Mission and Volunteer Travel

Churches, mission boards, charities and aid groups send people to places a vacation policy was never designed around. This page lists the plan brands and brokers whose products are written for missionaries, short mission teams, volunteers and humanitarian workers, with a few also serving journalists and contractors bound for unstable regions. The policy wordings on these sites differ in how they treat manual work, construction projects and medical volunteering. They also vary on war, civil unrest and political evacuation, on whether an organization can insure a whole team under one roster, and on the length of stay a plan accepts before a longer term product takes over. Several brands with a church background are underwritten by a separate insurer, and the write-ups name it where the listing's pages do.

  1. 1

    IMG designs and administers Patriot travel medical, Global Medical and iTravelInsured plans, with the insurance underwritten by Sirius, SiriusPoint America or United States Fire depending on the plan.

  2. 2

    The former GeoBlue, a plan brand and administrator selling single-trip, multi-trip, long-term, student and missionary medical plans underwritten by 4 Ever Life companies.

  3. 3

    A mission-trip travel insurance brand from Brotherhood Mutual and Fly For Good, selling flat-rate Basic, Plus, Premium and 365 plans with no deductible, underwritten by Arch Insurance Company.

  4. 4

    An independent brokerage doing business as Missionary Health, placing missionaries in short-term travel medical, long-term major medical and group plans underwritten by Lloyd's and others.

  5. 5

    A volunteer travel insurance card with published prices and limits, its short-term plans underwritten by Arch Insurance Company and its yearlong 365 Plan by IMG.

  6. 6

    MSH International is a French insurance brokerage, registered with ORIAS, that designs and sells its own First'Expat+ expat health plan and LifePlan'Expat life cover.

  7. 7

    A family-owned US insurance brokerage, in business since 1980, that places humanitarian aid workers and other travelers in travel medical plans from IMG and Petersen International/Lloyds of London.

  8. 8

    A specialist travel insurance brand for conflict zones and hostile environments, underwritten by Guernsey-regulated Opportuna Insurance PCC and reinsured at Lloyd's, for NGOs, media, companies and individual contractors.

  9. 9

    Visitor Insurance Services of America's two storefronts selling WorldTrips' Atlas plans and Global Underwriters' Diplomat plans, mainly for visitors to the US, with carriers named and no premiums shown.

  10. 10

    A family-owned US travel insurance agency organized by traveler type, selling other carriers' plans such as TripArmor for mission teams and the Allianz Annual Executive Plan.

Frequently asked questions

What are my options if I'm looking for coverage specifically for a short mission trip?

You can find flat-rate plans with no deductible from Faith Ventures or short-term travel medical options through Missionary Health. Other brokers like ICI Traveler also offer specific plans designed for mission teams.

Can I get insurance if I'm working in a high-risk or conflict zone?

Hotspot Cover specializes in coverage for NGOs and media workers in conflict zones and hostile environments. Their products are underwritten by Opportuna Insurance PCC and reinsured at Lloyd's.

I'm planning to volunteer abroad for an entire year. Are there long-term plans available?

Volunteer Card offers a yearlong 365 Plan underwritten by IMG. You can also look into long-term medical plans from Missionary Health or multi-trip and long-term options from Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Solutions.

Are there brokers that can help me find plans from multiple different insurance carriers?

Yes, Diversified Insurance Brokers places travelers into plans from carriers like IMG and Petersen International/Lloyds of London. ICI Traveler also acts as an agency that sells plans from various other carriers.