based on the exchange rate on the day this article was written (April 4, 2026). This article was written in collaboration with SafetyWing.
