If you’re about to leave for a year or longer, you’re probably wondering how to get travel insurance for such a long time. The same applies if you’ve planned several trips throughout the year and don’t want to book separate insurance for each one. In both cases, the question is if a single policy can actually cover that long.
In this article I’ll explain how long a policy can run, when long-term insurance makes sense, what the benefits are, what to check before you buy and what it can cost, using SafetyWing’s Essential Annual Plan as my example.
This article is for general information only and isn’t insurance, legal or financial advice. Insurance terms and prices can change, so please check the current policy wording and prices on the insurer’s website before you buy.
Can you get travel insurance for a year or longer?
Yes, but most insurers cap how long a single policy can run, so you may need to buy a second period to stay covered for a full year. SafetyWing Essential is a good example: one period lasts between 5 and 364 days, and you can keep buying new periods once the old one has ended.
Start dates depend on where you are when you buy. If you buy the insurance while still at home, it usually starts on the day of your departure. If you buy insurance while already abroad, the coverage starts once the insurer confirms. With SafetyWing, that’s when you receive the confirmation email, which for me arrived on the same day. I explain this in more detail in my article on buying travel insurance when you’re already abroad.
What is the difference between multi-trip insurance and long-term travel insurance?
The two types differ in who they’re built for and how long a trip can last.
Multi-trip insurance
- Built for: people who live at home and take several shorter trips during the year.
- Trip length: many policies cap each trip, often at somewhere between 30 and 90 days.
- Time at home: some policies expect you to return home between trips.
- What to check: the maximum trip length in the policy wording before you buy.
Long-term travel insurance
- Built for: one long stay abroad, or several trips across the year when you don’t want to buy separate insurance for each one.
- Length: one policy covers a long period. SafetyWing Essential covers up to 364 days per period.
- Time at home: usually covered only up to a limit, so it works best if you’re away for most of the year.
- What to check: the home-country limit and what happens when the period ends.
If you’d like a broader comparison, I explain it in travel insurance vs digital nomad insurance.
When does annual travel insurance make sense?
It makes sense when you’ll need cover for most of the period you’re paying for. Longer commitments usually bring a lower price per month, but you pay more upfront, so the saving only pays off if you stay long enough.
Annual insurance is usually a good fit if:
- You’re leaving for a year or more, for example on a gap year, a working holiday or as a digital nomad.
- You’ve planned several trips across the year and don’t want to buy separate insurance for each one.
- You’ll be moving between countries and don’t want to rebook cover every time.
- You’d rather pay once than think about renewals every month.
- You still want to be covered for emergencies if you’re visiting or travelling in your own country.
It’s usually not the right choice if:
- You’re away for 10 months or less, because the 4-week plan costs less over shorter stays.
- Your plans are unclear, because paying for a whole year upfront is harder to undo.
- You’ll spend most of the year at home, since home-country cover is usually limited.
If you’re already halfway through a gap year, a shorter plan usually fits better, because a year-long policy would cover time you won’t use.
Here’s an example with SafetyWing’s Essential plan, which costs $62.72 every 4 weeks for a traveller aged 18 to 39 as of October 2026. I’ve rounded up to whole 4-week periods, since that’s how the 4-week plan is billed:
3 months
- 4-week plan$250.88 (4 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs less4-week plan
6 months
- 4-week plan$439.04 (7 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs less4-week plan
9 months
- 4-week plan$627.20 (10 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs less4-week plan
10 months
- 4-week plan$689.92 (11 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs less4-week plan
11 months
- 4-week plan$752.64 (12 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs lessAnnual Plan
12 months
- 4-week plan$815.36 (13 periods)
- Annual Plan$733.82
- Costs lessAnnual Plan
| Time abroad |
4-week plan |
Annual Plan |
Costs less |
| 3 months | $250.88 (4 periods) | $733.82 | 4-week plan |
| 6 months | $439.04 (7 periods) | $733.82 | 4-week plan |
| 9 months | $627.20 (10 periods) | $733.82 | 4-week plan |
| 10 months | $689.92 (11 periods) | $733.82 | 4-week plan |
| 11 months | $752.64 (12 periods) | $733.82 | Annual Plan |
| 12 months | $815.36 (13 periods) | $733.82 | Annual Plan |
Table: cost of SafetyWing’s Essential 4-week plan compared with the Essential Annual Plan for a traveller aged 18 to 39. Prices are based on SafetyWing’s calculator as of October 2026 and differ for other ages.
In this example, the break-even point is just over 10 months, and the Annual Plan costs less if you need cover for longer than that. It also comes with extras such as the prepaid card and longer home-country cover, which can tip the decision in its favour when the prices are close.
What are the benefits of long-term travel insurance?
Long-term travel insurance mainly saves you time and money, and it avoids gaps in cover. The main benefits are:
- One policy instead of many: you don’t have to buy and compare cover for every trip.
- A lower price per month: longer commitments usually cost less than renewing short plans.
- No gaps in cover: you don’t have to remember renewals or worry that your cover ran out between trips.
- Visits home: some long-term plans include cover for time at home, usually up to a limit. The table below shows SafetyWing’s limits as an example.
- Extras: some plans add benefits for small expenses. SafetyWing’s Annual Plan includes a digital prepaid card of up to $150 for eligible minor medical expenses.
Most countries
- SafetyWing Annual PlanUp to 90 consecutive days per visit, up to 179 days per 364-day period
- SafetyWing 4-week planUp to 30 days in a rolling 90-day period
United States
- SafetyWing Annual PlanUp to 45 days per visit and 45 days per 180 days
- SafetyWing 4-week planUp to 15 days in a rolling 90-day period
| Home country |
SafetyWing Annual Plan |
SafetyWing 4-week plan |
| Most countries | Up to 90 consecutive days per visit, up to 179 days per 364-day period | Up to 30 days in a rolling 90-day period |
| United States | Up to 45 days per visit and 45 days per 180 days | Up to 15 days in a rolling 90-day period |
Table: home-country cover on SafetyWing Essential as of October 2026. Limits can change, so check the current policy wording before you buy.
The home visits are one of the reasons I’m switching. I might be back in Germany for a while at some point, and I’d rather stay covered during that time than think about pausing my insurance.
What should you check before you buy long-term travel insurance?
Read these points in the policy wording before you pay for a long period upfront:
- Maximum period and renewal: how long one policy can run and what happens afterwards.
- Pre-existing conditions: anything diagnosed, treated or symptomatic before your start date is usually excluded, and some insurers apply this again with every new period.
- Visits home: how many days at home are covered and what happens if you stay longer.
- Refund terms: what you get back if your plans change, since you pay a larger amount upfront.
- Exclusions and add-ons: activities and items that need extra cover.
- Age limits: some plans stop selling new cover at a certain age.
Here is how SafetyWing’s Essential plan handles each point:
Maximum period and renewal
- SafetyWing EssentialUp to 364 days per period, and you can keep buying new periods until you turn 70
Pre-existing conditions
- SafetyWing EssentialEach new period resets this, so a condition you had treated during your first year may count as pre-existing in the next one
Visits home
- SafetyWing EssentialLimits depend on the plan (see the table above), and your cover pauses until you leave again if you exceed them
Refund terms
- SafetyWing EssentialFull refund before the start date. After that, the refund depends on how you paid, a fee of $25 to $60 applies, and it’s only possible if you haven’t filed a claim
Exclusions and add-ons
- SafetyWing EssentialElectronics theft cover and adventure sports cover are separate add-ons
Age limits
- SafetyWing EssentialCan’t be bought from the day you turn 70
| What to check |
SafetyWing Essential |
| Maximum period and renewal | Up to 364 days per period, and you can keep buying new periods until you turn 70 |
| Pre-existing conditions | Each new period resets this, so a condition you had treated during your first year may count as pre-existing in the next one |
| Visits home | Limits depend on the plan (see the table above), and your cover pauses until you leave again if you exceed them |
| Refund terms | Full refund before the start date. After that, the refund depends on how you paid, a fee of $25 to $60 applies, and it’s only possible if you haven’t filed a claim |
| Exclusions and add-ons | Electronics theft cover and adventure sports cover are separate add-ons |
| Age limits | Can’t be bought from the day you turn 70 |
Table: SafetyWing Essential terms as of October 2026, based on its policy document. Check the current wording before you buy.
Example: how does SafetyWing’s Essential Annual Plan work?
SafetyWing’s Essential Annual Plan is the regular Essential cover, paid once upfront for 364 days instead of every four weeks. These are the main points:
- Price: 10% lower than the 4-week plan over the same period. The exact amount depends on your age.
- Payment: one upfront payment for a 364-day period, instead of a charge every four weeks.
- Home visits: more cover for time in your home country than the 4-week plan (see the table above).
- Prepaid card: a digital card with up to $150 for eligible minor medical expenses, with no physical card to wait for.
The prepaid card works like this:
- You pay for an eligible minor treatment at a clinic or pharmacy with the card.
- You upload your supporting documents.
- Once SafetyWing approves them, your card limit is restored.
It’s worth checking what counts as eligible before you rely on the card.
Here’s how to claim it:
- Click the pink camera icon on the SafetyWing page.
- Enter the code NOMADWISE at signup.
Which long-term travel insurance do I use?
I use SafetyWing’s Essential plan, and I’ll be switching to its Annual Plan, because I’ll be away for most of a year, pay once, save money compared with the 4-week plan and get more home-country cover. It may not suit you if you’re away for 10 months or less, and it doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, so it’s worth reading the policy wording first. After all, I’m committed enough to this lifestyle by now. If you’re unsure whether Essential or Complete fits you better, I compare them in SafetyWing Essential vs Complete.
If you’d like to see the plan I used as the example in this article, you can find it here:
