Do You Want Journey Insurance coverage for Costa Rica? (Up to date 2023)

Posted: 8/12/2023 | August twelfth, 2023

Identified for its lush forests, energetic volcanoes, white-sand seashores, and unbelievable wildlife, Costa Rica is a favourite amongst vacationers. It was the place that ignited my wanderlust (so it holds a particular place in my coronary heart).

Sandwiched between the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans, this small nation has loads to supply. It attracts many guests because it’s simply accessible to North American vacationers, with frequent and reasonably priced flights and a well-established vacationer path.

Total, it’s fairly secure, the standard of life is excessive, and elements nearly really feel such as you’re in one other US state.

Lots of vacationers to Costa Rica wonder if journey insurance coverage is critical in any respect.

“Do I actually want it? It’s simply an additional expense I gained’t even use!” I get requested.

To me, the reply is sure.

No matter the place I’m going, I by no means depart residence with out journey insurance coverage. It’s safety towards surprising prices that will come up if issues go flawed on the highway, which — as each traveler will let you know — occurs while you least anticipate it.

Since Costa Rica is costlier than its Central American neighbors, and because you’re extra prone to be taking part within the journey actions that make the nation well-known (volcano hikes, zip-lining), the dangers might be larger, and prices can rapidly add up rapidly if issues go sideways.

What Does Journey Insurance coverage Sometimes Cowl?

Journey insurance coverage is an all-purpose emergency protection plan for journey mishaps. Prices can add up rapidly because of sickness or harm, canceled flights, broken electronics, misplaced baggage, the loss of life of a member of the family again residence — the checklist goes on.

Since most home medical insurance applications don’t cowl you abroad and journey bank cards provide restricted safety, shopping for journey insurance coverage is critical to guard you towards these surprising prices. It’s designed to be sure to don’t lose a ton of cash if an emergency occurs overseas.

Nice journey insurance coverage embody the next provisions:

• Medical protection for harm and sudden diseases
• Emergency medical evacuation
• Protection for misplaced, broken, or stolen possessions (together with some protection on your electronics)
• Journey cancelation/interruption protection if in case you have a sudden sickness, loss of life within the household, or another emergency that causes you to cancel or go residence early
• Protection for journey delays
• Protection for political emergencies, pure disasters, or strife within the nation
• Unintended loss of life and dismemberment (morbid as it’s, it’s vital to have)
• 24/7 help

What to Take into account When Buying Journey Insurance coverage for Costa Rica

Listed below are some particular protection wants to remember when buying journey insurance coverage for the land of pura vida:

1. Journey actions – From skydiving to browsing, Costa Rica is a haven for all the spectrum of journey actions, and even the tamest of vacationers could need to attempt some. It’s the most effective locations on the planet to go zip-lining, and there are unbelievable jungle and volcano hikes to be loved. Be sure that your journey insurance coverage plan covers you within the occasion that you simply get injured whereas taking part in any of the actions that you simply may need to attempt.

2. Medical protection – Do you have to get injured whereas testing your adrenaline limits (or doing the rest), you’ll need to be coated. journey insurance coverage firm supplies as much as $100,000 USD in vital therapy and care, although costlier insurance policies will cowl you for larger quantities.

3. Medical evacuation – In case you are mountaineering within the rainforest and break your leg, your coverage ought to cowl your evacuation to the closest acceptable medical facility. (In the event you’d favor to not keep in a overseas hospital for therapy and restoration, look right into a medical transport membership program like Medjet, which can get you residence it doesn’t matter what.)

4. Automotive rental – Renting a automotive is a standard approach to get across the nation. Nonetheless, aside from the principle highways, roads might be in questionable situation; they usually lack streetlights and have potholes and sharp drop-offs. To not point out the oncoming visitors on tight, winding roads that appear like they need to solely match one automotive. Even essentially the most skilled of drivers can get in an accident, so be sure to’re ready with the right rental and collision protection.

(In the event you do intend to hire a automotive, Vamos has the perfect costs. As a Nomadic Matt reader, you’ll get 5% off by utilizing our hyperlink.)

5. Stolen or misplaced possessions – Petty theft is the most typical sort of crime right here. Shield your self by solely bringing the required money and one bank card while you exit, leaving your valuables at residence. Nonetheless, even the best-laid plans can go awry, so be sure to have some protection on your private gadgets (laptop computer, cellphone, and so forth.).

6. Pure catastrophe protection – Costa Rica is geologically fascinating — however which means it’s additionally an energetic, unpredictable earthquake and volcano zone. Guarantee that your coverage will cowl you if a pure catastrophe causes you to cancel or minimize brief your journey.
 

FAQ About Journey Insurance coverage in Costa Rica

Do I would like journey insurance coverage to go to Costa Rica?
Whereas Costa Rica now not requires guests to point out proof of journey insurance coverage upon arrival, I extremely suggest that you simply get it anyway. It’s on your personal profit and solely prices a number of {dollars} per day (or much less).

Does US medical insurance coverage (like Medicare) work in Costa Rica?
No, medical insurance coverage from the US, together with Medicare, doesn’t cowl you in Costa Rica. You shouldn’t anticipate to be coated ought to something occur to you (one of many fundamental causes to get journey insurance coverage).

Is Costa Rica secure?
Costa Rica is without doubt one of the most secure nations to go to in Central America. Hottest vacationer cities are small and there’s little menace of violence. Solo vacationers ought to typically really feel secure right here; nonetheless, the usual precautions apply (by no means depart your drink unattended on the bar, by no means stroll residence alone intoxicated, and so forth.). Take a look at this submit for extra tips about staying secure in Costa Rica.

Can I drink the water in Costa Rica?
The water is secure to drink in most elements of Costa Rica, although on the Caribbean facet of the nation and in additional distant areas, it’s really helpful that you don’t. It’s greatest to carry a water bottle with a filter (my favourite is LifeStraw), in an effort to be assured your water is all the time clear and secure to drink. (And be sure to have journey insurance coverage in case you do get sick.)

Do I would like malaria tablets for Costa Rica?
Antimalarial tablets are at the moment not vital for journey to Costa Rica, although verify the CDC web site earlier than you journey for present journey advisories. There’s a barely elevated danger within the province of Limón, so if you’re spending vital quantities of time there, particularly in rural areas, it’s possible you’ll need to speak to your physician about getting a prescription. Whether or not you’re taking antimalarial tablets or not, I’d nonetheless suggest getting journey insurance coverage simply in case you do contract the illness.

What vaccinations are required for Costa Rica?
It’s really helpful that you simply’re updated on all routine vaccines, however the one required vaccine is yellow fever should you’re touring from a rustic with danger of yellow fever transmission (resembling Tanzania or Zambia, in addition to rural areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Trinidad & Tobago).

In the event you’ll be spending lots of time in rural areas, tenting, or in different conditions the place it’s possible you’ll encounter stray canine and different wildlife, you may need to take into account getting vaccinated towards rabies (although rabies therapy is available should you do get bit). Once more, remember to get good journey insurance coverage that can defend you in case you do get sick and want therapy.

What do I do in an emergency in Costa Rica?
In the event you’re experiencing a real emergency, Costa Rica’s emergency quantity is identical as in the USA — 911. Ensure to additionally save the emergency contact on your journey insurance coverage firm — a superb firm could have a 24/7 emergency hotline.

For extra data on journey insurance coverage, try this submit, How you can Purchase the Finest Journey Insurance coverage.
 

My Beneficial Journey Insurance coverage Firm

My favourite firm is SafetyWing, which affords handy and reasonably priced plans tailor-made to digital nomads and finances vacationers. It affords low cost month-to-month plans, nice customer support, and an easy-to-use claims course of that makes it good for these on the highway.

You should buy and renew your insurance coverage coverage on-line in a matter of minutes, and most significantly, the corporate supplies lots of protection at a brilliant reasonably priced value. SafetyWing covers most journey actions (with some exclusions) and consists of emergency medical protection (together with evacuation), as effectively protection for as journey interruption, cancelation, and delay.

Study extra in my complete Security Wing evaluate and use the widget under to get a free quote:

In the event you’re questioning whether or not to get journey insurance coverage on your journey to Costa Rica, the reply is an emphatic YES. It’s the only most vital factor it’s best to get, and one thing I strongly, strongly advise vacationers to by no means depart residence with out.