LUMA is a well-known insurance company based in Bangkok, Thailand. They’ve been around for a while and have built a reputation for providing health insurance plans to expats across Southeast Asia.
I first heard about them because of their expat health insurance plans in Thailand. These plans are reasonably priced and offer great medical coverage. Now, LUMA has stepped into the travel insurance market. And they’ve done it with the same focus on good medical coverage at an affordable price.
In this review, I’ll go over everything you need to know about LUMA Travel Insurance, from what the plan includes to who it’s good for. At the end, you’ll be able to decide whether it’s a good fit for your next trip.
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Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Why LUMA Travel Insurance?
- Who It’s For
- Plan Overview
- Area of Coverage
- Medical Coverage
- Sport Coverage
- Evacuation and Repatriation
- Travel Coverage
- Exclusions
- How to Use LUMA Travel Insurance
- How to Claim LUMA Travel Insurance
- Tips on Claiming
- Common Claim Denials
- Price
- Age Limits
- LUMA vs Other Travel Insurances
- Should You Buy LUMA Travel Insurance?
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Key Takeaways
- Strong medical coverage even on the most basic plan (up to US$200,000)
- Full coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation
- An affordable plan with good medical coverage
- Prices start at less than US$2 a day
- Available for travelers up to 75 years old
- Age doesn’t affect the premium, making it ideal for older travelers
- In-house international medical team and local support in Southeast Asia
- Good option for short-term travel under 6 months (vacations, business trips, etc.)
- Not suitable for high-risk sports like scuba diving or Muay Thai (unless you get a different plan)
- Travel coverage (like baggage delay and trip cancellation) only included in higher-tier plans
- Pre-existing conditions and certain medical issues are excluded (as with most travel insurance)
- You can use this link to get a free quote.
Why LUMA Travel Insurance?
LUMA stands out in the travel insurance space because of a few key strengths:
- Deep Asian Expertise & Network: They’ve been operating in Asia for years and understand the region really well.
- In-house Medical Team: They have a team of international doctors who can offer medical advice and support when needed.
- Local Medical & Support Teams: LUMA has teams on the ground across Southeast Asia to help you directly.
- Strong Hospital Partnerships: Their connections with hospitals across Asia make it easier to get care.
- Comprehensive Coverage: You get protection for medical costs, evacuations, and even travel issues.
- Easy Access & Multilingual Support: Applying and getting help is straightforward, with support available in multiple languages.
Right now, the travel insurance plan is only available for travel within Asia, but they’re working on expanding it to cover more destinations worldwide.
Who It’s For
LUMA Travel Insurance is a good fit for anyone who’s planning a short trip—something under six months. That could be a vacation, a business trip, a short-term study program, or even frequent travel in the region.
The plan is especially ideal for older expats and retirees, since your age won’t affect the cost. That’s pretty rare in travel insurance.
However, if you’re planning to stay abroad long-term or relocate, it’s better to go with a full health insurance plan. LUMA offers several of those as well.
Plan Overview
There are four plans to choose from:
- Essential
- Explorer
- Adventurer
- Pioneer
Even the Essential plan, which is their basic plan, comes with solid benefits:
- US$200,000 for medical expenses
- Unlimited emergency evacuation
- Unlimited repatriation
- US$2,000 for personal accidents
- US$2,000 for mortal remains
The higher-tier plans add extra travel-related perks like lost baggage, flight delays, and more.
Area of Coverage
The plan is divided into two zones:
- Zone 1 – Countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam
- Zone 2 – Broader coverage including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, Pakistan, and more
When you apply, just enter the countries you’re traveling to. The system will automatically figure out which zone you fall into. You can even select multiple countries. It’s really convenient.
LUMA is also working on expanding the coverage area to include more countries worldwide in the near future.
Medical Coverage
This is where LUMA really shines. Since they’re already known for health insurance in the region, their travel plans offer strong medical benefits even at the lowest tier.
The Essential plan covers up to US$200,000 for medical treatment, which is more than enough for most situations in Southeast Asia.
It includes:
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Doctor’s fees
- Medical tests
- Medications
- Ambulance transport
One thing to be aware of: there’s a daily cap of US$261 for hospital room and board. This is generally fine for most private hospitals in Southeast Asia, but it might fall short if you go to a premium facility like Bumrungrad or Bangkok Hospital.
Keep in mind that this is still travel insurance, not health insurance. So, it won’t cover long-term or chronic conditions like cancer.
Sport Coverage
Planning to do something adventurous like Muay Thai training or scuba diving? Unfortunately, those are not covered. That’s pretty common with travel insurance, since these activities carry more risk.
Surprisingly, skiing is covered, as long as it’s not off-track.
If you’re planning to do any sports while traveling, it’s a good idea to read the policy details carefully or ask their support team directly. If sports coverage is important to you, Genki Traveler might be a better option.
Evacuation and Repatriation
LUMA is very generous here. Both medical evacuation and repatriation are covered in full. That’s a big plus, especially if you’re planning to explore remote areas.
Travel Coverage
You’ll need a higher-tier plan like Explorer or above to get travel coverage.
For example, the Explorer plan includes:
- US$500 for baggage and personal belongings
- US$100 for baggage delays
- US$100,000 for trip cancellations
Personally, I don’t usually worry too much about travel coverage. But it can come in handy, especially if you’re carrying expensive gear, flying during storm season, or using airlines that are known for delays.
Exclusions
Here’s what’s not covered:
- Any pre-existing conditions
- Specific conditions like hemorrhoids, hernia, cataracts, STDs, gynecological issues, and more (check the policy for full list)
- Dangerous sports
- Events that were already known or happening before you bought the insurance
Nothing out of the ordinary. These are pretty standard exclusions for travel insurance.
How to Use LUMA Travel Insurance
- For minor stuff like a cold or food poisoning, just go to a clinic, pay out of pocket, and submit your receipt for reimbursement later.
- For anything serious, like if you think you might need to be admitted to a hospital, call LUMA first. You’ll get their emergency contact number after you buy the plan. Save it on your phone.
- If it’s a life-threatening emergency, don’t waste time. Go straight to the hospital first. Once you’re stable, have someone contact LUMA.
Also, keep in mind that this is travel insurance, not full health insurance. Direct billing isn’t included unless the bill is over US$1,000, and even then, only in select cases.
Where LUMA shines is when you’re unsure about a hospital’s quality or what to do. Their team knows the region well and can guide you, especially in countries where they have local support like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.
Highest claim: We asked LUMA about their highest claim, and they told us about a bacterial lung infection case in Indonesia. The total cost? Over US$25,000. It just goes to show that you never know what can happen while traveling.
How to Claim LUMA Travel Insurance
If you ever need to make a claim with LUMA, the process is pretty straightforward, and similar to most other travel insurance providers. You’ll get access to the online claims form right after you buy the policy. When you’re ready to file, just fill out the form and upload the required documents.
For medical claims, make sure you attach a copy of your passport, a medical certificate, and an itemized receipt showing the breakdown of hospital expenses. If your baggage is delayed, you’ll need to get a baggage delay certificate from the airline. Claims typically take about five business days to process.
One thing to keep in mind: if your claim is over US$500, LUMA may ask you to mail the original receipts to their office in Asia for final processing.
So, keep your documents safe until the claim is fully settled.
Tips on Claiming
I recommend you contact Luma first before going to the hospital. Here’s why:
- Luma’s in-house team can recommend a reliable hospital and even a doctor, especially in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, or Cambodia.
- It helps ensure that your treatment will be covered under the plan.
*This tip also applies when you buy insurance from other providers.
Common Claim Denials
When you buy travel insurance, from LUMA or any other provider, you need to understand what’s covered and what’s not. So, reading the fine print is key to understanding it.
Here are two of the most common reasons claims get denied by LUMA:
- Buying the policy after arriving at your destination. With most travel insurance plans, you need to purchase the policy before you arrive.
- Trying to make a claim for something that happened before the policy started. This is considered a pre-existing condition, which is a common exclusion in both travel and health insurance plans.
So, make sure you purchase the insurance before your trip begins.
Price
One of the best things about LUMATravel Insurance is the pricing. It’s based on where you’re going and the plan you choose, not your age.
For example, a 30-day trip to Thailand on the Essential plan costs around US$59. It’s among the cheapest deals you can find for travel insurance.
If you’re over 50 years old, it’s very hard to find travel insurance at this price. As mentioned earlier, age doesn’t affect the price. So, the cost for a 70-year-old is going to be the same as for a 20-year-old.
If you’re looking for affordable insurance plans for your trip to Southeast Asia with solid medical coverage, this is one of the best deals out there.
Age Limits
The plan is available to anyone between 4 weeks old and 75 years old.
LUMA vs Other Travel Insurances
Here’s how LUMA compares with other popular travel insurance providers:
| Provider | Medical Limit | Sport Coverage | Travel Coverage | Region Focus | Price (30-Day Trip to Thailand, Age 40) |
| LUMA | $200,000+ | Some sports | Trip delays, baggage loss (basic) | Southeast Asia | ~$59 |
| SafetyWing | $250,000 | Some sports | Trip interruption, lost luggage | Worldwide | ~$60 |
| Genki Traveler | $1M+ | Strong (includes scuba) | Limited (mostly medical only) | Worldwide | ~$72 |
| ACS | $100,000–$500,000 | Limited | Moderate (trip delay, loss, delay) | Asia/Worldwide | ~$80 |
| WorldNomads | $100,000–$500,000 | Strong (depends on plan) | Comprehensive (delay, cancelation) | Worldwide | ~$110 |
*This is for a 40-year-old male traveling to Thailand for 30 days.
Based on this table, here’s what we’ve found:
- If you want an affordable travel insurance plan in Southeast Asia that’s mainly for medical coverage, LUMA Travel Insurance is among the best deals out there.
- If you plan to do Muay Thai training, diving, or other sports activities, you’ll need to check out other plans—Genki Traveler is known for that.
- Travel insurance from ACS offers a good balance between medical and travel coverage.
- WorldNomads is a comprehensive plan that provides solid coverage for nearly everything, but it’s also the most expensive option.
Please note that insurance coverage is subject to change from time to time. Before buying, it’s important to read the fine print carefully to understand what’s covered and what’s not.
If you want to compare plans in more detail, use Safe and Not Sorry, a travel insurance comparison website, for a quick comparison.
If you’re interested in getting LUMA Travel Insurance, you can use this link here.
Should You Buy LUMA Travel Insurance?
If you’re heading to Southeast Asia and want solid medical coverage at a fair price, LUMA Travel Insurance is definitely worth considering.
What really makes it stand out is the flat pricing, your age doesn’t affect the cost. That’s a big deal, especially if you’re over 50. Even at the most basic level, you’re getting good medical limits, strong evacuation coverage, and support from a team that actually understands the region.
It’s not for everyone though. If you’re planning to do high-risk activities like diving or Muay Thai training, or if you want strong travel protection like trip cancellation or baggage loss, you might want to look at a more sport-friendly plan like Genki Traveler.
But if your focus is medical peace of mind, and you’re traveling in Asia for less than six months, LUMA hits the sweet spot between affordability and quality. Just be sure to buy the policy before your trip starts, keep your receipts, and read through the coverage details, like with any insurance plan.
All in all, for short-term trips in the region, especially for expats or retirees who want an affordable plan with good medical coverage, LUMA Travel Insurance is one of the best options out there.
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