Staying Safe On Your Travels

When I first started traveling, I didn’t really know much about the ins and outs of nomadic life and in what ways it would be different from occasional traveling. Since my source of income depended on my equipment and I was traveling to places I haven’t been before, being properly insured became a major focus of my life. Most of the time I am not residing in any particular country, and I haven’t prioritized getting local medical insurance that could extend to my travels, so I had to figure out how to insure myself and my equipment on the road.

It’s been a long, trying learning process and I feel I am still learning some of the particulars of it. However, I can say that I am much more informed and on my feet these days than I was a couple of years ago. One of my biggest concerns used to be my health and the safety of my equipment on the road. As a result of years of experience and research, now I have a system in place that I would like to share with you here.

I have traveled with my camera and laptop extensively and I have always been adamant about taking them in the cabin with me on the plane. No matter how much you trust airport security, if you can’t see where your laptop, camera or phone is, you just can’t guarantee that it will stay safe. I have had some bad experiences with checked in bags coming back beat up and broken after a flight and I’ve heard many people’s stories about lost baggage. I wrote about my cabin backpack in a previous article and so far it is my favorite bag to travel with. It is padded to keep the equipment safe, it has a separate place for the laptop and the front part has removable partitions for different electronics, which makes life much easier and keeps the camera, lenses, hard drives and power bank safe and secure in their ow, separate compartments. It also comfortably fits under any plane seat so I never have to worry about its size or pay extra for an overhead space.

       Insuring your equipment is another step to keep it safe in case of accidental damage, lost luggage or theft. I highly recommend going for this option as well as I think the money is worth avoiding the headache of having to figure out how to replace your equipment in a foreign country. In my opinion, the best solution is to find a travel insurance provider that covers equipment as well, so that you don’t have to keep track of the different companies and plans. The best option I found for this so far was the insurance provided by Worldnomads that includes in its plans canceled trips, emergency medical insurance and gear protection in its plans. Unfortunately, they don’t cover all European countries so you have to check if you are eligible based on your country of residence or wherever your passport is from.

       For health insurance I like to use my Revolut Premium plan that has many advantages for managing your money online while you’re abroad and also offers emergency medical coverage up to 90 days per trip for only 50 Euros of deductible. I think that is a great deal so I usually have that active whenever I am traveling. I haven’t had to make a claim so far, so I am not sure about their efficiency in handling claims. I also use Safety Wing travel insurance when I exceed the three months offered by Revolut as they have an extensive list of covered activities in their plan for as little as 34$/month that you can renew or cancel on a monthly basis, so you don’t have to try to figure out for how long you are going to need it. They also cover you for up to 30 days when you return to your country of residence, which is a great perk.

I believe that it is essential to insure the safety of yourself and your equipment, especially if you are a digital nomad or work remotely and travel often. A good insurance plan can give you peace of mind and help you out in a dire situation. Keeping your equipment close to yourself while traveling and ensuring that your accommodation is safe and secure is another good step to avoid unnecessary issues while on the road. A good health insurance is a must and make sure to check the deductible and the activities covered by the company that you go for so that you don’t have any unpleasant surprises in case of an unexpected event. If you have a different company that you like to use, share it with the rest of us in the comments!