Travel Insurance for Backpacking in Remote Regions: What to Know About Evacuation Coverage and Medical Transport Far Off the Grid

People have always loved the road less traveled. Backpackers who venture into remote locations expose themselves to limited resources, sparse medical facilities, and the potential of getting lost or hurt. Medevac services can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a secluded area.

Let’s go over important evacuation and medical transport considerations for travelers headed to a remote area.

Why Travel Insurance Matters in Remote Regions

Lack of nearby hospitals or clinics

Most remote regions have very limited healthcare nearby. Clinics would only exist after substantial travel. This means that in case of a medical emergency, you would likely require medical evacuation services, such as an air ambulance or airlift.

Difficulty accessing emergency services

Adventurers should always have a personal locator beacon (PLB) or a satellite communicator when traveling to a remote region. Being able to signal to rescuers where your location is could save your life.

A personal locator beacon can send an SOS signal when you need it. It is only for one-way emergency communication, emitting a powerful signal on the special SARSAT system (Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking).

A satellite messaging device usually requires a clear view of the sky.

Many travelers these days also carry a mobile phone that is satellite capable. New smartphones may have SOS-specific features. The iPhone 15, for example, comes with emergency satellite texting abilities, connecting you to emergency dispatch.

High costs of evacuation or airlifting

An emergency airlift or air ambulance to a hospital within a city can cost over $10,000. A basic domestic airlift rarely costs over $25,000. However, if you’re in a foreign country or a remote region, medical evacuation services can be far more expensive than that. Adventurers injured far away from home can expect an airlift cost of over $50,000. If you have any special medical needs, like pre-existing conditions, it will likely cost more.

Without the right insurance, you might need to pay up to $200,000 for an air ambulance. That is financially devastating for most people. Good evacuation insurance can cover as much as $2 million per person.

Understanding Evacuation Coverage

What does emergency evacuation coverage mean

Emergency evacuation insurance covers airlifts, air ambulances, and other medevac services. This includes the medical care and transport costs for emergencies.

Search and Rescue (SAR) is another type of emergency service for when backpackers get lost. Depending on your policy, you may need to purchase an add-on for SAR coverage.

How medical evacuations differ from trip interruption evacuations

Trip interruption insurance is NOT the same as medical evacuation insurance. Trip interruption is typically covered by standard travel insurance, but medevac might require a more comprehensive policy.

When evacuation coverage typically applies

Medical evacuation insurance usually covers the necessary medical care during an air ambulance or air lift service. That means life support, oxygen, and other crucial bedside services. Travel medevac insurance can help even if you’re traveling internationally.

Limits of standard travel insurance evacuation benefits

Standard travel insurance may cover evacuation costs up to a certain amount.

Note: your homeowners or medical insurance policy may provide limited emergency evacuation benefits. These usually have limited coverage and won’t help you if you need an international medevac.

Medical Transport in Remote Areas

How medical transport works in far-off regions

In rural and remote areas, medical transport is typically based on community initiatives and specialized services. You might not be able to just call 911 or the local equivalent. People who live in secluded locations often face far higher travel burdens, which means traveling there will place the same burden on you.

Remote medical transport may come in the form of:

• Air ambulances
• Mobile clinics
• Emergency medical services (EMS)

You may also have to use telehealth instead of seeing a doctor in person due to distance and transportation restrictions. Some travel insurance companies offer 24 hour emergency assistance hotlines.

Helicopter airlifts

Airlifts are a common way to transport an injured traveler to a medical facility. Medical personnel may use a helicopter to airlift you to a populated city with a hospital or a nearby clinic.

Long-distance ground transport

In some regions, airlifts are not plausible due to a lack of safe landing locations. Ground transport may be the only method of bringing a backpacker medical services. Long-distance ambulances may include paramedics and emergency healthcare.

Boat or amphibious rescues

If a traveler requires emergency services when surrounded by water, a boat rescue may be necessary. For example, Coast Guard SAR services can cost $150,000 for the victim–that is, if the victim has a GPS signal to speed up the rescue. If there is no functional GPS signal, search and rescue could cost over $200,000.

Coordination with local authorities and rescue teams

When a search and rescue is needed, local authorities will typically dispatch a team to help. This may mean the local maritime security organization (e.g. the U.S. Coast Guard) or other group.

Cost ranges for remote medical transport

Remote medical transport can be extremely expensive due to distance and resource constraints.

Domestic remote medical transport costs anything from $5,000 to $25,000.

International remote medical transport costs vary greatly. Air and ground emergency medical evacuations can cost over $100,000 depending on the distance and level of care.

Essential Features to Look for in a Policy

High coverage limits for medical evacuation

Before traveling, it’s a good idea to see the expected cost of medevac services at your destination(s). That way, you have a good idea of how much medical evacuation insurance you actually need. Those traveling internationally usually need greater coverage limits.

Search-and-rescue coverage as an upgrade

Travel insurance companies offer add-ons, endorsements, and riders so you can tailor the policy to your needs. Backpackers taking risky paths may want to upgrade their insurance policy with an SAR rider. This is because many travel medevac policies don’t automatically cover search-and-rescue services.

SAR insurance costs only around $40 a year, and usually covers up to $100,000 for eligible rescue services.

SAR insurance is particularly useful for:

• Mountain climbing and mountaineering
• Backcountry hiking
• Wilderness backpacking
• International travel
• Paragliding

Repatriation of remains coverage

If the traveler passes away, repatriation will be needed to bring them back to their home country. Repatriation usually costs between $2,000 and $20,000. Having repatriation insurance that comes with travel evacuation insurance can greatly reduce the financial burden on your loved ones, allowing them to focus on mourning and other essentials.

24/7 global assistance hotlines

Travel insurance companies often offer global assistance hotlines. These are numbers you can call when dealing with an emergency overseas. They can dispatch assistance or help you find the right type of emergency help.

Multilingual support for emergency coordination

If your trip destination speaks a language you don’t know, travel insurance companies can actually be a big help. Many insurance policies come with the perk of providing multilingual support through their hotlines. Translators in foreign countries can help you prevent financial–or even legal–trouble.

When backpacking in remote regions, risks are higher than in domestic exploration. If you encounter an emergency, you might not be able to procure help using your language.

“Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) insurance

If you’re headed to a high risk destination or just want extra peace of mind, you might want to purchase a CFAR insurance upgrade. CFAR insurance is great for travelers whose travel plans may change abruptly.

Questions to Ask Your Travel Insurance Provider

When purchasing insurance, it’s always good to read the fine print and ask specific questions. Here are good questions to ask.

Are remote-area rescues included?

Some travel evacuation policies exclude remote rescues. This would make it useless for backpacking, since only having coverage for low-risk areas isn’t ideal.

Is adventure sport coverage needed?

If you’re planning on doing various adventurous activities, such as paragliding or mountaineering, your travel insurance might not cover any associated medical costs. You might need an adventure sports add-on to upgrade your policy.

Are there pre-approval requirements for an evacuation?

Evacuations and SAR services may need to be arranged according to certain requirements. For example, your medevac or SAR insurance might require the evacuation services to be reasonably economical and direct. Standard regulations should be met.

Who coordinates the emergency evacuation?

Since travel insurers often offer emergency assistance hotlines, it is important to ask who coordinates evacuation in the event of an emergency. You may be expected to know how to contact the local authorities yourself.

Are pre-existing conditions covered if a medical emergency occurs?

For regular travel medical insurance, pre-existing medical conditions like heart disease are generally excluded from coverage. Ask your travel insurance agent to see if your pre-existing conditions would prevent evacuation coverage from kicking in.

Planning Ahead Beyond Insurance

Traveling to an isolated area is a thrilling adventure, but it can also be terribly dangerous. Proper planning is critical so you can survive in case of worst case scenarios, like breaking a leg or getting lost in the mountains.

Registering your trip with an embassy or consulate

Registering with your embassy means that in case of an emergency, they will receive quicker notice with better documentation of your trip. In addition, if geopolitical tensions or any security concerns arise, you will be notified through embassy alerts. The U.S. Department of State runs a Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) as a free service for travelers. You can get STEP messages for:

• Security alerts
• Health alerts
• Natural disaster and weather alerts
• Travel Advisory
• Demonstration alerts

STEP is particularly important if you plan on backpacking through higher risk areas.

Sharing itineraries with family, friends, and local contacts

If you’ve ever watched 127 Hours or read about missing person incidents, you’ll know that sharing your risky travel plans is crucial. Tell a trusted one that you’re headed to a remote location and decide on check-in times.

Carrying satellite communication devices or personal locator beacons

Backpackers, whether traveling alone or with others, should always carry their own SOS signal devices! A functional satellite communication device or PLB could save your life if you get lost or injured, and your mobile phone doesn’t work.

Learning basic wilderness first aid

Survivalist prep can make backpacking in remote regions safer. Learn first aid and bring a medkit so you can clean an infection or stitch together a wound in case it’s necessary.

Here are popular survivalist and travel items to bring:

• Survivalist rope
• Fire starting kit
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit
• Battery free flashlight
• Whistle
• Physical map of the area
• Blankets + sleeping bag

Researching nearest hospitals and emergency numbers before you go

Before heading out, you should have a good idea of where emergency services and clinics are near your destination. Write down all emergency contact information. Having a physical map of your region on hand is also crucial in case your phone dies.

Learn emergency words

Knowing essential communication phrases could save a lot of time in case of an emergency. For example, you should learn how to say hospital in the destination language. Bad at memorizing phrases in new languages? Carry a card with crucial information instead.

Final Takeaways

Backpacking lets you make some of the best memories of your life, but it comes with real risks. Consider how evacuation coverage can help you. Travel evacuation insurance and its add-ons are cheap compared to the $100,000+ medevac and SAR costs that you could incur in case of an emergency.

Always research, compare policies, and ask questions about your coverage before your trip. Check out our ranked list of the best travel insurance companies for medevac and SAR.