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Long stay travel insurance

Compare cheap long stay travel insurance quotes

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  • Get cover for up to 18 months

  • Protects you from unexpected costs while travelling

  • Compare some policies with covid cover

What is long stay travel insurance?

Long stay travel insurance is for trips lasting between 1 and 18 months.

It’s sometimes known as backpacker insurance, but it isn't just for backpacking holidays.

Policies can cover you for a long trip to a single destination, or for an extended holiday with multiple stops.

Long stay vs annual travel insurance

Long stay travel icon

Long stay travel insurance

Covers you for long holidays, but ends when you return home.

You can use it for lengthy stays in one destination, or for extended trips with multiple stops like gap years or backpacking holidays. There’s no upper age limit, and anyone can buy it.

If you return home, you’ll need to get a new policy before flying out again.

Get a long stay travel insurance quote
Multi-travel icon

Annual travel insurance

Covers you for multiple but separate holidays over the course of a few months, or even a year.

You can use it if you’re planning to take several holidays over a set period, and want to avoid the hassle of sorting a new insurance policy for each trip.

Even if you return home, your cover continues until the end of your policy term.

Explore annual travel insurance

How do I compare long stay travel insurance quotes?

Getting a quote is easy and only takes a couple of minutes.

All you need to do is:

  • Fill in your details, including where you’re travelling to
  • Choose the backpacker option. This is what we call long stay travel insurance.
  • Select the start date for your trip and tell us how many months you’ll be away
  • Declare any pre-existing medical conditions to ensure you’re covered

We'll do the rest to find you a great deal on your cover.

Compare long stay travel insurance quotes

Why choose Confused.com?

We're regulated by the FCA

This means we’re bound by strict rules that make sure the customer is always put first. It’s at the heart of all we do anyway, but FCA regulation makes doubly sure you’re protected.

We're 100% impartial

We aren’t owed by an insurer, so every quote we show you is based solely on the information you give us. We're here to find you the right policy, at the right price.

We're rated 'excellent'

We’re rated ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot by those who've used us, and 96% of our customers would recommend us to someone they know. So we must be doing something right.

Experts review our content

We work with a team of experts who know insurance inside and out. They check everything we put on the page, so you can trust us when we say we known what we’re talking about.

How much is long stay travel insurance?

Our cheapest price for long stay travel insurance*.

£15.38*

*Cheapest policy available for a 30 year old with no medical conditions travelling to Europe for 30 nights with no policy add-ons selected. Confused.com data - February 2024.

Long stay travel insurance polices start from £15.38*, but depending on how long you're travelling for, where you're going, and how much of a risk insurers deem you to be, you may pay more than this for your cover.

If so, there are a few steps you can take that may get you cheaper cover:

Change your excess: This is the amount you agree to pay towards the cost of a claim, and choosing to pay more (or sometimes less!) could bring the overall cost of your policy down.

Choose your add-ons wisely: Extras like gadget cover might sound like a good idea, but make sure you actually need them. According to our data, a long stay policy with gadget cover will cost £21.32**.

Try family travel insurance: Travelling as a family? Family policies often work out cheaper thn the cost of several single policies.

Compare quotes: Going direct to an insurer might seem like a sensible option, but comparing quotes allows you to see exactly what's out there and find the right policy for you at the right price.

*Cheapest policy available for a 30 year old with no medical conditions travelling to Europe for 30 nights with no policy add-ons selected. Confused.com data - February 2024.

**Cheapest policy available for a 30 year old with no medical conditions travelling to Europe for 30 nights with gadget cover selected. Confused.com data - February 2024.

What does long stay travel insurance cover?

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Most long stay policies will cover the cost of:

  • Emergency medical treatment you need while you're away
  • Repatriation if you fall seriously ill, or die, and need to be flown home
  • Cancellation of flights and accommodation for reasons outside your control
  • Baggage and personal possessions cover for loss, theft and damage
  • Legal protection if you’re held liable for injuring someone or damaging their property
Cross

In most cases, you won’t be covered for:

  • Incidents caused by alcohol or drugs, like drink driving accidents you cause
  • Travelling against FCDO advice if they declare a country unsafe
  • Natural disasters and catastrophes like earthquakes and tsunamis
  • Pre-existing conditions you fail to declare in advance.
  • Risky activities like skydiving or bungee jumpin. For these you’ll need adventure travel insurance.

We compare 43 trusted travel insurance companies to find you our best deals

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What extras can I add on to my policy?

Long stay travel insurance with added gadget insurance:

£29.98*

*Cheapest policy available for a 30 year old with no medical conditions travelling to Europe for 30 nights with gadget cover selected. Prices correct as of 16/08/2023.

Some insurers offer extras you can bolt onto your policy for a fee.

The only extra we allow you to compare quotes for is gadget insurance. Policies with gadget insurance added start from £29.98.*

What's gadget insurance?

Gadget insurance gives you at least £1,000 of cover for any electronics you take with you on holiday. Most policies will cover gadgets anyway, but may not cover single items over £1,000. If you have top of the range tech, gadget insurance can help ensure it's fully covered.

Other extras exist, but you'll need to click through to your preferred insurer and add them onto your policy there to get them.

Popular extras include:

Ski insurance: We allow you to compare quotes for this on single and multi-trip policies but not long stay ones. 

Extreme sports cover, for things like bungee jumping, skydiving and rock climbing

Passport cover for the cost of replacing a lost or damaged passport

*Cheapest policy available for a 30 year old with no medical conditions travelling to Europe for 30 nights with gadget cover selected. Prices correct as of 16/08/2023.

What our travel insurance expert says:

"A lot of people forget that when you're travelling for an extended period of time, it puts you at greater risk of falling ill or getting injured.

By taking out a long stay policy, you'll protect yourself against any emergency medical costs and potentially save yourself £1000's in medical bills."

Matthew Harwood, Home & lifestyle insurance expert at Confused.com
Home & lifestyle insurance expert Confused.com logo

Need more help? Try our FAQs:

Will long stay travel insurance cover me for working abroad?

This depends on your policy. Some will cover working, while others won’t.

If you want to be able to take on temporary work while travelling, your policy may cover you for this as standard. If not you may be able to add it on as an extra before you pay for your cover. To do this, get your quote, click through to your preferred insurer, and see if you’re given the option to add work cover there. If not, contact your insurer directly.

If you’re travelling specifically for work as part of a business trip, or in order to work for a foreign branch of your current company, you’ll need business travel insurance.

Can I get long stay travel insurance at any age?

Many long stay travel insurance policies typically have an upper and lower age limit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find one that meets your needs.

Plenty of insurers offer long stay travel insurance for over 50s. You should be able to get similar cover levels to a standard policy, but it might be a little more expensive.

Several insurers also offer long term travel policies for over-65s as well as long stay travel insurance for over 70s – but most have an upper age limit of 79.

Can I still get long term travel insurance if I have a pre-existing medical condition?

Yes, you’ll still be able to get cover even if you have a pre-existing condition. Declare what conditions you have when comparing quotes, and we’ll show you prices from insurers willing to cover you.

Be aware though that some insurers might not provide cover, so your options may be more limited than someone without health issues. You may also have to pay more for your cover.

If you can’t find a policy to suit you, the

Money and Pension Service (MaPS)

has a directory of insurers willing to cover customers with pre-existing medical conditions.

Need more info? See our page on travel insurance with a pre-existing condition.

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Explore other types of travel insurance

Page last reviewed: 16 February 2024

Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood

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