Travel insurance for digital nomads

Heading overseas as a digital nomad often means travelling with items that matter, like your personal laptop, your phone to stay connected with family back home, or a camera to document your trip. If you'd like to cover your valuable items for more than what's included under the standard luggage and personal effects limits and sub-limits, you can choose to specify them as a specified high value item for an additional premium. ^ 

Below are some examples of items you may be able to specify as high value items. They will be specifically listed on your certificate of insurance to confirm cover.  

• Phone
• Laptop
• Camera

For more details visit our page on travel insurance for luggage and personal effects and read our PDS on terms and conditions of cover for luggage and personal effects.

It’s common for travelling freelancers to combine work travel with adventure activities. Fast Cover's Adventure Pack gives you the option to include cover for a list of adventure activities to help you make the most of your time overseas. ^ 

 Examples of some activities that require the Adventure Pack include:   

• Abseiling   
• Outdoor rock climbing   
• Quad biking   
• Tandem parachuting and tandem skydiving   
• Sailing from 10 -15 nautical miles off any land mass    
• Scuba diving up to a depth of 30 m   
• Water skiing, jet skiing, and speedboating    

Conditions apply for activities under our Adventure Pack so make sure to read the PDS for full T&Cs.   

The Adventure Pack is available at an additional premium as an optional cover for Aussie travellers aged 74 and under (at the date of policy issue) when they purchase a Comprehensive, Standard Saver, Snow Sports Plus, Domestic Plus or Frequent Traveller Saver policy. ^   

For more details, visit our page on travel insurance for adventure activities.    

Exploring a destination on two wheels offers digital nomads a unique and thrilling way to experience new locations at their own pace. 

Fast Cover’s Motorcycle Pack is an optional extra that you can add to your travel insurance policy that may provide cover to you for being the rider or passenger on a:    

• Motorcycle,    
• Moped, or   
• Scooter. ^   

The Motorcycle Pack is available at an additional premium for Aussie travellers aged 74 years and under at the date of policy issue when they purchase an international travel insurance policy. ^   

For more details visit our page on travel insurance for riding a motorcycle overseas and read our PDS for terms and conditions of cover for the Motorcycle Pack.

Whether you’re hiring a car for a road trip or exploring local towns between jobs, Fast Cover may be able to provide cover for your rental vehicle insurance excess. ^   

If your rental vehicle is in an accident, damaged or stolen during your trip overseas, Fast Cover can, depending on the policy chosen, and on payment of additional premium provide reasonable additional cover of up to $8,000 for the rental vehicle excess component of your rental vehicle insurance with your car hire company overseas.^   

The rental vehicle excess benefit applies to a:   

• Sedan, hatchback, or station wagon,
• Four-wheel drive or minibus/people mover, or
• Campervan or motorhome (up to 4.5 tonnes),

rented from a licensed motor vehicle rental company (including vehicles rented from peer-to-peer carsharing platforms). ^   

Our Domestic Plus policy automatically covers your rental vehicle excess up to $5,000.^ For more details visit our page on rental vehicle excess cover and read our PDS for terms and conditions of cover for rental vehicle excess.

Some digital nomads take the opportunity to explore other destinations by cruise during their travel, whether it’s cruising to Alaska, Hawaii, or around the South Pacific.  

If you are travelling on a cruise ship and wish to be covered for it, you must specify cruise cover at the time of purchase based on your destination and length of your cruise trip: 

• If you are travelling within Australian waters, the New Zealand or the South Pacific region for 1night or more, you must specify cruise cover at the time of purchase   
• If you are travelling on a cruise within Asia, Europe or Worldwide regions for 4 nights or more, you must specify cruise cover at the time of purchase.   

By adding this option, your existing travel insurance benefits will extend to when you’re on a cruise. Adding cruise cover to your policy allows you to have cover both on board and on land, helping you stay covered throughout your entire trip. ^ Please note that for domestic cruises within Australian waters, medical coverage is only available whilst you are on board the cruise ship, not while you are on land.^ 

For more details, visit our page on travel insurance for cruises and read our PDS for terms and conditions of cover for travelling on cruise ships.

Freelancing abroad in a country with great ski fields? Unexpected events at the snow can snowball into costly expenses. If you’re planning to ski or snowboard overseas, answer yes to ‘Skiing and Snowboarding’ during your quote application. This gives you the option to purchase a “Snow Sports Plus Policy” which can provide cover for costs associated with ski and snow sports. ^ 

Below are some examples of things that may be covered in your snow sports benefits: 

• loss or theft of, or accidental damage to snow sports equipment, 
• for hiring replacement snow sports equipment that is necessary to continue with your original itinerary if snow sports equipment owned by you has been misdirected or delayed for a period of more than 24-hours, or has been accidentally damaged, lost or stolen during your trip, 
• if you are injured or become sick during your trip and are unable to utilise the full duration of your pre-booked and pre-paid lift passes, snow sports equipment hire, or lessons, we may be able to reimburse you the percentage amount of the unused portion for each insured person, and 
• the cost of transport and lift passes at an alternate ski resort,  

in conditions and circumstances covered under your policy and as per limits and sub limits set out in our PDS. ^  

The Snow Sports Plus policy is available at an additional premium for Aussie travellers aged 69 and under at the date of policy issue, when they purchase an international travel insurance policy. ^  

For more details visit our page on travel insurance for skiing and snowboarding and read our PDS for terms and conditions of cover for Snow Sports.

Becoming unexpectedly sick or injured before your trip could force you to cancel your digital nomad trip. Rescheduling a cancelled trip and dealing with lost deposits and non-refundable flights, accommodation and tours can become stressful and expensive. Consider if your travel insurance policy can provide cover for trip cancellation expenses.

Medical care overseas can be costly, and Australian Medicare does not cover you once you leave the country. Consider if your international travel insurance for digital nomads can provide cover if you get sick or injured during your trip and you incur overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses. Check if your travel insurance can provide cover for emergency evacuation and repatriation if you become seriously ill or injured during your trip overseas.

Travelling as a digital nomad often means bringing personal items like your laptop, phone, tablet or camera. Replacing these items overseas can be costly and can impact your jobs. Check if your travel insurance can provide cover for your luggage and personal effects and if there are options to increase cover for specified high value items for an additional premium.

An unexpected serious illness, injury or family emergency back home could mean you need to return to Australia before your trip or job overseas is complete. Consider if your travel insurance can provide cover for trip disruption or resumption expenses in situations covered under your policy.

If you have an existing medical condition that you wish to be covered for, it is important to declare it when you get a quote and complete our medical screening process to determine if your condition can be covered. Consider whether your travel insurance can provide cover for overseas medical expenses related to your existing medical condition, and whether you may need to complete a medical screening as part of the quote process.

These are only some of the situations that you might wish to consider when deciding if you need travel insurance for digital nomads.  

Before you decide whether you need travel insurance for your trip as a digital nomad, you should read the PDS to check what our travel insurance will and won't cover you for, any conditions and exclusions that might apply to you and whether the policy provides the cover that you're looking for. Any advice is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs.

For digital nomads, the best policy isn't necessarily the cheapest one; it's the policy that gives you the level of cover that matches the way you'll be travelling. If you're comparing options, look closely at what each policy includes, such as: 

• Overseas emergency medical and hospital expenses 
• Overseas emergency medical evacuation and repatriation 
• Trip cancellation and disruption benefits 
• Luggage and personal effects cover, including sub-limits for laptops, phones and tablets 

Understanding the benefits, limits and sub-limits can help you decide which policy is suitable for your trip. 

Fast Cover offers a range of cover levels so you can choose an option that matches your plans and budget, whether you're going on a short trip for a destination job or a full year of remote working while backpacking. ^

Some digital nomads may need to return to Australia temporarily during their trip, for family emergencies, personal reasons or an unexpected change in circumstances. When comparing policies, it's worth checking whether your travel insurance allows you to return home without voiding your cover if the reason for your visit home isn't a claimable event. 

Fast Cover policies allow you to return home for reasons like attending a wedding, celebrating a birthday or feeling homesick, and then resume your trip as long as you still have at least 14 days left on your policy and you resume your trip within 6 months of return. Please note there will be no cover from the time you return home to the time you continue your trip.

Digital nomads often travel beyond coworking spaces and tech hubs. Many digital nomads take part in adventurous activities such as hiking above 3,000 metres, outdoor rock climbing or quad biking, while others participate in snow sports like skiing or snowboarding, or ride a motorcycle during their time overseas. 

When comparing travel insurance policies for your next digital nomad trip, check whether you can customise your cover to include the activities you plan to do. 

Cover for adventure activities, riding a motorcycle or participating in snow sports may require an additional optional benefit to be added, may incur an additional premium and may have different age limits to standard terms. At Fast Cover, you can add on the Adventure Pack, Motorcycle Pack or upgrade your policy to a Snow Sports Plus policy to include cover for these additional activities. ^

When you're travelling and working overseas for an extended period, your health and safety are important considerations. Medical costs in many popular digital nomad destinations can be expensive, and Australian Medicare does not cover medical expenses abroad. When comparing travel insurance options for digital nomads, consider if your policy provides 24/7 overseas emergency medical assistance. This can be particularly helpful if you become unexpectedly sick or injured and need help accessing emergency services overseas, finding a suitable hospital or organising approved medical evacuation or repatriation.  

With Fast Cover's international travel insurance, you have access to our Australian-based Emergency Assistance team anytime, day or night, if an unexpected medical emergency occurs during your trip overseas. ^

Digital nomad trips vary greatly in length, from a week of remote work to a full year of back to back projects abroad. Choosing travel insurance that covers the full length of your stay is important. When comparing policies, check how long your cover lasts and whether you can extend your policy mid-trip if your work plans change or if you decide to explore and backpack after your work is done. 

Fast Cover travel insurance policies can provide cover for up to 24 months (when extended and approved), giving digital nomads flexibility if they decide to stay longer or extend their time overseas. ^

Digital nomads rarely stay put. Many take side trips to neighbouring countries or travel through other regions once their work is done. Choosing a policy that supports multi-country travel can make things easier. When comparing policies, check if their regional cover fits your itinerary and whether you can add more countries as you travel.  

With Fast Cover travel insurance, you can choose cover by region instead of listing every individual country, suitable for multi-country trips, backpacking adventures, or cruises with multiple stops during your student travels. Fast Cover offers six region options that you can choose from: Worldwide, Europe, Asia, South Pacific, New Zealand and Domestic.

These are just some of the considerations that you might wish to consider when reviewing the best travel insurance for digital nomads, so you know what cover is available to you before and during your trip and under what conditions.     

Before you decide on the best travel insurance for your trip, you should read the PDS to check what the policy will and won’t cover you for, any conditions and exclusions that might apply to you and whether the policy provides the cover that you’re looking for. Any advice is general advice only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs.

If you become injured while breaking the law, there are various conditions and exclusions that may apply which means you may not be covered. For example, this may include riding a motorcycle without the required helmet or breaking traffic laws.

If you’re injured in an accident while, for example, riding a motorcycle, and you didn’t add the Motorcycle Pack to your travel insurance policy, you may be responsible for paying your medical and hospital expenses because you did not choose to include cover for that under your policy.  

It is important to think about what activities you will be participating in so that you have the right cover for the activities you plan to do overseas.

Your travel insurance will not cover you if you are legally required to pay compensation as a result of a claim made against you for someone else's death or injury, or for the physical loss of (or damage to) someone else's property, and this occurs while you are conducting a business, profession, or trade. Personal liability cover also does not apply to claims arising from activities covered under the Adventure Pack, even if you have purchased the Adventure Pack.

Cover is not available if your claim arises from a loss which is recoverable by compensation under any workers compensation or transport accident laws or by any government sponsored fund, plan, or medical benefit scheme, or any other similar type of legislation required to be effected by or under a law.

There is no cover if our claim arises from you acting unlawfully or breaking any government prohibition, laws or regulation including visa requirements. Your travel insurance policy may not provide cover if you do not comply with your travel destinations’ visa, electronic travel authorisation or other entry requirements.  

To help ensure you are prepared for your trip, you should research and understand the relevant entry conditions before you travel. For example, some destinations like Bali have tightened immigration rules for tourists doing unpaid work or collaborations. This change may affect digital nomads, freelancers and content creators so it’s important to do your own research to stay informed with evolving visa and entry requirements.

If your belongings are stolen while unattended or unsupervised, you may not be able to claim for the stolen item. For example: If you leave your bag with your wallet and laptop inside it at a cafe table while you are at the cafe counter ordering lunch, this may be considered leaving your belongings unattended, in which case you may not be covered.   

Make sure you keep your belongings with you at all times or keep them in a secure location or take reasonable measures to secure them at all times and at all places.

There are exclusions that may apply for regular or routine check-ups or filling regular prescriptions as they are not considered medical emergencies. If you require regular medication, bring enough of what you’ll need for your trip overseas before you leave Australia.

Should the Australian Government release a warning on official government Smartraveller website that certain areas overseas are no longer safe to travel to and you still choose to travel there anyway, there may be exclusions that will apply such as if you do not follow advice in the mass media where a travel advisory risk rating of Do Not Travel was issued after policy purchase.  

Note: We are unable to offer travel insurance to international destinations that have a Do Not Travel warning on official government Smartraveller website. To check which countries we may cover, enter your destination country in the quote box on our website.

Known events are serious situations, from natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, to disease outbreaks, which can affect your holiday plans and also the cover on your overseas travel insurance policy.  

If you buy your international travel insurance after an event is deemed a known event, the cover on your policy may be affected. You should check for any Travel Alerts that may have been issued for your overseas travel destination as well as information on the official government Smartraveller website so you know where you stand with regards to the cover that you will have on your international travel insurance policy.

Perhaps the weather was bad, your co-working space didn’t have great wi-fi or your accommodation didn't live up to the expectation. Whatever the reason you're unhappy with how your digital nomad trip has shaped up, your travel insurance policy is not intended to compensate you because your experience didn't meet your expectations.