is world nomads travel insurance good reddit

World Nomads Travel Insurance Review

World nomads plans available, world nomads travel insurance cost.

How to File A Claim with World Nomads Travel Insurance

Compare World Nomads Travel Insurance

World nomads travel insurance faqs.

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World Nomads Travel Insurance Review 2024

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If you're looking for travel insurance that allows you to confidently participate in a wide range of sports and adventure activities around the world, then World Nomads Travel Insurance might be right for you. The company's policies cover travel to almost anywhere on the globe and are available to residents of nearly every country.

World Nomads World Nomads Travel Insurance

Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coverage for 200+ activities like skiing, surfing, and rock climbing
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only two plans to choose from, making it simple to find the right option
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can purchase coverage even after your trip has started
con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If your trip costs more than $10,000, you may want to choose other insurance because trip protection is capped at up to $10,000 (for the Explorer plan)
con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer coverage for travelers older than 70
con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option
Coverage for 150+ activities and sports
2 plans: Standard and Explorer
Trip protection for up to $10,000
Emergency medical insurance of up to $100,000
Emergency evacuation coverage for up to $500,000
Coverage to protect your items (up to $3,000)

Among the best international travel insurance companies , World Nomads is particularly good at insuring athletes, covering well over 300 sports, including skydiving, bungee jumping, and golf. World Nomads is also a great last-minute purchase, allowing you to purchase coverage even after your trip has started. However, if you purchase a plan after departure, you will have to wait 72 hours before your plan kicks in.

That said, World Nomads lacks crucial coverage options, such as cancel for any reason coverage and coverage for pre-existing conditions. It also doesn't insure travelers older than 70.

Additionally the service has received middling reviews from customers, averaging 3.4 stars out of five across 2,510 reviews. Customers often complained about their lengthy claims processes and poor customer service.

Some also took issue with the "Nomads" branding, as some travelers with multiple destinations and long-term trips found their trip wasn't covered by Nomads' specific policies. It's worth noting that World Nomads was very responsive to positive and negative reviews on Trustpilot.

World Nomads has two basic policies: Standard and Explorer. Each covers essentially the same things, but Explorer has higher amounts that World Nomads is willing to pay out for claims. The company's policies cover more than 150 specific activities. These range from bungee jumping and rock climbing to hang gliding and hot-air ballooning. You can see the full list on the company's website.

Additional Coverage Options (Riders)

One of the most common upgraded features of a travel insurance policy is cancel for any reason (CFAR) , where you really can cancel for reason beyond what's in a standard policy. This is not available on every policy, but it is often a feature that travelers are looking for while shopping for travel insurance before their trip. At this time, World Nomads doesn't offer CFAR coverage.

At the time of this review, World Nomads also offers sports equipment coverage. In February of 2022, it expanded coverage to include more than 150 sports and activities including Pickleball and FootGolf. It currently covers over 300 sports. So, as you can imagine, plans with sports coverage will cover virtually any sport you might play.

You can obtain a quote from World Nomads on its website by providing details about you and your trip. Be prepared to provide the following information:

Your destination(s)
Duration of trip
Your country of residence
State of residence (if you're from the US)
Number of travelers
Traveler(s) age

Notably, World Nomads does not ask you for the price of the trip, which many travel insurance companies factor into the trip of your policy. As such, World Nomads may be a good option if you're going on a particularly expensive trip.

We ran a few simulations to offer examples of how much a World Nomads policy might cost. You'll see that costs usually fall between 5% and 7% of the total trip cost, depending on the policy tier you choose.

As of April 2024, a 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following World Nomads travel insurance quotes:

World Nomads Standard: $76.58
World Nomads Explorer: $123.34

Premiums for World Nomads's plans are well below the average cost of travel insurance .

World Nomads provides the following quotes for a 30-year-old traveler from California heading to Japan for two weeks on a $4,000 trip:

World Nomads Standard: $85.83
World Nomads Explorer: $155.06

Once again, premiums for World Nomads plans are between 2.2% and 3.8%, below the average cost for travel insurance.

A couple of 65-years of age looking to escape New York for Mexico for two weeks with a trip cost of $6,000 would have the following World Nomads quotes:

World Nomads Standard: $152.96
World Nomads Explorer: $276.34

Premiums for World Nomads plans are between 2.6% and 4.6%, once again below the average cost for travel insurance. This is especially impressive as travel insurance is often more expensive for older travelers.

How to File A Claim with World Nomad Travel Insurance

You can start an insurance claim by filing it on the company's website.

You can call toll-free in the US and Canada if you need to reach the company in an emergency at: (877) 289-0968.

Callers from outside the US and Canada can reach the company at: (954)-334-8143.

The email address is: [email protected]

You'll need to have the following ready to file a claim:

Your policy number
A contact number
The nature of your problem
Your location
Prescribed medication (if any)

Make sure you keep any documents related to the claim you're filing. This includes any receipts, notices, and invoices.

World Nomads is particularly good at insuring traveling athletes, but let's see how it stacks up against the best travel insurance companies .

World Nomads Travel Insurance vs. Allianz Travel Insurance

Allianz Travel Insurance is a strong competitor against World Nomads, especially for travelers looking for a more business-oriented option. The company has been in business for more than 120 years and offers a wide range of insurance, not just travel-related, around the world. A key difference between World Nomads and Allianz Travel Insurance is that Allianz Travel Insurance offers travel insurance that can cover multiple trips in the same year. You can take an unlimited number of trips within the same calendar year, but you do have to double-check that all of your destinations are covered by the policy you select.

Another difference is that Allianz Travel Insurance offers pre-existing condition waivers for qualifying customers. World Nomads doesn't have the same coverage, requiring that the pre-existing condition is fully stable in order for limited coverage with respect to trip cancellations or having to end a trip early.

Read our Allianz travel insurance review here.

World Nomads Travel Insurance vs. AIG Travel Guard

Travel Guard , a product backed by AIG Travel, is another potential alternative to World Nomads. AIG is a prominent player in the insurance industry, and the Travel Guard product represents true global coverage.

Unlike World Nomads, Travel Guard has coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, but there are conditions. Travelers must purchase their policy within 15 days of the initial trip payment to qualify for a pre-existing condition waiver.

Both travel insurance companies use a tiered approach, but Travel Guard has higher dollar amounts across the board. For example, trip cancellation for Travel Guard covers 100% of the trip cost, while with World Nomads the amount will depends on the tier of the coverage you purchase. Trip Interruption is also a fully covered event with Travel Guard's. Depending on the plan selected, it will either cover 100% or 150% of the trip cost.

If you're concerned about COVID-19 coverage with trip insurance, there's more coverage with World Nomads than Travel Guard. With Travel Guard, coverage for having to stay in a country past your original booking dates is an add-on, not a standard part of the policy.

Read our AIG Travel Insurance review here.

Compare World Nomad vs. Credit Card Travel Insurance

If you already have a major credit card in your wallet, you most likely have some travel insurance benefits that come with it. These benefits do vary from card to card. Be sure to check your card's specific policies.

Not all credit cards will feature travel insurance protection. The ones that do may have specific limitations. For example, many credit cards with travel protection require that your airfare is paid for with the card in question for protections to take effect.

Reimbursement isn't guaranteed. The credit cards do require that you file your claim and wait for a decision. World Nomads makes it easy to file a claim online and submit receipts and documentation. The response is fairly quick based on reviews from travelers that have actually had to file claims.

The more premium the credit card, the more likely expanded travel protections are part of its features. If you don't already have a premium credit card, it's better to get travel insurance. This is also the case if you have multiple trips planned. Some credit cards limit not just the total dollar amount, but the number of claims within a 12-month period.

Read our guide on the best credit cards with travel insurance here.

Yes, you can extend your World Nomads plan while traveling, but you cannot upgrade a standard plan to the Explorer plan.

World Nomads covers COVID-19 like any other illness under its emergency medical coverage.

You can file a claim on World Nomads's website, over the phone, or by mail. Make sure to provide as much documentation as possible to ease the claims process.

World Nomads currently covers 326 sports and adventure activities, from ziplining to zorbing.

Yes, you can purchase World Nomads insurance for a trip that has already started. However, a policy purchased during your trip will have a 72-hour waiting period before insurance starts.

How We Reviewed World Nomads Travel Insurance

To prepare this review on World Nomads, we started by detailing the company's travel insurance offerings. Then we looked at the best travel insurance plans and compared them to World Nomads. We looked at things like typical policy costs, coverage options, available add-ons, what's covered, and claim limits.

You can read more about how Business Insider rates insurance products here.

is world nomads travel insurance good reddit

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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Main content

World Nomads Travel Insurance Review: Is it Worth the Money?

Looking at travel insurance and considering World Nomads for your upcoming trip? This World Nomads travel insurance review covers every question we could possibly think of.

When searching for travel insurance, you’ll likely see one name come up time and again. It’s World Nomads, and, if you’re curious about it, you’ve come to the right place.

After ten years of using them as my primary travel insurance, I finally decided to sit down and write a complete and honest World Nomads travel insurance review.

They’re one of the most popular travel insurance companies on the market—and it’s not hard to see why. When it comes to providing top-of-the-line coverage, the company is arguably the best choice for most travelers.

But it’s not necessarily the best choice for every traveler. This World Nomads travel insurance review will help you decide if World Nomads is the company you want to insure your next adventure.

What Is Travel Insurance?

Before diving into this World Nomads travel insurance review, let’s, first, talk about travel insurance in general, what it is and why you need it.

Put simply, travel insurance protects you against any unforeseen accidents, emergencies or financial losses you may incur while traveling.

A good travel insurance policy should include the following:

Travel cancellations, interruptions and changes
Stolen, lost, delayed or damaged baggage and property
(Usually non pre-existing) medical treatments and expenses

Keep in mind that travel insurance is different from your normal health insurance plan. With domestic health insurance, your coverage is often limited overseas. And, in general, health insurance won’t protect against other unexpected events, like losing your iPhone, getting pickpocketed or missing your flight connection.

So why is travel insurance so important? Well, it doesn’t just protect your health. It protects your whole trip.

In other words, it’s smart to travel with both regular health insurance and travel insurance because they’re totally separate entities.

Is Travel Insurance Worth It?

So, why do you even need travel insurance in the first place and is it worth it ?

When it comes to planning a trip, purchasing a travel insurance policy may be the last thing on your mind (and in most cases, for most travelers, it actually is!). Maybe you’re not concerned about the relentless blizzard that could cancel your flight. Or perhaps you assume that the chance of getting pickpocketed on the subway is slim.

But, spoiler alert: These things can totally happen.

The price to fix your shattered camera (or shattered femur) will undeniably cost more than what you’ll spend on travel insurance. There’s no worse feeling than being stuck with thousands of dollars in fees or medical bills—trust me, I know it from first-hand experience.

Yes, travel insurance is worth it, because traveling without it simply isn’t worth the risk. The honest truth is that if you can’t afford travel insurance, you really can’t afford to travel.

Does World Nomads Cover COVID-19?

World Nomads does not cover claims related to COVID-19, unless you end up in a medical emergency because of it (essentially meaning, if you happen to fall ill while traveling). There are a few companies out there who offer CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) coverage, however the price does add up quickly. If this is a concern for you, I recommend doing some more research on COVID-19 travel insurance .

When Is the Best Time to Purchase Travel Insurance?

You can purchase a travel insurance policy days, weeks or even months before your trip starts. Some companies require that you purchase a plan several days before your trip starts, in order for the full coverage to take effect.

Purchasing a plan in advance is always a good idea. That’s largely because one of the biggest benefits of having travel insurance is trip cancellation coverage. If you haven’t purchased an insurance policy ahead of time, then you won’t be reimbursed for those unused travel costs.

But in between booking flights, checking hotel prices and planning activities, it’s sometimes easy to forget all about travel insurance.

In that case, World Nomads has your back. Not only are they one of the best companies on the market today, but they let you buy a policy after you’ve already left home.

In my experience, I typically see people buy travel insurance the day before they travel. It’s the “oh shit” item that most people forgot to pick up.

But if you know you’re traveling soon, and you already have the dates, don’t wait until the last minute. It’s better to CYA and pick some up while it’s still on your mind.

Who Is World Nomads?

First and foremost, something I feel it’s important to address is that World Nomads is not the underwriter for your insurance policy. They’re not the ones who insure you—they’ve built vetted relationships with underwriters and insurance providers around the world—and standardized their offerings—to match you with the right one based on your country of residence and final destination(s).

They’re like an OTA for travel insurance.

So with that said, and before we dive even deeper into this World Nomads travel insurance review, let’s get you introduced to the company in question.

World Nomads is an Australian-based insurance company that was started by a fellow backpacker (and now angel investor), Simon Monk . Founded in 2002, they’ve been protecting travelers for 17 years from over 150 countries by providing comprehensive coverage for every type of adventure.

But World Nomads is more than your average travel insurance provider. In fact, they go far beyond the call of duty by promoting responsible travel around the world.

For example, following the 2004 Southeast Asian Tsunami , World Nomads launched the Footprints Network . This non-profit organization allows travelers to make a micro-donation to the development project of their choice when purchasing an insurance policy.

In total, they raised over $4 million dollars to fund more than 200 projects.

Travel insurance that protects your adventure and the world? Now that’s something I can get behind.

Full Review of World Nomads Travel Insurance

Pros and cons of world nomads travel insurance.

Worldwide 24-hour Assistance: Emergency services are available 24/7, no matter where you are in the world. The customer representative is there to advise on next steps or point you towards the nearest hospital or authority. Not to mention, the folks on the phone are friendly, helpful and also professional.
Online Policy Adjustments: If your trip changes for any reason, you can adjust your policy from anywhere in the world. So if you want to soak up the sun in Thailand for an extra few weeks, you can simply extend online.
Extensive Activity List: Unlike most travel insurance companies, World Nomads automatically includes coverage for a variety of sports and activities. There’s no need to pay extra to protect yourself for different adventures.
Easy Claim Process: World Nomads makes filing a claim as easy as possible. Through their online claim portal, you can upload your documentation and submit your claim in just a few clicks.
Lack of Flexibility: You basically only have two plans to choose from. That means you’re stuck with the listed claim limits. You won’t be able to add extra benefits or increase the maximum policy coverage.
Per Article Limit: Since you will only be reimbursed up to a maximum amount per item, you might not be able to claim the full amount of your belongings. Although the Explorer Plan has a higher per article limit, you’ll still be in the hole for expensive equipment or gear.

Who Is World Nomads For?

First and foremost, World Nomads was created by travelers for travelers. It’s specifically made for us globetrotters, wanderlusters and adventure-seekers. For this reason, I consider them to be the best travel insurance for backpackers .

Because, let’s face it, backpackers have different travel requirements than other travelers. You need a company that understands your lifestyle (and, especially in this case, your budget).

And to be honest, backpackers can also be a little reckless. That’s why you need extra protection for all those exhilarating activities. From cave diving in Mexico to bungee jumping (naked) in New Zealand , World Nomads has a comprehensive coverage plan for every one of your adventurous moments.

But they’re not only for backpackers. They’re a good fit for many other types of travelers, too.

Long-Term Travelers: You can purchase up to one year of travel insurance coverage. That applies to both single- and multi-trip plans.
Travelers Without a Set Plan: You can update your policy, destinations and travel dates on the go. Likewise, you can extend your coverage if you want to modify your trip or change your itinerary.
Travelers Who Forgot About Travel Insurance: If you’ve already hit the road without insurance, don’t worry! You can still purchase a policy.
Travelers Who Simply Want Peace of Mind: With extensive medical and baggage coverage, you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way. Your time is better spent relaxing and having fun instead of worrying about worst case scenarios.

Who Isn’t World Nomads For?

In an effort to make sure this is a brutally honest and comprehensive World Nomads review, I’ll tell you straight up if they’re not the right company for you. While World Nomads is my favorite go-to provider for most scenarios, it may not necessarily fit the needs of every type of traveler.

Senior Travelers: They only cover travelers under the age of 70. Senior travelers are better off purchasing a travel insurance policy with another provider, like Allianz Travel , which has no age limit for policyholders.
Travelers with Expensive Gear: Because the “Per Article Limit” only reimburses items up to a certain dollar amount, you might not have full coverage for your expensive laptop or camera gear. In this case, InsureMyEquipment is the better option.

What’s Included in World Nomads Travel Insurance?

This wouldn’t be a complete World Nomads travel insurance review if we didn’t take a deeper look at the protection benefits offered with a World Nomads travel insurance plan.

Emergency Accidents & Sickness Medical Expenses

Your health is one of the most important things to protect when traveling abroad. From broken bones to food poisoning, you’ll want a comprehensive medical emergency policy to protect you while you’re in the hospital.

Without travel insurance, you could be stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills. A good policy will include enough coverage for minor doctor visits to major surgeries.

Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation

In the case of an emergency—and we’re talking worst-case scenario here—there might be instances in which you’d need to be airlifted or flown to the nearest hospital. For example, if you break your arm in the middle of a desert safari, you’re going to need a helicopter rescue to pick you up and take you to a medical facility.

In a similar fashion, Emergency Repatriation will transport you back to your home country if you require further treatment. And in the unlikely event that you die overseas (fingers crossed you don’t), World Nomads will cover the cost of returning your remains back home.

Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation

Not all evacuations are caused by medical emergencies. If an earthquake or tsunami hits when you’re on vacation, World Nomads will cover the transportation costs to get you back home. Emergency Evacuation also applies to countries with civil or political unrest.

However, this benefit is not available for some United States residents. Refer to your policy for more information.

Trip Cancellation

Sometimes incidents happen before we even set foot on an airplane. If you need to cancel your trip before you leave, then World Nomads will reimburse your non-refundable travel expenses.

It’s important to note that you are only covered for a set number of reasons, as outlined by World Nomads. Some reasons include sickness, injury, death or illness of a family member, as well as unforeseen natural disasters.

A good rule of thumb is to purchase a policy that covers the entire cost of your trip.

Trip Interruption

If you hit a bump in the road while you’re already traveling, then Trip Interruption will reimburse the rest of your unused travel costs. The same stipulations listed for Trip Cancellation also apply to Trip Interruption.

Trip Delay covers you in case you are unable to reach your destination on time for circumstances outside of your control. For example, if your flight is delayed for more than six hours, travel insurance will cover the unused accommodation expenses or pay for any additional expenses needed to get you where you need to go.

Baggage & Personal Effects

World Nomads also covers you for loss, theft and even damage to your personal belongings. So for instance, if you drop your sunglasses in the ocean or leave behind your camera in a taxi, you’ll be able to file a claim for reimbursement.

One thing to keep in mind is that World Nomads enforces its per article limit. Again, this means that you can only claim a certain dollar amount for each item. For example, if you lose your $3,000 laptop, you’ll only get back $500 with the Standard Plan, or $1,500 with the Explorer Plan.

Baggage Delay

World Nomads will also cover the costs if your checked baggage is delayed or left behind by the air carrier. You’ll receive daily compensation (up to $750) to purchase toiletries or whatever else you may need until your bag arrives.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment

Although dying or losing a body part on your trip is the ultimate worst case scenario, it’s good to know that you’re still protected by World Nomads. In this situation, Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage will pay you or your family up to a certain amount.

Adventure Sports & Activities

Traveling and exhilarating adventures go hand-in-hand, and World Nomads has you covered for over 300 different activities. The list is quite extensive and includes almost everything under the sun from archery and dog sledding to cage fighting and hot air ballooning.

However, the type of covered activities will vary depending on the type of plan you purchase. You should consult your World Nomads policy to confirm if your planned activities are covered.

What’s Not Covered by World Nomads Travel Insurance?

Although travel insurance can protect you in many instances, it does, unfortunately, have its limitations.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

World Nomads does not cover any expenses related to a pre-existing medical condition. They have a pre-existing condition look-back period of 90 days which means you can’t file a claim for any condition you had 90 days prior to purchasing a plan.

Medical Check-Ups

General doctor visits are also not covered under your policy. This means you can’t file a claim for a routine physical exam or any other non-emergency related treatment or surgery.

When it comes to dental work, you are also not covered for cleanings, replacement fillings or other surgeries that are not considered urgent.

Extreme Activities

Although they cover a variety of activities that most backpackers are likely encounter, there are still some exclusions. For instance, activities like base jumping and solo mountaineering are not covered under your travel insurance policy.

Passport Coverage

If your passport gets stolen, lost or damaged on your trip, you will not get reimbursed for any expenses needed to replace it.

Although World Nomads won’t cover the costs, they’re still there to assist. The company can help you report the loss with local authorities and provide any necessary information needed to find or replace your passport.

Reckless or Risky Behavior

As with most travel insurance companies, you are not covered for incidents that occur when you are acting recklessly. For example, if you get into a motorcycle accident without wearing a helmet, then your medical expenses will probably not be covered.

The same goes with incidents that happen if you’re on drugs or have been drinking alcohol. If you show up to the hospital under the influence, then you’re stuck paying those fees out of pocket.

Be smart out there, boys and girls.

Personal Experience Using World Nomads

Several years back, I traveled to Xi’an China. I planned to teach English to hundreds of adorably rambunctious children. After spending time in New Zealand and Australia, I was eager to spend the next six months eating mouth-numbing foods, exploring the countryside and playing with cute kids in the classroom.

But I soon discovered that my body had other plans.

A routine medical exam uncovered that my uncomfortable stomach pains were actually gallstones. This was definitely not my idea of a good start to my trip. But since I was planning to stay in China, I knew I had to go under the knife sooner rather than later.

However, I wasn’t sold on the idea of having such a serious and potentially dangerous surgery in China. I heard one too many horror stories about unhygienic operation rooms and reused medical equipment for my liking.

So I decided to pop over to Singapore. There, the medical facilities are considered some of the best in Asia. And just three days later, the hospital released me happy, healthy and two gallstones lighter.

Although I had an operation in the most expensive city in the world, I walked away without having to pay a cent. And that’s because I had a policy with World Nomads. They covered my entire medical bill and hospital stay which racked up to be more than $8,000 USD.

So, take it from me—emergencies and accidents do happen. And, while we can’t predict what the future holds, we can prepare for the worst.

Although I can’t recommend my less-than-pleasant experience with gallstones, I can vouch for World Nomads. The company saved me a lot of financial stress—and possibly my life.

World Nomads Travel Insurance Plans

Included in this World Nomads travel insurance review is a breakdown of your plan options. When you sign up, you’ll have two plans to choose from:

The Standard Plan – Best Option for Travelers on a Budget
The Explorer Plan – Best Option for Travelers Looking for the Highest Coverage

While both plans cover the essentials, the Explorer Plan offers a slightly higher coverage limit, as well as a few extra add-ons.

World Nomads Travel Insurance coverage for the Standard and Explorer plans

Standard Plan

The Standard Plan provides decent medical and trip coverage for the average traveler. You’ll get $100,000 emergency accident and medical coverage, which I find is pretty generous for a basic insurance policy.

If you have to cancel or interrupt your trip, then you’ll receive up to $2,500 in reimbursement. And if your trip is delayed, say due to bad weather, then you’ll get $500 back with trip delay coverage.

Now, the Standard Plan comes with $1,000 in lost, theft or damaged baggage protection. However, you will only receive a maximum of $500 per item (up to a total of $1,000). So, if you’re traveling with expensive equipment or gear, keep in mind that the per article limit might not cover the entire cost.

When it comes to adventure, the Standard Plan includes protection for over 200 types of sports and activities. You should check World Nomad’s list of adventure sports to see if your activity is covered.

Explorer Plan

While the Explorer Plan is more expensive, it’s also more comprehensive compared to the Standard Plan.

The $100,000 emergency accident and medical coverage is actually identical to the Standard Plan. However, emergency evacuation and repatriation increases from $300,000 to $500,000. If you plan on traveling to remote countries with less-than-adequate medical facilities, this might make investing in the Explorer Plan worthwhile.

The Explorer Plan also includes higher trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage. Compared to the Standard Plan, World Nomads will reimburse you up to $8,000 more for any unused travel costs.

A man standing on a rock in front of a waterfall

And if you’re traveling with expensive gear or electronics, then definitely go with or upgrade to the Explorer Plan. You’ll get three times the amount of policy coverage for baggage and personal items.

For adventure lovers, the Explorer Plan includes every activity on the Standard Plan, plus more. Whether you’re riding a snowboard or a mechanical bull, the Explorer Plan has you covered.

Plus, the Explorer Plan has another extra benefit that’s not included with the Standard Plan. That’s the Collision Damage Waiver. That means that, if you rent a car in a foreign country and get into an accident, World Nomads will cover up to $35,000 in damage fees.

World Nomads Travel Insurance Cost

The price of your travel insurance will depend on a variety of factors: your plan type, trip length, destination, your age and and your nationality.

As part of this World Nomads travel insurance review, let’s look at some scenarios to get a sense of how much a policy will cost you.

For the first example, let’s say you’re a United States citizen spending two weeks backpacking through Germany, Austria and Italy.

World Nomads' Standard and Explorer plans for Europe

As you can see, the cost to insure your Eurotrip is $5.62 per day with the Standard Plan and $10.16 per day with the Explorer Plan.

In this next example, you’re a United States citizen traveling to one of the most popular destinations on the backpacking circuit: Southeast Asia. You plan to spend three months visiting Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia .

World Nomads' Standard and Explorer plans for Southeast Asia

When you break it down, the Standard Plan works out to be $3.56 per day while the Explorer Plan is $5.18 per day. And there’s no price difference between visiting just one country in Southeast Asia, or all four.

So, for just several dollars a day, you can protect yourself against thousands of dollars in medical bills or cancellation fees. There’s really no excuse to not purchase a policy with World Nomads while traveling.

World Nomads vs. Travelex vs. Allianz Travel

By now you’ve probably realized that World Nomads provides excellent coverage for most travelers. However, you’ve probably also already seen some other names pop up during your search.

In order to help you weigh your options, as part of this World Nomads travel insurance review, I’ll be comparing World Nomads with two other popular companies: Travelex and Allianz.

World Nomads vs. Travelex

Travelex is another company based out of Australia. It’s a solid name in the travel insurance industry and they offer competitive benefits and prices.

But Travelex really stands out from the crowd due to its ease of customizability. For example, you can add or cancel protection for any reason. You can also add rental car coverage. And you will have access to medical upgrades for pre-existing medical conditions.

That said, World Nomads includes adventurous activities with even their most basic policy. Meanwhile, Travelex charges for this benefit. So if you plan to do any extreme sports on your trip, you’ll need to take this extra price into account.

World Nomads vs. Allianz Travel

Allianz Travel is one of the biggest names in the insurance biz. Because it’s the world’s largest travel insurance company, it can offer low and often unbeatable prices on many of their plans.

But while the price of the OneTrip Basic might be appealing, it lacks some of the necessary features that should be included in a good travel insurance plan. Medical coverage caps at $10,000 and medical evacuation only covers $50,000, which is far too low, in my opinion.

However, the company does have four different plans to choose from, which means there’s more flexibility when it comes to pricing and benefits. And on the plus side, Allianz covers pre-existing medical conditions for each plan.

I compared the lowest tier plans available for World Nomads, Travelex and Allianz . For this example, let’s look at a one-month trip to Thailand that is roughly valued at $2,000.

For the price, World Nomads has a higher than average coverage limit compared to Travelex and Allianz. Even the cheapest World Nomad’s plan comes with $100,000 of emergency medical and $300,000 evacuation.

That said, while I stand by my recommendation of using World Nomads for travel insurance, you might find that some of the other companies listed above better fit your needs and budget.

How to File a Claim with World Nomads

Hopefully, you’ll never run into any unexpected incidents on your trip. But if you do, then you’ll want to know how to make a claim in order to get reimbursed.

Document the Incident or Accident

In order for World Nomads to reimburse you for your claim, you will first need to gather all the necessary evidence to submit. And remember, it’s your responsibility for following up with the right authorities for the paperwork.

If someone steals your wallet, then you’ll need the filed police report. If you went to the hospital, then ask for the doctor’s paperwork. The more documentation you have, the more likely it is your claim will be accepted by World Nomads.

Make a Claim Through Your World Nomads Dashboard

The process to make a claim online is fairly straightforward. All you have to do is log into the website and answer a series of questions about the incident and attach any supporting documentation. That’s it!

Afterwards, your claim goes to World Nomads to review and process. If they have further questions or need more information, then they will contact you via email or telephone.

It may take several days to for them to review your claim, but once World Nomads approves your claim, you should receive your money back in five or so business days.

Final Thoughts

There are so many different travel insurance companies in the industry today. With dozens of competitors, plans and benefits to choose from, finding the best one may seem daunting. But after reading this World Nomads Travel Insurance review, I hope you feel more informed about what to look for and how to select a policy.

Whether you’re planning a short weekend getaway or a multi-country world tour, World Nomads offers pretty robust coverage.

So what are you waiting for? Now that you’ve read this World Nomads review, just click the button below to get your free quote and decide if it’s right for you.

World Nomads FAQs

What is the best alternative to world nomads.

Heymondo, Faye, and SafetyWing are our top 3 alternatives to World Nomads travel insurance.

What is travel insurance?

Travel insurance is a protection policy that covers you in a variety of unexpected situations that might occur while traveling.

What should travel insurance cover?

Comprehensive travel insurance should cover trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost or stolen property, medical emergencies, and emergency evacuation

How good is World Nomads?

World Nomads is good, but we think there are even better travel insurance companies .

Is travel insurance necessary?

With travel insurance, you’ll be ready to tackle every type of travel mishap that comes your way. And just for this peace of mind alone, travel insurance is really worth it!

Tara Burgess

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Is It Worth It?

World Nomads Travel Insurance: Is It Worth It? (Updated 2020)

by Jason Moore

Is $2 a Day and World Nomads Travel Insurance Really Enough to Protect Your Next Big Adventure?

You may have landed here because you’re looking for a World Nomads Travel Insurance review to help decide if this company (or any travel insurance for that matter) is really worth it.

Even though you know that travel insurance is the best way to protect yourself and your stuff while you travel, when it comes to buying travel insurance…

Comparing endless plans, entering your information 30 times in those little search windows, and obsessing about all the things that can go wrong aren’t how I like to spend time before my next adventure.

And that’s just the start. What about reading through pages of legal jargon and arbitrary exclusions, and oh yeah— paying $200 for a trip that won’t happen for three months .

No one wants to buy travel insurance. I get it.

But shopping for travel insurance doesn’t have to be that way. This guide will help you:

Find a plan you can afford
Compare popular budget insurance providers
Understand confusing jargon that can save you hundreds of dollars if you ever have to make an insurance claim.

So get excited, because this dive goes deep .

And if you’d more information while you’re reading you can listen to my interview with travel insurance expert Phil Sylvester:

Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:

Why You Need Travel Insurance- Yes, this really happened to me

Why World Nomads is the Best Travel Insurance

What Travel Insurance Covers (and what it doesn’t)
Types of Coverage —Basic, Comprehensive, and “Adventure”
How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance for YOUR Trip (RTW, Spring Break, Family vacation, Extreme Sports, etc.)

What Does Travel Insurance Really Cost?

World nomads vs 3 budget travel insurance options.

Travel Insurance Tips & Best Practices —How to extend your coverage or file a claim, plus when to buy insurance and when to upgrade

But first, I’m going to read your mind. Here’s a real-life example to answer the question I know you’re wondering right now:

Do I really need to pay for travel insurance?

Why You Need Travel Insurance

“I just need to send a few emails then I’ll be finished, it’ll only take five minutes,” I said to my girlfriend and travel partner at the time.

This internet café pit stop was intended to be a quickie. After all, who wants to stare at a screen for more than 10 minutes when you’re in one of the most gorgeous places on earth?!

We’d been traveling through Argentinian Patagonia for roughly six weeks, hiking our brains out. Since we spent our northern hemisphere summer working, we decided to head south of the equator in November for a summer of fun.

I didn’t know I’d get this close to a volcano in Patagonia, good thing I had travel insurance.

It was an elegant cycle: go on an epic multi-day trek in pristine wilderness, return to civilization, eat good food, drink some beer, relax, travel some more (or not), go on an epic multi-day trek in pristine wilderness…

Rinse and repeat.

Nature was our top priority. Hiking trips were often supplemented with adventure activities like biking, rafting, kayaking or whatever else fit our mood.

Biking on a dirt road in Argentina

Back in the café, I set our daypack next to my leg and began firing off emails. As promised, around ten minutes later I reached down to grab my pack.

I thought I was imagining things, but nope; it was all gone.

A crafty someone had crawled under the desk across from me and discreetly removed the bag from right next to my leg.

Our camera— gone .

Six weeks of memories– gone .

Vanished like an ice cream cone on a humid day.

Not to mention our fancy-pants polarized sunglasses, books, journals, and many more personal items. I don’t remember the exact value of the stolen goods, but all told, it was a surprising dollar amount.

We’d never be able to get our memories back, but we could get reimbursed for our stolen items. Thanks to our travel insurance, we did.

Bottom line: Travel insurance is important, and you need it. In some cases, it’s even mandatory (work and holiday visas or studying abroad).

So to understand this shifting minefield of fine print, obscure providers, insurance…y words, and who covers what, Zero to Travel presents… * blaring trumpet sound *

The Ultimate Guide to Travel Insurance!

Too many plans to choose from.

Contrary to the popular myth, there are a lot of travel insurance companies to choose from besides World Nomads.

A 2-minute search for travel insurance for a one-month trip to Italy this summer yielded 46 different travel insurance plans from more than a dozen companies —most of which I’d never heard of.

To save you time, I’ll give you my recommendation upfront. Then, keep reading to find out what travel insurance really covers and for an honest comparison of three other insurance options.

Disclaimer : It’s impossible to give 100% accurate quotes for every type of trip and traveler. You’re all unique snowflakes. In the examples provided below, I used the following super sensitive personal information to generate sample quotes and rates. Please don’t steal my hypothetical identity:

Case Study: Travel Insurance Quote Example (rates calculated for an American citizen)

Name (Shawn)
Location (Boston, MA)
Destination (Italy)
Trip Cost ($2,000)
Trip Length (1 month)
Existing Health Insurance? (Yes)

Honestly, I hate worrying about my stuff while I travel. World Nomads gives me the peace of mind I need when it comes to gear. When my bag got stolen in Argentina, we took the proper steps by filing a police report and submitting our paperwork and they covered our losses. No muss, no fuss. It was great.

Plus, their One-Call 24-Hour Assistance Services offer multilingual pros to help you find a local doctor, dentist, or hospital abroad, and they can even arrange transportation to get you there.

World Nomads Insurance Price Quote Case Study

Standard Plan: $120.07

Explorer Plan: $211.51

Standard Plan vs Explorer Plan

Medical coverage is the same ($100,000) and trip cancellation is pretty similar (Standard: $2,500 / Explorer: $10,000). The biggest difference is how much gear is covered.
Standard Plan covers $1000 of gear , while Explorer goes up to $3000 . Again, if you have expensive camera gear, laptop or smartphone, it’s worth upgrading to the Explorer plan.

Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered on either plan, and Standard doesn’t include rental car coverage, but my Chase Sapphire credit card does so no worries there.

Plus Side: World Nomads is known for its adventure sports coverage . Explorer covers 100+ activities like : skydiving, scuba diving, base jumping, and even shark cage diving. So that’s sweet. Standard covers almost as many including, climbing and canoeing. Both plans also include dental coverage ($750), which is way better than nothing.

When you travel you never know what adventurous activities you’ll end up doing. I LOVE that I am covered for adventurous travel.

Here I am trekking in Nepal and feeling at ease knowing I’m covered by travel insurance.

To read more about what World Nomads covers, jump ahead here.

To compare World Nomads with 3 other budget options, jump ahead here.

Buying World Nomads travel insurance is simple. I’ve been using World Nomads travel insurance relentlessly over 15+ years of travel while trekking in Nepal and Patagonia, backpacking through Central America and living in Norway among many other adventures. Plus, its trusted by established brands we all recognize like Lonely Planet and Eurail, so you know you’re in good hands.

You can get a quote for your trip right here:

World Nomads Travel Insurance. Simple & Flexible.

Or watch this video to learn how to get a quote on the World Nomads Travel Insurance website :

How to Make a Claim with World Nomads

You can make a claim online from anywhere

The part we all dread:

Actually having to make a claim when something goes wrong on a trip.

Luckily, World Nomads makes this simple as well. They list ten straightforward steps to guide you through the claims process :

Gather your receipts.
Sign-in to your World Nomads account.
Make a new claim.
Tell them what happened.
List your expenses.
Send supporting documentation.
Upload your documentation, receipts, invoices or other proof of your expenses.
Review your claim.
Submit your claim.
Communicate with the claims team

Keep in mind that saving your receipts is the real first step, as you’ll need them to begin making a claim.

So, what events can you submit a claim for?

What Does Travel Insurance Really Cover?

First things first: Travel insurance is not medical insurance.

Medical coverage is an important part, but “travel insurance” breaks down into three broad areas of coverage:

Medical Expenses —Hospital bills
Property —Luggage and their contents
Travel —Accommodation and trip expenses

That’s it. You could add a fourth category—emergency evacuation fees and repatriation expenses (shipping your body home if you die)—but those typically fall under medical and they’re super depressing to think about.

Even though we fixate on the medical expenses side of travel insurance—and it can be the most costly emergency expense while you’re abroad—you are far more likely to use your insurance (make a claim) for lost or stolen items and trip interruptions .

Medical Expenses

While travel insurance isn’t medical insurance like you get at home, many plans do cover some medical expenses for accidents that occur on your trip. Here are some of the most common.

Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Treatment

The keyword here is an emergency . This will be better defined in each policy’s fine print, but this covers medically necessary (a bit open to interpretation, I know) treatment for an accident or illness that occurs during the trip .

Here’s what you can typically expect from World Nomad’s (including dental coverage).

Coverage for medical emergencies

Coverage for travel accidents

Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation

Is it super depressing to think of your accidental death on a trip? Yep.

But it’s also naive to think it couldn’t happen, and it’s better to be prepared. This covers expenses for return home if you become extremely ill or pass away abroad.

It may also cover the cost of bringing a relative to see you or to send your children home if you get stuck in a hospital abroad for a longer stay.

As stated on their website:

“If our medical teams believe it’s necessary to bring you home for treatment or ongoing care, there’s cover in all of our policies for:

Air Ambulance
Sea Level Aircraft
Helicopter evac
Ground Ambulance
Flight changes, upgrades or just more space
Flight upgrade + medical staff.

Property Coverage: Insuring Your Gear

Even a small number of electronics can add up to big dollars. As a media producer and digital nomad, I carry a lot of expensive gear with me when I travel. This could include: a DSLR camera, Rode microphone, laptop, external hard drive, iPhone —the list goes on. I want to know that if my bag is lost in transit (I usually fly carry on, so that’s not gonna happen), or I get robbed, that I’ll get some money back for the tools I use to make a living.

That’s why I always choose travel insurance with solid coverage up to $3,000 .

Here’s what World Nomads typically offers according to their website:

“There’s cover to claim up to the policy limits if:

Your luggage and personal effects are stolen, accidentally damaged or lost on your trip.
Your checked-in luggage is stolen, lost or damaged by a common carrier (like an airline or bus company).
Your travel documents, traveler’s checks or passport are stolen, accidently lost or used fraudulently.
Sporting equipment when lost by the carrier or if it’s damaged (while not in use) or stolen.

The maximum amount you can claim for all your luggage and personal effects is $3,000 per insured person with a maximum claim amount of $500 per item for an Explorer policy, or $1,000 per insured person with a maximum claim amount of $500 per item for a Standard policy.”

It’s Ok to be Basic…Sometimes

Typically, most “Basic” packages have a claim limit of $1,000 , which just isn’t enough for all my stuff. But it all depends on you. If you’re a t-shirt and paperback traveler, skip the spinning rims and stick with Basic—the medical coverage is usually about the same ($50,000-$100,000), and you’ll save a few bucks not insuring gear you don’t even have.

Per Article Limit: You Sneaky, Bastard

If you do opt for more coverage, make sure you watch out for one insidious insurance term:

Per Article Limit.

I can’t stress this enough: Baggage loss/damage sections are super complicated and at the same time brutally specific. Know the wording of your policy.

A low per article limit—say, $100—means that even though you may be covered up to $5,000 (a very high limit), you can only claim $100 for each lost or stolen item:

$1,500 MacBook Pro? You get $100
$2,500 Canon 5D Mark III: You get $100

Watch out for per article limits!

Trip Coverage: Cancellation, Interruption, Delay, and Missed Connection

Nothing ever goes as planned. Planes are late, cabs get lost, and donkeys wander off. Most travel snafus are logistical—especially if you’re stupid inexperienced enough to plan the entire trip in advance.

The right travel insurance can reimburse you thousands of dollars for pre-paid accommodation and travel, but only if you know the difference between these three important terms:

Trip Cancellation

Trip interruption, missed connection.

“Cancellation” occurs before you travel, and usually involves sickness, injury, death of a family member, or inclement weather and natural disasters (your Fiji hotel gets hit by a hurricane, for example).

A good cancellation policy ($10,000) is the best reason to buy insurance months in advance. However, if you’re looking to save a few bucks, and have flexible travel dates, you can get low (or no) coverage in this section without it affecting your trip at all because the second you start your trip, this section becomes worthless.

“For US residents, there’s coverage in both Standard and Explorer plans for the transport and accommodation expenses you’ve already paid for if you can’t travel because:

The doctor certifies that you’re medically unfit to travel
You, your travel buddy or a close relative is hospitalized or dies

But we know more than illness can stop you from traveling, so we also provide coverage in cases like these:

You or your travel buddy are required to serve on a jury
Unforeseen weather stops all services for at least 24 hours and keeps you from reaching your destination
A terrorist attack occurs in your scheduled destination within 30 days of your departure date”

This is when your trip hits a snag during your travels, and c overage is related to natural disasters.

Benefits related to other things you might consider “interruptions” like medical emergencies and accidents are listed in their website.

A flood carries your ferry away. A tornado closes your airport. With Trip Delay coverage, you’re all good.

This covers expenses like unused, prepaid accommodations when you get delayed 6 hours en route to or from your trip.

You’ll want to read the fine print on this one like your plan’s exact definitions of “hazards” or the Maximum Daily benefit-the limit they’ll payout per each day you’re delayed.

In their words

“If you experience delayed or missed flights, your reasonable and necessary additional expenses – such as local taxis and transport and accommodation costs during your delay – are covered up to the plan limits if:

The missed flight is not any fault of yours. For example, when en route to a departure you’re delayed by a traffic accident in which you or a traveling companion are not directly involved.
Your flight is delayed at least six hours or canceled due to severe weather, natural disaster, hijacking or strike, including if it causes you to miss a connecting flight.”

This one is also super tricky, so read the fine print. Often times the only missed connection reimbursements are for cruises, with rare air travel thrown in. Seriously. Cruises are apparently quite unreliable.

A missed connection claim typically only works if the reason you miss your flight/cruise is because of bad weather. So if you oversleep, you’re probably S.O.L.

Types of Coverage

It might seem like travel insurance companies offer a wealth of options, but travel insurance typically falls into two simple categories: Basic or premium. That’s it.

Companies add a lot of bells and whistles—like 24-hour emergency assistance support lines—but the difference is almost always a bigger monetary limit for damage (to your gear) and trip interruption claims as well as more medical coverage that you might not use ($100,000 vs. $250,000).

Basic Coverage

This varies between providers, but basic travel insurance policies typically cover:

$1,000 Baggage
$2,000 Trip cancellation
$1,000 Trip interruption
$50,000 Medical care
$50,000 Medical evacuation

Basic plans typically don’t cover:

Rental car collision waivers
Missed connections
Delayed baggage
Pre-existing medical conditions

Premium Coverage

No matter what they call it—’Luxe, Preferred, Platinum, or “Special Little Someone”—premium coverage offers all the same protections as basic plans, with increased limits in nearly every category.

Premium coverage often includes:

$3,000 Baggage
$10,000 Trip cancellation
$10,000 Trip interruption
$1,000 Missed connection
$100,000 Medical care
$500,000 Medical evacuation/repatriation
$50,000 Dental
$35,000 Rental car collision waiver

Pay attention to wording, but the biggest difference between upgrades is usually your total trip cost (your estimated trip value). Most providers ask for your best guess when you’re browsing, and the number you come up with will definitely affect your quote.

If you’re a hostel backpacker traveling by bus, basic is almost always the way to go. Be honest about your low trip cost. A higher trip cost won’t give you better coverage; it’ll just cost you more money.

Adventure Activities Exception

The one big exception is if you’re an adrenaline junky. Adventure sports and the inherent medical risk they entail require customized travel insurance plans. Don’t rely on a quick online quote. Consult an insurance expert, or contact the company directly to get all the details just right.

Here are a few things that can affect adventure activities coverage:

Countries visited (Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa-wherever you adventure, you’ll want to make sure you’re covered)
Particular sports or activities
Are you competing in a sponsored event?
Are you a pro athlete?
Are you traveling with a tour company or going solo?

Each variable matters and it only takes one wildcard to void even premium coverage.

World Nomads has you covered better than any other travel insurance company when it comes to adventure sports.

Check out a pdf list of World Nomad’s covered adventure activities for each plan (note: these results are for US citizens).

Hidden Benefits: Your Credit Card

Credit card insurance is an extra bonus that some travelers don’t even know about. Your credit card company may cover things like trip cancellation and rental car insurance, making those unnecessary travel insurance benefits. Take a look at your credit card policy before you travel.

For example, I carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because I love Chase Ultimate Rewards points. However, Chase also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and they cover car rental and trip cancellation ! You can learn more about my favorite travel credit cards here.

How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance

There is no one perfect insurance plan. Every traveler is different. So the best way to buy travel insurance that actually covers you (and your stuff)—for an affordable price—is to simply decide what one thing is most important to you.

Medical Matters

If medical coverage—hospital bills, medical evacuation, and zero deductible emergency care—is all that matters, get a well-reviewed insurance package with at least $250,000 in medical coverage . There are plenty of options. If you break your arm, good medical coverage will keep you from breaking the bank.

Fear for Your Gear

If you work on the road (like me), and your stuff is your livelihood, find a plan with no Per Article Limits and high Baggage Loss/Theft coverage($3,000-$5,000 ). Then you can swing your camera over your shoulder and hike out to the middle of nowhere with a bounce in your step, secure in the knowledge that you’re covered against theft and damage.

I don’t know many photographers worth their salt that don’t have at least $3000 in gear coverage.

Itinerary Idiot

If you’ve pre-booked your entire trip, and some connections are tight, or monsoon season is on the horizon, make sure you have an ironclad Trip Cancellation clause (some companies even reimburse you for more than 100% of your trip if weather ruins things)!

Trip Interruption is also clutch. And don’t forget good Missed Connection coverage if you’re taking a cruise.

Your journey is one-of-a-kind; make sure your travel insurance is the same. There really is a travel insurance plan for everyone, and it can cost as little as $2 a day.

Finally, down to the nuts and bolts. What is travel insurance going to cost me?

This is where most travelers start and end their travel insurance search, and while the price is a huge consideration—especially for budget travelers—you really do get what you pay for with travel insurance.

Shop. Around.

Hopefully, you never have to use your insurance, but if you break your arm, smash your camera (like the time I dropped a brand new lens hiking in the Italian Riviera), or get marooned in Bangkok for three weeks by a monsoon, the extra $2/day for real coverage will save you thousands in medical bills, replacement costs, and cancellation fees.

Travel Insurance Price Comparison

While World Nomads is my go-to travel insurance provider, it may not fit for everyone. To help you decide, I crunched the numbers for a one-month trip to Italy (January 2020) using three other recommended budget travel insurance providers I could find (you might even recognize a few of them, so that’s cool).

Below are the price breakdowns and some notes about coverage.

HTH Travel (or GeoBlue, if you’re eligible)

Choice Option:

$50,000 limit/$500 deductible: $40.92

$100,000 limit/$100 deductible: $55.80

$1,000,000 limit/$0 deductible: $70.68

Essential Option:

$50,000 limit/$500 deductible: $36.58

$100,000 limit/$100 deductible: $49.91

$1,000,000 limit/$0 deductible: $57.66

Standard Trip cancellation (sliding scale from $5,000 up to $50,000)
No “ missed connection ” reimbursement for the economy package
Only Preferred provides car rental insurance coverage, so you’ll need to provide your own on the other two packages.

Plus Side: Each option includes more than 100% reimbursement (125%, 150%, and 200%) for “trip interruption .”

That basically means, that HTH understands that missing out on an activity is about more than just the money out of pocket—it’s about putting a price on missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also, the minimal cost difference it takes to drastically lower your deductible and limit almost make it a no-brainer to go with the full-on coverage, unless you’re on a really stringent budget.

Well done, guys.

OneTrip Premier: $148

OneTrip Prime: $110

OneTrip Basic: $84

The Difference Between Premier, Prime, and Basic

Medical emergency coverage slides from $10k – $50k (a little low)
Baggage loss/damage is on the low side as well ($500, $1,000, and $2,000). If you travel with a laptop, DSLR, etc. consider an upgrade
Basic coverage doesn’t provide reimbursement for missed connections , and travel delay coverage is low ($300)

Plus Side: Pre-existing conditions are covered on every plan.

Generali Global Assistance (formerly CSA)

Standard: $97.57

Preferred: $122.89

Premium: $156.80

The Premium option is built for more expensive, high-end travel including cruises and guided tours, stuff that costs a lot upfront. This is good news for backpackers – there’s no need to feel cheap or unprepared by choosing the cheaper options. The Preferred option includes stuff like outdoors gear (skis, camping equipment, etc.) and is ideal for adventure travel.

Plus Side: Their plans include dental in the medical coverage (up to $50,000), which is a big deal if you chip your tooth on a Red Bull can. That being said, I’ve got my teeth cleaned in Hanoi Vietnam for around $20 USD – a fraction of the cost for a cleaning back in the states. Paying out of pocket is always an option but with serious dental damage insurance is key.

Travel Insurance Tips & Best Practices

Now that you have a feel for the cost of travel insurance—typically $2-$6/day—and what it covers, as well as the pitfalls and jargon, the final question is:

How can I hack buying insurance to get the sweetest deal?

Surprisingly, honesty helps save money on travel insurance. Really think about how much your gear is worth today ( not what you paid for it five years ago). A 4-year old laptop is worth $100, even if it was $899 back in the day. A point and shoot camera might not even be worth that much, even though it retailed for $229. If you go through your stuff item by item, you might discover that you really don’t need premium coverage. And that’ll save you money every day.

Don’t Insure Your Entire Trip

Warning: This is a “break glass in case of emergency” kind of hack and isn’t for the faint of heart, but a great way to save money is to only insure half of your trip. Let me finish.

Flexibility

I travel on one-way tickets all the time—I like the flexibility to stay put, go somewhere spur of the moment, or even call it a day and head home. I’ve headed out for what was originally a 3-month trip, only to have it go south and be back home after a month. I’ve also had the same trip extend into a two-year RTW romp. Isn’t travel awesome!

World Nomads Travel Insurance makes is incredibly easy to extend your insurance with just a few clicks, so save money up front and only purchase what you know you’ll use. You can always extend as you go. The last thing you want is to pay for travel insurance while you’re safe and sound on the couch at home.

Split the Cost

In the hypothetical trip to Italy this June, I might stay on for an additional month to hike the Camino de Santiago in Spain. That’s a totally different trip than photographing idyllic cafes and vineyards in Tuscany. It requires different medical coverage, less gear coverage (I don’t hike with a laptop), and possibly extreme adventure coverage for mountain climbing.

So instead of paying for two months of very expensive comprehensive coverage for the whole trip (Italy and Spain), I’ll insure my first month of travel with World Nomad’s Basic Plan , then extend the basic plan if I stay in Italy sunning myself, or re-up with a new provider, or expand on my existing coverage for my Spanish hiking expedition.

Here’s an insider travel secret from the pros: Travel Insurance companies want you to buy more coverage.

Extend Your Coverage As You Go

Generally, insurance companies make it easy to extend your coverage, and they’ll drool if you want to up your protection mid-trip.

World Nomads Travel Insurance even sends you an email reminder when your travel insurance is a week away from expiring so there’s no lapse in coverage if you forget. It’s awesome.

The one thing you can’t do is downgrade your plan.

If penny-pinching is a huge concern, or you haven’t nailed down your budget and the thought of spending cash upfront bums you out, get Basic coverage for the first leg of your trip and see how it goes.

Try before you buy. You can always get more.

Travel Insurance Is Important: Don’t Skip It!

Travel insurance is part of how we travel today. Everyone has a smartphone worth hundreds of dollars, cameras worth even more, laptops, hard drives, and gizmos. Everyone is a rock climber or spelunker (which is kind of awesome), and everyone has plans that fall through from time to time.

It sucks to travel in fear that something might go wrong, because, spoiler alert: it totally will.

Travel is all about the unexpected and unpredictable. If you get the right coverage you won’t sweat it when things go wrong and you can go back to enjoying what an amazing, wonderful, exciting world we live in!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links which means I’ll earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase with no additional cost to you. I recommend products I use and love and any money earned goes back into supporting this website and community and keeping the content ad-free. Thank you!

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Jason – On your (earlier) recommendation I purchased a few days ago a World Nomads policy for a trip our son is taking to South America this summer (He’s flying from Peru to Argentina literally as I type this). While I don’t think World Nomads is the cheapest policy out there, I can’t imagine any insurer making the process easier. So simple! Also, their coverage looked very comprehensive. The peace of mind is definitely worth the few dollars.

That’s great Earl, they’ve always been good to me over the years. Insurance is one of those necessary evils so it’s nice that they make it easy. Awesome to hear that your son is headed south, I’m sure he’ll have a blast! Thanks for reading this and taking the time to comment. Cheers! Jason

Thanks Jason, this really set my mind at ease as I just realized that I need to get travel insurance in the next month, and didn’t have a clue where to look.

Awesome! Glad it helped!

Well written break down of travel insurance issues.

One of the most common ‘fine print’ issues I encounter are ‘delayed’ baggage and flight compensations. Lots of people get excited about that, when it often turns out that you’d have to be something like 12 hours late on an intercontinental flight for that to get triggered.

Another interesting point is cash: There are actually travel insurance providers (to my surprise) that insure cash you carry. I always thought that would be too open to abuse, but it does exist.

Last but not least: If stuff gets stolen, it’s important to file a police report in the country where it got stolen. Many insurance companies won’t reimburse losses from criminal activity unless there is at least a police report.

Great points Karsten, and I had no idea that some providers will even insure cash. Thanks for sharing

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Home » Budget Travel » World Nomads Travel Insurance – EPIC Review (2024)

World Nomads Travel Insurance – EPIC Review (2024)

Let’s be honest, travel insurance is not sexy and travel insurance is not fun. Actually, as a budget backpacker it is a colossal pain in the arse having to pay out for some policy which I am statistically unlikely to ever need.

BUT, after a decade of travelling and after some bitter realisations along the way, we can tell that travel insurance is a VERY important matter.

In this post, we will examine who may need it and what it can cover. And we will focus on World Nomads – a trusted, travel insure who we have known for years – and break down why we consider their cover to be amongst our personal favourite products.

a girl taking a selfie wearing a helmet as she rides on the back of a scooter.

Heads Up My Fellow Eurotrash!!! Please note that World Nomads insurance is not currently offering travel insurance policies to residents of the European Economic Area (EEA) with a handful of exceptions. Whilst that is a real bloody shame for us, the good news is that our 2nd favy travel insurer SafetyWing can offer cover instead.

SafetyWing specialise in covering long term travellers and Digital Nomads but their month long cover subscription can also be great value even if you are only taking a short trip. For more info, do check out our epic, in-depth SafetyWing review or just click the button below to visit their site.

Does World Nomads Travel Insurance Cover COVID?

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Let’s get this out of the way first shall we eh?

When COVID-19 first rocked the world in 2020, most travel insurance companies were quick to invoke their cancellation clauses and pull all medical coverage relating to either illness, cancellation or disruption caused by the pesky pandemic. Not ideal if you end up on a ventilator on the other side of the world and need emergency medical care!

These days, most insurance providers are offering some form of COVID coverage included within their policies, but some are more useful than others. Whilst many now cover hospitalisation caused by COVID infections, fewer are offering any kind of cover for disruption or cancellation such as being refused boarding on a flight for displaying symptoms or trip cancellation protection because of a positive test.

Whilst the pandemic has largely subsided, COVID is still able to severely disrupt travel plans. Therefore do consider paying close attention to the finer details of any insurers COVID-19 cover, especially their trip cancellation coverage and emergency medical evacuation .

The details of the World Nomads insurance plan COVID-19 cover vary quite a bit depending on your country of residence. You can check the situation regarding your country of residence by checking the World Nomads site here . Make sure you understand the limits of your World Nomads insurance plan before booking a trip!

There is no such thing as the “best” travel insurance. After all, each policy is a little bit different and it is all a matter of your personal needs. Some travellers just want cheap cover whereas others are willing to pay more for stronger protection and higher coverage limits.

But for me, World Nomads travel insurance is without a doubt my favourite travel insurance provider on the market and I now use them for almost every trip I ever take. In fact, the only exceptions are countries the World Nomads policy does not yet cover.

Here in a few paragraphs is why I love (*as much as someone can love an insurance company that is ) World Nomads so much;

Firstly, World Nomads is travel insurance designed by travellers for travellers. Now, most travel insurance companies only really deal with “2 week 1 destination” type vacations and simply do not grasp the realities of long term, multi country backpacking travel. whilst some travel insurers do offer token “backpacker” or “annual” trip packages, even a casual glance over the terms makes it clear that the cover package is simply not really suitable for backpacking in the real world. Your World Nomads policy has adventurous travellers covered!
Next up, a World Nomads policy can offer cover 100+ countries and the cover is easily customised based on where you plan to go backpacking. They can also offer the right level of cover for the majority of typical backpacker problems (such as dengue fever and bike crashes!).

If you love travelling or even just the idea of travelling in the future then there has certainly been a moment at some point along the way where you asked yourself, “Should I buy travel insurance? or “ Do I need travel insurance? “.

Well, as far as the hierarchy of needs goes I think it’s pretty clear that travel insurance is less essential than oxygen and water but in terms of things you need in order to travel, we personally place it just behind passports and visas. Although, some countries won’t actually let you in without proof of travel insurance making it equally as important as passports in some cases.

The blunt reality is you never need insurance until you do. Whilst statistically, you are unlikely to need it, the fact is that things can and do wrong. If you get sick, injured or robbed whilst travelling uninsured, you could end up in seriously deep shit. Even the most seasoned and adventurous travellers need to be covered for all eventualities!

Whilst the bold and boastful amongst us like to pretend otherwise, the truth is that travelling is far more dangerous than not travelling and always comes with inherent risks attached. Whether you are trekking in the Nepalese mountains or wandering the streets of Amsterdam, the worst can happen and you need to know things like medical expenses, all your gear and emergency evacuation are covered!

Here are real things that have happened to me on the road…

My backpack got stolen with all of my worldly possessions inside.
I needed stitches in my head after crashing a motorbike in Thailand.
Strikes in Bucharest meant I was stuck in traffic for hours and missed my flight.
I spent two weeks in hospital in Costa Rica after nearly dying in the jungle.
I needed to go on an IV in Pakistan after being sick for days.
I caught Dengue fever in Thailand and spent a week in a clinic, there was no hospital nearby and the bastards took my passport as collateral.

That’s quite the little comedy of incidents there isn’t it?! However, so as not to scare you out of travelling altogether I must point out that this all happened over nearly a decade of (near-constant) travelling the world. Most of the time, when you travel, nothing goes wrong and the laws of average are very much on your side. However the more you travel the more you wear down that good luck…

In the life of an adventurer, these things do happen. Therefore it can pay to be properly prepared and the easiest way to be properly prepared is to simply buy good international cover , and a World Nomads insurance plan at that!

What Can Travel Insurance Cover?

To help you work out for yourself whether you want to buy travel insurance for your next trip, it’s probably a good idea to start out by telling you what it can help with right?

Generally speaking, travel insurance can offer cover and protection for the following:

Medical Costs —Hospital visits, emergencies, evacuations, medical insurance.
Property Loss —Luggage and their contents.
Travel Issues —Unexpected, additional expenses or cancelled trips.

Unlock Our GREATEST Travel Secrets!

World Nomads keeps things pretty simple. There are two plans to choose from: the Standard Plan and The Explorer Plan . Depending on your country of residence, age, and travel destination(s), the prices will vary accordingly.

Do you already have a trip in mind? Well, why not get started and obtain a quote using the button below to see how much insurance with World Nomads will cost you.

Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Expenses

Got horrible food poisoning in India? Break a finger whilst volunteering in Guatemala? Sprain an ankle whilst trekking in Switzerland? These things happen, and the last thing you want to do is pay out of your own pocket.

Emergency accident and sickness coverage is quite possibly the single most important aspect of any travel insurance plan. If you fall ill, get hurt, or otherwise need medical attention, then cover from World Nomads may be able to cover costs.

Although in many parts of the world you can find cheap and competent dentists who have surprisingly low costs. My good friend had an issue with a rotten tooth while travelling around Nepal. He had to have emergency surgery, which basically meant he got his tooth pulled out of his mouth by a dentist. The large majority of his surgery was covered by insurance.

It is very important to remember that before paying out on any injury claim, most insurance companies will ask exactly what you were doing at the time of injury, and may decline cover if the exact activity was not listed in the policy. Therefore, if you plan on doing high-risk activities or extreme sports whilst on your backpacking adventure, then it is probably worth checking the World Nomads list of adventure sports to ensure that it is covered or be sure to add on adventure sports coverage.

Note : if you were drunk or on drugs at the time of your accident or injury you may not be covered if World Nomads finds out about it.

Baggage and Personal Stuff

For most travellers, this aspect of travel insurance is a close second to medical cover. It can cover the costs of reimbursement for loss, theft, or damage to baggage or personal stuff incurred during the trip. This cover can cover you if you are mugged in the street during your trip, or if your baggage goes missing at the airport.

Insuring Specific Gear and Electronics

At this time, World Nomads does not offer any item-specific insurance packages. You cannot take out a policy on your iPhone, tent, or lucky underwear. If something is lost or stolen you have the per article limits mentioned above. To be honest, this is far from ideal and does quite reflect the reality that these days many of us travel with $1000 laptops and $700 iPhones.

However, this flaw is NOT unique to World Nomads and many travel insurance providers (in fact, all the ones I am personally aware of) are the same. Personally, I have a separate gadget insurance policy for my Mac Book which includes travel cover.

Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation

EER coverage is for an accidental injury or sickness occurring during the trip that results in your necessary emergency evacuation. For example, if you break your leg way out in the Himalayas and you need a helicopter rescue, you should be covered as long as you made it clear that you would be doing this, and stated the altitude. If you are going trekking in the Himalaya’s, check with World Nomads to make sure that they are covering you.

An emergency evacuation must be ordered by a physician who certifies that the severity of your accidental injury or sickness warrants your emergency evacuation.

Obviously, you won’t be trekking with a doctor, but once emergency personnel arrives they will contact World Nomads on your behalf.

Non-Medical Emergency Evacuation

This coverage is for transportation expenses if there is a natural disaster or civil or political unrest in the country in which you are visiting (which may or may not be specifically related to terrorism).

Trip Cancellation

This cover reimburses travellers for prepaid, non-refundable cancellation charges if a traveller is forced to cancel a trip for specified reasons. Trip cancellation does not cover travellers who simply change their mind but rather can cover cancellation due to covered sickness, accidental injury, death, inclement weather, an unforeseen natural disaster at home or at the travel destination, strike or other covered reasons.

Trip Interruption

Trip Interruption can cover travellers whose trips are (you guessed it) interrupted in any way. This can mean being forced to come home early and buy an additional flight or, it can mean being forced to extend your trip or make changes to it for various reasons.

Note that additional accommodation and transport expenses have a per-day maximum of $250 so you probably won’t be able to stay in the Ritz and bill it to WN!

Accidental Death and Dismemberment

Google and Starbucks have both proved that taxes are NOT in fact inevitable, therefore leaving death as life’s one and only certainty. All of us will one day die and none of us knows when or where it will happen.

This pretty macabre aspect of cover concerns death and or dismemberment whilst travelling. It is coverage for the loss of life or limb as a result of an accidental injury occurring during the trip. is if you have an accident and are dying then if you die your family may be covered.

Pretty grim I know, but we can’t pretend that no one has ever died whilst travelling before.

Let’s have a look at some other little details that we feel make World Nomads stand out as being that little bit extra special.

Here is where World Nomads really sheeee-ines as a travel insurance provider. Their 24 hour a day support and assistance helpline can help travellers to locate local physicians, dentists, or medical facilities.

If you know that you will be participating in some kind of risky activity then it may be sensible to plan thoroughly and accordingly. This means making sure you have the WN phone number and your insurance information in your wallet or tucked in your rain jacket for example so all of your World Nomads info is in an easy to find place.

Make it known to your group what to do if an accident occurs. They need to contact World Nomads as soon as possible in order for you to be covered.

Coverage For a Whole Raft of Adventure Sports and Activities!

As I said earlier, World Nomads provide travel insurance for travellers by travellers, and as such, they know the kind of escapades that we like to indulge in. They may be able to cover a very impressive range of different physical activities.

For the full list of what is covered under each insurance plan click here .

Left Home Without Insurance? No Sweat!

World Nomads is one of the few companies we have come across that let you buy or modify insurance coverage whilst you are already on a trip. Plans change, trips get extended, and the need for more quality insurance happens!

That said, please do note that if you were injured during your trip and want to buy more insurance this could prove complicated. It is possible that World Nomads would consider your injury or illness a pre-existing condition. This could result in you being denied any more coverage.

Things go wrong on the road ALL THE TIME. Be prepared for what life throws at you.

Buy an AMK Travel Medical Kit before you head out on your next adventure – don’t be daft!

So how much does World Nomads insurance cost? Are World Nomads expensive or is World Nomads cheap? Well, there is no single figure or one-word answer to that question.

What we can tell you now is that World Nomads don’t really offer cheap travel insurance. If you are simply looking for bargain basement, bottom bucket travel insurance then you may wish to look elsewhere. However, if you are after proper backpacker insurance that reflects the realities of travel then you probably already appreciate that it comes at a wee bit of a premium.

The cost of World Nomads insurance differs from policy to policy depending on a number of variables. Factors such as your nationality, your planned destinations, your age, and trip length all feed into the quote. However, for the sake of illustration, let’s take a look at what an example multi-country 3-month backpacking trip would cost .

And since many backpackers are fond of travelling in Southeast Asia , I will use this as an example. This hypothetical trip runs through four countries (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia) and lasts three months. For the sake of the example, I have given this traveler American nationality, 25 years, and a resident state of California.

Here is the price quote for both The Standard and Explorer Plan :

The Standard Plan costs $241.24 which works out to be around $2.79 per/day for 90 days (3 months).

The Explorer Plan costs $356.40 which works out at around $4/day for 90 days.

In terms of how this compares to other travel insurance providers we have tested, it’s around the medium price range. But, paying a medium price for what is widely regarded as a premium service represents very good value in our estimation.

Ultimately though, instead of relying on our little etch-a-sketch example, you can quickly and easily get a totally free, no obligations quote for yourself simply by clicking on the button below.

Making an insurance claim through World Nomads is quite simple. All you have to do is contact (call) World Nomads and chat with their 24/hour multi-lingual staff. You can also login to your profile on their website and file a claim online although note that at some point, they will need to actually speak with you (presumably to run you through their voice sensitive lie detection software).

In the case of lost or stolen items, you will need to write up a formal sworn statement of events, detailing what happened and what was lost. You will also need to have an official police report made.

If you claim lost or stolen items, World Nomads will ask you for those two things. To make a claim online you should prepare a few things first. When dealing with World Nomads or any other insurance company ALWAYS keep all of the documents involved. You will need these to prove your expenses ETC.

It’s helpful to get all of your receipts and invoices together first and submit all expenses for your claim at once. Keep copies of every expense, bill, invoice and report as you will need to provide these to the claims team so they can assess your claim.

List each expense for the amount shown on your receipt/invoice and answer all other questions. You’ll be sent an email advising what documentation you will need to send us to support your claim.

After that is sorted, you upload all of your information and documents, review the claim and then click submit. The folks at World Nomads are on it and will be in contact with you throughout this process.

Wanna know how to pack like a pro? Well for a start you need the right gear….

These are packing cubes for the globetrotters and compression sacks for the real adventurers – these babies are a traveller’s best kept secret. They organise yo’ packing and minimise volume too so you can pack MORE.

Or, y’know… you can stick to just chucking it all in your backpack…

As I mentioned before, I’ve had to claim on my travel insurance several times over the last ten years.

Most recently, in 2017, I became very sick with Dengue Fever in Koh Lanta, Southern Thailand. I was too far from a hospital and so I ended up in a private clinic – which was a big mistake. As soon as I walked in, the main doctor was practically rubbing his hands together with glee. I was too sick to really notice and went on to get treated.

When I went in, I was asked for, and gave, my passport so they could make a photocopy.

I had administered fluids, plenty of pills and spent an uncomfortable night tossing and turning on a bed.

The next day I asked for my passport back and was informed that I would only get it back once the bill was paid. I asked for the bill and it was a massive 25,000 Bhat – nearly $1000. I explained that I didn’t have that kind of money but that I did have travel insurance and they would pay it back.

To my horror and surprise, the two doctors then began shouting at me, insisting I would not get my passport back till I paid. I felt weak still from the Dengue and was in no state to start busting heads.

I called World Nomads – they were extremely surprised that my passport was being held ransom, insisting that it was illegal. They were right. World Nomads dealt with the whole thing for me and thirty minutes later, my bill was paid and my passport was released – I was extremely impressed with World Nomad’s professional service and very gratefully to them for getting me out of a bind.

Buying insurance from World Nomads is dead-easy and you can be covered within minutes. Just simply click on the button below to get a quote started, and then if you like the cut of its dollars and dimes go ahead and pay for it and bingo!

Do you already know where and when you plan to go backpacking? Maybe you just want to get a quick, loose quote so you can get an idea of what it will cost? Either way, click the button below and start planning your adventure.

After shelling out for that nice, shiny travel insurance policy it would kinda be a shame not to use it right? WRONG! Whilst making an insurance claim may at least feel like getting value for money, it also means that something went wrong on your trip! Therefore the best outcome is to never have to actually use your travel insurance and in order to do that, there are some simple steps you can employ to take care of yourself and make an accident, loss, theft or illness that little but more unlikely.

One other thing to note is that most pre-existing conditions are not covered, but if you do have one then you should get in contact with them directly to discuss exactly what they will cover as you might be pleasantly surprised.

To help make things far more difficult for potential thieves to take your money, pick yourself up a backpacker security belt to keep your cash safe on the road, and check out Backpacker Safety 101 for tips and tricks to stay safe whilst on your backpacking adventure.

I strongly recommend travelling with a headlamp whilst backpacking anywhere in the world – every backpacker should have a good headtorch!) – check out my post for a breakdown of the best value headlamps to take backpacking.

We also suggest picking up a good filtered water bottle to ensure you don’t get water poisoning and also pack a travel first aid kit to deal with any cuts or bites before they turn septic.

Final Thoughts on World Nomads Travel Insurance

Whether you are planning on a year-long world tour or a two-week backpacking trip to Europe, having travel insurance gives you sweet, sweet peace of mind. You never know when a great day could head south, and honestly, there is no worse feeling than being stuck with exorbitant expenses that could all so easily have been avoided.

I hope your future backpacking adventures fulfil all over your travel dreams and then some. Hopefully, the day never comes when you need to use your insurance.

That said, if and when that day arrives, going with World Nomads travel insurance will allow you to be totally ready to deal with the situation like the responsible backpacker that you are.

What is our final score for the World Nomads Travel Insurance? We give it a rating of 4 out 5 stars !

*Please note that World Nomads terms and conditions do vary and may change. The information provided here is for guidance purposes only. We recommend you check with World Nomads to ensure that you are fully covered before beginning your trip. Please read your policy terms and conditions very carefully.

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

And for transparency’s sake, please know that some of the links in our content are affiliate links . That means that if you book your accommodation, buy your gear, or sort your insurance through our link, we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). That said, we only link to the gear we trust and never recommend services we don’t believe are up to scratch. Again, thank you!

Aiden Freeborn

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33 Comments

Thank you! I have been searching for reputable insurance for my upcoming trip- and used your link to get my insurance. The guy over the phone who was answering some of my questions was so nice and very honest. Thanks again! I am taking my mom to Vegas for her birthday . next week and am so excited.

Excellent, Anna! I’m glad to hear it! Which insurance did you go with? It would be good to know which one has really good customer support.

World nomads! Called Their 1-800 # – answered all my questions and very friendly! ????

Apologies on the ??? i tried to use emoji hearts lol anyhow i had some questions about what activities would be covered and which would be extra (with world nomads) and it was all very easy to figure out that I did NOT need to purchase the extra sports activity package. Onwards!!!

If your 65 they won’t even give you a quote. Your too much of a risk regardless of your heath and fitness.

Depending on your nationality, you can have a policy excess deductible from the amount of medical expenses you will pay. So be careful if you’re from Europe. Making a claim on their website has been complicated, asking many papers that of course you don’t have. You’ll be refund approximatly one month after you spent money wich is too long. That’s what happen to me and i’m very disappointed. So i haven’t renew my subscription and took IATI instead, they have no such excess policy (a spanish company with better coverage).

Hi Chris- this was a super helpful article. I wanted to ask for your advice on deciding between the two plans for my upcoming trip to Southeast Asia for 3 months. For me, the biggest deciding factor is the Collision Damage (included in the Explorer but not the Standard). I’m planning to rent motorbikes/scooters most of the time- is this covered? I also wanted to ask if, in your experience, most motorbike/scooter rental places in SEA do require additional insurance (as you mentioned in the article)? Thank you for the help and advice!

Some rental places in SEA will require you to have insurance, others are super casual and won’t ask you for anything. Cheers!

Be aware that World Nomads pays Secondary to your regular Health Insurance – assuming you have Health Ins. Depending on where you are traveling, working through your Health Insurance carrier first may be a hassle. Just a heads up …

Hi there! I am going for a family holiday in South East Aisa (Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Thailand) this December and would like to know if Fiji Citizens can buy a policy from World Namads Travel Insurance.

Hey Kaushik! I had a look on the site and it appears that you can purchase a plan through World Nomads. Happy adventuring!

My 23 y/o daughter is living and teaching English in Siem Reap, Cambodia. What would the best insurance plan be for her? Thanks, Janet

Hi Janet! She would be covered under most travel plans, but we’ve been using World Nomads without disappointment for years. With them you can be covered for at least a year. I haven’t tried longer because I can’t plan so far in advance! Be sure to add any destinations she might visit during her trip, like Laos, Vietnam or Thailand. Other than that, you’re golden!

Hi I’m going to be travelling around South East Asia and I’m planning on purchasing the explorer plan for the year. I was wondering would you think it necessary to add my iPhone as a high value item incase it gets lost or stolen, it cost me €835. Or would the explorer plan alone cover me?

Hi Mollie! The explorer plan doesn’t cover our fancy phones at the base rate. If you’re traveling around for the whole year, it could be worth it for your peace-of-mind to add your iPhone onto your plan. This only helps, though, if you have a receipt or some proof of purchase for your iPhone, so make sure you have that handy. Happy adventuring!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I stumbled upon your website and I couldn’t be more thrilled at the rabbit hole I’ve gone down for the last 2 hours on your site!! ? :). So excited I found this website and appreciate all of the time, energy, and detail that you have put into the website and into your reviews! Thanks so much! Looking forward to checking the site regularly and exploring more of it!

Great to hear Jessica, we wish you an awesome trip! Cheers from Thailand!

Hi! I wanted to leave a note to all of the photographers asking how to insure their gear. I’m a professional photographer and TCP insurance is my go to (and the industry standard). They cover gear damage and theft when traveling etc. Hope that helps!

Very helpful article. My wife and I are going to Israel for 20 days. We are renting a car and doing our own touring. I have a lot of photography gear that I will be bringing with me. The Worlds Nomads personal item loss is insufficient but I like everything else especially in the Explorer plan. Can you recommend any insurance for just my photography gear? Thanks

I suggest taking a personal items plan with your regular insurance provider for your photography gear.

Has anyone had an experience where you needed to come home early, either because you were sick (medical evaluation) or had a family emergency that terminated your trip?

Thanks for the info. I am looking for insurance like this one as I like to do snorkeling/diving plus bringing my cameras with me. I can’t find this type of insurance in my country that covers personal property or water activities I like to do on traveling. So I will give this one a try.

Thanks Chris! I heard the same from World Nomads directly but just gives me peace of mind hearing it from an unbiased third party! Muchos gracias~

Don´t get Worldnomads, for example we had to be evacuated from Lukla due to the airport being closed and all planes cancel for several days and they will not cover it. You will lose all your money if you have to take an helicopter out to get to your international flight.

That’s pretty standard with any insurance company… No company will cover crazy weather influencing flights. I buy insurance to protect myself against medical bills and protect my gear against theft – but for flights – you’re on your own really.

hi chris awesome article, im taking a brand new digital camera ($870) my wife gifted me for xmas and was wondering if the explorer plan is sufficient in covering damaged or stolen digital camera? or should i add it as a high price item which would cost me more than double with world nomads from their quote. Thanks!

Congrats on your new camera! You definitely want to protect it. Which is why I think the Explorer World Nomad’s plan is good enough to cover you… if all you are wanting to protect is your camera and a few other bits and pieces.

Under the Explorer Plan you can claim a maximum $1500 per item for a total of $3000. So if your camera is worth $870, then yes, the explorer plan should be good. Now if you are also packing expensive lenses, a laptop, and other valuable gear, I’d seriously consider adding high value items to the policy as needed. Remember, you never need insurance until you do right? Good luck amigo.

I was looking at a WN to cover a trek in Nepal where the need for a helicopter rescue is a real possibility (as described and shown above). However the WN policy (for US resident in MI) I was reading said this:

“Emergency Evacuation means your medical condition warrants immediate transportation from the hospital where you are first taken when injured or sick to the hospital of your choice where appropriate medical treatment can be obtained OR after being treated at a local hospital, your medical condition warrants transportation to the United States where you reside, to obtain further medical treatment or to recover.”

This sure sounds to me like they are not covering a field rescue as described in this article, but rather transport from one hospital to another. Very troubling.

Thank you! I am on a long-term stay in northern Thailand and my policy with another insurer is about to run out. So this is helpful! All the best!

Hi Rob, thanks for your comment. In response to your question: No I did NOT and do NOT receive any free insurance, discounts, or payments of any kind! In fact, I just bought another World Nomads insurance policy recently for a trip to Pakistan (they now cover Pakistan as a destination). The review I wrote is based on my own experiences and those of my colleagues here at TBB. When I need to buy travel insurance for a backpacking trip, I go with World Nomads unless they don’t cover a certain destination (there are several) that I want to visit. Hope this helps! Good luck mate.

This sounds like a paid ad and is not reflective of my current experience. I submitted a claim on my World Nomads policy over six weeks ago, received no outcome, have followed up multiple times via email and their web form (there doesn’t seem be a non-emergency contact number?) and I have still heard nothing from them. I’ve bought from them before and never had to claim, fortunately, but after this experience I will never buy from them again.

This is not a paid ad. I myself have been insured by World Nomads for five years and have claimed twice, both times they were awesome. That doesn’t mean they’ll always be awesome but this is my experience with them and we don’t ‘sell’ positive reviews on this site.

Thanks for the great and detailed review! I currently have IMGlobal but thinking of switching over to World Nomads. Your reviews clearly stated all the benefits and I think I am sold.

Thanks for sharing! Andy Traveler https://www.andytraveler.com

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Reviews 3.4.

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Easy to buy and surprisingly easy to process claim

We bought the insurance just in case and following the recommendation from our tour company, which I normally don't do because what's the probability that things will happen on my trip...well, it did. United flight got canceled and the domino effects that entail. The claim was not big, but the processing of the claim was quite easy, certainly easier than dealing with the airline. Thank you and will definitely use again for upcoming big trips, if for nothing else just to have a peace of mind.

Date of experience : April 15, 2024

Reply from World Nomads

Hi Quan - thanks so much for the 5🌟 review! Safe travels - Belle ✈️ World Nomads

Reliable Travel Insurance!!!!

I have purchased over 30 policies from World Nomads since 2015. I have claimed on 3 of them and all three claims were settled in full. The claim process is very thorough but efficient and once all the documents are submitted the claims were settled. This is how travel insurance should work I will strongly recommend World Nomads to anyone.

Date of experience : April 22, 2024

Hi Navin - thanks so much for the amazing 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review! We look forward to travelling with you again soon. Safe travels - Belle ✈️ World Nomads

Best & Easiest to use

Been using them for a number of years, the ease of use, reasonable pricing, flexible menu, wide country & activity covers is the best in my book. Made a claim so tested their credentials, and it was trouble less and refunded quickly . I tend to travel with no return ticket and change destinations & time travel as I go along , only found World Nomads could accommodate that with the least restriction , good work WN

Date of experience : April 19, 2024

Hi Jean, Thank you for the fantastic 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review! We’re so glad you had a wonderful experience with World Nomads and thanks again for the support. If there’s anything else you’d like to share or need in the future we are here to help. Safe Travels! Babita ✈️ World Nomads

World Nomads covered a nightmare travel…

World Nomads covered a nightmare travel delay scenario and the claim process was straightforward and easy to complete. We got our money back for the expenses we had to incur and it was a comfort through that time to know we had travel insurance to hopefully recoup those costs. Now that I’ve had this experience, I see the value in securing World Nomads travel insurance for our vacations and have greater confidence that if/when another issue arises, World Nomads has us covered. And if nothing does happen, I still have peace of mind while enjoying amazing new travel destinations.

Date of experience : February 25, 2024

Hi Joey, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review- 5 ⭐! We are thrilled to hear that you had a seamless and stress-free experience with us. Safe Travels! Babita ✈️ World Nomads

I was looking for a travel insurance…

I was looking for a travel insurance from the web and I found this travel insurance company. They are very helpful and straightforward also it's cheap.

Date of experience : April 16, 2024

Hi Cenita, Thank you so much for this 5-star review 😍. We really appreciate you being a fellow Nomads and helping to share the word about us. Safe Travels! Babita ✈️ World Nomads

Efficient and Timely

Efficient, rapid claim processing and straight forward instructions I would strongly endorse and recommend WM. It has been and will continue to be my "go to" travel insurer.

Date of experience : February 29, 2024

Hi Raymond, Thank you for the 5 ⭐ review and taking the time to leave an excellent rating. We really love to hear when our loyal nomads are happy! Safe travels - Leah ✈️ World Nomads

Excellent Customer Service with Nicole

I recently worked with Nicole to solve a double booking I made by mistake. Nicole replied promptly and was able to help me ensure that I had the correct policy and cancel the policy that was booked on error. She was friendly, responded quickly, and provided me an excellent solution. Everything was so easy and I am so grateful. Having such a great experience really gives me the peace of mind to continue using World Nomads as my travel insurance of choice for years to come. Thank you!

Date of experience : April 03, 2024

Hi Tara, Thank you for the fantastic 5-star review 😍 We’re glad to hear you had a great experience and we will pass on your wonderful feedback! Safe Travels - Ayden ✈️ World Nomads

LaRae was Wonderful

LaRae was wonderful with communication and resolving my concern. I really appreciate her kindness, promptness, and attention to detail. Her company is lucky to have her. I have always had positive experiences with World Nomad's.

Date of experience : April 10, 2024

Hi SRR, Thank you for the 5 ⭐ review and taking the time to leave an excellent rating. LaRae is definitely a star! Safe travels - Leah ✈️ World Nomads

No Response to Claim enquiries

Currently trying to deal with a claim for my son. Very disappointed that we cannot find out any information about what is happened with it. Been told different things every time I phone but no update at all. Meanwhile we are having to pay out for my sons treatment in South America with no idea if and or when we are likely to receive any payment. We came to World Nomads because of their excellent reviews despite the fact that they were quite expensive. Wasted another half an hour on the phone today being passed from person to person with no information forthcoming so just gave up (again) There seems to be zero customer care. Should have just gone with AXA who were much cheaper and it turns out they are dealing with the claim anyway!!!!!

Date of experience : April 11, 2024

Hello Sonya, We're sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience regarding your claim 😥 I have requested further information so we can take a closer look at your case - Leah ✈️ World Nomads Thank you for returning the requested details, Sonya, I have passed your information to the correct department for response - Leah ✈️ World Nomads

Sounds like a solid company but they don't pay

Although I love their name and they were recommended by the tour company we used, they only paid 56% of the receipts we sent for our interrupted trip. My husband had a medical problem at the start of our tour. We only enjoyed one meal with the tour group, and one transportation to another city. We couldn't participate in any days of the tour because of being sick and for being at the hospital. They deducted 3 days off of the tour and wouldn't reimburse it. Also would not reimburse the flight to get there even though that was insured as well. They said, "you used the flight so it can't be refunded." We wouldn't have used the flight if we knew we couldn't do the tour. It was a 2 month battle and we won't be using World Nomads as a travel insurance again. I would love it if someone would call me so we can discuss the discrepancies. Thank you for requesting my account number. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Date of experience : February 22, 2024

Hello Cindy, We're sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience regarding your claim 😥 I have requested further information so we can take a closer look at your case - Leah ✈️ World Nomads Thank you for providing your details, Cindy, I have passed on your information to the correct team for review. Leah ✈️ World Nomads

Easy to sort out insurance that covers…

Easy to sort out insurance that covers my needs

Hi Sue and Allan, Thank you so much for your kind words and 5 Stars! Your feedback is invaluable and helps us keep our standards high. Safe Travels! Babita ✈️ World Nomads

Where are my policy documents

I bought this insurance off a recommendation from my friend but I haven’t even received my policy documentation/ number since I purchased about a week ago despite emailing and enquiring twice. I’d hate to think how slack they are if I had to make a claim. Not happy.

Date of experience : April 02, 2024

Hello Georgia we're sorry to hear that you didn't receive your policy documents. We're happy to resend your Certificate of Insurance, so we have sent you a request for further information to make sure we can verify you and send the documents to you. Safe travels - Babita ✈️ World Nomads

The service website is useless

The service website is useless. One issue is my policy does not show up on my member dash board so I cannot do anything with it. I have created a membership account and it still show no policy. I was looking to print the "purchase confirmation brochure" that had helpful information like I didn't in the past but no luck. Fingers crossed everything goes well because I can't image what it would look like to submit a claim.

Date of experience : April 06, 2024

Hi Laura, We are aware that some of our nomads were having issues creating and/or signing into their accounts. Our IT team has advised us that this issue should be resolved now. I've merged your policy with your membership so if you log in now you should see the details online. Safe travels - Babita ✈️ World Nomads

Awful. Had problems 1st Feb. Aoife just leaves it a week or 2 then asks for the same things Ive already sent on a few occasions. Beyond a joke now. Yesterday I asked for her managers details. Surprise surprise, no response yet, and weekend starts soon. Thank goodness Im not waiting to settle a huge medical bill. Really fed up with it.

Date of experience : February 01, 2024

Hello Linda, We're sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience regarding your policy inquiry 😥. I have escalated this matter to the right team on your behalf and the respective team will contact you accordingly. - Babita - Safe travels - ✈️ World Nomads

Quick to take your money but god forbid…

Quick to take your money but god forbid you have to make a claim, they will make it extremely hard to process and not pay out at the end after all. Avoid avoid avoid - scam company.

Hello CD, We're sorry to hear that you were not happy with the outcome of your claim 😥 I have requested further information so I can escalate this to the respective team - Babita ✈️ World Nomads

It takes some time, be patient

Overall very good. It did take some time to get my claim through. Many emails back and forth. They are very thorough but I guess they have to be to make sure the claim is genuine. My advice is keep records of absolutely everything. Aoife was great, took a long time to respond sometimes but always came back. Overall worth it.

Date of experience : April 05, 2024

Hi Daniel, We appreciate you for the 4-star review. Thank you so much for the feedback you provided today. We value your thoughts and strive to provide our customers with the best customer experience possible. Safe travels - Babita ✈️ World Nomads

Super easy and responsive…

Super easy and responsive communication. Nicole and Naimh have been so helpful to sort out my issues - very grateful indeed :)

Date of experience : April 04, 2024

Hi Ranya, Thank you for the 5 stars ⭐ and taking the time to leave your review! We love hearing from our Nomads 😍 Safe Travels - Ayden ✈️ World Nomads

Don't insure people over 65

Don't insure people over 65. Agism is one of the few isms that still exists.

Hi Peter! Our policy wording states we provide cover for travellers under the 69 years of age. We are unable to accommodate travel insurance to travellers' over the age of 69 years of age. We understand that it can be disappointing for you too. The insurer have made the conditions around our coverage for travellers above mentioned age. You can contact the Insurance Council of Australia to see if they can direct you to a provider who can help. ICA Ph: 02 9253 5100 or 1300 728 228. Open: 8:30am - 5pm AEST Monday - Friday Safe travels - Lucy ✈️ World Nomads

The service website is useless. I have sent several emails to correct non claim issues. I never get a reply. One issue is my policy does not show up on my member dash board so I cannot do anything with it, including cancel the policy during the "free look" period.

Date of experience : March 28, 2024

Hi JM Brant, we're sorry to hear you are disappointed with the website. I can see that you still have a "Guest" account, you will need to upgrade to a "Member" account before we can merge your policy to your online account. You can do this by simply clicking visiting: https://www.worldnomads.com/Member/VerifyGuest Please reach out if you need any further assistance. Safe travels - Leah ✈️ World Nomads

The website was pretty easy to use…

The website was pretty easy to use except there was not a save button when you are in the add documents area. I had to get out and then get back in for it to work. Initially they declined my claim with no hard explanation. I had to request a review and then they honored the claim.

Date of experience : March 18, 2024

Hi Tom, thanks so much for the review! Safe travels - Belle ✈️ World Nomads

Should You Buy World Nomads Travel Insurance in 2023?

02/28/2023 by Kristin Addis 46 Comments

I have not been paid to write this World Nomads insurance review, though if you do choose to buy insurance through a link in this post, it supports this site at no extra cost to you. I do honestly discuss the numerous drawbacks of World Nomads and provide alternative suggestions as well here, so please read this fully before purchasing a plan to be sure it will work for you.

Ladies and gents, it’s time we look into travel insurance.

Why? Because it really, truly sucks if you have an emergency abroad and don’t have it, and not all insurance is created equal. There have been horror stories of people being held in hospitals, almost like hostages, for not paying outstanding bills, or worse, not getting care at all.

But if you need to be airlifted out, must have a family member flown to you, or you simply get sick on the road and don’t want to have to suffer when you could get care, then travel insurance is a no-brainer. It’s best if you never have to use it, but when you need it, it can literally save your trip (and self).

That said, travel insurance is not going to cover everything. In most cases beyond medical coverage, you will need a separate policy. I’ve taken out many of these policies in the past, and will discuss your other options in this post as well. World Nomads might not be for you, but before I talk about the drawbacks, let’s talk about the typical coverage.

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It Offers Cover for Major Medical Expenses

Why pay for insurance you might not use? You could risk it and travel without insurance. I’d be lying if I said I have never done that. Once I had to visit the doctor in Vietnam and, since I was uninsured, paid $100 out of pocket for the visit and medications. It cost me about the same as insurance would have for the entire 4 months that I was away. That was risky of me, because if I experienced a bigger problem, I could have been out a lot more money than that.

I’ve had friends need ambulance rides in the US which cost over $5k without insurance, met divers who needed compression chambers after diving emergencies, and recently had a family member cancel her trip when her travel companion fell ill. She had insurance and got her money back, but he didn’t, and had to eat the cost.

The worst case scenario if you have insurance is that nothing goes wrong and you spent the money just for the security, but the worst case scenario without insurance on your trip is much, much more dire. It’s possible to get denied care entirely in some countries if you can’t pay – yikes.

Why I Use World Nomads for Health Needs

I choose this one because it covers activities I love that most other insurance won’t cover, and they have paid out claims put forth by friends of mine consistently.

No insurance is perfect. If you want to get reimbursed, your claim has to include all of the necessary paperwork and qualify under the coverage they offer. I’m not a fan of any insurance company — they all kind of suck and I don’t feel health insurance should ever be for profit — but I still get insurance for all of the reasons in this post so far.

I free dive, hike at high altitudes, skydive, scuba dive, and more on my trips. World Nomads is my go-to because of the specificity of the coverage. It’s also helpful that they clearly state which activities have coverage by each of their two plans, Standard and Explorer. You can use the following tool to look at pricing:

So, for example, say you’re planning a trip to Bali to go surfing, sailing, and scuba diving. You would be able to go on the World Nomads website , look at their detailed lists of activities to find your specific ones, and determine if you need to purchase the Standard Plan or the Explorer Plan to make sure that everything you’d be doing on your trip has coverage.

World Nomads will also allow you to purchase more coverage quickly and easily if you run out while abroad (like if you decided to extend your trip at the last minute). They also have multilingual emergency assistance available 24/7.

All in all, I like that World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance designed to help cover health costs. Having the activities I love covered makes this my go-to for those reasons.

The Coverage You Need Based on the Way You Travel

Keep in mind that every policy is going to differ depending on where you are from. The following suggestions are based on their general offerings, but you need to read the fine print to be sure your policy with WN will cover these things.

That said, how do you like to travel? Are you adventurous, or do you prefer to play on the safer side when you go abroad? Does your ideal trip look like yoga on the beach, or cliff diving and hang gliding? World Nomads clearly breaks down the insurance plan you need based on the activities you plan on participating in . Figure out the coverage you need for your favorite activities below:

Some Big Drawbacks of World Nomads

World nomads contracts through providers on a location-by-location basis. What one policy covers in one country or state might differ from another, which is why reading the fine print, annoying as it is, is necessary.

World Nomads, like most travel insurance, intentionally omits things like pandemics, much to the chagrin of anyone who wanted COVID reimbursements. The travel insurance provided by Chase cards, and most other standard insurance, also has this policy. Unfortunately it’s standard and you often need additional policies, or much more expensive ones, to get full coverage (which I’ll discuss below).

They also omit acts of terrorism, civil unrest, acts of war, and really anything else that might trigger a mass payout from them. Some insurance companies will cover this, but they’re pricey. It’s always a balance of whether it’s truly worth it or not.

World Nomads also only cover a minimal amount of gear. If you’re traveling with expensive equipment, in most cases you’ll need a separate policy for the tech gadgets.

If you do need to file a claim, you must follow the fine print exactly. Like all insurance, honestly all of whom suck, they’re trying to make a profit.

For example, trip cancellation has specific requirements that will be unique to your policy, such as a required period of 24 hours. You might also find that if you return home to get treated, the insurance assumes your home coverage kicks in. Read the fine print always, because you can be sure that they will when evaluating your claim.

Important Things to Know

There are a few important things to know that make this insurance work better for you. The first is that booking more time upfront is better than breaking it up. If you know that you’ll be on a 6-month trip, then paying for the full 6 months upfront works out much cheaper than doing 3 now, and 3 later. Plus, you don’t want to let the insurance lapse. If anything happens when you’re not insured, it won’t be covered (that’s standard industry practice).

Also keep in mind that this insurance will only cover you if you’re over 100 miles from home. If you come home for further medical attention, travel insurance typically assumes you’re using your home coverage once again. This is important to keep in mind if you come home to get your treatment completed (you can always call them to get more info on your specific case).

Finally, this isn’t the only policy you should have if you have lots of expensive gear. I’ve learned through the years that the only way to insure your gear if you’re a professional photographer or blogger (like me) is to get a separate policy for your gear, and they ain’t cheap. World Nomads will cover most personal electronics, like phones and cheaper cameras, up to a small amount, provided you can prove the value (receipt), have a police report, and can prove you had it with you (so take pictures with your electronics on the road just to cover yourself).

Other Types of Insurance with More Coverage

As you can see, travel insurance isn’t meant to cover everything. For true coverage of all the things, you’ll need to pay more and take out policies that are designed to cover specific circumstances. Here are some I’ve tried or have been recommended to me by friends:

Expat Insurance: If you’re looking for longer term health insurance abroad, consider expat insurance instead. This will only cover medical needs, but acts more like a traditional health insurance that can cover longer term health needs abroad. I used ALC when I lived in Germany and they paid out all of the claims I qualified for after my deductible.

Diplomat Insurance: If you want to be covered for all the things, including kidnapping, acts of war, civil unrest, and more, check out Global Underwriters , which provides diplomat insurance.

Cancel for Any Reason Insurance: Some companies will offer insurance that you can cancel for any reason. Be sure to buy it as soon as you place an initial deposit (which goes for any insurance) in order for it to work. There are other stipulations as well, naturally. You can read more about AIG’s here.

Gear Insurance: If you have expensive gear, most travel insurance will only cover a small part of it. Since I travel with a backpack full of gear, I had a policy on all of my tech gear from Taylor & Taylor . I did quite a bit of research on this prior to purchasing, but ultimately do not use it anymore for one big reason: It’s really expensive. Each year the policy cost me $500 for insurance up to $7k worth of gear, and a deductible of $500 per claim. If I break a phone, for example, it would just even out. This would be a life saver if all of your gear gets waterlogged or stolen. Otherwise, unless you make a claim over $1k each year, it might be cost prohibitive.

Coverage for COVID-19

World Nomads states on this FAQ page that “fear of travel” is not covered. If you want to cancel your trip due to fear about COVID, your cancellation will not be covered. However, if you become ill prior to your trip, your plan may cover you. For more information on COVID coverage, check out this page where you’ll find up-to-date details.

In a Nutshell

There are more exclusions that are wise to read about before taking the plunge and purchasing. This is pretty typical of all insurance. All that said, for coverage of the more adventurous activities that I love, I like World Nomads the most and have been using it for years, so are many of my readers and those who come on my BMTM Adventures tours .

Want to explore more options? I recently tried out Faye Travel Insurance and actually made a claim as I got sick while traveling in Japan . You can read my full review here .

* As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link, at no extra cost whatsoever to you. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance. Thanks, as always, for your support!

About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

World Nomads Review: Travel Insurance for Nomads & Travelers

Whether it’s insurance on your car, home, or cell phone – it is crucial that you best prepare yourself in life for the unexpected.

This concept also rings true if you fall within the remit of a ‘nomad’. In a nutshell, this means that you have a tendency to travel from place to place on a frequent basis, or you’re planning to do a reasonably long stint in a region such as South East Asia. Alternatively, you might be living the laptop lifestyle, meaning that you also have a desire to live life on the road.

As rewarding as such a nomad lifestyle can be, you need to put some safeguards in place in the event that you become injured or sick during your travels, as well as in the event that an unexpected travel-related issue occurs – such as lost luggage or a cancelled flight.

With that being said, the team at World Nomads have created a travel insurance package that is tailored specifically to the ‘traveler’.

If this sounds like something that you would like to explore further, be sure to read our fully comprehensive World Nomads Travel Insurance review.

Within it, we’ll cover everything that we think you should know – such as how the travel insurance works, who is eligible, how much it costs, and of course – what you are covered for.

Let’s start by getting a brief overview of what World Nomads actually is.

Visit World Nomads

What is World Nomads?

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Launched way back in 2002, World Nomads is an online travel insurance company that tailors its packages towards nomads.

A ‘nomad’ is a term typically used to describe someone that has no permanent abode, meaning that they travel from place and place – and more importantly – country to country.

This can cover a backpacker that finds casual work as and when they reach their next destination, to a fully-fledged freelancer that changes jurisdictions on a frequent basis.

Either way, a nomad is typically somebody that is based outside of their home country for long periods of time, as opposed to somebody that is simply taking a two-week package vacation overseas.

Nevertheless, the team at World Nomads – which describes itself as a group of “global citizens, customer advocates and creative storytellers”, launched their platform with the view of filling a huge gap in the market – travel insurance for nomads.

As we will discuss in much more detail further in our review, World Nomads Travel Insurance typically consist of two main branches.

Firstly, you might be covered in the event that you require medical assistance – such as an injury or illness.
Secondly, World Nomads Travel Insurance could also cover you in the event of a travel-related issue.

For example, this could include a travel agency cancelling your trip due to financial difficulties, or an airline that loses your suitcase. It is also important to note that World Nomads Travel Insurance could be suitable for you if you have a tendency to engage in physical activities when overseas. This could include anything from surfing, skiing, scuba diving, and even bungee jumping.

However – and as is the case with most travel insurance policies out there, whether or not you are covered for a particular accident will depend on a range of key factors. For example, one of the key metrics that will determine your ability to claim is your main country of residence.

Furthermore, the team at World Nomads actually offer two different plans. As we will discuss in just a moment, whether or not you are covered for a particular event is often determined by whether you opt for the Standard Plan or Explorer Plan.

So now that you have a better understanding of what World Nomads actually is, in the next section of our review we are going to explore what you are covered for.

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World Nomads Travel Insurance: What are you Covered for?

As we briefly noted in the above section, World Nomads offers two main travel insurance plans – the Standard Plan and the Explorer Plan. As the two plans are costed differently, it might be best to have a think about what type of nomad you are, and what you tend to get involved with when you travel.

To help you along the way, we have listed what a World Nomads Travel Insurance plan will typically cover, and in this respect, how the two plans differ.

Emergency Medical Insurance

In our view, if you are a nomad in its purest form – meaning that you often spend time visiting remote and third-world countries, then the overarching motivation of obtaining travel insurance should be to protect you in the event of a medical issue. As such, the first segment of World Nomad that we sought to unravel was that of its Emergency Medical Insurance.

First and foremost, this will cover you in the event that you get sick or injured. For example, you might find yourself getting food poisoning while travelling through Cambodia, or injuring your leg when trying to find your hotel during the late evening. Either way, you will want to know that you are covered financially, as it is likely that you will be required to pay the respective medical centre or hospital for the treatment you receive.

With that being said, both the Standard Plan and Explorer Plan will cover your medical expenses up to $100,000. Furthermore, it is also important to note that you should be covered in the event of a dental emergency. Both World Nomads plans come with emergency dental coverage of up to $750, which is likely to be more than sufficient – irrespective of where you are in the world.

Evacuation and Repatriation

On top of the costs associated with your treatment, World Nomads Travel Insurance can also cover the costs related to medical transportation or evacuation. Regarding the former, this could be the costs associated with an ambulance call-out. And the latter, this is likely to be something much more severe – such as requiring a helicopter to take you from a remote location to the nearest city hospital.

Alternatively, medical evacuation might require you to be transported back to your home country in the event that you need first-world medical attention. Either way, the terms and conditions surrounding medical evacuation are somewhat explicit on what you can and can’t claim for. First and foremost, if you are engaging in what is deemed as a high-risk activity – such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, then you will likely need to get this pre-authorized by the medical assistance team at World Nomads.

As such, if you end up requiring assistance but you failed to notify World Nomads of the activity, you likely won’t be covered. Furthermore, if the medical evacuation is linked to a pre-existing condition, then once again, you won’t be covered. Finally, it is important to note that if you do require medical evacuation back to your home country, any further medical costs encountered once you land will not be covered under your World Nomads policy.

Outside of a potential medical evacuation, World Nomads might also be able to cover the expenses linked to a non-medical evacuation. By this, we mean events linked to a serious political occurrence in your current location, or worse – an event linked to terrorism. Moreover, this could also include a serious natural disaster such as a typhoon or earthquake.

In terms of the fundamentals – and regardless of whether you are claiming for medical transportation, a medical evacuation, or a non-medical evacuation, the Standard Plan will cover you up to $300,000, while the Explorer Plan increases this amount to $500,000.

Trip Protection

While the most important segment of your World Nomads Travel Insurance plan is arguably related to medical assistance, your chosen plan will also come with trip protection.

Firstly, the Standard Plan comes with coverage of up to $2,500, while the Explorer Plan comes with coverage of up to $10,000.

In a nutshell, trip protection is anything related to a trip that you have already paid for that subsequently becomes cancelled or interrupted. For example, this could cover you in the event that your flight is cancelled because of extreme weather conditions, or because you became severely ill on the day of the flight.

Moreover, you might also be covered in the event that you are required to pay for accommodation due to a trip interruption that was out of your control. For example, if an airline goes bust on the day that you are required to fly and thus – you need to stay in the respective destination for an additional night, you should be able to claim the accommodation expenses back. If this is the case, your coverage is capped to $250 per day.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Goods

An additional area of insurance that World Nomads offers on both of its plans is related to lost, stolen, or damaged goods. The amount that you are able to claim will depend on the type of claim you are making, so let’s look at some of the key areas.

First and foremost, if your baggage is lost or stolen during a trip, you will be able to claim up to $1,000 on the Standard Plan, and $3,000 on the Explorer Plan. However, certain limitations and conditions will apply if you need to claim on your baggage. For example, World Nomads will only allow you to claim a maximum of $500 per item if you are on the Standard Plan. This is highly problematic, especially if you are travelling with valuable goods.

For example, if you have a $1,400 Nikon camera in your suitcase and it subsequently gets lost by the airline, you’ll only be able to claim $500 back. On the other hand, the Explorer Plan does increase this to $1,500 per item, which is much more reasonable.

When it comes to baggage delays – for example, if your airline forgets to load your bags on to the flight, both the Standard Plan and Explorer Plan will allow you to claim up to $750. Take note, the delay needs to amount to 12 hours or more, and the specific terms state that this needs to be with a “common carrier”.

This means that if you are using an unconventional flight company (for example a local aircraft to transport you between two islands), then you might not be covered. In cases such as this, it is also advisable to call World Nomads directly and check whether you are covered, as opposed to simply assuming that you will be.

Sporting Activities

If you’re a nomad that likes to engage in sporting activities when you travel, then it is crucial that you are covered in the event of an injury. This could include anything from snow biking, scuba diving, surfing, bungee jumping, skiing, or glacier walking. In fact, World Nomads covers more than 200 individual activities.

However, whether or not your chosen sporting activity is covered will depend on the specific plan that you are on. For example, while bobsleighing, skiing, freestyle snowboarding, heli-skiing, and skiing with a miniwing are included within the Explorer Plan, these activities are not covered by the Standard Plan.

Once again, this is why it is crucial that you spend some time thinking about the types of activities you are likely to engage in prior to choosing your plan. If you end up going with the Standard Plan, but later ascertain that you want to engage in an activity that isn’t covered, then you are best off calling the team at World Nomads to see if you can upgrade to the Explorer Plan.

How Much Does World Nomad Cost?

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how much a World Nomads Travel Insurance package is going to cost you, not least because this will be based on a number of key variables. For example, the platform will take your country of residence into account, as well as your age, which countries you plan to visit, and how long you want to be covered for.

Nevertheless, in order to give you a ball-park figure as to how much World Nomads is going to cost you, the following figures are based on a U.S citizen aged between 21 and 30, visiting six countries in Asia over the course of three months.

Standard Plan – $2.79 per day

We were quoted a daily figure of $2.79 on the standard plan, which, over the course of our three-month trip, amounted to a total cost of just over $251.

Explorer Plan – $3.96 per day

Sticking with the same credentials as listed above, we were quoted a total price of just over $356 for the Explorer Plan. This amounted to $3.96 per day over the course of our three-month trip.

Ultimately, the only way that you will be able to get a tailor-made quote on your specific circumstances is to visit the World Nomads website and enter your details. The system will give you a bespoke quote within less than a minute, so you’ve got nothing to lose by simply finding out how much you will need to pay for coverage.

Get a Quote

How do i make a claim with world nomads.

If the unfortunate does happen and you need to make a claim on your World Nomads policy, there is a general step-by-step process that you will need to follow. While the process might vary slightly depending on the type of claim you are looking to make, check out the guidelines we have outlined below.

Step 1: Call the World Nomads One Call 24-Hour Number

First and foremost, as long as your medical situation isn’t critical, you are best advised to call the World Nomads One Call 24-Hour hotline. In doing so, you will have the chance to explain your medical concern to a World Nomads agent. The agent will then locate the nearest suitable medical location, such as a doctor’s surgery, hospital, or dentist.

This is also the number that you need to call if you require evacuation to be arranged. For example, if you need urgent medical transportation or there is severe political unrest in your respective location.

On the other hand, if your medical situation requires you to go straight to your nearest accident and emergency hospital, then don’t worry about calling the hotline. The most important thing is that you receive the required medical attention without delay.

Step 2: Covering the cost of payment

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. When it comes to paying for your required treatment, World Nomads might be able to cover these costs upfront, but this will depend on the type of assistance that is required. As per the World Nomads website , you can only request an upfront payment if you:

have been admitted to hospital as an in-patient;
get medical treatment or need ongoing treatment, where the cost of treatment is likely to exceed £500;
are injured, are hospitalised or suffer psychological trauma in an assault; or
need emergency transport, medical repatriation or a medical escort.

With that being said, you – or somebody close to you, will need to call the World Nomads hotline to arrange for the costs to be transferred over. If this is the case and World Nomads does pay for your medical costs upfront, then there is nothing more to do.

Step 3: Making a claim

If you do not meet the conditions outlined above with regards to getting your costs covered upfront by World Nomads, then you will need to make a claim. The easiest way to do this is via the World Nomads website. You will initially need to provide a clear and concise account of what you are claiming for, and for how much.

For example, if you are claiming for emergency dental treatment while you were travelling through Thailand, you’ll need to state the medical issue, why you required emergency treatment, where you received the treatment, and how much you paid. You will also be asked to provide supporting documentation.

This is likely to include a signed and stamped medical bill, which outlines the treatment that you undertook, as well as the cost. Moreover, it is absolutely fundamental that you provide a copy of the receipt that proves you made the payment. If you submit the application without the required supporting documentation, then you will likely receive a reply from World Nomads outlining what you need to provide.

World Nomads

Ease of use, customer support.

Great Pricing
Excellent Range of Coverage
Easy to make a claim on the road
Great service 24/7
Age limit of 70
Explorer plan covers up to $3000 total

Kane holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Finance, a Master's Degree in Financial Investigation and he is currently engaged in a Doctorate - researching financial crime in the virtual economy. With a keen passion for research, he currently writes for a variety of publications within the Financial and Cryptocurrency industries. [email protected]

Hometree review: boiler home & heating care plans, safetywing remote health review: global health insurance for nomads, safetywing review: medical & travel insurance for long-term travelers, best boiler cover uk: we compare all the top options.

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World Nomads Travel Insurance – From Wheel Chairs to Lost Items (but we use different Travel Insurance)

World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. We at Hostelgeeks are not an affiliate, and we will not receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance. We have been advised directly by World Nomads to omit specific details. We’ve retained our original guide for your reference.

Are you looking into your own travel insurance? This is a huge topic. We at Hostelgeeks are traveling full time and we had a look at a few companies out there.

Personally, we no longer use World Nomads as travel insurance.

We are currently using Heymondo and Safetywing . Personally, it is easier for us to handle and manage.

HeyMondo Travel insurance review – our first-hand review and why we use
SafetyWing travel insurance – pros and cons; perfect for digital nomads

Since we travel with a bit of gear and planned to do some activities like skydiving, motorbiking, diving and such, a travel insurance simply makes sense.

5 good reasons to get insured by World Nomads
What is covered by World Nomads?

How much is it?

Standard vs Explorer Plans (compared in a table)
Our review and Experience
My best tips
Safetywing Insurance
is world nomads worth it?
Pros and Cons in short
Promo Code for World Nomads
How to Claim
How long does a claim take?

Extending your insurance

Alternatives to World Nomads

How late can you buy travel insurance?

Last thoughts – Opinion

This medical insurance is especially popular for US-American travelers and Australians. More on that later. Although we are sasoned travelers, the insurance is always something changing.

Do you actually need Travel Insurance?

Our best recommendation to find travel insurance: spend a bit of time and read all the terms and conditions .

Yes yes, we know and we are sorry! But here is the thing: it really depends on your trip of travel, where you are from, pre-existing injuries and such. It’s or at least can be seriously complicated, but it does not have to necessarily be.

Below we list how you can avoid getting the wrong insurance and how World Nomads can help you.

Important : We will not talk you into buying insurance. It is your own decision; we are not your parents. Obviously, we give our honest opinion as a friend, based on experienced and other traveler stories.

Please check first if you are already covered by your own insurance. Maybe you don’t need another one, check that now ! If you have doubts, call your current insurance in your home country!

Important Update 2023:

We have been advised directly by World Nomads to omit specific details. We’ve retained our original guide for your reference. This is information only.

Travel insurance: simple & flexible

As stated, back in 2016 we decided to go with World Nomads. After comparing and listening to a few friends, the decision was final.

You can buy and claim online World Nomads, even after you’ve left home.

Quick and simple!

Travel insurance from World Nomads is available to people from 130 countries. That is especially useful since our team has different nationalities. It was interesting to see that the German insurance was more expensive than the Spanish.

It’s designed for travelers with cover for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage and a range of adventure sports and activities. However, you need to check with World Nomads which activities they actually include.

Snorkeling in Tyoman Island - a life jacket was mandatory to wear on the trip

What World Nomads can provide cover for?

World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers, to cover different types of trips. What does this mean?

Here is a list of things can they can cover:

Delayed baggage
Emergency Overseas Medical
Medical Repatriation
Death Overseas
Emergency Dental
Baggage Lost
Stolen Passports
Schengen Area Cover
Trip Cancellation

Again these incidents CAN be covered. It all depends on the insurance you purchase. Coverage is always subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy along with the particular circumstances of the particular claim.

In regards to experiences, they cover more than 150 activities you love.

Can pregnancy be covered by World Nomads?

Any pregnancy is considered a pre-existing medical condition under the EU policy, however, this policy does provide cover for pregnancy complications which arise due to accidental bodily injury or unexpected illness which occurs while on your trip, excluding costs incurred during the period between 12 weeks before and 12 weeks after the estimated date of delivery.

This policy does not intend to cover the normal costs or losses otherwise associated with a single or multiple pregnancy or childbirth. Such normal costs include, but are not limited to, delivery by caesarean section or any other medically or surgically assisted delivery which does not cause medical complications.

Not all activities are covered under every plan.

You may have to upgrade the policy and sporting level to make sure you’re covered for everything you plan to do. Please read your policy wording carefully before you buy it.

Here’s this year’s top 10 activities under each category that World Nomads love to do:

Bobsledding
Ice Skating
Snowboarding
Snow kiting
Snowmobiling
Tobogganing
Paddle Boarding
Scuba Diving
Windsurfing
Aerial Safari
Bungee Jumping
Hang Gliding
High Diving
Hot Air Ballooning
Passenger in a commercial aircraft
Tandem Skydiving
Bushwalking
Camel Riding
Elephant Riding
Orienteering
Motorbiking
Mountain Biking
Ultimate Frisbee

The last item on this list is experiences like WWOOFing, fruit picking etc.

This is very popular for budget travelers doing work and travel (or Work Away) in countries like Australia, New Zealand and others.

Experiences

Childcare work
General farm work
Hospitality
Fruit Picking
Ski instructor or Snowboard Instructor
Office work

Matt and a friend Snorkeling at the Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia

Before you say “Travel Insurance is too expensive”, let’s have a look.

My dad always says “ Before saying you cannot afford it, always check prices first. It may be cheaper than you think “.

I have to admit, he was right quite a lot of times.

So, how much is it? I wish I could type right now a fix number for you.

But, you may have realized this already: this seems to be impossible. Again, our team has different nationalities. And everybody pays something different.

To give you an idea, we pay anything between 40€ to 90€ per month.

How to get your insurance with World Nomads?

Okay, by now you should have an estimated price, right?! You may be surprised how affordable it is; or how expensive and want to cancel now your trip.

Confession : I always thought it would be much more expensive. But again, my Dad convinced me to at least have a look.

Okay, let us assume you liked the price you saw. How can you take it from there?

What I really like here is that it’s super simple. And before you pay anything, you get a full, transparent quote. I cannot emphasize this enough.

First of all, the quote you receive will be depending on your

nationality (country, maybe state too)
the countries you are visiting and
the duration of your travels

Above I included the form to get your first quote.

Step 1: Choose your plan

Last but not least, you can pick a different package: Standard Plan vs. Explorer Plan .

Let us talk about this a bit. Obviously, as you might have already guessed, the two plans cover different items.

Step 2: Sign Up with your Name and Email

This is pretty simple and regular too. You type in your name, surname, email address, address, maybe even an alternative travel address, date of birth and your phone number.

Your phone number is very important! Make sure your email and phone number is up to date!

Then you have to agree to the terms and conditions. Standard, again.

You have to confirm the following:

I have read the policy wording, terms of business and insurance product information document, and agree to receive all policy document electronically.
I have read in full and accept the privacy notice.
I am a citizen of XYZ
I would like to receive the latest news, deals & opportunities by email. (optional)

Step 3: Payment

And you made it to the payment form. You can pay only via credit card:

Master Card
American Express

PayPal or wire transfers are not possible at this point.

World Nomads Standard vs Explorer

I created a case for you to showcase a bit better the standard vs explorer plans of World Nomads.

There is only two different packages you can choose from.

The quote below is for:

For 1 month travel (in August in this case)
Traveling to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand
Traveler’s age is 23

Below you find a detailed table.

So, here you have it. Personally, I was surprised how affordable it really is. For me, I decided to take only the standard plan.

The next one will be for sure the Explorer, in my case.

The reason is simple : The Explorer Plan covers Baggage & Personal Effects up to $3000. When traveling with a laptop and the newest iPhone, it’s worth it!

Standard vs Explorer at world nomads health insurance

Our review of World Nomads Insurance

As stated in the beginning, we are fans and we use it ourselves. This is our extended World Nomads Travel insurance review for a reason.

We had zero issues, everything went smoothly.

From the consulting and many many questions we had to payment and extending the insurance.

It’s fair to say : We did not have anything to claim. We were lucky enough to had no lost luggage, no accidents or any sickness during our travels. We even didn’t lose our laptops, never got anything stolen.

*knocking three times on the table*

Even when we traveled 3 months by motorbike through Vietnam .

We hope you will never ever need any insurance. Yet, better safe than sorry.

We would love to give you a super detailed review for World Nomads Insurance.

But, here is the thing: There is no way we can write up a generic review that covers EVERYTHING!

Every insurance works different, every insurance covers different issues.

There are so many different policies, that are changing all the time. I wish I could give you the one quick super-solution, but it is clearly impossible.

Yet, this is the reason we like World Nomads.

They actually help you to pick the right plan for your travel plans. Again, it is super important that you are honest with your insurance agent. If you planning to go scuba diving, then do not pretend it is only a beach holiday.

If anything happens and you need to go to a hospital due to a scuba diving accident, no insurance in this world will cover you.

Important : If your plans change during your travel, you can always call them and upgrade your plan!

This is exactly what I did.

My own experience : I never planned to go scuba diving.

When we arrived at Gili Castle Hostel on the Gili Islands, Lombok, Indonesia, I decided to give it a go.

The local scuba instructor usually also have the possibility to sell you extra scuba insurance. I called up my insurance agent, and I was covered.

Here is world nomads phone number, listed by country:

Australian and New Zealand Residents:

Phone: +61 2 8263 0470; or
Phone: +61 2 8292 1470 (reverse charges* via an operator from anywhere in the world)

Brazilian Residents

Phone:+45 70 23 24 61 (calls are not toll free. You can claim your itemised call costs)
Text message: +45 42 41 30 00 (include your policy number in the text message. No phone calls.)

Canadian Residents

Phone: +1 866 878 0192 (toll-free from Canada and the Continental U.S.); or
Phone: +1 416 646 3723 (collect from anywhere else in the world)

UK and Irish Residents

Phone: +44 20 7183 3751 (Call via an operator reverse charges*. Not toll free.)
Phone: 020 7183 3751 (from the UK)

U.S Residents

Telephone: +1-855-878-9588 (toll free within the US and Canada)
Telephone: +1-603-328-1329 (toll free outside the US and Canada)
Telephone: +1-603-328-1384 (Collect*)

Residents of all other countries

Phone:+45 70 23 24 61 (calls are not toll free. You can claim your itemized call costs)

My 6 Best tips for you

Here’s my best 6 simple tips:

Start your research by checking if you already have a travel insurance
Read the terms & conditions – carefully!
Always ask if in doubt! Don’t be too proud or shy to ask twice if needed.
Be honest on where you are and what you do
Document all of your valuables
Do not be an idiot

#1 You may already have insurance

Especially Europeans may already have a valid travel insurance.

And you may not need an extra one.

Or maybe you have one, but it is only valid for 30 days in a foreign country.

First things first: Call your current insurance and talk to them. If you are not covered, then consider World Nomads before purchasing something extra form your current provider.

World Nomads is highly experienced in travel. They actually know what to do in case something goes wrong, and can help you.

#2 Read the terms & conditions – carefully!

Whatever insurance you go for, it’s valuable, no, crucial to read them through.

Carefully! Do not just pick one for the peace of mind, without knowing what you just paid and what is covered, and what is NOT.

It may help to make a list of things you want to do before paying. Then go for the package that covers your adventures.

#3 Always ask if in doubt! Don’t be too proud or shy to ask twice if needed

Nobody expects you to understand every single line.

Ask your agent if anything is unclear. After all, you are the paying customer, and they are happy to help you. If you are too proud or too shy to ask, it could be really fire back on you.

What do we really like about this company?

You can contact an agent and ask everything that is not clear to you. No matter how “stupid” this question may sound to you, ask it! Do not leave anything unclear for you, you have to know what you are buying and what not.

Just let them know about your travel plans with details like

countries you plan to visit
your nationality
duration of your travels
planned activities

They will help you to find a suitable package for you. After all, this is what we did.

#4 Be honest on where you are and what you do

First of all be honest with yourself and do not pretend you will be chilling 4 weeks on the beach, when you actually want to dive, drive a motorbike, go skydiving and probably wrestle a shark.

It does not make sense to pay something that actually does not your cover your adventures.

Also, be honest when an accident happened.

Insurances have lots of experience, and if you have scratches all over the body and a broken bone in Thailand, they will probably not believe you when you say it was a cat…

Update : Worldnomads does not cover China now (4th of Aug 20). A user of our website was comparing prices, and it would not let him add China. So he went with safety wing. Please check this info before purchasing.

Per Worldnomad website when trying to enter the country; Sorry, we’re currently unable to provide cover for China.

#5: Document (your valuables and illness)

Whatever insurance you will be choosing in this world, when you have to claim something, you have to document all your valuables or illness.

When you have been sick, make sure you take a copy of your hospital bill or medication bill. You will need this. Best, fastest and easiest way to do this is with your phone and sending it to your emails. This way you have an instant backup.

In the unfortunate event something has been stolen, take a photo or make a copy of the official police report. Again, take a photo and send it to you via email.

Also, when your things got stolen, you have to provide receipts for all items.

You cannot go and claim a $3000 laptop without a receipt. I know, that is quite an annoying part. But sorry, quite necessary.

Read : Are hostels safe? 13 safety tips

Best way to do this : Document all your belongings before hitting the road. Unpack your final backpack or suitcase and take photos of all items with bill/ invoice if possible.

#6: Don’t be an idiot

Sorry, I do not mean to make you feel bad, but please please: Do not be an idiot .

Buying a travel insurance does not make you invincible or immortal. You won’t suddenly become a super hero that can drive the fastest motorbike in the world on a German highway with 350 kilometers per hour.

You cannot suddenly drive a motorbike with flips flops and without a helmet. You cannot suddenly fight a tiger!

Okay okay, your get my point.

I am only emphasizing this since we have seen so many travelers that experienced bad accidents. Especially in South East Asia. Once you travel around this area of the world, you will see many fellow travelers with many bad injuries…the moment you see it you know what I mean here.

Read : Big guide on 39 travel safety tips; both offline and online.

SafetyWing Insurance

SafetyWing is another option if you are traveling, specially if you are looking for a nomad insurance. It costs around $40 for the full month, so it is very affordable to begin with.

We wanted to test Safetywing for two reasons:

We can have our team of remote travel-ninjas insured
write another review for you, my dear reader!

However, and this is important, Safetywing and World Nomads are very different. More on that below.

We have now a full review of Safetywings . There we share our complete experience and compare it to World Nomads.

Here is our first impression.

The sign-up process was super smooth. I was really impressed by the simple and fun design. It seems like they do want to take away the complicated part getting insurance.

Now, that does not mean, insurance is suddenly easy. Always, and we mean, ALWAYS read what is exactly covered. We cannot state this enough!

Once you signed up, there a simple main screen with two tabs: either you can get your insurance or go to your profile. Make sure you fill out your profile completely. You have to fill out your citizenship, phone number, email address and your actual home country and mailing address.

The more interesting part however is the insurance tab.

Check how much your next trip could cost you in travel insurance. My upcoming 3 months trip to Colombia will be €121.44 (roughly $40 per month).

Update : We have used now Safetywing from December 2019 to March 2020. We had no accident so we had not to do a claim with Safetywing. However, since February and March the Coronavirus hit. We got constant updates on how they could evacuate us under what circumstances.

It did not apply to us since we have been to Mexico and there the situation was fine. We did not want to take any risks and paid our own flight back to Europe. The communication by Safetywing was great and useful.

Now, there is always two sides to a travel-related insurance. Under “ What’s included? ” you have all the details of medical and travel related insurance. They state:

SafetyWing covers you if you are suddenly in an accident or fall sick while you are outside your home country and need medical assistance.

Hospital Room and nursing services
Intensive care Up to the overall maximum limit.
Ambulance Usual, reasonable and customary charges when covered illness or injury results in hospitalization.
Urgent care $50 co-payment, not subject to deductible.
Physical therapy and chiropractic care Up to $50 per day. Must be ordered in advance by a physician.
Emergency dental Up to $1,000. Not subject to deductible.
All Other Eligible Medical Expenses Up to the overall maximum limit.
Notable exclusions · High risk sports activity · Pre-existing disease or injury · Cancer treatment

Unforeseen things can happen when you’re travelling. Includes coverage for travel delay, lost checked luggage, emergency response, natural disasters and personal liability.

Trip interruption Up to $5,000. No deductible.
Travel delay Up to $100 a day after a 12-hour delay period requiring an unplanned overnight stay. Subject to a maximum of 2 days. No deductible.
Lost checked luggage Up to $3,000 per certificate period; $500 per item. Up to $6,000 lifetime limit. No deductible.
Natural disaster — a new place to stay Up to $100 a day for 5 days. No deductible.
Political evacuation Up to $10,000 lifetime maximum. Not subject to deductible.
Emergency medical evacuation Up to $100,000 lifetime maximum. Not subject to deductible or overall maximum limit.

It all sounds very good, right? Read all the pros an cons of SafetyWing in our full review.

Difference between Safetywing vs HeyMondo

SafetyWing is best for <40 years demographic
For <40 years – especially as age and duration increases it becomes more expensive
For travelers of +50, World Nomads may be the better option
Prices for US travel insurance is noticeably higher with SafetyWing. The cover for travellers from outside US may be too low for some of their more expensive hospitals to accept entry
Aussie Rules
Hag Gliding
Ice Hockey (indoor only)
Kite Surfing
Martial Arts
Mountaineering +4500m
Quad Biking
Paragliding
Parachuting
Parasailing
White Water Rafting

You see, there is a big difference really. As always, I recommend having a closer look on what your insurance should cover.

When doing lots of kite surfing, then obviously you need an insurance covering that.

Is world nomads worth it?

A world nomads travel insurance is definitely always a good and safe idea!

Now, if World Nomads is worth it? If you actually need travel insurance, then YES!

I am not gonna lie to you, there are obviously more agencies offering this service. It’s important to mention this, because we want you make a good decision about this issue here.

But, here is the thing : A few insurance providers of our friends from Germany and Spain for instance cover certain activities and a time frame for traveling abroad. If you have an insurance that covers already your travel plans, then you do not need to get anything extra.

Please pay attention : Ask your actual health insurance first what is covered – and what is not!

Therefore, here is our action guide to insurance:

Call up your own health care in your country
What is covered?
What is not covered?
Do they have an own travel insurance?
Compare the prices and coverage with Worlds Nomads vs your own insurance

In our case our health insurance would have been the same price as World Nomads. We decided to go with World Nomads. Why? They have the experience! Our own health insurance was not really experienced with travelers around South East Asia. Inside Europe they were really experienced. Hence, we are Europeans. Yet, we wanted the coverage more for Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Quick real story : I twisted my knee and broke my meniscus in Bali.

Painful, very painful…VERY painful.

Needless to say I had to go to the hospital. The simple treatment (X-ray, crutches and pain killers) cost me whopping $350. The worst part? I had to pay it out of my own pocket. My insurance just expired after 4 months traveling. And I thought: Well, I never used it, I don’t need it…

Well, that backfired in many ways!

I was lucky though since it was “ only ” $350. Surgery and such could get easily in the thousands…

Not a staged photo: Matt in a wheelchair after the accident in Bali

And if that was not bad enough, I almost broke my arm in Vietnam.

Of course, it was a small motorbike accident. Luck was on my side, it was only a massive bruise for around 3 weeks.

My almost Broken Arm in Vietnam - Luck was on my side!

FAQ about World Nomads

Here we walk you a bit through common questions we had to ask ourselves before purchasing our first insurance.

If you have any other questions, please leave a comment below.

We would be happy to add this to the list so we all help with our fellow travelers to make a better choice.

Does World Nomads Travel insurance cover Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Yes, if it is a medical prescription. Kindly note if the country requires to quarantine until you get the results and you do not test positive it won't be covered.

Can you get insurance while already overseas?

Yes! You can get your health insurance whenever you want. You can also always extend.

How late can you buy travel insurance? Could you buy it after your accident?

You can buy your travel insurance whenever you want. There is a 3 days waiting period (72 hours) from the time you buy the policy until your cover starts. Basically, you cannot buy your world nomad insurance today and make a claim 10 minutes after. That does not work.

What about pre-existing medical conditions?

This policy changed in 2017 and is worth it to keep an eye on. Pre-existing conditions, unless they are controlled and stable, are not covered for

Trip Cancellation,
Trip Interruption,
Accidental Death and Dismemberment,
Emergency Sickness Medical Expense,
and Emergency Accident Medical Expenses.

World Nomads Claim - how does this work?

It could not be easier: do it online! If you're a World Nomads member (I recommend to register with them and have an account), you will just need to log in and follow the claims path. There is a tab for claiming your insurance. Here you also have to upload/ attach your supporting documents like medical statements, bills etc.

How long will it take to settle a claim?

Most claims with World Nomads take between 1 - 2 months to settle . It takes a while. But, this is normal for any insurance - whether it's your car insurance, health insurance, travel insurance. It does not matter.

Another very good question, how late can you actually buy travel insurance? And could you buy it after your accident?

You can buy your travel insurance whenever you want. There is a 3 days waiting period (72 hours) from the time you buy the policy until your cover starts.

Basically, you cannot buy your world nomad insurance today and make a claim 10 minutes after. That does not work.

This policy changed in 2017 and is worth it to keep an eye on.

Pre-existing conditions, unless they are controlled and stable, are not covered for

What is a pre-existing condition?

Pre-existing medical condition is where you, a member of your travelling party, a close relative or any other person upon whom your trip depends has, at the time of policy purchase:

An ongoing medical or dental condition, or related complication, the symptoms of which you are aware, or that is currently being or has been investigated by a medical practitioner, dentist or a chiropractor; and/or
a medical or dental condition for which advice, treatment or medication has been prescribed by a medical practitioner, dentist or a chiropractor within 180 days before you purchased your policy.

If this applies to you, then check with your agent directly.

Again, it is not worth it to lie about it. Be open and upfront with what you got, what you want. This, and only this, will pay off.

World Nomads Claim – how does this work?

It could not be easier: do it online!

If you’re a World Nomads member (I recommend to register with them and have an account), you will just need to log in and follow the claims path.

There is a tab for claiming your insurance.

Here you also have to upload/ attach your supporting documents like medical statements, bills etc. No worries, the claims path is easy. To settle any claim, you need to send in certain documentation. World Nomads Insurance strongly suggests that when you do this you take photocopies so that if items get lost in the mail, they can avoid further settlement delays.

Depending on the type of claim the documents can be:

Any reports or reference numbers obtained from the police,
hospitals or the responsible authority.
Proof of purchase for all lost, stolen or damaged items.
English translations of all documents (not required for UK/Irish residents).

Step 1 : complete submission of your claim online

Step 2 : get your documentation together

We already mentioned this. We recommend to document all your valuables before you hit the road. This makes things so much easier.

Step 3 : send in your documentation (everything is online, no post office or mail is needed!)

Now you only need to keep an eye on your account in World Nomads. The agent might get back to you with further questions or requests for other documents (if needed).

Important : Always get the bills and official documents from the doctor, hospital, police! Again, take a photo with your phone and send it to you via email.

They have the support 24/7 and all year around. You are covered!

It takes a while. But, this is normal for any insurance – whether it’s your car insurance, health insurance, travel insurance. It does not matter.

Most claims with World Nomads take between 1 – 2 months to settle.

Others can take longer than that. This often depends on how quickly you can get the required documents, answer further questions etc, as stated above.

Important : No insurance in this world can instantly resolve your claim.

This is almost impossible since there are a few steps an insurance company has to follow before they can reimburse you for instance.

You can buy your insurance on a monthly basis. Once it expires, or actually before it expires, you will get notified via email.

You can always extend your insurance. All you have to do is to log into your account, and choose your package again. You can always upgrade and downgrade. This is up to you.

Real-Life Claims with World Nomads

When it comes to insurance, usually there is some big story behind we all want to avoid.

In a recent podcast, World Nomads featured an interview with a teacher who survived a gas station explosion in Cambodia with life threatening injuries. Her first hand account of how the World Nomads EA team helped her (even flying out her Mum to be with her in the process) is extremely eye opening!

Alternatives to World Nomad

Is world nomads good travel insurance? Yes it really is, we experienced it first-hand.

Yet, I am not going to pretend World Nomads is the only travel insurance in the world. There is obviously many agencies, like BMC Travel insurance, True Traveller Insurance, IMG Patriot, Orbit protect insurance. There is also cheaper travel insurance than world nomads.

Update : As mentioned before, we have a full review of Safetywings .

Make also sure you read our detailed review of Heymondo . One of the better alternatives to World Nomads.

Make a difference: Donation

Just on a side-note, I would like to mention the NGOs World Nomads works with that you can support.

Giving a little back to the communities in which we travel is the right thing to do. So far World Nomads customers have raised over $2 Million. 100% of all donations go to the program you choose.

During your process of purchase you can choose between 3 programs to support. You can donate between $0 and $10. You can also decide not do donate, no worries!

Donation with World Nomads Health Insurance

Why is Travel Insurance so complicated?

First of all, everything around insurance is complicated.

It is only in rare cases you can get an insurance and EVERYTHING is covered under all circumstances, whatsoever.

The world of travel insurance is even a bit more complicated, if you will, because it all depends on your nationality. There is different rules for US Citizens, for Spaniards, for Australians, for Africans, well, for everyone actually.

When visiting World Nomads for instance, you have to choose your own country first to see what is covered in your case.

What if something gets stolen?

Here is what World Nomads states for US Citizens, for instance:

There’s cover to claim up to the policy limits if:

luggage and personal effects are stolen, accidentally damaged or lost on your trip.
checked-in bag is stolen, lost or damaged by a common carrier (like an airline or bus company).
travel documents, traveler’s checks or passport are stolen, accidentally lost or used fraudulently.
sporting equipment when lost by the carrier or if it’s damaged (while not in use) or stolen.

The maximum amount you can claim for all your belongings and personal effects is $3,000 per insured person with a maximum claim amount of $500 per item for an Explorer policy; or $1,000 per insured person with a maximum claim amount of $500 per item for a Standard policy.

This means as well if something gets stolen in your hostel, this would be covered. Just the amount of cash is the remaining question.

Especially when traveling with a laptop, the Explorer Package is the better option.

Travel insurance cover for baggage and personal effects

Last notes about Budget Travel and saving money

We know, Budget Travel means you save money wherever you can.

Finding the cheapest flights, hotels, hostels, activities, free things to do…you name it! Backpacking is fun, traveling is a lifetime experience. The more borders you cross, the better.

Yet, there are a few things that are really essential. I remember in a forum a traveler once asked “ Do I really need vaccinations? “.

There is really a limit to saving money; risking your health is out of limit.

The most important thing you have: Is your Health!

Not having an insurance can really bite you in the a**. And I have to say again, please to not be an idiot. Yet, that goes with and without insurance!

Read : 10 most common backpacker mistakes

We are not trying to make you afraid, it will be your final decision. But we want to give you a few tips on the hand on WHY insurance makes sense, but also HOW you can avoid stupid accidents and limit the risk.

The most important thing you have: your Health!

Why do I mention this?

We have seen quite some crazy people not caring a bit about their health.

That girl that wanted to save money on essential vaccinations, but traveling to exotic destinations.
That hostel girl we met in Lombok that had a terrible scooter accident in Bikini and shorts – and was bleeding all over. No bone was cracked, but she had a “ souvenir ” for the net 6 months, this is my guess on how long her skin needs to recover
That guy in Vietnam who drove a motorcycle in Flip Flops and then wondered why his feet got burned….
That guy in Chiang Mai driving a motorbike without a helmet
This girl in Bali that passed out drunk as a monkey on the beach and got everything in her pockets stolen.

You see, there’s a few things you can limit.

The best insurance is the one you will never need, but is always there!

I am not trying to scare you. Again, this is a genuine article. Whenever I write an article for our readers, I only give recommendations I would give my sister.

Over to you

Do you have any questions? Anything unclear?

Please leave us a comment below.

We would be keen to help, and we would love to make this review even better.

Also, we would love to hear your own review of World Nomads Insurance. Have you had any experiences? How did you use it?

We would love to have you on board and hear your positive and negative feedback.

Just leave a comment and let us know! We want your real experiences with the company! Please remember to use proper language. If your review of World Nomads has bad language, we cannot publish it. And again, we want your actual experience. It will help the whole travel community!

What’s next?

We collected for you the most amazing hostels in the world; from wineries to castles, island retreats and monumental buildings.

Check out as well the best hostels in the world, the 5 Star Hostels .

Here is more reviews of our favorite travel platforms:

Our favorite ways to find flights – Skyscanner in review
Who to fly with? Qatar Airways in review and Etihad from Abu Dhabi
HeyMondo Travel insurance review – is it legit?
SafetyWing travel insurance – pros and cons
Hostelworld in review – how to use it properly
Get Your Guide – the best platform for booking tours?
Klook.com – ideal for finding global experiences
Onward Ticket – save money, time & stress at the airport
Omio – book travel transport easily & save money

Safe travels and take care, The Hostelgeeks

– – – pin it for later

World Nomads Travel Insurance - A quick look behind the infamous topic of Insurance

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✏️ Read our Editorial Guidelines

MASSIVE LOOPHOLE WARNING Conditions that are “similar”, but unrelated to, a condition that was subject to a previous claim ARE NOT COVERED. Here is an example, in their own words:

I would be happy to share their emails to me for posting on this site.

This is a shocking and appalling loophole, especially for a policy that is marketed towards long term travellers, who are likely to get separate but “similar conditions” – such as stomach issues, the most common travelers’ ailment. This company is unethical and anyone who promotes it without mentioning this loophole is irresponsible. I can only assume they didn’t know. World Nomads will not provide any further details on how they define a “similar condition”. Of course they don’t issue any refunds after policy holders have discovered this loophole the hard way – it certainly is not explicitly stated anywhere in the policy!! I have confirmed this loophole multiple times, so I know it wasn’t just one agent giving incorrect information.

Thanks for sharing, AJ!

Agree with other commenters. They outsource to Trip Mate, who then refuse to pay. Was assured by the WN rep by phone that I was eligible for trip delay/trip interruption coverage. Now I’m left on the hook for expenses he assured would be covered. World Nomads are scammers who simply take your money and do nothing in an actual emergency.

YEP! World Nomads is awful. Just got my policy and they PUT THE WRONG DATES! I get an email saying “Welcome home” when I haven’t even left for my trip.

Tried calling, emailing, texting, etc – no response. Impossible to even leave a message.

This is odd! I strongly believe there’s a solution for this! Please keep us all posted to this, pretty sure many travelers are curious to know!

Wish you all the best, Matt

WORLD NOMADS IS THE WORST!

I”VE WRITTEN WORLD NOMADS FIVE TIMES AND CALLED SIX. NO RESPONSE! THEY ARE NOT EVEN TAKING MESSAGES THEY ARE SO DISORGANZED.

IS THIS REALLY WHAT YOU WANT IN AN EMERGENCY???

I forwarded your email, name and comment to the one contact I have with World Nomads.

Guess what World Nomads is the worst! And not because people can’t read about Covid in the policy. No problem with that I’m an attorney and can read just fine. They outsource the insurance to TripMate which is one of the worst companies on the web. The policy clearly states they cover travel providers that go bankrupt.

I have tickets on the bankrupt South African Airlines and the as not required anywhere in the contract they want proof that the tickets have been canceled by a company out of business that does not answer its phone. This is not required by the contract. They are just flat out not paying anyone!

When you try to call or email World Nomads, they don’t answer, don’t resolve, don’t provide any service at all!

You are wrong and no doubt getting paid as an affiliate to help everyone get scammed!

Hey Judith,

Sorry to hear that. Personally never had the case of an airline going bankrupt. Airhelp is a solid resource for more information. Hopefully that helps!

The policy clearly states they cover travel providers that go bankrupt. Well, I would say it makes that they need some official paper stating that the airline went bankrupt. That being said, it makes sense that you as a customer can get some official information on this. The question is: How? I just checked quickly. Yeah, does not seem like an easy task…

I sent your email to the contact we have at World Nomads. They are certainly not a scam, as you stated in your comment. I’ll drop you an email now with some more information!

Take care, Matt

Avoid buying from this company “World Nomads” for your future travels they are not honoring our claims with many hidden exclusion clause. e.g. pandemic or epidemic will not be covered during your travels. If your claims doesnt exceed certain limit also is an issue to make a claim. Even referring to independent travel insurance to review your claim but still does not help. Feeling angry and cheated.

Thanks for sharing your first-hand experience with World Nomads, Randall! Always valuable to hear more stories and experiences! Sorry to hear you had a bad experience! Matt

I do not understand the hatred of these comments. I had a case with world nomads in Barcelona, my backpack got stolen. Everything got solved and got my money. It took some time to get the money, but I got it. I’d say world nomads is like any insurance, they take their sweet time.

Hey Lora, Thanks for sharing your own experience! Matt

In the beginning of february I enquired three times World Nomads regarding what was covered related to Coronavirus in Cambodia and Vietnam and NEVER got an answer. Then my travel companion got injured 12 days before departure and we had to cancel, we where travelling together, same airplane tickets bought together, same hotels room etc. One claim, the one of the injured was payed after one month, and I’m still struggling to get the refund. The person following my claim namely Andrew is different from the one that followed my sister claim and this is very unprofessional disorganization, two answer for the same documents is not a good message of thrus. Simply the non pay policytactic is to drive people crazy with request like asking to the Air line that got me a refund is I’m also entitled to a tax refund…. or ask to the air line if the clearly not refundable fare is refundable etc. Or asking if i can confirm math of ticket cost minus refund……. Look for a more professional company avoid World Nomads if you don’t want to lose money and time.

Hey Cristina, Thanks for sharing your own experience! Matt

We used World Nomad for a 3 week trip to Europe. They wouldn’t cover any of our costs after world pandemic cancellations. We bought the most expensive plan and they wouldn’t even return our calls or answer emails. They are a complete scam.

World Nomads is an absolute scam of a company and I think you should remove this article. Go online to their twitter or Facebook or any social media page and read the horrible stories. I have one myself and I will never buy insurance from them again.

Hey Jennifer, Thanks for sharing your opinion! Matt

World Nomads is not a good company. I have made a claim with them 3 weeks ago, and called them numerous times, emailed them at serviceUSA[at]worldnomads.com and filled out their website form numerous times, wondering why my claim hasn’t been processed. I cut my hand in Malaysia and needed stitches.

They refuse to call me back, contact me, and I feel they have just taken my money. Save your money and find another company. This is disgraceful and sure, having insurance is smart while on a trip, however, if they don’t pay or even contact you, what’s the point. My trip got canceled due to Corona Virus and they won’t address whether I am getting the 6 weeks I am not traveling anymore on reimbursement either.

Sorry to hear that! I am completely surprised because I never heard they do not even get back in contact with you. Did you try to login and check in your profile? There should be the claiming process specified and current status. Sending you an email now!

Stay healthy, Matt

I had a medical emergency in South Africa early February that resulted in 10.000 NZ Dollars of bills….emergency team in Oz were amazing….they checked with my GP in New Zealand to make sure I did not have a pre existing condition then once I had forked out the 10 grand (in South Africa you pay upfront for everything from Scans to Anaesthesia to Surgery) they sent me an email to say all my medical bills will be covered and did I want Nomads to pay the hospiral bill but id already paid it. Since lodging my claim on 14 Feb and answering one question they do not reply to my emails asking for an update on when I will be paid out. I have the email confirming my medical bills will be paid so I do not understand why they are not responding to my emails regarding payment….I have already been approved and have a legit email from Nomads to say exactly this so I do beleive they are now using stalling tactics. Im ten grand out of pocket and im still sick…iv had further hospitalization home in New Zealand which fortunately is free but having this financial burden has put me under a lot of stress. Il defs keep you posted if and when I get paid out so heres hoping there is a positive outcome to my claim!!

Thanks a lot for sharing, Cheryl!!! Keep us in the loop, dropping you an email now! Matt

Does World Nomads offer “Cancel for Any Reasons” package as an optional upgrade?

Not that I am aware of, never seen this option! You always pre-pay for your trip, there is no automatic subscription charge. They do send you a reminder though if you want to renew/ extend your travel insurance with World Nomads.

Hope that helps, Matt

I had my luggage and valuables stolen in the train at Barcelona. Made a claim in accordance with their instructions and submitted all required documentation which took a very long time. They required further information and/or documentation until they come across one which you cannot produce, at which point they refuse assess your claim and do not pay you. They took an average of 10 working days to reply to each of my emails (which is the maximum time requirement for them to reply to you). In my case, they are now refusing to assess my claim as I cannot submit my train ticket which was inside the stolen luggage. This is ridiculous. I cannot stress enough for any potential customers to avoid World Nomads at all costs. It is very easy to pay for the travel insurance with World Nomads as is the process to make a claim because their website is very easy to use. However, the claim process takes a very long time, and in the end, if you are not frustrated into giving up the claim, they always find a way to not settle the claim and do not pay out. If this is not an example of a scam, I don’t know what is. Please read the other reviews very carefully – most of the good reviews on World Nomads is in regards to how easy it is for you to use their website to pay and make a claim, not getting your claim paid out.

Thanks for a lot for sharing your first-hand experience and claim with World Nomads Travel Insurance. That must be frustrating indeed! I hope you can still resolve it! Thanks again for sharing this, I am sure this is very helpful for many readers! Yeah, Barcelona is a pain with the pick-pocketing-problem. I apologize for my home town 🙁

Very disappointed I’ve been travelling around the world for 30 years and the first time I make a travel insurance claim, having purchased trip insurance from World Nomads, they refuse to pay for a wisdom tooth extraction I had whilst on holiday. If this dental work had not been done the pain would have ruined my whole trip. Seriously, if they are not prepared to pay for this what about something more serious? How can you have confidence or trust in an organisation who will endeavour to weasel out of paying for even straightforward things?

Thanks a lot for your feedback. Which insurance package did you get? Did it mention anything about dental? Will drop you an email!

All the best, Matt

I had to file three claims with world nomads… the first was for a simple doctors visit for a parasite infection. World Nomads, or Tripmate, or Nationwide, or whatever umbrella company you want to call them by, eventually paid me back.

The Second two claims were for an accidental damage claim for a lens that broke when I fell while hiking. For that one they EVENTUALLY approved my claim and “sent” me a check that never arrived. I have been trying to get it re-issued and to get my $700 refund for a year and a half with no luck.

My third claim was for emergency dental for teeth broken in the same fall. They did not respond to my claim, or my request for emergency assistance. They delayed for more than two weeks until after my claim expired. (I extended my policy before it expired). Two days after my original policy expired they responded to tell me that because my policy had expired they would not cover me beyond the end date, and that the extension was a new policy and considered it a pre-existing condition.

Hey Tristan,

Thanks a lot for sharing your first-hand experience, very helpful! Matt

I also have to second the mechanical problems thing too. I was delayed 24 hrs because of technical issues on my way to New Zealand. We missed our connecting flights and had to buy new ones. I was informed the only reason I would receive coverage is if the airline delay was due to 1. the workers at the airport striking (what??) 2. weather causing a 24 hour or more delay. Seems like a completely ridiculous loop hole to me.

uff, agreed, not very cool! Let me check back with them, I will drop you an email! Matt

We used World Nomads just recently for a 1-month trip to Europe and discovered after the fact that they do NOT cover travel delays when the airline company cancels your flight due to mechanical or technical problems. It happened to us…and we are out $1500 for a new flight, loss of one night’s hotel in Amsterdam, and non-refundable museum tickets from the 30-hour delay. The only thing World Nomads covered was a meal in the airport. The representatives were kind in explaining this, but the “mechanical problem” exception was nowhere to be found in the contract or website. Just an FYI…

Thanks for that, very interesting! So the Airline canceled and did not refund? This is so odd. You should get in touch with the Airline directly. At least in Europe, customers are well protected when it comes to flight cancellations and delays. World Nomads should have also covered a part. Not sure which package you got. Will drop you an email 🙂

Thanks again for your super helpful comment, always appreciated! Safe travels, Matt

Super helpful, cheers. Was not sure about bali. Will be in Bali for 2 weeks and planning to rent a scooter and to hike the volcanoes. Will this be covered too? So confusing topic…

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The best travel insurance policies and providers

It's easy to dismiss the value of travel insurance until you need it.

Many travelers have strong opinions about whether you should buy travel insurance . However, the purpose of this post isn't to determine whether it's worth investing in. Instead, it compares some of the top travel insurance providers and policies so you can determine which travel insurance option is best for you.

Of course, as the coronavirus remains an ongoing concern, it's important to understand whether travel insurance covers pandemics. Some policies will cover you if you're diagnosed with COVID-19 and have proof of illness from a doctor. Others will take coverage a step further, covering additional types of pandemic-related expenses and cancellations.

Know, though, that every policy will have exclusions and restrictions that may limit coverage. For example, fear of travel is generally not a covered reason for invoking trip cancellation or interruption coverage, while specific stipulations may apply to elevated travel warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Interested in travel insurance? Visit InsureMyTrip.com to shop for plans that may fit your travel needs.

So, before buying a specific policy, you must understand the full terms and any special notices the insurer has about COVID-19. You may even want to buy the optional cancel for any reason add-on that's available for some comprehensive policies. While you'll pay more for that protection, it allows you to cancel your trip for any reason and still get some of your costs back. Note that this benefit is time-sensitive and has other eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

In this guide, we'll review several policies from top travel insurance providers so you have a better understanding of your options before picking the policy and provider that best address your wants and needs.

The best travel insurance providers

To put together this list of the best travel insurance providers, a number of details were considered: favorable ratings from TPG Lounge members, the availability of details about policies and the claims process online, positive online ratings and the ability to purchase policies in most U.S. states. You can also search for options from these (and other) providers through an insurance comparison site like InsureMyTrip .

When comparing insurance providers, I priced out a single-trip policy for each provider for a $2,000, one-week vacation to Istanbul . I used my actual age and state of residence when obtaining quotes. As a result, you may see a different price — or even additional policies due to regulations for travel insurance varying from state to state — when getting a quote.

AIG Travel Guard

AIG Travel Guard receives many positive reviews from readers in the TPG Lounge who have filed claims with the company. AIG offers three plans online, which you can compare side by side, and the ability to examine sample policies. Here are three plans for my sample trip to Turkey.

AIG Travel Guard also offers an annual travel plan. This plan is priced at $259 per year for one Florida resident.

Additionally, AIG Travel Guard offers several other policies, including a single-trip policy without trip cancellation protection . See AIG Travel Guard's COVID-19 notification and COVID-19 advisory for current details regarding COVID-19 coverage.

Preexisting conditions

Typically, AIG Travel Guard wouldn't cover you for any loss or expense due to a preexisting medical condition that existed within 180 days of the coverage effective date. However, AIG Travel Guard may waive the preexisting medical condition exclusion on some plans if you meet the following conditions:

You purchase the plan within 15 days of your initial trip payment.
The amount of coverage you purchase equals all trip costs at the time of purchase. You must update your coverage to insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements that you add to your trip within 15 days of paying the travel supplier for these additional arrangements.
You must be medically able to travel when you purchase your plan.

Standout features

The Deluxe and Preferred plans allow you to purchase an upgrade that lets you cancel your trip for any reason. However, reimbursement under this coverage will not exceed 50% or 75% of your covered trip cost.
You can include one child (age 17 and younger) with each paying adult for no additional cost on most single-trip plans.
Other optional upgrades, including an adventure sports bundle, a baggage bundle, an inconvenience bundle, a pet bundle, a security bundle and a wedding bundle, are available on some policies. So, an AIG Travel Guard plan may be a good choice if you know you want extra coverage in specific areas.

Purchase your policy here: AIG Travel Guard .

Allianz Travel Insurance

Allianz is one of the most highly regarded providers in the TPG Lounge, and many readers found the claim process reasonable. Allianz offers many plans, including the following single-trip plans for my sample trip to Turkey.

If you travel frequently, it may make sense to purchase an annual multi-trip policy. For this plan, all of the maximum coverage amounts in the table below are per trip (except for the trip cancellation and trip interruption amounts, which are an aggregate limit per policy). Trips typically must last no more than 45 days, although some plans may cover trips of up to 90 days.

See Allianz's coverage alert for current information on COVID-19 coverage.

Most Allianz travel insurance plans may cover preexisting medical conditions if you meet particular requirements. For the OneTrip Premier, Prime and Basic plans, the requirements are as follows:

You purchased the policy within 14 days of the date of the first trip payment or deposit.
You were a U.S. resident when you purchased the policy.
You were medically able to travel when you purchased the policy.
On the policy purchase date, you insured the total, nonrefundable cost of your trip (including arrangements that will become nonrefundable or subject to cancellation penalties before your departure date). If you incur additional nonrefundable trip expenses after purchasing this policy, you must insure them within 14 days of their purchase.
Allianz offers reasonably priced annual policies for independent travelers and families who take multiple trips lasting up to 45 days (or 90 days for select plans) per year.
Some Allianz plans provide the option of receiving a flat reimbursement amount without receipts for trip delay and baggage delay claims. Of course, you can also submit receipts to get up to the maximum refund.
For emergency transportation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Allianz, and Allianz must then make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, most Allianz policies provide an option if you cannot contact the company: Allianz will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Allianz Travel Insurance .

American Express Travel Insurance

American Express Travel Insurance offers four different package plans and a build-your-own coverage option. You don't have to be an American Express cardholder to purchase this insurance. Here are the four package options for my sample weeklong trip to Turkey. Unlike some other providers, Amex won't ask for your travel destination on the initial quote (but will when you purchase the plan).

Amex's build-your-own coverage plan is unique because you can purchase just the coverage you need. For most types of protection, you can even select the coverage amount that works best for you.

The prices for the packages and the build-your-own plan don't increase for longer trips — as long as the trip cost remains constant. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit is only available for your first 60 days of travel.

Typically, Amex won't cover any loss you incur because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. However, Amex may waive its preexisting-condition exclusion if you meet both of the following requirements:

You must be medically able to travel at the time you pay the policy premium.
You pay the policy premium within 14 days of making the first covered trip deposit.
Amex's build-your-own coverage option allows you to only purchase — and pay for — the coverage you need.
Coverage on long trips doesn't cost more than coverage for short trips, making this policy ideal for extended getaways. However, the emergency medical and dental benefit only covers your first 60 days of travel.
American Express Travel Insurance can protect travel expenses you purchase with Amex Membership Rewards points in the Pay with Points program (as well as travel expenses bought with cash, debit or credit). However, travel expenses bought with other types of points and miles aren't covered.

Purchase your policy here: American Express Travel Insurance .

GeoBlue is different from most other providers described in this piece because it only provides medical coverage while you're traveling internationally and does not offer benefits to protect the cost of your trip. There are many different policies. Some require you to have primary health insurance in the U.S. (although it doesn't need to be provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield), but all of them only offer coverage while traveling outside the U.S.

Two single-trip plans are available if you're traveling for six months or less. The Voyager Choice policy provides coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger and already have a U.S. health insurance policy.

The Voyager Essential policy provides coverage (including medical evacuation for a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition) for trips outside the U.S. to travelers who are 95 or younger, regardless of whether they have primary health insurance.

In addition to these options, two multi-trip plans cover trips of up to 70 days each for one year. Both policies provide coverage (including medical services and medical evacuation for preexisting conditions) to travelers with primary health insurance.

Be sure to check out GeoBlue's COVID-19 notices before buying a plan.

Most GeoBlue policies explicitly cover sudden recurrences of preexisting conditions for medical services and medical evacuation.

GeoBlue can be an excellent option if you're mainly concerned about the medical side of travel insurance.
GeoBlue provides single-trip, multi-trip and long-term medical travel insurance policies for many different types of travel.

Purchase your policy here: GeoBlue .

IMG offers various travel medical insurance policies for travelers, as well as comprehensive travel insurance policies. For a single trip of 90 days or less, there are five policy types available for vacation or holiday travelers. Although you must enter your gender, males and females received the same quote for my one-week search.

You can purchase an annual multi-trip travel medical insurance plan. Some only cover trips lasting up to 30 or 45 days, but others provide coverage for longer trips.

See IMG's page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Most plans may cover preexisting conditions under set parameters or up to specific amounts. For example, the iTravelInsured Travel LX travel insurance plan shown above may cover preexisting conditions if you purchase the insurance within 24 hours of making the final payment for your trip.

For the travel medical insurance plans shown above, preexisting conditions are covered for travelers younger than 70. However, coverage is capped based on your age and whether you have a primary health insurance policy.

Some annual multi-trip plans are modestly priced.
iTravelInsured Travel LX may offer optional cancel for any reason and interruption for any reason coverage, if eligible.

Purchase your policy here: IMG .

Travelex Insurance

Travelex offers three single-trip plans: Travel Basic, Travel Select and Travel America. However, only the Travel Basic and Travel Select plans would be applicable for my trip to Turkey.

See Travelex's COVID-19 coverage statement for coronavirus-specific information.

Typically, Travelex won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition that existed within 60 days of the coverage effective date. However, the Travel Select plan may offer a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, the insured traveler must meet all the following conditions:

You purchase the plan within 15 days of the initial trip payment.
The amount of coverage purchased equals all prepaid, nonrefundable payments or deposits applicable to the trip at the time of purchase. Additionally, you must insure the costs of any subsequent arrangements added to the same trip within 15 days of payment or deposit.
All insured individuals are medically able to travel when they pay the plan cost.
The trip cost does not exceed the maximum trip cost limit under trip cancellation as shown in the schedule per person (only applicable to trip cancellation, interruption and delay).
Travelex's Travel Select policy can cover trips lasting up to 364 days, which is longer than many single-trip policies.
Neither Travelex policy requires receipts for trip and baggage delay expenses less than $25.
For emergency evacuation coverage, you or someone on your behalf must contact Travelex and have Travelex make all transportation arrangements in advance. However, both Travelex policies provide an option if you cannot contact Travelex: Travelex will pay up to what it would have paid if it had made the arrangements.

Purchase your policy here: Travelex Insurance .

Seven Corners

Seven Corners offers a wide variety of policies. Here are the policies that are most applicable to travelers on a single international trip.

Seven Corners also offers many other types of travel insurance, including an annual multi-trip plan. You can choose coverage for trips of up to 30, 45 or 60 days when purchasing an annual multi-trip plan.

See Seven Corner's page on COVID-19 for additional policy information as it relates to coronavirus-related claims.

Typically, Seven Corners won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition. However, the RoundTrip Choice plan offers a preexisting condition exclusion waiver. To be eligible for this waiver, you must meet all of the following conditions:

You buy this plan within 20 days of making your initial trip payment or deposit.
You or your travel companion are medically able and not disabled from travel when you pay for this plan or upgrade your plan.
You update the coverage to include the additional cost of subsequent travel arrangements within 15 days of paying your travel supplier for them.
Seven Corners offers the ability to purchase optional sports and golf equipment coverage. If purchased, this extra insurance will reimburse you for the cost of renting sports or golf equipment if yours is lost, stolen, damaged or delayed by a common carrier for six or more hours. However, Seven Corners must authorize the expenses in advance.
You can add cancel for any reason coverage or trip interruption for any reason coverage to RoundTrip plans. Although some other providers offer cancel for any reason coverage, trip interruption for any reason coverage is less common.
Seven Corners' RoundTrip Choice policy offers a political or security evacuation benefit that will transport you to the nearest safe place or your residence under specific conditions. You can also add optional event ticket registration fee protection to the RoundTrip Choice policy.

Purchase your policy here: Seven Corners .

World Nomads

World Nomads is popular with younger, active travelers because of its flexibility and adventure-activities coverage on the Explorer plan. Unlike many policies offered by other providers, you don't need to estimate prepaid costs when purchasing the insurance to have access to trip interruption and cancellation insurance.

World Nomads offers two single-trip plans.

World Nomads has a page dedicated to coronavirus coverage , so be sure to view it before buying a policy.

World Nomads won't cover losses incurred because of a preexisting medical condition (except emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains) that existed within 90 days of the coverage effective date. Unlike many other providers, World Nomads doesn't offer a waiver.

World Nomads' policies cover more adventure sports than most providers, so activities such as bungee jumping are included. The Explorer policy covers almost any adventure sport, including skydiving, stunt flying and caving. So, if you partake in adventure sports while traveling, the Explorer policy may be a good fit.
World Nomads' policies provide nonmedical evacuation coverage for transportation expenses if there is civil or political unrest in the country you are visiting. The coverage may also transport you home if there is an eligible natural disaster or a government expels you.

Purchase your policy here: World Nomads .

Other options for buying travel insurance

This guide details the policies of eight providers with the information available at the time of publication. There are many options when it comes to travel insurance, though. To compare different policies quickly, you can use a travel insurance aggregator like InsureMyTrip to search. Just note that these search engines won't show every policy and every provider, and you should still research the provided policies to ensure the coverage fits your trip and needs.

You can also purchase a plan through various membership associations, such as USAA, AAA or Costco. Typically, these organizations partner with a specific provider, so if you are a member of any of these associations, you may want to compare the policies offered through the organization with other policies to get the best coverage for your trip.

Related: Should you get travel insurance if you have credit card protection?

Is travel insurance worth getting?

Whether you should purchase travel insurance is a personal decision. Suppose you use a credit card that provides travel insurance for most of your expenses and have medical insurance that provides adequate coverage abroad. In that case, you may be covered enough on most trips to forgo purchasing travel insurance.

However, suppose your medical insurance won't cover you at your destination and you can't comfortably cover a sizable medical evacuation bill or last-minute flight home . In that case, you should consider purchasing travel insurance. If you travel frequently, buying an annual multi-trip policy may be worth it.

What is the best COVID-19 travel insurance?

There are various aspects to keep in mind in the age of COVID-19. Consider booking travel plans that are fully refundable or have modest change or cancellation fees so you don't need to worry about whether your policy will cover trip cancellation. This is important since many standard comprehensive insurance policies won't reimburse your insured expenses in the event of cancellation if it's related to the fear of traveling due to COVID-19.

However, if you book a nonrefundable trip and want to maintain the ability to get reimbursed (up to 75% of your insured costs) if you choose to cancel, you should consider buying a comprehensive travel insurance policy and then adding optional cancel for any reason protection. Just note that this benefit is time-sensitive and has eligibility requirements, so not all travelers will qualify.

Providers will often require CFAR purchasers insure the entire dollar amount of their travels to receive the coverage. Also, many CFAR policies mandate that you must cancel your plans and notify all travel suppliers at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure.

Likewise, if your primary health insurance won't cover you while on your trip, it's essential to consider whether medical expenses related to COVID-19 treatment are covered. You may also want to consider a MedJet medical transport membership if your trip is to a covered destination for coronavirus-related evacuation.

Ultimately, the best pandemic travel insurance policy will depend on your trip details, travel concerns and your willingness to self-insure. Just be sure to thoroughly read and understand any terms or exclusions before purchasing.

What are the different types of travel insurance?

Whether you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy or rely on the protections offered by select credit cards, you may have access to the following types of coverage:

Baggage delay protection may reimburse for essential items and clothing when a common carrier (such as an airline) fails to deliver your checked bag within a set time of your arrival at a destination. Typically, you may be reimbursed up to a particular amount per incident or per day.
Lost/damaged baggage protection may provide reimbursement to replace lost or damaged luggage and items inside that luggage. However, valuables and electronics usually have a relatively low maximum benefit.
Trip delay reimbursement may provide reimbursement for necessary items, food, lodging and sometimes transportation when you're delayed for a substantial time while traveling on a common carrier such as an airline. This insurance may be beneficial if weather issues (or other covered reasons for which the airline usually won't provide compensation) delay you.
Trip cancellation and interruption protection may provide reimbursement if you need to cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason, such as a death in your family or jury duty.
Medical evacuation insurance can arrange and pay for medical evacuation if deemed necessary by the insurance provider and a medical professional. This coverage can be particularly valuable if you're traveling to a region with subpar medical facilities.
Travel accident insurance may provide a payment to you or your beneficiary in the case of your death or dismemberment.
Emergency medical insurance may provide payment or reimburse you if you must seek medical care while traveling. Some plans only cover emergency medical care, but some also cover other types of medical care. You may need to pay a deductible or copay.
Rental car coverage may provide a collision damage waiver when renting a car. This waiver may reimburse for collision damage or theft up to a set amount. Some policies also cover loss-of-use charges assessed by the rental company and towing charges to take the vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility. You generally need to decline the rental company's collision damage waiver or similar provision to be covered.

Should I buy travel health insurance?

If you purchase travel with credit cards that provide various trip protections, you may not see much need for additional travel insurance. However, you may still wonder whether you should buy travel medical insurance.

If your primary health insurance covers you on your trip, you may not need travel health insurance. Your domestic policy may not cover you outside the U.S., though, so it's worth calling the number on your health insurance card if you have coverage questions. If your primary health insurance wouldn't cover you, it's likely worth purchasing travel medical insurance. After all, as you can see above, travel medical insurance is often very modestly priced.

How much does travel insurance cost?

Travel insurance costs depend on various factors, including the provider, the type of coverage, your trip cost, your destination, your age, your residency and how many travelers you want to insure. That said, a standard travel insurance plan will generally set you back somewhere between 4% and 10% of your total trip cost. However, this can get lower for more basic protections or become even higher if you include add-ons like cancel for any reason protection.

The best way to determine how much travel insurance will cost is to price out your trip with a few providers discussed in the guide. Or, visit an insurance aggregator like InsureMyTrip to quickly compare options across multiple providers.

When and how to get travel insurance

For the most robust selection of available travel insurance benefits — including time-sensitive add-ons like CFAR protection and waivers of preexisting conditions for eligible travelers — you should ideally purchase travel insurance on the same day you make your first payment toward your trip.

However, many plans may still offer a preexisting conditions waiver for those who qualify if you buy your travel insurance within 14 to 21 days of your first trip expense or deposit (this time frame may vary by provider). If you don't need a preexisting conditions waiver or aren't interested in CFAR coverage, you can purchase travel insurance once your departure date nears.

You must purchase coverage before it's needed. Some travel medical plans are available for purchase after you have departed, but comprehensive plans that include medical coverage must be purchased before departing.

Additionally, you can't buy any medical coverage once you require medical attention. The same applies to all travel insurance coverage. Once you recognize the need, it's too late to protect your trip.

Once you've shopped around and decided upon the best travel insurance plan for your trip, you should be able to complete your purchase online. You'll usually be able to download your insurance card and the complete policy shortly after the transaction is complete.

Related: 7 times your credit card's travel insurance might not cover you

Bottom line

Not all travel insurance policies and providers are equal. Before buying a plan, read and understand the policy documents. By doing so, you can choose a plan that's appropriate for you and your trip — including the features that matter most to you.

For example, if you plan to go skiing or rock climbing, make sure the policy you buy doesn't contain exclusions for these activities. Likewise, if you're making two back-to-back trips during which you'll be returning home for a short time in between, be sure the plan doesn't terminate coverage at the end of your first trip.

If you're looking to cover a sudden recurrence of a preexisting condition, select a policy with a preexisting condition waiver and fulfill the requirements for the waiver. After all, buying insurance won't help if your policy doesn't cover your losses.

Disclaimer : This information is provided by IMT Services, LLC ( InsureMyTrip.com ), a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 5119217) and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. IMT's services are only available in states where it is licensed to do business and the products provided through InsureMyTrip.com may not be available in all states. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not create or modify any insurance policy terms in any way. For more information, please visit www.insuremytrip.com .

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9 Best Nomad Travel Insurance Options

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Table of Contents

1. World Nomads

2. safetywing, 3. atlas travel insurance, 4. allianz global assistance, 5. insured nomads, 6. img global, 7. heymondo, 8. travelex insurance, 9. aig travel guard, nomad travel insurance recapped.

Travel insurance can safeguard your nonrefundable reservations and reimburse you for any unexpected emergency medical costs that you incur while traveling. However, the travel health insurance needs of those taking several short vacations per year will vary from those of digital nomads, who may spend significant portions of the year living and working from abroad.

Digital nomads may also return home less often, travel with equipment (e.g., laptop, camera, etc.), participate in adventurous activities and want access to health insurance, especially if they don’t have that coverage back home.

Given the prevalence of remote work and increasing options to live and work from abroad, here you'll find some of the most popular nomad travel insurance options .

World Nomads is a travel insurance provider that offers coverage for residents of many countries and also allows you to extend your coverage mid-trip. It is underwritten by Nationwide Insurance. Regardless of which plan you choose, the health insurance limits are fairly good.

Importantly, the provider does not have a pandemic exclusion, so COVID-related claims are covered. However, World Nomads specifically states that fear of travel is not a valid reason for trip cancellation. So if you’d like the option to cancel a trip at your discretion, you’ll want to consider plans that offer Cancel For Any Reason coverage .

There are two trip insurance policies available from World Nomads: Standard and Explorer. The Standard Plan has lower coverage limits and includes more than 200 sports (including some adventure sports), while the Explorer Plan adds on 60 other activities and sports, including more dangerous ones such as shark cage diving, skydiving and paragliding.

The inclusion of athletic activities in both World Nomads plans is unique, since most traditional travel insurance plans exclude them.

Here's a list of what's included with World of Nomads coverage:

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay.

Emergency healthcare coverage, evacuation, repatriation and 24-hour assistance services.

Accidental death and dismemberment.

Nonmedical emergency transportation.

Baggage delay and loss.

Rental car damage (Explorer Plan only).

Adventure sports and activities.

And here are a few items of note that are excluded (not a comprehensive list):

Pre-existing conditions.

Self-harm or accidents occurring while intoxicated.

Finally, coverage can’t exceed 180 days, so if you’re traveling abroad longer than that, you’d have to renew your plan once the current coverage period ends.

To see how World Nomads compares to other travel health insurance providers, we considered a sample 180-day trip to multiple countries by a 30-year-old resident of Colorado.

world nomads plans for nomad travel insurance

Due to the lower limits and less coverage for adventure activities, the World Nomads Standard Plan is priced at $549, which is meaningfully cheaper than the $788 Explorer Plan.

It's important to note that if your nonrefundable prepaid trip costs are more than $2,500, the Standard Plan will cover you only up to $2,500 on trip cancellation. In this case, you’d want to consider the pricier Explorer Plan, which provides coverage up to $10,000 on trip cancellation. Notably, emergency accident & medical coverage is $100,000 on both plans, which offers a lot of assurance, especially if you’re abroad for a long time.

The most significant advantage of World Nomads is coverage for adventure activities. In this case, assessing the suitability of the plan has more to do with the type of coverage you’re looking for than price. Because of the multitude of advantages of World Nomads plans over various providers, we've named World Nomads as one of the best travel insurance companies out there. Check out our full rationale here: Best Travel Insurance Right Now .

SafetyWing is another popular digital nomad travel health insurance option that also offers COVID coverage. You can purchase your policy while you’re abroad, which makes it easy for those who are already traveling and decide to get insurance coverage mid-trip.

Unless you are a resident of North Korea, Cuba or Iran, you can purchase a SafetyWing policy. The default length of coverage is 28 days, and the policy will continue to renew unless canceled (maximum policy length is 364 days).

SafetyWing also provides U.S. citizens with incidental coverage in the U.S. for up to 15 days out of every 90 days. Despite the U.S. coverage, SafetyWing is meant to provide medical and travel insurance coverage while you’re abroad; it does not meet the health insurance requirement under the Affordable Care Act.

Trip interruption and delay.

Emergency medical and dental expenses.

Emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains and accidental death.

Lost checked luggage and lost visa/travel documents.

Return of minor children and pets.

Political evacuation and border entry protection.

Excluded (not a comprehensive list):

Mental health disorders.

Intentional acts or damages sustained under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The cost of a SafetyWing policy is based on your age and whether you’d like health insurance coverage while you’re in the U.S. For example, a four-week policy for someone aged 18 to 39 years old who doesn’t need health insurance coverage in the U.S. will cost $45. If you would like coverage while in the U.S., the policy cost jumps to $83.

safetywing plans for nomad travel insurance

A 180-day coverage comes out to $290 for a traveler between ages 10 and 39, but increases to $536 if you want to add on U.S. coverage. A deductible of $250 applies every time you start or renew a policy.

Overall, the options to purchase a plan mid-trip and receive health insurance coverage while in the U.S. are some of the main benefits of a SafetyWing policy.

Atlas Travel Insurance offers health insurance plans for digital nomads and long-term travelers looking for medical coverage (including for COVID-19) and some supplemental trip benefits (e.g., trip interruption). When selecting a policy, you’ll need to specify if you’d like to include the U.S. within your coverage area. Coverage limits decrease with age, and the plans offer varying levels of deductibles.

Medical expenses and emergency dental.

Emergency medical and political evacuation.

Trip interruption; travel delay.

Lost checked luggage and stolen visa/passport.

Natural disaster and border entry protections.

Repatriation of remains; accidental death and dismemberment.

Many adventure sports.

Various diseases including cancer.

Self-inflicted injuries and those arising when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

To compare these plans, we used the same parameters as the preceding example: a 180-day trip by a 30-year-old. Atlas offers two options to digital nomads: Atlas International and Atlas International Premium, which cost $274 and $682, respectively.

Atlas Travel Insurance nomad insurance plans

The main difference between these two Atlas plans is that the Premium option offers higher coverage limits.

It's also possible to customize the overall maximum limit and the deductible on both policies, so if you don’t want to go with the more Atlas International Premium plan, you can up the limits or change the deductible on the Atlas International plan.

Allianz Global Assistance offers affordable coverage for annual or multi-trip travel. It’s more cost-effective than purchasing coverage for separate trips individually. Allianz’s multi-trip policy covers trips up to 45 days in length.

Allianz is best for travelers who take multiple trips per year from their home base and not those who travel overseas for an extended period of time.

Covered illness.

Missed or delayed departures.

Baggage loss or delays.

A tropical storm (before it’s named).

Loss of passport.

Unforeseen pregnancy complications.

Losses that arise from foreseeable events.

War or civil unrest.

Participating in extreme or high-risk sports.

Flying an aircraft as pilot or crew.

Terrorist events.

Allianz plans limit or exclude coverage related to COVID-19 or resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Allianz Global Assistance offers a few annual plan options to digital nomads. The plans last a full year, so keep that in mind when comparing costs with other nomad insurance providers. The plans are Basic, Prime and Executive, quoting $138, $280 and $510 per year, respectively.

The Basic insurance plan from Allianz is designed for medical emergencies and provides some travel coverage, but it doesn’t provide any trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage.

The Prime plan provides affordable trip protection and medical coverage abroad.

The Executive plan is designed for business travelers by providing higher coverage limits and rental car damage and equipment rentals. The Executive plan covers personal vacations in addition to business trips .

It's also possible to sign up for a Premier plan, which lasts up to 365 days but covers up to 90 days of consecutive travel.

Insured Nomads provides medical coverage, travel insurance and trip cancellation to digital nomads, remote workers and expats.

Insured Nomads offers four plans, and they all have their own function. For example, the World Explorer plan provides coverage for a single trip lasting between seven and 364 days away from home, and the World Explorer Multi offers coverage for multiple trips within a single year. Plans are available to citizens of any country, not just the U.S.

Depending on the plan, you’ll have the option to add adventure sports, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and car rental insurance for an extra fee.

Medical benefits, including 24-hour emergency medical care.

COVID-19 coverage.

Acute onset of pre-existing condition.

Emergency dental treatment.

Local ambulance transport.

Natural disaster accommodations.

Evacuation and repatriation.

Airport lounge access for delayed flights.

Lost luggage.

War and terrorism.

Public health emergencies or natural disasters in countries deemed Level 4 by the U.S. Department of State.

Illegal acts.

Injuries sustained while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Extreme sports (unless an add-on was purchased).

The quote for a traveler between the ages of 30 and 39 looking to travel to Mexico for six months with the World Explorer plan costs $679. This plan has a medical benefit limit of $250,000 and a deductible of $100. Increasing the medical benefit maximum to $1,000,000 increases the premium to $830, and that’s without any of the additional benefits, such as adventure sports or marine activities.

» Learn more: How to find the best travel insurance

IMG Global offers an insurance plan just for expats and citizens of the world called Global Medical Insurance. It’s a medical-only plan that doesn’t offer trip protection, but offers medical coverage worldwide.

Several tiers of Global medical insurance from IMG Global are available: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The more expensive the plan, the lower the deductible and the higher the policy maximum.

The following expat insurance rates are for a 30-year-old traveler whose primary travel destination is Spain.

The deductible amounts can be adjusted in every plan above to reduce the monthly payment. Additionally, the total coverage cost for the year can be reduced with an annual payment. An optional dental and vision rider is available for the policy you pick.

Undoubtedly, the cost is on the high end, but it does come with some noticeable extras, such as COVID-19 coverage , telemedicine and mental health professional counseling, that most travel insurance providers don’t cover.

It’s possible to purchase a World Explorer policy after you’ve left on your trip, and you can extend coverage by up to six months beyond the initial policy purchase.

In addition to the Global Medical Insurance, IMG Global offers the following plans to long-term travelers:

The Global Employer Option: Medical coverage for internationally assigned employees.

International Marine Medical Insurance: Health insurance for long-term (longer than one year) marine crew.

MP+ International: Group travel insurance for mission groups.

Heymondo offers comprehensive travel insurance plans to short-term and long-term travelers. Digital nomads and expats can purchase a Long Stay plan for trips longer than 90 days. The initial coverage is capped at 90 days, but you can renew if necessary. You can also add electronics and adventure sports riders to the Long Stay policy at an extra cost.

Coverage is available to travelers between 90 days old and 49 years old.

What’s included :

Emergency medical and dental coverage (with a $250 deductible).

Medical transport and repatriation home.

Baggage delay , theft and loss.

Travel delay or a missed connection.

Natural disaster.

Personal liability.

Accidental death or disability.

What’s not included (not a comprehensive list):

General medical check-ups.

Trips aimed at receiving medical treatment.

Burial, ceremony and coffin costs in the repatriation of remains.

Petty theft.

Damage caused by strikes, earthquakes or radioactivity.

Motor vehicles.

A 90-day global coverage that excludes travel to Canada and U.S. costs $257 upfront. You can renew coverage once it expires or prepay for additional coverage at the following prices:

30 days: $76.

120 days: $304.

180 days: $456.

275 days: $731.

Notably, medical coverage includes COVID-19, including medically prescribed PCR tests and extra lodging expenses when you’re prescribed a medical quarantine .

» Learn more: Best long-term travel insurance options

Travelex Insurance offers long-term nomad insurance with its Travel Select plan, which is one of the provider’s comprehensive travel insurance plans . This plan covers trips up to 364 days. You must select travel dates and provide the cost of your trip to get a quote.

A 30-year-old Colorado resident traveling to Italy for six months will pay $734 for a Travel Select plan from Travelex Insurance to cover a trip that costs $5,000. It comes with:

100% trip cancellation.

150% trip interruption.

$2,000 trip delay (with a $250 daily limit).

$1,000 baggage loss.

$200 baggage delay.

$50,000 emergency medical expense.

$500,000 emergency medical evacuation and repatriation.

$25,000 accidental death and dismemberment.

Pre-existing conditions waiver : available if purchase conditions are met (more on this below).

Add-ons to the Travel Select plan include double the medical expense, adventure sports rider, car rental collision protection , extra accidental death and dismemberment coverage and even Cancel for Any Reason coverage covering 75% of the insured trip's cost (though the covered trip cost maxes out at $10,000).

The good thing about this plan is it provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as long as you pay for insurance within 15 days of the initial trip deposit. Most annual policies notably exclude a pre-existing conditions waiver.

The bad thing is its high cost because of all the bells and whistles of a comprehensive plan.

AIG Travel Guard offers an annual plan that provides essential coverage to business and leisure travelers who are U.S. residents (not available for Washington state residents).

The Travel Guard Annual Plan is an option for travelers who take multiple trips within a single year (364 days), with a limit of 90 days per trip.

100% trip interruption.

Trip delay.

Missed connection.

Baggage loss or delay.

Medical expenses, including dental.

Emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains.

Non-flight accidental death or dismemberment.

Security evacuation.

War or acts of war.

Participation in a riot, civil disorder or insurrection.

Commission or an attempt to commit a felony.

Being under the influence of drugs or intoxicated above the legal limit.

Trips taken against a physician’s advice.

Release, escape or dispersal of nuclear or radioactive contamination, and pathogenic or poisonous biological or chemical materials.

A Travel Guard Annual Plan comes out to $242 for a Colorado resident, which is a pretty good deal considering all the inclusions — but remember that your trips cannot exceed 90 days each, so its usage is limited to remote workers taking shorter trips.

» Learn more: How much does travel insurance cost?

Expats and digital nomads have different travel health insurance needs than the average traveler, so choosing a policy that aligns with your travel style is advisable.

If you’re looking for adventure sports coverage, World Nomads, Insured Nomads, Heymondo and Travelex Insurance all have the option to add a rider to their policies.

However, if those benefits aren’t relevant to you and you’d instead prefer to have the option of medical coverage when you’re abroad (and to a certain degree while you’re in the U.S.), consider SafetyWing or Atlas, which offer this feature. For medical-only coverage, IMG Global provides some options, albeit pretty expensive ones.

Additionally, take into consideration your travel style. Are you taking one long trip or multiple shorter trips within one year? Because Allianz and AIG Travel Guard won’t work well if you plan to be abroad longer than the limit specified in the policy.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2023 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-10x Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card

1x-2x Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services, and select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.

50,000 Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

IMAGES

World Nomads Travel Insurance Review • Insurance Blog by Chris™
World Nomads Travel Insurance: Honest Explanation & Review (2021)
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review: Ultimate Guide 2023
World Nomads Travel Insurance Reviews
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review
Why World Nomads is the best backpackers travel insurance

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COMMENTS

Best travel insurance to get? Is World Nomads one of them?
In Canada World Nomads has a base option as well as the explorer option. This makes sense, different amounts of coverage available for different prices. The problem is that sporting activities are not always included with the Non US option. They are divided into multiple tiers depending on what the activity is.
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review 2024
World Nomads offers travelers two types of plans, the Standard and Explorer. Standard. This is a budget-friendly policy that offers pre-and post-departure coverages such as trip cancellation, trip ...
World Nomads Review: Is it Worth It?
These travel insurance plans are the most comprehensive and provide benefits like trip cancellation, trip interruption and medical coverage. World Nomads is unique amongst other providers as it is ...
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review 2024
As of April 2024, a 23-year-old from Illinois taking a week-long, $3,000 budget trip to Italy would have the following World Nomads travel insurance quotes: World Nomads Standard: $76.58. World ...
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review [HONEST 2024 Update]
World Nomads does not cover claims related to COVID-19, unless you end up in a medical emergency because of it (essentially meaning, if you happen to fall ill while traveling). There are a few companies out there who offer CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) coverage, however the price does add up quickly. If this is a concern for you, I recommend doing some more research on COVID-19 travel insurance.
World Nomads Travel Insurance Reviews
I've been buying travel insurance through World Nomads for several years now and have always had a good experience. Only once was a claim denied and while I would have thought it would be covered, it was a lesson learned. Read each policy so you are clear. World Nomads offers a great service, timing, honest, helpful.
World Nomads Travel Insurance: Is It Worth It? (Updated 2020)
Standard Plan vs Explorer Plan. Medical coverage is the same ($100,000) and trip cancellation is pretty similar (Standard: $2,500 / Explorer: $10,000). The biggest difference is how much gear is covered. Standard Plan covers $1000 of gear, while Explorer goes up to $3000. Again, if you have expensive camera gear, laptop or smartphone, it's ...
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review
For toll-free emergency assistance in the U.S. or Canada, the World Nomads Travel Insurance phone number is (877) 289-0968. For emergency assistance outside of the U.S. and Canada, World Nomads offers a collect number at (954) 334-8143. You can also email the company at [email protected].
World Nomads Insurance • HONEST REVIEW 2024
Whilst the pandemic has largely subsided, COVID is still able to severely disrupt travel plans. Therefore do consider paying close attention to the finer details of any insurers COVID-19 cover, especially their trip cancellation coverage and emergency medical evacuation.. The details of the World Nomads insurance plan COVID-19 cover vary quite a bit depending on your country of residence.
World Nomads Reviews
The claim process is very thorough but efficient and once all the documents are submitted the claims were settled. This is how travel insurance should work I will strongly recommend World Nomads to anyone. Date of experience: April 22, 2024. Useful. Share.
Should You Buy World Nomads Travel Insurance in 2023?
There are a few important things to know that make this insurance work better for you. The first is that booking more time upfront is better than breaking it up. If you know that you'll be on a 6-month trip, then paying for the full 6 months upfront works out much cheaper than doing 3 now, and 3 later.
World Nomads Review: Travel Insurance for Nomads & Travelers
Both World Nomads plans come with emergency dental coverage of up to $750, which is likely to be more than sufficient - irrespective of where you are in the world. Evacuation and Repatriation. On top of the costs associated with your treatment, World Nomads Travel Insurance can also cover the costs related to medical transportation or evacuation.
World Nomads Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is best for <40 years demographic. For <40 years - especially as age and duration increases it becomes more expensive. For travelers of +50, World Nomads may be the better option. Prices for US travel insurance is noticeably higher with SafetyWing.
The best travel insurance policies and providers
For a single trip, multiple trips or long term. Covered by most policies. $15/25. IMG. Single trip or multiple trips (travel insurance and travel medical insurance options are available). Waived under set conditions for travel insurance; covered but capped for single-trip travel medical insurance. $17/$94.
9 Best Nomad Travel Insurance Options
There are two trip insurance policies available from World Nomads: Standard and Explorer. The Standard Plan has lower coverage limits and includes more than 200 sports (including some adventure ...
World Nomads Travel Insurance Review
World Nomads is a travel insurance company that was founded by travelers for travelers, meaning that they take all the different potential travel hazards into consideration. As one of the oldest travel insurance companies in the industry, many people consider World Nomads travel insurance as a reliable choice for their trip protection needs.
Travel insurance for adventures and more
World Nomads travel insurance has been designed by travelers for travelers, to cover your trip essentials. Even if you run out of travel insurance or leave without it, World Nomads can cover you. ... NZBN 9429041356500. nib Travel Services Europe Limited trading as nib Travel Services and World Nomads is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland ...