World Nomads Travel Insurance Review: Is It Reliable?
Considering World Nomads Insurance for your trip? In this detailed review, we take a look at what’s included & what you need to know first.
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Matthew Metcalfe
June 17, 2024
Are you considering buying World Nomads travel insurance for your next trip?
There are some things you should know first:
The truth is that there is always a risk of unforeseen injury, illness and more when you travel. That’s just the nature of traveling.
We often get asked about the most reliable digital nomad insurance, travelers and expats. While reliability can mean different things to different people – World Nomads is a travel insurance company that comes up regularly.
So we decided to put World Nomads insurance under the microscope to see what their insurance policies offer.
In this World Nomads travel insurance review, we look at what World Nomads offers, the different plans and our personal experience with them.
Let’s jump into it!
World Nomads Review: What Is World Nomads?
World Nomads was created by Simon Monk in 2002 to provide a better travel insurance solution for adventurous travelers.
The company was born out of the need to address the limitations of traditional travel insurance policies, which often didn’t cater to the unique needs and experiences of adventurous travelers.
Today World Nomads provides coverage to people from more than 100 countries! They offer simple and flexible travel insurance that you can buy at home or while traveling and even claim online – from anywhere in the world.
World Nomads plans can cover up to 200+ activities, including skiing and rafting. This is designed to offer peace of mind to those who prioritize adventure and enjoy their outdoor activities.
World Nomads provides two main types of travel insurance plans:
The Standard Plan is more budget-friendly, offering coverage of the essentials with a few unique extras as well. The Explorer Plan offers more comprehensive coverage and higher limits for those needing extra protection.
Both of World Nomads’ plans require you to fill out a quote form. It takes less than 1 minute and means that all plans are tailored to you.
World Nomads Pros & Cons
World Nomads has become a trusted and well-known travel insurance company around the world.
Here’s a brief list of the pros and cons to consider.
Pros of World Nomads Travel Insurance
- Travel coverage: World Nomads offers a wide range of benefits, including emergency medical and dental expenses, trip cancellation and interruption, baggage loss or delay and more.
- Plans To Fit Different Needs: World Nomads offers two types of plans catering to different budgets and coverage needs.
- Insurance For Long Trips – You can buy travel insurance from World Nomads for up to 180 days.
- Adventure sports coverage: World Nomads is known for providing coverage for adventure sports that many competitors won’t, including over 200+ activities like scuba diving, bungee jumping and skiing.
- Ease of purchase: You can buy their policy online in just a few clicks, which makes it convenient for last-minute purchases or extending your policy while traveling.
- Positive customer reviews: Many customers praise their responsive customer support and efficient claims processing.
- Wide geographical area: World Nomads provides insurance services in over 100 countries.
- 24/7 Emergency assistance: Their help center provides round-the-clock assistance to travelers in case of emergencies.
- Flexibility and Extensions– It can be possible to extend your World Nomads insurance coverage online if you change plans and want to extend your trip.
- Buy Cover Anywhere – You can buy World Nomads travel insurance while at home or even while your are overseas.
Cons of World Nomads Travel Insurance
- Coverage limitations: Some activities or conditions (like pre-existing medical conditions) may not be covered by their policies.
- Lower Max Limits: Their policies might have lower max limits than other travel insurance providers.
- Maximum age limit: There’s an age limit on some products of 70 years old, but this is very normal for many travel insurance companies.
- Baggage loss/delay limits: Their insurance policy has lower payout limits on baggage loss or delays when compared to some competitors.
- Limited trip cancellation/interruption reasons: Reasons covered under trip cancellation/interruption are limited.
World Nomads travel insurance offers travel insurance coverage with flexible options geared towards adventurous travelers. But they do have some strict limitations and exclusions – especially for those with pre-existing conditions or travelers looking for extensive trip cancellation/interruption coverage.
We are impressed with what World Nomads can offer us and think they provide good value for money – especially with adventure sports and activities. If you plan to purchase World Nomads insurance, make sure to thoroughly read through the policy details before purchasing to ensure it meets your requirements.
World Nomads Travel Insurance Plans
World Nomads offers two types of travel insurance plans to cater to the diverse needs of digital nomads, travelers and backpackers.
In this section, we’ll dive into the details of their Standard and Explorer policies and their key differences.
World Nomads Standard vs Explorer Insurance Plans
World Nomads provides customized quotes which are based on-
- Your age
- Country of residence
- Where you are traveling
- How long you are traveling for
But to give you a better idea of their plans, I’ve created a summary table below. This example is for a 30-year-old traveler from California, United States, traveling to France, Germany and Italy for 30 days:
| Coverage | Standard | Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Accident & Sickness Medical Expenses | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Emergency Evacuation | $300,000 | $500,000 |
| Repatriation of Remains | $300,000 | $500,000 |
| Non-Medical Emergency Transportation | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Trip Cancellation | $2,500 | $10,000 |
| Trip Interruption | $2,500 | $10,000 |
| Trip Delay | $500 | $3,000 |
| Baggage & Personal Effects | $1,000 | $3,000 |
| Baggage Delay (outward journey only) | $750 | $750 |
| Rental Car Damage – where permissible | Not included | $35,000 |
| Accidental Death & Dismemberment | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Generali Global Assistance 24-Hour Assistance Services | 24/7 Access | 24/7 Access |
| Adventure Sports & Activities | Standard Plan Sports & Activities as listed for U.S residents | Standard & Explorer Plan Sports & Activities as listed for U.S residents |
| Base Policy Cost | $128.91 USD | $228.14 USD |
Note: These figures are for illustration purposes only; actual coverage limits and pricing may vary based on your specific travel plans and individual circumstances.
Let’s take a closer look at each plan.
Standard Plan Overview
The Standard Plan is a more budget-friendly option that provides basic coverage for trip-related expenses, medical emergencies and baggage loss.
It also offers coverage for some adventure activities and sports, making it a choice worth considering for those planning a relatively low-risk trip. Here are some highlights of the Standard Plan:
- Basic coverages, such as trip cancellation and interruption
- Medical coverage for emergencies and dental expenses
- Baggage and personal effects coverage
- Coverage for select adventure activities and sports
- Lower overall coverage limits compared to the Explorer Plan
Explorer Plan Overview
Looking for more comprehensive coverage?
World Nomads’ Explorer Plan might be a better fit if you are planning a trip filled with higher-risk activities. This plan offers higher coverage limits and additional benefits than the Standard Plan.
Some of the key features of the Explorer Plan include:
- Higher overall coverage limits for various benefits
- Extra coverage for valuables, winter sports and high-risk activities
- Additional rental car damage coverage (where permissible)
How Much Does World Nomads Cost?
There are tons of different travel insurance providers out there.
And they all offer different prices with different coverage limits. World Nomads provides a customized quote for each individual person, so if you want to accurate pricing you will need to get your own quote.
But to give you a better idea of how much World Nomads travel insurance costs, here’s a breakdown of three different scenarios for 30-day trips:
| Age | Country of Residence | Travel Destinations | Standard Plan | Explorer Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | United States | Mexico, Costa Rica | $142.81 USD | $252.75 USD |
| 30 | United Kingdom | Indoensia, Thailand, Vietnam | £118.01 GPB | £137.00 GPB |
| 30 | Australia | Portugal, Italy, Spain | $240.00 AUD | $309.00 AUD |
*Keep in mind that this is just for illustration purposes only. Actual coverage limits and pricing may vary based on your specific travel plans and individual circumstances.
What Does World Nomads Travel Insurance Cover?
World Nomads coverage, costs and limits differ significantly based on your country of residence and destination. For example, World Nomads insurance in Asia might offer higher coverage limits for an Australian vs if you were American.
And that makes sense. Health Care and health insurance are different in different countries.
For the purposes of this World Nomads travel insurance review, the information below is an example of a 30-year-old United States, California resident traveling to Portugal, Italy and Spain on a 30-day trip.
Emergency Medical Coverage
Emergency Medical coverage is at the core of every insurance policy.
And that’s no different for World Nomads. Medical coverage typically provides financial protection for emergency medical expenses resulting from accidental injuries sustained during a journey.
In the image below, you can see the breakdown of emergency medical coverage offered by World Nomads:
Emergency treatments must be deemed medically essential and administered throughout the duration of the trip.
Emergency Dental Treatment Coverage
World Nomads does cover emergency dental treatment. The policy covers dental costs for accidental injury to sound and natural teeth. The injury and treatment must BOTH occur during the trip.
Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption & Trip Delay
Nothing is worse than having your trip disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances.
World Nomads covers trip cancellations, trip interruptions and trip delays which is a significant benefit of their insurance policy. It’s common for other travel insurance companies not to offer this.
But there are also very strict limitations that apply. Here’s a brief overview of each:
- Trip Cancellation: “Reimburses for prepaid, non-refundable cancellation charges if you must cancel your trip (after the effective date) due to covered sickness, accidental injury, or death of you, a family member or traveling companion; inclement weather, unforeseen natural disaster at home or at your destination, strike or other covered reasons”.
- Trip Interruption: “Reimburses for prepaid, non-refundable, unused expenses if you must interrupt your trip (after departure) due to a covered sickness, accidental injury, or death of you, a family member or traveling companion; inclement weather, unforeseen natural disaster at home or at your destination, strike, or other covered reasons”.
- Trip Delay: “Coverage is for the unused portion of prepaid accommodation or additional expenses, on a one-time basis, if you are delayed en route to or from the trip for 6 or more hours due to a defined hazard”.
Pretty strict, right?
But the good news is that it’s also reasonably clear. We always look for transparency with insurance and I think World Nomads does a pretty good job at it.
Make sure you refer to the insurance certificate and insurance policy for complete details on trip cancellation, trip interruption and trip delay.
Baggage & Personal Effects
Another big benefit to World Nomads is that they can cover your baggage, personal effects and gear.
Lost or damaged items put a serious damper on your trip. We have had lost luggage and even damaged items while traveling before – it’s not a lot of fun.
Here’s what the World Nomads baggage and personal effects benefits cover:
“Reimbursement is for loss, theft or damage during the trip to baggage and personal effects (including sporting equipment) owned by you, provided you have taken all reasonable measures to protect, save and recover the property”. Exclusions do apply.
Keep in mind that there is a “per article limit”. This means if you lose an item worth $1,200 but the per article limit is only $500, you’ll only get $500 for that item even though it’s worth more.
Adventure Sports Coverage
Adventure sports coverage is what separates World Nomads from a lot of other travel insurance providers.
Their plans cover up to 200+ activities, which can include popular options like scuba diving, rock climbing, mountain biking and cliff jumping. But the difference between the Standard Plan and Explorer Plan sports coverage is significant.
You can check out their complete list of sports and adventure activities covered by each insurance plan on this page. Just make sure that you provide your country of residence so you can see the information relevant to you.
If you have any questions or concerns about sports or adventure activities, contact World Nomads support for clarification. In our experience, they have been really helpful!
The activities, sports & adventure coverage World Nomads offers can be a real game-changer.
Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation Of Remains
World Nomads provides coverage for necessary emergency evacuation in the unfortunate event of a serious injury or illness.
The emergency evacuation must be ordered by a physician who certifies that the severity of your accidental injury or sickness warrants your emergency evacuation.
When it comes to the repatriation of remains, you are covered for reasonable expenses to return your body to your home if you die during the trip up to the overall maximum limit. While it’s not nice to think about, repatriation is more expensive than most people think.
Covid-19 Coverage
World Nomads might provide coverage for COVID-19. It’s crucial to thoroughly review the policy details to grasp the extent of coverage and its benefits, as these differ based on your country of residence and are subject to all applicable terms, conditions, restrictions and exclusions.
Check out this page and make sure you select your country of residence to get accurate information.
24/7 Emergency Assistance
Whether you need medical assistance or emergency evacuation, the World Nomads team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip. They even have dedicated phone numbers for different countries, so you can contact them quickly.
What Isn’t Covered By World Nomads Insurance?
World Nomads does offer lots of coverage. But they don’t cover everything and I want this World Nomads travel insurance review to be as transparent as possible.
Here are some of the most notable exclusions from World Nomads travel insurance.
Pre-existing Medical Conditions
This is pretty standard but worth mentioning.
Most travel insurance providers don’t cover pre-existing conditions.
World Nomads also does not cover pre-existing medical conditions. This means that if you have a chronic illness or ailment before your trip starts, you won’t be covered for any medical expenses related to it during your travels. Reach out to their support if you have questions.
Traveling Against Government Advice Or Warnings
If you decide to travel to a destination against the advice or warnings issued by your government, World Nomads may not provide coverage. Ensure you stay informed and follow the guidelines set by your country’s travel advisory.
Alcohol Or Drug-Related Incidents
You would be surprised at the number of people who don’t realize this.
Like many other travel insurance companies, World Nomads insurance does not cover any incidents that occur under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Keep that in mind and read their full policy for details.
Reckless Or Illegal Behavior
Engaging in reckless or unlawful activities will not be covered by your World Nomads policy. This means if you are injured, require medical care, or cause damage due to irresponsible behavior or any illegal actions – your insurance policy will not cover the costs.
High-Risk Or Extreme Activities (Not Covered By Your Plan)
While they cover a wide range of sports and adventure activities, make sure the specific activities you’ll be participating in are covered by your chosen plan. If you engage in an activity that is not covered by your policy, any injuries or damage sustained during that activity will not be covered.
How to Buy World Nomads Insurance
Getting a quote and buying World Nomads Insurance is straightforward.
They have a dedicated online form that allows you to get a quote in less than a minute and buy travel insurance online. I also like how transparent the quote is, which gives you a good idea of what your coverage includes.
Here’s how it works:
Fill out the simple quote form with your personal information and trip details.
World Nomads processes the information quickly and provides you with a customized quote. You can even put your email in to have the quote emailed directly to you.
Next, you can choose the type of plan you want and look through the optional extras.
Make sure you take the time to understand what you are getting and what’s included. They have full-policy PDFs available for review.
World Nomads offers a number of ways to pay including:
- Credit card
- Debit card
- PayPal
You can use whatever payment method suits you best.
After completing the payment, you will receive a confirmation email with your policy number and documents. Ensure you keep a record of it in case you need it for future reference while traveling.
That’s it!
What Is The World Nomads Claims Process?
Buying World’s Nomads insurance is one thing, but how does their claims process work?
Here’s a quick breakdown of the steps involved:
- Get all of your receipts and invoices together
- Sign in to the World Nomads membership area
- Create a new claim
- Tell World Nomads what happened and fill in the claim form
- List all of your expenses
- Upload all of your supporting documents
- Submit the claim and what for their review
After submitting your claim, you will receive a confirmation email. You can typically expect it to be processed within 10-20 business days, depending on the type of claim.
If your claim is approved, you’ll receive payment via bank transfer, check or PayPal.
Remember that there might be follow-up questions to process your claim properly. But generally, World Nomads has a reputation for handling claims in a timely manner.
You can always reach out to their support team if you need help!
Note: The steps involved in making a claim do differ based on your country of residence. Click here to choose your country of residence and see the process.
World Nomads Reviews: What Are Others Saying About World Nomads?
By now you should have a good idea of how World Nomads operates and what you can expect from purchasing a travel insurance policy.
But here’s the truth:
Anyone can have a good or bad one-off experience. That’s why it’s a good idea to look at what others are saying. For this, we personally look at Trustpilot because of its unique and transparent way of collecting reviews.
Word Nomads has a 3.7 out of 5 score on Trustpilot which is considered “average”. This is from over 2,200+ travel insurance reviews.
But what a people saying?
Below I have summarised some of the positive and negative World Nomads reviews in point form. This is based on the latest reviews and is a sample of points only.
Check out all of their reviews for yourself if you want more in-depth information. I always recommend sorting reviews by “most recent”.
Negative World Nomads Reviews (my summary):
- Claims denied after long waiting periods (9 months)
- Difficulty in contacting a real person for help
- Refund delays (2 months and counting)
- Confusing website for claim submission
- Unresolved reimbursement issues (7-8 months)
Positive World Nomads Reviews (my summary):
- Easy-to-follow website steps
- Clear plan comparisons and explanations
- Reliable support during sickness or injuries
- Comprehensive coverage for various activities abroad
- Responsive and quick claim processing (6 weeks)
- Affordable and competitive pricing compared to other companies
- Straightforward claims process
- Excellent customer care and follow-up
Most of the negative reviews, in my experience, seem to be around claims processing. Ironically the positive reviews also seem to be about claims processing, including good customer service and transparent plan pricing and coverage.
I would add that World Nomads does an excellent job at replying to negative and positive reviews on Trustpilot. This is a great sign of a motivated company keen to develop a good customer reputation.
Wrapping It Up On World Nomads Travel Insurance Review
That brings us to the end of our World Nomads travel insurance review.
World Nomads is a fresh take on the travel insurance market to better meet the needs of modern day adventurers. They are an established company operating for over 20 years in the travel insurance industry.
As a full-time digital nomad couple, we can appreciate World Nomads’ flexibility.
They offer tailored travel insurance options to travelers, backpackers and digital nomads as they explore the world. You’ll need to get a quote if you want to buy travel insurance and see what they offer for you personally.
Just make sure that you do your own research and ensure that if you choose to buy travel insurance through World Nomads, it’s right for you.
Disclaimer:
The information provided below is only a summary of the cover offered by World Nomads. It is important to understand that this summary is not a recommendation to purchase. All coverage, including benefit limits, mentioned varies depending on a person’s country of residence and is subject to terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions. Ensure you always refer to the policy wording, which can be found at www.worldnomads.com. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads.
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