Guide to the best travel insurance for travelling Asia | March 2026
Best Travel Insurance for Backpackers travelling to Southeast Asia in 2026
If you’re travelling to Southeast Asia, travel insurance isn’t exciting, but skipping it, is exactly how people end up with four-figure hospital bills and panic WhatsApp's home.
Our guide breaks down all the options for travel insurance companies including the most popular options for backpackers, like Big Cat, Outbacker, Tesco, and Safety Wing amongst others.
Most travellers don’t start with specialist backpacker insurance. They start with whatever pops up cheapest, whatever their bank or airline suggests, and what's recommended on TikTok.
However, if you're going to get insurance, do the research, because if you don't, you're potentially paying for coverage which is void from day one. We get it, we too hate paying for it, but, needs must, right? Do yourself a favour, do your parents a favour! Get the right level of coverage, and the right coverage for you and your trip.
Southeast Asia trips are rarely straight forward. People extend visas, cross borders last minute, stay longer than planned, and rent scooters without really thinking twice about it. Most standard insurance policies just aren’t built for that.
This is why backpacker and nomad-focused providers like SafetyWing, Genki, and similar alternatives exist in the first place. They’re not magic, but they’re built around how people actually travel in this region.
Many travel insurance companies require you to have a return flight ticket booked. Big Cat gets it, and with them a one way ticket is fine.
They also cover paid work roles with some exceptions which are available at an add-on.
They also cover the Ha Giang Loop as a passenger. We've got an additional guide on Ha Giang Loop Travel Insurance.
Underwritten by the popular insurance company AXA, Outbacker is a rising option.
You can return once for 14 days as part of your policy and they cover working holidays as standard (must check the full list of job roles and activities included).
They also have unique features including bag finder, doctor please and travel mate app.
Tesco is a popular option, not only for the fact you can exchange your Clubcard vouchers, £1: £1 in vouchers.
One thing to make sure you check though, don't choose Annual Multi Trip (unless you specifically are doing regular trips throughout the year) choose Backpacker, and also, Worldwide excluding USA and Canada otherwise this will be A LOT more expensive.
Great Cover is getting a lot of attention because it shows up in comparison tables and looks good on price. If you’re doing a short, fixed trip with return flights booked, staying in hotels, and not riding scooters, it can be fine.
Where it starts to fall down is long term travel. Southeast Asia trips rarely go to plan. Dates change, countries change, activities happen. Policies like this are usually built for holidays, not backpacking. Also, always check the motorbike section. That’s where most people get caught out.
A lot of people search for Gigasurance reviews because they want to know if it’s legit. That’s fair.
Gigasurance often works as a middle layer, not always the insurer itself. That means the actual coverage depends on the underlying policy provider.
That’s not a deal breaker, but it means you really need to read the policy wording instead of trusting the brand name alone. If you’re staying short term and know exactly what you’re doing, it can work. If you’re planning to bounce between Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, you need to be careful.
What's cool about Gigasure is that they have an app that you can start claims from, and it pulls through most of the information needed to claim. You just add supporting docs and submit. Also, it allows you to add your insurance details to your wallet on iOS. Pretty neat.
CoverForYou is popular because it’s affordable and easy to buy. For short trips to Southeast Asia, it can do the job. Plenty of people use it for two to three week holidays without issues. Where it becomes less ideal is long stays and flexibility. Extensions, activity cover, and multi country travel can get restrictive.
If your trip has a clear end date and limited activities, it’s a reasonable option. If not, read carefully.
SafetyWing is popular for a reason. It’s simple, flexible, and built for how people actually travel. You don’t need to know your end date. You pay monthly, it renews automatically, and it covers multiple countries without having to tell them every time you cross a border. If you’re moving around Southeast Asia, that alone makes life easier.
The medical coverage is solid for everyday travel issues, and it works well for people staying long term in places like Thailand, Vietnam, or Indonesia. Where you need to pay attention is activities. Scooter riding and higher risk stuff can come with conditions or require add-ons, so you do need to read the policy properly.
What really makes SafetyWing stand out for me is real-world experience. I know plenty of people using it, including someone who needed surgery that cost over 450,000 baht. The claim was paid without drama, no back and forth, and most importantly, no excess. That’s where SafetyWing really shines in my opinion.
Clicking through with our link will get you $40 in credit.
Genki is a newer name that’s getting a lot of attention with long-term travellers and digital nomads. What people like about Genki is that it feels more modern and health-focused. It’s built more like international health insurance rather than holiday insurance.
It works well if you’re:
Genki is less about lost luggage and more about proper medical coverage. That’s often what matters most in this region anyway. It’s not the cheapest option, but for people who care more about hospital cover than trip cancellations, it makes sense.
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission; but it doesn't affect which providers we list or how we list them. Every option here is included because it's worth considering, not because any insurer has paid for placement or ranking.
