Imagine: You’ve booked your travel, you’re starting to plan out all the tech you’ll need for your life as a digital nomad…and then you start wondering if you need travel insurance for your tech gear. The answer is: of course. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and the professional life of a digital nomad is nigh impossible without a reliable internet connection. (Not to mention having to live without your phone if it breaks. It’s the stuff of nightmares).
Another question to consider is “Are my electronics covered abroad?” That may depend on the policy you buy, but the right coverage is about more than the top-of-mind tech like your phone.
To help you determine the insurance you need for your tech, we’ll explore all the hardware you may need, how to know whether a policy covers it, and how—and when—travel insurance for electronics is most helpful for budding digital nomads like you.
What Are the Digital Nomad’s Essential Items?
When you embark on your nomadic life, you could find yourself traveling with expensive tech—that’s right: you may use your phone for a lot of your work, but living on the go involves way more than you can fit in your pocket.
You could find yourself filling your backpack with some—or all—of the following devices and accessories:
- Laptop: After your phone, this is probably the most obvious device. Depending on how compact you want to keep your electronics, you could substitute this for a tablet with a handy, compact keyboard case.
- Laptop sleeve: If you’re asking, “Are my electronics covered abroad?” the answer is that they literally can be. If you don’t have one already, a simple neoprene sleeve could do the trick. They’re soft, helping them protect laptops from bumps and scratches, and water resistant for any outdoor adventures you might have abroad.
- Dry bag: If you see yourself becoming a digital nomad who loves the outdoors, then a dry bag should be near the top of your essential items list. These bags are as waterproof as the name implies, and they’re perfect for any athletics or outdoor travel where water might be a problem for your tech (e.g. kayaking or hiking in potentially rainy weather).
- Day bag: Why have multiple bags—couldn’t you just use your dry bag for everything? Sure, but you might want both for different reasons. Where a dry bag is for more rugged conditions and bigger for longer hikes or camping trips that require you bring more supplies, day bags (typically backpacks) are lighter, and only for the essentials. When you’re exploring a new town or want to set up at a coffee shop near home for a few hours, a day bag helps you stay equipped with the tech you need without weighing you down.
- WiFi repeater: Are you traveling away from the crowds to live out your remote cabin fantasy—while still having a solid internet connection? Then you’ll definitely be needing a WiFi repeater. Used to pick up WiFi signals from a router, then rebroadcast it to much wider area than the router could reach on its own, repeaters are great for out-of-the-way locations like that cabin, which may have a weaker setup. Repeaters might also come in handy when you’re in a new coworking space and aren’t sure how reliable the connection is at the office you rented.
- Power adapters: Not all electric sockets were created equally. Instead, it can sometimes feel like you need a plug with a different number of prongs not just by the continent but by the town. The wise digital nomad stays prepared with adapters—ideally an all-in-one version to save space in a day bag—that help them easily connect to any variety.
- Cables: Power adapters and cables go hand-in-hand. When traveling with expensive tech, however, there can be so many different connectors to consider: lightning cables, USB-C, ethernet for hardwired internet hookups (and those are just some of the most obvious).
- E-readers: Everyone needs a break from both work and adventure. When you need a breather, an e-reader is an excellent solution because it saves space in your luggage while allowing you to bring all your entertainment with you—especially if you have a variety that lets you access streaming services or games.
How to Know if Your Tech Is Covered Abroad
As you stock up on all that equipment and more, expenses add up, and you’ll quickly see the value of protecting yourself with travel insurance for tech gear. At this point, however, you might begin asking the question “Are my electronics covered abroad?” There are two surefire ways to know:
- Review policy docs: When reviewing potential travel insurance for electronics, look for sections with headers like “Covered Items,” “What’s Covered,” “Eligible Items,” or “Covered Perils.” These may let you know if specific devices are covered, and in what scenarios they’d be eligible for claims. Within these and other terms and conditions, you may also find clearly stated details about exclusions (what doesn’t fall under coverage) and the maximum coverage amount you could expect to receive.
- Contact your provider: While you may be comparing your options online, it can also help to directly contact a provider you’re considering. A licensed professional can help you navigate the ins and outs of different travel insurance for tech gear, clarifying the terms and conditions that help you know if your electronics are protected.
How a Tech Protection Policy Can Help
While travel insurance for electronics may help you embark on your digital nomad adventure with more confidence, it may also provide some much more tangible benefits when you need them most.
When you buy travel insurance for tech gear, it may help you should your equipment become lost or stolen. Depending on the policy, it may also be able to help you in the event of accidental damage, natural disasters, and even damages sustained while you’re traveling between destinations on your journey.
Stay Safe with SoVenture
Traveling with expensive tech is a way of life for digital nomads, but that doesn’t mean you should always have to worry about affording to replace it if it gets damaged or lost. You may be able to travel more confidently with the right travel insurance for electronics. Finding the right coverage for your needs can be easy when you find policies using SoVenture.
Created just for digital nomads like you, SoVenture is the online tool for building, comparing, and selecting the right insurance for your unique situation. Depending on your needs, you may be able to find travel insurance for tech gear that lost or damaged while traveling, compromised from exposure to the elements, and more. Our support team of licensed professionals is also ready and waiting to help answer your travel insurance-related questions as you compare options from top providers.
