The world of travel looks completely different to what it did even just 10 years ago. Everything we need is held at our fingertips on our little devices of convenience. The travel insurance industry has needed to evolve to make it simpler for travellers to get covered – especially when on the road.
On that note; let me introduce you to Freely. Freely is relatively new to the insurance game and they’ve come in HOT. They have a unique offering and I’ve not seen anything quite like it before.
In this review, we will take a look at Freely Travel Insurance and online, just what it is that they offer and how it could benefit you. By the end (if you make it to the end that is) you will know what makes Freely unique, how their ever works and most of all, why we absolutely LOVE them (as much anybody can love an insurance provider that is).
A Brief Introduction to Freely
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Freely has designed a new style of indispensable travel insurance and safety app for the modern-day traveller. From the palm of your hand, you can take out and manage your policy with Freely through their easy-to-use app.
They recognise that every traveller is different and allow you to design your policy to suit YOU. You can tailor your policy as you go, in real-time, ensuring that you only pay for the cover on the days that you need it. UNHEARD OF.
If you’re worried about handing your fate over to a newbie in the field, don’t be. Freely is backed by Cover-More, and underwritten by insurance giant; Zurich. Plus, their raving customer reviews speak for themselves. You’ll be in safe hands.
So far, only citizen of the US are able to get Freely’s travel insurance. These lucky sods are the only ones in the world (for now) to be able to take out a policy with Freely. However, they are looking to expand in the future; so keep an eye out for that.
Do You Need Travel Insurance?
Ahh, the big question. We’ve all asked it at one point or another.
Most of the time, we go away and it’s all happy days. Absolutely nothing goes wrong. We just see the credit from our account to the insurance company and think “What a waste of money…”
Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s absolutely not a waste of money. I’ve been travelling for nearly two years now and sure, 99% of the time it’s all worked out. But after a surfboard to the head last year, I’m bloody happy I had my travel insurance to pay the big ugly bills that came with getting the damage stitched up.
We never plan for stuff to go wrong, but it just does sometimes. Whether it’s a knock to the head from a surfboard or your luggage getting lost in the airport abyss – having cover to help you is a lifesaver (literally).
Between all of us here at the Broke Backpacker, we have years and years of travel under our belts and none of us embarks on our adventures without insurance. The law of averages tells us that if we travel for long enough, something expensive and unexpected is bound to happen.
Not only is it peace of mind and protection for when you need it, but some countries actually require you to have travel insurance before you arrive.
What Can Travel Insurance Cover?
If you’re still asking the big question of whether you need it, I’ll take you through what an insurance policy will usually cover you for (as a minimum). I think you’ll know your answer once you read through these.
- Medical expenses – We are all human and we get sick sometimes. Especially when we are in unfamiliar environments and exposed to new, freaky things that we aren’t used to. Not only is there illness, but you may find yourself in an accident. Like me with a surfboard to the face or a skid off a motorbike. You want to make sure you can afford to be well looked after. You won’t have the comfort of heading to your local doctors when you’re in a new country and it can be bloody expensive to do so as a foreigner.
- Travel disruption – This happens more often than you think and it’s so frustrating. A delayed or cancelled flight can mean at least a night or two in a hotel near the airport, or just a load of expensive airport food while you wait. Without insurance, this can be expensive. On a traveller’s budget, this can be far from ideal.
- Lost luggage – Most people pass their luggage over onto the carrier belt without a second thought. But peeps, they go missing… all the time! Some airports are worse than others… surely you saw the photos of the piles of lost luggage at Heathrow a couple of years ago? Forking out for a whole new wardrobe on your holibobs is not how you’ll want to be spending your travel bucks.
- Robbery – A friend of mine didn’t even know he was robbed on the metro in Paris until we got home. Some sneaky bugger had managed to take his expensive watch off of his wrist without him even noticing. Unfortunately, foreigners are often the target of thieves. Forking out for a new watch, laptop, phone, etc can be super expensive. But insurance companies have you covered.
Why We Love Freely Travel Insurance
These guys are changing the game of travel insurance; making it easy to use and SUPER customisable to you and your travel needs. I feel like Freely just get me, ya know?
Easy-to-use App:
Downloading their easy-to-use App on your device is essential; all the good stuff takes place there. You can get a quote from their website, but you can’t change and update your policy without the App. So, get down with the kids and jump on the App Store.
Customisable policies:
Freely offers a basic package that covers the “essentials” which you can then customise with your own add-ons. For example, you may want to add a gadget cover for your laptop or camera, or maybe you want an extra cover for the adventure activities you’re about to jump into. You can design your policy to suit you.
Photo: @amandaadraper
Real-time/ As-you-go boosts:
What’s even better? You can do it in real time. If you decide one morning that you want to jump on a moped and go exploring – you can jump on the App and add on motorbike insurance that day. That ability to add things on in real-time as you go is an absolute game-changer. You only pay for the cover you need, when you need it. You can also extend your policy via the App as you go, too.
24/7 emergency assistance and support:
Freely is also there to support you whenever you need it with their 24/7 emergency assistance. You will be connected with their highly trained team who are there to help you through whatever is going on. They also have emergency alerts to let you know if anything is going on where you are to be aware of.
Real humans! No bots:
Plus, there are no bots in sight; only humans! That’s a big yes from me. Bots can be a nightmare when you just want to get stuff sorted. Especially the claims process. Speaking of which; they’ve also made claims super simple. They can be filed through the App or over the phone.
They give back:
Last but definitely not least, I love that Freely prides itself on giving back to people, places and our beautiful planet. Freely has committed to donating 1% of all sales to pressing environmental issues. That’s their revenue, not profit – so they are taking it seriously. I love you, Freely.
Freely’s USA Travel Insurance Policies
As we talked about earlier, Freely is only currently available to the lucky people of the USA.
Let’s dive into each in more detail…
Photo: @amandaadraper
What’s Covered in Freelys Policy – USA
Freely’s USA Travel Insurance Cover starts with their Essentials Plan. Freely’s Essentials Plan for international and domestic travel includes:
Emergency Medical and Dental Expenses
Whether you’re travelling internationally or domestically, Freely will cover you for up to 500,000 USD for emergency medical expenses and 1,000 USD for emergency dental expenses.
Freely is very clear in its policy that this is a supplement to health insurance, and not a substitute for major medical coverage. You don’t want to be caught short when travelling in the USA, so be sure to have all the necessary insurance you need.
Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation
Heavy stuff here, peeps. But in the unlikely case of you needing to be evacuated or transported back home. Freely will cover you for 1M USD for emergency evacuation and repatriation.
Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Again, not a pleasant topic and is highly unlikely, but it’s important. Freely’s got you covered for both accidental death and dismemberment for up to 50,000 USD.
Trip Interruption
Things happen and trips can be interrupted – whether that’s personal stuff happening in your life or if the pilot slept in and your flight gets cancelled. Making other arrangements is nightmare enough, let alone having to pay for it all. If your trip gets interrupted, Freely will cover up to 150% of the trip cost to a maximum of 30,000 USD.
Photo: @amandaadraper
Baggage and Baggage Delay
Freely is here to help you out of your scraggly aeroplane clothes (or is that just mine?) and get you a change of undies and a new look. If your luggage is lost, that is! They have you covered for up to 2,500 USD for lost luggage (500 USD per item) and 250 USD for baggage delays.
Freely’s Add-Ons/ Boosts
After these mandatory plans, this is when the fun begins. Yes, I did just call booking your insurance fun…
You can design your policy to suit YOU and your travel needs. Planning to hit the slopes in Switzerland? Add on the Snow Sports Boost for medical cover, and cover your snowboard as a specified item too!
Photo: @amandaadraper
These are a few of the trip add-ons (or boosts as Freely calls them) that you can choose from:
- Specified items – if you have specific high-value items.
- Gadget cover – if you have a bunch of electronics.
- Cancellation – if you need more cover than is set out in the Explorer or Essentials Plan.
These are some of the daily boosts that you can choose from:
- Cruise cover
- Rental vehicle insurance excess
- Adventure activities cover
- Motorcycle or moped riding
- Snow sports cover
These can be booked as you go, whenever suits you through the app or over the phone. As soon as you’ve made the payment, they are good to go!
Final Thoughts on Freely Travel Insurance
Whether you’re heading to Ibiza for a trip you probably won’t remember or a backpacking trip around South East Asia to “find yourself” – taking out insurance is ALWAYS a good idea.
It’s the unfortunate reality that things don’t always go to plan, and when the unexpected happens; it often costs A LOT of money. If you’re a fellow broke backpacker, you probably don’t have $1000’s spare for when things go wrong. But forking out a smaller amount each month is a lot more manageable and like I’ve said so many times, it can really save your ass.
I hope all your travel dreams go to plan and that you never have to make a claim. But if you do, Freely has your back <3
Photo: @joemiddlehurst
