If you are reading this, it is because you have decided to buy a travel insurance for your round-the-world trip (or travel on a long period of time) and it is a great idea (if you are not sure you need travel insurance, read our guide about backpacker insurances which should answer all your questions). But now you have to compare and choose the best backpacker insurance for your trip around the world and it is not necessarily a simple task for you to make the right choice with the multitude of offers that exist in the insurance market.
Many of you are interested in comparing the coverages of the different backpacker insurance plans to make their choice (and it’s quite understandable, we were like that too). Still, it’s quite time-consuming (not to say boring) to go to all the websites of the different insurances, find each guarantee and compare each one by one (with the good old Excel sheet 😉 ). So we thought we could make your life easier by creating an interactive comparative table of the best backpacker travel insurances! (sounds nice doesn’t it?)
Thanks to our backpacker Insurance Comparison table, you will be able to easily select the different coverage that correspond to your trip and compare the guarantees that are most important to you. Because as you were told in the guide, there is no perfect insurance, the ideal insurance will vary according to your trip and your priorities.
Before we show you this table, let’s take a look at the criteria for comparing different travel insurances.
Important criteria to compare different backpacker insurances
Any good backpacker insurance must cover you for some essential criteria to ensure your safety while traveling. But it may also include additional coverage that may also be of interest to you.
Medical expenses abroad
Any good backpacker insurance must cover 100% of the medical expenses (hospitalization, medicines, consultation) for an illness or injury that occurs during the trip. The parameter that will vary greatly between the different coverages is the maximum guarantee cap (maximum amount allocated per year). This criterion is important if you travel to countries where medical costs are very high such as the USA / Canada. Some insurances also offer interesting benefits such as an amount for emergency dental expenses, physiotherapy or osteopathic treatment. It is therefore important to be able to compare the coverage limits offered by the various backpacker insurances.
Repatriation
You must have a backpacker insurance that covers any medical repatriation. Whether to the nearest hospital or in your home country, these costs can be very high and are usually unavoidable in these emergency situations! In such cases, it is also important to have a close relative at your side.
It may also be interesting to have an insurance in case of non-medical repatriation (repatriation of the body in case of death, repatriation in case of war / terrorist attack / natural disaster, early return for the death of a relative) or a sum allocated for research in case of disappearance (during a trek for example).
Civil liability
It is the 3rd pillar of any good travel insurance for a round the world trip (with medical expenses and repatriation). You must have insurance that covers you if you injure someone or unintentionally damage someone else’s equipment. Imagine if you damaged a car or hit someone…. costs can rise very quickly. So for civil liability, it is important to have the best possible coverage limits (you can easily compare them in the comparison table below).
Luggage and valuable items
It is often the weak point of backpacker travel insurances and it is an interesting criterion to compare between the different coverages. Check carefully in the general conditions what is considered as luggage or valuables, what is the maximum coverage limit, when your luggage is insured (sometimes only during transport) etc…
Sports activities
There is also a great disparity between backpacker insurance. If you practice sports considered “more dangerous” such as mountaineering, paragliding, parachuting (etc…) make sure that your insurance covers you in case of an accident.
The Price
Since everybody doesn’t have the same budget and it is human nature to find the best quality/price ratio 😉 , it is obviously an important selection criterion. It is even the first at the top of the backpacker travel insurance comparison.
User manual for our backpacker insurance comparison table
We hope that the interface of the comparison table is quite intuitive, but here is how to use this tool:
- Tick the backpacker insurance coverage you want to compare (for better readability, do not tick more than 4-5 on desktop and 2-3 on mobile)
- You can delete all the lines of guarantees that do not interest you by clicking on the crosses and hide the guarantees by criteria by clicking on the subtitles
- To reset the comparison table, simply refresh the page.
The Backpacker Insurance Comparison table for your round the world trip
| Criteria |  See ACS Globe Partner |  See SafetyWing |  See AVI Marco Polo | See Marco Polo sports and leisures |  See Chapka Cap Aventure |  See GObyAVA plan santé AVAnture |  See World Nomads Standard | See World Nomads Explorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | See ACS Globe Partner | See SafetyWing | See AVI Marco Polo | See Marco Polo sports et leisures | See Chapka Cap Adventure | See GObyAVA plan santé AVAnture | See World Nomads Standard | See World Nomads Explorer |
| Price per months | ||||||||
 Solo traveler, less than 35 (out of USA / Canada) | 34€ | 33€ for 4 weeks (28 days) | 47€ | 61€ | 48€ to 54€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 44€ | 75€ to 90€ | 83€ to 99€ |
| Solo traveler, less than 35 (USA / Canada included) | 34€ | 59€ for 4 weeks (28 days) | 59€ | 71€ | 62€ to 68€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 59€ | 75€ to 119€ | 83€ to 131€ |
| Couple, less than 35 (out of USA / Canada) | 68€ | 66€ for 4 weeks (28 days) | 98€ | 122€ | 91€ to 103€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 83€ | 150€ to 180€ | 166€ to 198€ |
| Couple, less than 35 (USA / Canada included) | 68€ | 122€ for 4 weeks (28 days) | 118€ | 142€ | 118€ to 129€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 108€ | 150€ to 238€ | 166€ to 262€ |
| Family of 4 (outside of USA / Canada) | 136€ | 66€ for 4 weeks (28 days) / if children are less than 10 years old | 128€ | 176€ | 182€ to 202€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 173€ | 150€ to 237€ | 168€ to 262€ |
| Family of 4 (USA / Canada included) | 136€ | 132€ for 4 weeks (28 days) / if children are less than 10 years old | 150€ | 198€ | 252€ to 272€ (cheaper if the trip gets longer) | 275€ | 150€ to 237€ | 168€ to 262€ |
| Medical expenses | ||||||||
| Medical expenses abroad (max per person/year) | 100% of expenses until 150’000€ | 100% of expenses until 220’000€ | 100% of expenses until 300’000€ outside Europe / 100’000€ in Europe | 100% of expenses until 300’000€ outside Europe / 100’000€ in Europe | 100% of expenses until 200’000€ outside USA Canada / 1’000’000 € in USA Canada) | 100% of expenses until 300’000€ outside USA Canada / 1’000’000 € in USA Canada) | 100% of expenses until 3’500’000€ | 100% of expenses without limit |
| Deductible | no deductible | 220€ (over the full contract period, not each claim) | no deductible | no deductible | no deductible (just 35€ in USA Canada) | 25€ | 70€ | 70€ |
| Daily amount in case of hospital stay | not included | not included | not included | not included | included | not included | 35€/day until 1500€ | 70€/day until 2000€ |
| Emergency dental treatment | 300€ | 880€ | 150€ | 150€ | 600€ | 300€ | 250€ | 350€ |
| Assistance abroad | ||||||||
| Medical transport / repatriation home | 100% of expenses | 100% of expenses | 100% of expenses | 100% of expenses | 100% of expenses | 100% of expenses | 350’000€ | 350’000€ |
| Presence of a relative in the event of hospitalization | plane tickets plus 80€/night (max 8 nights) | plane tickets plus local transports (max 1300€) | plane tickets + accomodation (max 2000€) | plane tickets + accomodations (max 2000€) | plane tickets plus 80€/night (max 10 nights) | plane tickets plus 50€/night (max 10 nights) | plane tickets + accomodation (max 3500€) | plane tickets + accomodation (max 3500€) |
| Non-medical repatriation (natural disaster, terrorism, war) | not included | repatriation in a safe place | not included | not included | not included | repatriation in a safe place | repatriation in a safe place | |
| Accidental death / repatriation | Repatriation of remains (100% of expenses) and 8’000€ Accidental death compensation | Repatriation of remains (100% of expenses) and 22’000€ Accidental death compensation | Repatriation of remains (100% of expenses) and 15’000€ Accidental death compensation | Repatriation of remains (100% of expenses) and 15’000€ Accidental death compensation | Repatriation of remains (100% of expenses) and 8’000€ Accidental death compensation | Repatriation of remains and funeral expenses (until 10’000€) | Repatriation of remains and funeral expenses (until 10’000€) and Accidental death compensation | |
| Early return in the case of death or hospitalization of a parent | Return ticket in case of death only | Return ticket | Return ticket | Return ticket | Return ticket plus ticket to come back | Return ticket | Return ticket | Return ticket |
| Search and rescue costs | 3’000€ | not included | 2’000€ | 2’000€ | 5’000€ | 5’000€ | Included in repatriation coverage | Included in repatriation coverage |
| Civil liability insurance | ||||||||
| Physical damages to a person | 4’575’000€ | 22’000€ | 750’000€ | 750’000€ | until 4.5 millions € | 4’500’000€ | 700’000€ | 1’750’000€ |
| Material damages | 450’000€ | 22’000€ | 450’000€ | 450’000€ | 450’000€ | 700’000€ | 1’750’000€ | |
| Deductible | 80€ | no deductible | no deductible | no deductible | 80€ | 70€ | 70€ | |
| Legal assistance | 3’000€ | not included | included in civil liability | included in civil liability | 3’000€ | included in civil liability | included in civil liability | |
| luggage / high value items | ||||||||
| theft or destruction of luggage | 1’150€ (only for the go and return trip) | 2’600€ (max 400€ per item and only for plane trips) | 2’000€ (max 300€ per item) | 2’000€ (max 300€ per item) | 2’000€ | 2’000€ | 1’700€ (max 350€ per item) | 2’500€ (max 500€ per item) |
| High value items | Camera, phone and computer not covered | yes but only for checked luggages | max 300€ / item | max 300€ / item | max 1’000€ / item | max 1’000€ / item | possibility to insure up to 10 additional items (max 700€ / item until 1400€) | possibility to insure up to 10 additional items (max 700€ / item until 1400€) |
| Delayed baggage delivery | not included | not included | not included | not included | not included | 100€ / day until 3 days | 100€ / day until 5 days | |
| Activities included / excluded | ||||||||
| 2-wheel motor vehicles < 125cm3 | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Trekking / Hiking | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Mountaineering | no | yes (less than 4500m) | no | no | no | no | no | yes |
| Surf | yes | yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| KiteSurf | yes | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | yes |
| Rafting / Kayaking | yes | no | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Diving | yes | yes until 10m | no | yes until 45m | yes until 40m | yes | no | yes until 50m |
| skydiving | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no |
| paragliding / hang-gliding | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | yes |
Note: If you are over 36 years old, you can of course subscribe to one of the backpacker insurance coverages presented above (you will easily obtain a quote online). But as the age ranges differ according to the insurances, it was difficult for us to compare prices above 36 years in the table above. Obviously, the benefits do not change according to age 😉
Our opinion about the best backpacker insurances
Cheapest backpacker insurance for small budgets
If your travel budget is very tight and you want to be properly covered in case of a serious problem (medical expenses, repatriation, civil liability), ACS Globe Partner might be coverage you are looking for. This is the minimum to have if you go backpacking around the world!
You could also choose SafetyWing which is in the same price range and offers higher limits for medical expenses (and almost everything else) but lower for civil liability
Solo backpackers and couples
If you have a little more budget and you are travelling alone or as a couple, the following 3 offers might interest you:
- GObyAVA: Their offer plan santé AVAnture has very good coverage limits for the most important points such as medical expenses and civil liability for slightly lower prices than Chapka and AVI. The only small drawback is the 25€ deductible… but otherwise, really excellent quality/price ratio
See on GObyAVA’s website - Chapka insurance: Chapka coverage is very extensive with excellent coverage limits. On the other hand, the prices become really interesting only if you travel long enough (decreasing prices according to the duration of the trip)
See on Chapka’s website - AVI international: Between Chapka and GObyAVA in terms of prices (but we give you 5% discounts 😉 ), it offers coverage limits that are perhaps a little lower than these 2 offers. However, there is no deductible with AVI.
See on AVI’website (+5% discount)
I really recommend that you compare these 3 offers in the interactive table to make your choice if you are travelling alone or as a couple.
Backpacker families
AVI’s Marco Polo insurance offers special family prices, which makes it the insurance coverage with the best quality/price ratio for families (same guarantees as for solo travellers and couples). In addition, AVI offers an additional 5% discount to all Novo-monde readers. All you have to do is subscribe through one of our links (on this page or the insurance guide). Nice isn’t it? 🙂
And if you travel with children under 10, then nothing can beat SafetyWing, which includes 1 child under 10 in each contract, making it by far the cheapest travel insurance to travel with young children.
See on AVI Marco Polo’s website
The best overall coverage
As you can imagine, it is the most expensive backpacker insurance in this list but it is also the most extensive! No max for medical expenses, almost all sports are covered and still lots of small extras that we didn’t even have the space to add in the table 🙂 … In short, if you can afford it, with World-Nomads Explorer, you don’t take any risks 🙂 (a little downside, though, the €70 deductible). On the other hand, we still find that it is really too expensive compared to the other offers mentioned above but this is only our opinion 😉 .
So, I think that after this, if you don’t find the travel insurance that suits you, there’s nothing we can do for you 😉 ! And when you think you have found the right backpacker insurance, don’t forget to read the terms and conditions once. We know it’s annoying, but in case of a problem, you’re supposed to know what’s written there so don’t neglect this step.
And we would like to add that this backpacker insurance comparison table is a work in progress. We have obviously integrated the insurances that we think are best suited for a round-the-world or long-duration trip. But if you think that another insurance would deserve a spot here, don’t hesitate to say so in the comments or write us a short e-mail. We will be happy to improve this page 🙂
So which backpacker travel insurance did you choose for your travels ?
P.S. If you buy an insurance through one of our links, you will pay the same price (or even cheaper 😉 ) but we will receive a small commission. This has in no way influenced the choice of insurances presented above but will help us to continue our work on this site and to offer this kind of free and independent tool on our blog. So if you appreciate the information you found on this page for free, don’t hesitate to support us by buying through our links.
Join the discussion