Designed for longer travel plans, it helps protect against medical emergencies, cancellations, baggage loss, and personal liability, giving travellers and their families reassurance during extended journeys. Extended travel is no longer a niche trend—it’s a growing lifestyle choice embraced by students, retirees, career-break professionals, and adventure seekers alike.

Whether it’s a gap year exploring Southeast Asia, a six-month sabbatical in South America, or retirees chasing the sun across Europe for the winter, long stays abroad require careful planning. One of the most crucial parts of that planning is securing the right travel insurance. For brokers, Voyager Plus Long Stay Travel Insurance offers a valuable opportunity to meet the needs of clients embarking on these extended journeys. It’s a product designed specifically for trips of up to 18 months (with extensions possible to 24 months on referral), giving both travellers and their families peace of mind throughout their adventures.

Why Do People Travel for Extended Periods?

1. Gap Years and Backpacking

Gap years have become a rite of passage for many young adults. After finishing school or university, students often take a year to travel before stepping into full-time work or postgraduate study. Popular destinations like Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, or South America offer opportunities to immerse in different cultures, volunteer, or work casually while travelling. For parents, these long journeys can bring peace of mind but also worry about safety and unexpected costs. Students, while adventurous, may not have experience handling medical issues or unexpected travel disruptions. That’s where reliable long stay insurance becomes essential.

2. Retiree Adventures

Many retirees are using their newfound freedom to enjoy longer stays abroad—whether wintering in Spain or Portugal, cruising across the Mediterranean, or touring the USA in an RV. With fewer time constraints, retirees often take trips spanning weeks or even months, making a standard single-trip policy insufficient. However, with age comes a higher likelihood of medical issues or pre-existing conditions. Long stay policies like Voyager Plus are designed with these factors in mind, ensuring comprehensive emergency medical cover and support services tailored for older travellers.

3. Career Breaks and Sabbaticals

The trend of taking time out of work to recharge or pursue personal goals is becoming increasingly popular. Professionals might take extended trips to learn a language, attend specialist training, or simply explore new regions. For these travellers, standard travel insurance is often not designed for months-long adventures. They require more flexibility and extended coverage that aligns with the non-traditional nature of sabbaticals.

4. Digital Nomads and Remote Workers

The rise of remote work has given rise to a new category of long-term travellers—digital nomads. These individuals travel while working online, often spending several months in one place before moving on. While Voyager Plus isn’t specifically marketed as a digital nomad policy, its long stay features and worldwide coverage make it a strong fit for those who work abroad but still want the security of comprehensive travel protection.

Why Voyager Plus Long Stay Cover Stands Out Longer trips bring unique risks compared to short holidays.

Lost baggage, unexpected illnesses, and trip curtailments can all become more likely when you’re away from home for months at a time. Voyager Plus Long Stay Travel Insurance is designed to address these scenarios.

Here’s why it’s ideal for extended travel:

1. Flexible Trip Durations Voyager Plus Long Stay policies can cover trips up to 18 months, with options to extend up to 24 months in some cases (subject to referral). This flexibility is particularly important for travellers who don’t have a fixed return date or who plan to travel across multiple countries.
2. Emergency Medical Expenses Medical emergencies can be financially devastating, especially in countries like the United States where healthcare costs are high. Voyager Plus offers emergency medical cover up to £10 million, including hospitalisation, repatriation, and emergency dental treatment. This level of coverage is reassuring not only for the traveller but also for parents or relatives back home.
3. Cover for 100+ Activities Travellers often want to try new activities on long trips, from snorkelling and hiking to kayaking or cultural tours. Voyager Plus includes over 100 activities as standard, so there’s less need for costly add-ons. For more adventurous sports, higher-level activity cover can potentially be arranged on referral.
4. Optional Add-Ons Voyager Plus is designed to be customisable, with options for:
   • Gadget insurance – up to 120 days (important for students and remote workers)
   • Cruise cover (for retirees or multi-destination travellers)
5. Peace of Mind for Families For parents whose children are travelling, Voyager Plus provides reliable, easy-to-understand coverage. In the event of an emergency, they know that professional medical assistance and 24-hour support are just a phone call away.

Key Features at a Glance

• Up to 18 months of cover, extendable to 24 months on referral (for those aged 59 and under).
• Emergency medical expenses up to £10 million, including repatriation*.
• Cancellation and curtailment cover of up to £5,000 per person*.
• Baggage cover up to £2,500, with allowances for valuables*.
• Personal liability cover up to £2 million*.
• Legal expenses up to £20,000*.
• Option to include gadget cover, cruise cover, winter sports, and more.

* Limits apply to the Prime level of cover

How Brokers Can Position Long Stay Cover

Brokers have a unique opportunity to add value by helping their clients understand the importance of specialised long stay travel insurance. Here are a few tips:

1. Highlight where single trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance is inadequate. Most single-trip policies and annual multi-trip polices aren’t designed for trips beyond 60 days, therefore trips longer would be invalid, so even if the family has an annual policy, they are likely to need something more specific.
2. Parents are looking for peace of mind. For parents of gap-year students, knowing that their child is properly covered for emergency medical treatment or repatriation, if something goes awry, can provide peace of mind.
3. Flexibility to adapt the policy with add-ons. Options like gadget insurance make Voyager Plus attractive to modern travellers who travel with tech.

The Bottom Line: Supporting Life’s Biggest Journeys

Extended travel is an exciting opportunity—whether it’s a young adult exploring the world, a couple on a sabbatical, or retirees enjoying a well-earned adventure. But it also brings risks that require reliable, flexible, and comprehensive insurance. Voyager Plus Long Stay Travel Insurance is built to meet these needs. With generous cover limits, optional extras, and worldwide protection, it’s a product that brokers can confidently recommend to clients embarking on trips of a lifetime.

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Alternatively contact our broker support team on +44 (0)1483 562 662 or enquiries@voyagerins.com.