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

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

Recognized 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 country has a lot to offer. 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.

General, it’s quite safe, the standard of life is excessive, and elements virtually really feel such as you’re in one other US state.

Quite a lot of vacationers to Costa Rica wonder if journey insurance coverage is important 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 go away house with out journey insurance coverage. It’s safety towards surprising prices which will come up if issues go incorrect on the street, which — as each traveler will inform you — occurs while you least anticipate it.

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

What Does Journey Insurance coverage Sometimes Cowl?

Travel insurance is an all-purpose emergency protection plan for journey mishaps. Prices can add up shortly on account of sickness or damage, canceled flights, broken electronics, misplaced baggage, the dying of a member of the family again house — the listing goes on.

Since most home medical health insurance applications don’t cowl you abroad and travel credit cards supply restricted safety, shopping for journey insurance coverage is important to guard you towards these surprising prices. It’s designed to ensure you don’t lose a ton of cash if an emergency occurs overseas.

Nice journey insurance policy embody the next provisions:

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

What to Think about When Buying Journey Insurance coverage for Costa Rica

1. Journey actions – From skydiving to browsing, Costa Rica is a haven for your complete spectrum of journey actions, and even the tamest of vacationers might wish to strive some. It’s top-of-the-line locations on the planet to go zip-lining, and there are unbelievable jungle and volcano hikes to be loved. Make sure that your journey insurance coverage plan covers you within the occasion that you just get injured whereas taking part in any of the actions that you just may wish to strive.

2. Medical protection – Must you get injured whereas testing your adrenaline limits (or doing the rest), you’ll wish to be coated. A superb journey insurance coverage firm gives as much as $100,000 USD in needed remedy and care, although dearer insurance policies will cowl you for larger quantities.

3. Medical evacuation – If you’re mountaineering within the rainforest and break your leg, your coverage ought to cowl your evacuation to the closest acceptable medical facility. (For those who’d choose to not keep in a overseas hospital for remedy and restoration, look right into a medical transport membership program like Medjet, which can get you house it doesn’t matter what.)

4. Automobile rental – Renting a automobile is a standard strategy to get across the nation. Nevertheless, aside from the primary highways, roads could be in questionable situation; they typically 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 automobile. Even essentially the most skilled of drivers can get in an accident, so ensure you’re ready with the correct rental and collision protection.

(For those who do intend to lease a automobile, Vamos has the very best 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 kind of crime right here. Shield your self by solely bringing the mandatory money and one bank card while you exit, leaving your valuables at house. Nonetheless, even the best-laid plans can go awry, so ensure you have some protection in your private objects (laptop computer, telephone, and so forth.).

6. Pure catastrophe protection – Costa Rica is geologically fascinating — however meaning 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 quick 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 not requires guests to indicate proof of journey insurance coverage upon arrival, I extremely advocate that you just get it anyway. It’s in your personal profit and solely prices just a few {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 foremost causes to get journey insurance coverage).

Is Costa Rica secure?
Costa Rica is without doubt one of the most secure international locations to go to in Central America. Hottest vacationer cities are small and there’s little risk of violence. Solo vacationers ought to typically really feel secure right here; nonetheless, the usual precautions apply (by no means go away your drink unattended on the bar, by no means stroll house alone intoxicated, and so forth.). Check out this post for more tips on staying safe 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 finest to deliver a water bottle with a filter (my favourite is LifeStraw), so as to be assured your water is all the time clear and secure to drink. (And ensure you have journey insurance coverage in case you do get sick.)

Do I would like malaria tablets for Costa Rica?
Antimalarial tablets are at present not needed for journey to Costa Rica, although test the CDC web site earlier than you journey for present journey advisories. There’s a barely elevated danger within the province of Limón, so in case you are spending important quantities of time there, particularly in rural areas, it’s possible you’ll wish to speak to your physician about getting a prescription. Whether or not you’re taking antimalarial tablets or not, I’d nonetheless advocate 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 just’re updated on all routine vaccines, however the one required vaccine is yellow fever in the event you’re touring from a rustic with danger of yellow fever transmission (akin to Tanzania or Zambia, in addition to rural areas of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Trinidad & Tobago).

For those who’ll be spending plenty 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 wish to take into account getting vaccinated towards rabies (although rabies remedy is available in the event you do get bit). Once more, you’ll want to get good journey insurance coverage that can shield you in case you do get sick and want remedy.

What do I do in an emergency in Costa Rica?
For those who’re experiencing a real emergency, Costa Rica’s emergency quantity is similar as in the USA — 911. Be sure to additionally save the emergency contact in your journey insurance coverage firm — a great firm can have a 24/7 emergency hotline.

For extra info on journey insurance coverage, try this put up, How to Buy the Best Travel Insurance.
 

My Beneficial Journey Insurance coverage Firm

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

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

Study extra in my complete Safety Wing review and use the widget beneath to get a free quote:

For those who’re questioning whether or not to get journey insurance coverage in your journey to Costa Rica, the reply is an emphatic YES. It’s the only most vital factor you must get, and one thing I strongly, strongly advise vacationers to by no means go away house with out.