Snorri West Insurance Information

Comprehensive travel insurance is always a good idea when traveling, but especially when traveling internationally. Snorri West requires all accepted applicants to obtain travel insurance in order to participate in the program. This is primarily to help cover costs in the unlikely event that you need to seek medical care while on the program. High-quality medical care is readily available across North America; however, it can be very expensive for uninsured individuals, particularly in the United States, where there is no universal healthcare system. ​

If you are accepted to Snorri West, you will be asked to provide verification of coverage no later than orientation, which is usually several weeks before your trip begins. In most cases, the sooner you obtain your coverage, the less expensive it will be; therefore, as soon as you decide to put money down on a Snorri West trip, you should purchase your travel insurance. If you wait until the last minute, you may be unable to obtain travel insurance or pre-existing conditions may not be covered. In addition to medical care coverage, you may wish to consider dental, trip interruption, emergency evacuation (repatriation), trip cancellation, trip delay, lost, stolen, delayed or damaged luggage, and emergency assistance, to name a few.

Former participants have told us in some cases that their credit cards supply sufficient coverage when used to pay the program fee.  You will need to verify that yourself with your financial institution. Other former participants provided documentation of coverage from their individual or family travel insurance plan. Please be sure you have a copy of your insurance information in English to carry with you for your time in North America. It’s also a good idea to have a digital copy accessible.

There are many different travel insurance companies to choose from; just be sure that whatever company you choose is available to Icelandic citizens traveling in both the United States and Canada for the entire duration of your trip.  While the Snorri West program does not endorse any company, below are some sample travel insurance companies used by previous Snorri West participants:

• Vörður - Gull ferðatryggingar Landsbankans, Gullkort
  
• Vátryggingarfélag Íslands
  
• Tryggingamiðstöðin 
  
• ​Sjóvá 

​Again, at a minimum, travel medical insurance is required in order to participate in the Snorri West program.  Participants are responsible for any and all costs related to healthcare needs while on the trip.