Although we are specialists in Traveling Around the Philippines, we have spent more than 15 years travelling around Southeast Asia and falling in love with its different countries. That is why we know that one of the pillars when starting this great adventure is knowing what the best travel insurance for Southeast Asia is. Luckily for you, you are not going to have to go through all the (good and bad) experiences we have had to face, trying different international policies, and you can go straight for the one that is undoubtedly the best insurance for travelling around this part of the world.
Which countries are covered by the best insurance for travelling to Southeast Asia
Before going into detail about the cover and the reasons why it is the best insurance for Southeast Asia, we want to stress that it is not exclusive to the countries in this area. It is insurance that we especially recommend for the destinations that make it up, but we also use it when we head to other nearby countries such as India, Nepal or even Japan.
The reason? Although each destination is a world of its own, the type of trip is very similar in terms of the cover you need, as you will see below.
Thus, we recommend this insurance for travelling around Southeast Asia across Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor‑Leste and Vietnam. In addition, we have also travelled with it in India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
What is the best travel insurance for Southeast Asia
In so many years of travel around Southeast Asia, we have had plenty of time to try every travel insurance under the sun (some even no longer exist, such as one from Ocaso that was sadly absurdly cheap with great cover). After so much trial and error, we are clear that the best insurance for travelling to Southeast Asia is IATI Mochilero from IATI Seguros. Not only because it has cover that is exactly what you need for an adventure like this, nor because the price is the best on the market, but because the assistance (which is what really matters) is a 10.
We have found ourselves in very tricky situations and they have always been by our side as if they were family. For example, when I had to spend 3 weeks admitted to a hospital in Manila. They called us daily to see how we were, made everything easy and fast when it came to paperwork and payments (they saved us over 20.000 euros!) and that great treatment extended to my mother as well. They paid for her round‑trip flight to the Philippines from Barcelona and her accommodation. In addition, when she returned home, they called her while she was at Doha airport in case she needed help. Exceptional treatment beyond the call of duty.
Like this one, we have had many more experiences (although luckily not as serious) and the assistance has always been top‑notch. So, the main reason to state that this is the best travel insurance for Southeast Asia is our experience—and it is not a small one!
If our experience is not enough, we are going to tell you about some of the cover it has, so you can see that it is an international insurance 100% designed for this type of countries. In addition, if you get it by clicking this button. (or the links on this page) you will get a 5% discount for being a reader of our site:
CLICK TRAVEL INSURANCE 5% DISCOUNT
Heads up! If you are planning a long trip of several months, we recommend taking a look at this other guide: Best long‑stay insurance. There we tell you about IATI Anual Multiviajes and IATI Grandes Viajeros. Two policies designed for epic trips of several months. The advantage? As you take it for a longer period, the price drops even further.
We also had to use the insurance during our time in Japan
What is travel insurance for in Southeast Asia
Maybe a friend who has been or is travelling out there has told you how important it is to have travel insurance for Southeast Asia, but you are still not entirely clear on what it is actually for. We will tell you.
Obviously, one of the main reasons (and why many people also call it international medical insurance for Southeast Asia) is that it provides you with medical care.
While we are at home, we have a public health system that ensures we are treated by the best specialists at no cost to us. Things change completely when we go to another country and we have been able to see how every destination is a totally different story. Whether it is the Philippines, Thailand, India or Japan, what is clear is that it is very possible to end up in medical centres that are scary to look at and, in addition, healthcare for travellers can end up being extremely expensive.
In addition to the bill of over 20.000 euros we received in the Philippines, we have also come across others of 600 euros in Japan, 500 euros in Thailand or 450 euros in Malaysia (bear in mind that we live travelling and we have been doing so for more than 10 years without interruption—it is not that all this happened on the same trip!). Thus, the main advantage of having the best travel insurance for Southeast Asia, IATI Mochilero, is that it guarantees you access to the best specialists and medical centres in each country without you having to pay anything out of your own pocket. In short, you take out the insurance and forget about any health expenses.
If all this were not enough, there is more. These policies carry the “travel” tag because they are designed to cover you in all kinds of situations that can arise while travelling. So, as you will now see in more detail, they also cover you in cases of theft, baggage issues, missed flights or transport, family members being sent to accompany you or, as also happened to us, repatriation.
It is like having a kind of travelling guardian angel.
What does this insurance for Southeast Asia cover
Now yes, we are going to show you some of the IATI Mochilero cover that makes it indisputably the king of insurance for Southeast Asia:
– High medical cover: It has 600.000 euros (more than half a million!) exclusively for medical assistance. This ensures you will be treated by the best doctors without having to worry at all about anything.
– No advances or out‑of‑pocket payments: Many insurers force you to pay the costs of care yourself and then fight with them to get reimbursed. If you found yourself in a serious problem, that could force you to pay thousands of euros. With this insurance for travelling around Southeast Asia, they take care of all expenses without you worrying. In addition, they do not use dreaded deductibles that force you to always pay a part of each assistance.
– Adventure Sports cover included: This is VERY important! Within the “adventure sports” category are activities such as snorkelling, scuba diving up to 40 metres, trekking up to 5.400 metres (it is the only travel insurance that covers this altitude), kayaking, cycling routes… Most insurers do not cover any of this or, if they do, they make you pay a very expensive extra (as is the case with Mondo). We cannot imagine visiting countries such as Thailand, the Philippines or Indonesia and not going snorkelling. Nor travelling to Nepal, Malaysia or India without enjoying a good trekking. With this included cover, if something happens to you during these activities (who has not cut themselves on coral while snorkelling at some point?), you will be covered as well.
– 24/7 assistance in your language and free of charge: You can request assistance at any time and they will attend to you in your language, which is greatly appreciated in countries such as Japan, where it will be difficult even to be attended to in English. When we had lung problems there, the doctor did not speak a single word and they put an online translator on an iPad for us. You can contact IATI for free via WhatsApp, their app and email, or by phone and then have the cost of the call refunded.
– Accident damage: It is very typical to rent cars or, above all, motorbikes on a trip around Southeast Asia. This insurance also covers you in the event of an accident in a motor vehicle, whether you are driving or riding as a passenger.
– Theft and baggage damage: We feel super safe when travelling around Southeast Asia, but shit happens anywhere. This insurance covers up to 1.500 euros in case of theft and loss of baggage. It also includes if your computer equipment or cameras are stolen or lost, which is vital for us.
– Delays and missed connections: Imagine being stuck for hours waiting for your flight to depart or for your baggage to arrive. They cover basic‑necessity expenses. They also take into account cases of delays due to strikes, technical failures, adverse weather, etc.
– Repatriation: You will have seen more than once in the news cases of travellers who suffer an accident on the other side of the world and then have to pay thousands upon thousands of euros to cover transport back to Spain in medicalised aircraft. That is also covered thanks to the included repatriation cover. They also cover you if a family member of yours is hospitalised or dies and you must return.
Trip Cancellation add‑on: 1000% recommended
Linked to the whole COVID‑19 topic, there is an optional add‑on that, if we previously saw it as advisable, we now consider mandatory.
The Trip Cancellation Add‑on means that, if you ultimately have to cancel your trip for any of the many covered reasons, your travel insurance for Southeast Asia will make sure you recover up to 3.500 euros of what you have spent on flights, hotel bookings and pre‑booked activities.
Among the covered cases are health problems, dismissal or starting a job, a disaster zone being declared at the destination, the death or serious illness of a family member…
Update: Now you can also cancel your trip and get your money back if you test positive for COVID‑19 before starting your journey. Given the current situation, this makes us see the Cancellation Add‑on as something essential, since it can happen to anyone—even without realising it, being asymptomatic.
Minutes before being admitted for a 3‑week hospital stay
Price of travel insurance for Southeast Asia—how much is it?
We have left it for the end because it is the cherry on top. The price is what finally convinces us that this is the best travel insurance for Southeast Asia.
Unlike other insurers such as Intermundial or Chapka, which have worse cover, or Mondo, where the final price has little to do with what they show at the beginning and ends up being much more expensive, IATI Mochilero wins by a landslide.
We will show you an example of what it costs and, in addition, you already know that when you get it from here you get a 5% discount:
| Southeast Asia insurance | Price 1 week | Price 2 weeks | Price 3 weeks |
| IATI Mochilero | 48,57€
46,14€ |
83,23€
79,07€ |
105,87€
100,58€ |
How to buy the insurance
Taking out the insurance to travel to Southeast Asia is something that takes a couple of minutes and is not complicated. The first thing you should do is click here to activate your 5% discount:
CLICK TRAVEL INSURANCE 5% DISCOUNT
In the menu you must complete:
– Origin: Country of origin of the trip
– Destination: The Southeast Asian country you are going to. If you are visiting more than one, select the option ”World”
– Your travel dates
– Number of travellers: Tip! If there are 2 or more of you, it is better to take out one policy for everyone than one for each person. For example, if your partner has to be repatriated or transferred elsewhere to receive assistance, you would be included as well. Otherwise you would have to fend for yourself.
– Type of insurance: Select “Travel insurance”. Unless it is a trip of many months. In that case select “Long stay”.
You can also do it from this menu and you will also receive your 5% discount:
Then click “Calculate your insurance”, select IATI Mochilero and click “Purchase”. Here you will be given the option to add the Trip Cancellation Add‑on we have told you about and with which you could recover up to 3.500 euros. It is your choice whether to take it or not, but we highly recommend it.
Then you will just have to fill in your personal details, make the payment and they will send all the information about your policy to your email.
And that is it. That is how easy it is to get your insurance to travel to Southeast Asia! We will say goodbye with a recommendation, a wish and a bonus.
The recommendation: Seriously, get it. It can save your life and your wallet.
The wish: Hopefully you will never need to use it.
The bonus: Any questions that arise about the insurance, do not hesitate to leave them down here in the comments and we will be happy to help.
