Although travel insurance is not compulsory, while traveling to a country like Nepal, it is good to have reliable travel insurance so as to have unproblematic experiences of trekking and possible encounters with theft, altitude sickness, other medical problems, accidents, flight delays, or cancellations because of weather or any other issues covered by them. One should be wise while choosing travel insurance and ensure they are not being scammed and all of their needs are met.

Check the history and review of the company.

To ensure you are entrusting your safety to the right hands, do your research online as much as possible, find people who have traveled through that company before, take their insights and go for the most genuine and experienced insurer ( insurance company). After choosing the insurer, check all their policies and aspects they cover thoroughly. 

 Most have policies and aspects in travel insurance:

1. Medical expenses

Nepal has weather that most people worldwide are unfamiliar with, causing respiratory health issues and making it difficult for some people to adapt well to the new environment. Travelers can also get food poisoning, hypothermia, and even skin infections which is why the most important aspect that travel insurance has to have covered for you is medical expenses. It not only saves your money but also ensures your safety.

2. Altitude sickness

 The probability of getting high altitude sickness like HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) OR HACE (high altitude cerebral edema) is very high in the Himalayan region of Nepal still; most travel companies don’t cover altitudes over 4000 m which should be a must if you are traveling places with elevation from 4000 m to above 6000 m like Everest base camp, Annapurna circuit trek, Manaslu circuit trek, Everest three passes trek, etc. So, look for an insurer with a good policy for covering high-altitude trekking.

3. Flights delay or cancellation

While traveling to places whose weather is unpredictable and are prone to natural disasters, causing your flights to be delayed or canceled ( or even because of technical issues) like Lukla, you need to have your insurance company cover your expenses; doing that gives the flexibility of choosing the right flight and saves you from spending even a single penny more than required. 

4. Accidents

Even on the easiest of hikes or treks, one can get into accidents where just first aid and immediate care will not be enough; in those cases, the injured person will need to be taken to the place where professional attention is available for that one should check if the travel insurance looks after accidents or not and opt for the ones that do.

5. Luggage damage, delay, or theft

Travelers can be in a situation where his/hers luggage may arrive damaged after the flight or arrive way later than they are supposed to. You can even encounter unfortunate events where the luggage gets stolen or robbed. Therefore keeping this in mind, choose travel insurance that covers up for all these situations when required.

Not to forget, these are only the must-haves while making the choice of travel insurance; always check for the additional aspects like repatriation ( getting you and your belongings back to your homeland if needed), helicopter evacuation, and other possible damages that you feel the need to be covered and go for the one that is most suitable for you both service wise and financially.

Nepal Travel Insurance Cost

The cost of travel insurance in Nepal is not uniform as it varies depending on many factors like:

• Your total stay
• Total number of people traveling
• The age range of the travelers
• Policies of an insurer
• Areas covered by an insurer
• Additional benefits offered

The longer the trip, the duration of the travel insurance lengthens, meaning the cost goes up with the total number of days you stay. The general cost of travel insurance for a group is more compared to a single person. 

Still, some insurers provide discounts to the group making it cheaper when it comes to individual expenses.  Now, talking about your one pluses like children while some travel insurance covers children for free some charge extra. Another factor that widely affects the cost of insurance is the policy of an insurer and how they work, a reputed insurer with promising services is obvious to charge you more.

Likewise, except for the areas covered by the insurer, the price rises accordingly if one wishes to get additional service. So, travel insurance costs vary widely depending upon what you want, what you are being offered, and for how long.

Travel Tips & Safety for Nepal

Nepal is one of the safest places to travel if we consider its crime rate. People here are friendly and respectful and treat tourists like their brothers and sisters, which is why one should not worry that deeply about being harmed by people.

 Still, you might come across a few people with bad intentions. In that case, just stick to your group and reach the higher authorities, like the police, as soon as possible. Your guide will take care of your safety while trekking through rough trails.

To improve your experience, it is good to get surfaced knowledge of Nepali culture and tradition and Nepali people and be sure not to step out of the boundaries they set. 

Health Safety in Nepal

Nepal has a pretty clean atmosphere and should not make anybody's health worse. still, to be sure, it is good to have basic medicines with you and have your hands washed or sanitized before every meal.

One of the aspects of Nepal that could threaten tourists’ health is their food habits, as they are fond of spicy and oily foods, so know your gut and only eat food that you can handle and is cleanly prepared. 

While trekking in the higher altitude of Nepal, be aware of the possible dangers of altitude sickness and know all of its symptoms and first aid tips. To stay safe from any kind of insect bites that will get you sick, wear insect repellants. Following basic hygiene rules and paying attention to the points mentioned above, one’s health safety should be maintained well in Nepal.

Women's Safety in Nepal

Despite being known as a male-dominated country, Nepal treats women with respect and is very safe for them. Female tourists are considered sisters and welcomed warmly. 

On very few occasions where one does face catcalling and flirting, avoid those comments; if not, then asking for help from people around will get all the support you need, and if you will have the misfortune of being molested or worse, go to the nearest police department and ask for help immediately. 

With that being said, you should be cautious about not getting too close to anyone before knowing their background well, even if they seem friendly. 

Local laws

Activities that are considered normal in most western countries could be a matter of offense or even go against the law of Nepal, like the consumption of marijuana.

Nepal doesn’t have sedatives legalized, so stay away from them; taking pictures of places and monuments is restricted in a few destinations for privacy purposes; make sure to have those restrictions in check, or legal action will be taken against you. 

In a few places, especially in Kathmandu, one can find people indulging in prostitution even though it is taken as a crime in Nepal, so if you find yourself in situations like these, escape as fast as you can. Don’t forget to take permits before trekking in restricted areas.

Likewise, never disrespect Nepalese people's cultures and traditions, like taking your shoes off before entering the temple, dressing modestly, being humble, being respectful of their food, etc.