World Nomads comprehensive travel insurance policy is known as the ‘Explorer’ policy, which is a solid choice of insurance for adventurous Australian travellers. More than 100 sports and activities are automatically covered, with the option to pay a higher premium to include higher-risk activities too, making it well suited to travellers looking for thrill-seeking trips and bucket-list adventures.
Pros
- Unlimited overseas medical expenses
- Wide range of sports and activities
Cons
- Many pre-existing medical conditions aren’t covered
- Fraudulent credit card activity is not covered
Table of Contents
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Fast Cover Travel Insurance
Medical cover
Unlimited, 24/7 Emergency Assistance
Cancellations
Unlimited, (Trip Disruption $50,000)
Key Features
25-Day Cooling Off Period, Australian Based Call Centre, 4.6 Star Product Review Rating
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Cover-More Travel Insurance
Medical cover
Unlimited, with a $2000 limit to dental
Cancellations
Yes, amount chosen by customer
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Southern Cross Travel Insurance
Medical Cover
Including medical treatment, doctors’ visits, prescribed medication, specialist treatment & medical transport costs
Cancellations
$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited
About World Nomads Travel Insurance
World Nomads offers travel insurance to Australians, with its comprehensive policy aka the ‘Explorer’ policy. The business was established in 2002, and is underwritten by Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd.
The company states it was built “for travellers by travellers”, and believes in giving back to the destinations where it offers travel insurance. To do so, it allows policyholders to make micro-donations to charities and foundations within the destinations they travel to when taking out the policy. For the philanthropic traveller, this could be a nice draw-card.
However, it is worth noting that from nearly 300 customer reviews, World Nomads Travel Insurance has received a star ranking of only 2.7 stars.
The company offers a more basic option, called its Standard Plan, but for the purposes of the review Forbes Advisor analysed the more comprehensive Explorer option.
What Is and Isn’t Covered
World Nomads Travel Insurance policy covers Australians up to 70 years in age, and is reportedly working on extending this in the future to higher age brackets. For those travelling with children, it also includes dependents who are 20 years or younger provided they meet the following conditions: not in full time employment; travelling with you for the majority of the trip; and are listed on the insurance certificate.
World Nomads offers unlimited cancellation cover, with certain sub-limits applying in terms of travel agent cancellation fees.
While there is no specific cover for missed connections, World Nomads does offer cancellation and trip interruption cover for insured events to Aussies. These include severe weather, natural disaster, hijacking, strike, and many others listed within the product disclosure statement. Additionally, fraudulent credit card activity is not covered by World Nomads Travel Insurance, but personal liability is covered up to $2.5 million. There is also cover for car hire excess up to $3,000.
Specific cover details for luggage, medical needs and recreational activities are outlined below.
Lost luggage
With the World Nomads Explorer Travel Insurance policy, lost luggage is covered up to the value of $10,000. Sub-limits do apply for certain items, such as portable electronic devices or cash.
Medical
The World Nomads Explorer Travel Insurance policy includes unlimited overseas medical expenses. When it comes to pre-existing medical conditions, there are more than 40 conditions that are automatically covered provided certain requirements are met. These conditions include epilepsy, certain vitamin deficiencies, allergies and more.
Other pre-existing conditions not listed within the automatically included list are not covered.
Is Dental Cover Included in Medical?
No, dental cover is not included in the unlimited overseas medical cover. Instead, the emergency dental treatment cover is only available for sudden and acute pain that occurs to healthy natural teeth. The limit is $1,000.
Does it Cover Me for Covid?
Yes, the unlimited medical cover provided by World Nomads Explorer policy extends to contracting coronavirus.
Cancellations due to Covid-19 are also covered, and World Nomads will even cover the non-refundable, pre-paid travel arrangements if cancellation due to Covid occurs.
What about Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is covered within the World Nomads Explorer policy up until week 26, provided there are no pre-existing complications.
Pregnancy related conditions such as hyperemesis or gestational diabetes are not covered, so it is crucial that any pregnant travellers review the product disclosure statement carefully before taking out the policy to ensure they are not at risk of being unable to claim medical support.
Sports and Activities Coverage
For those interested in recreational sports and activities while on their travellers, the World Nomads Explorer policy offers a huge amount of choice. There are more than 100 activities that are automatically covered within the policy, ranging from go-karting to wake-skating and paint-balling.
For ‘higher risk activities’ additional cover can be added depending on the level of risk. All activities are sorted into level one (automatically included), level two (optional extra) and level three (optional extra), with the price of the premium increasing with each level.
Examples of sports included in level two are zip-lining, barefoot waterskiing and marathon running. Examples of sports included in level three are skiing and snowboarding, skydiving, and abseiling.
By purchasing the upgrade to include level two or level three sports, you will still also be able to take part in the level one sports and activities.
World Nomads Customer Service
While World Nomads does offer 24/7 emergency assistance for those travelling, its other customer service capabilities are more limited.
It has an online form available for general enquiries along with an email address and phone number which are monitored Monday to Friday, 9-5pm. There is no livechat function available nor any customer service on weekends.
Who Should Take Out This Insurance?
The World Nomads Explorer Travel Insurance policy is best suited to those interested in recreational sports and activities while overseas. While many sports and activities are automatically included, there is also the option to purchase additional levels of coverage which makes this policy perfect for active travellers. You can read more about what activities are automatically covered here.
Featured Partners
1
Fast Cover Travel Insurance
Medical cover
Unlimited, 24/7 Emergency Assistance
Cancellations
Unlimited, (Trip Disruption $50,000)
Key Features
25-Day Cooling Off Period, Australian Based Call Centre, 4.6 Star Product Review Rating
2
Cover-More Travel Insurance
Medical cover
Unlimited, with a $2000 limit to dental
Cancellations
Yes, amount chosen by customer
3
Southern Cross Travel Insurance
Medical Cover
Including medical treatment, doctors’ visits, prescribed medication, specialist treatment & medical transport costs
Cancellations
$2,500 with option to increase to unlimited
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is there a World Nomads travel insurance promo code?
Yes, at the time of writing World Nomads is offering 5% off its policies with the promo code WNFOUND.
As promo codes often have expiry dates, it is worth regularly checking the World Nomad website to see if a new promo code is available should the above code expire.
How good is World Nomads Travel Insurance?
According to some World Nomads customers, its travel insurance policy is “poor value for money” and “unprofessional”, while others say it is a “good company” and that they would “recommend it to everyone”.
These sentiments come from Product Review, Australia’s independent review opinion site. Overall, the travel insurance policy has received 2.7 stars from 282 reviews. It is worth noting that many of these reviews are more than three years old, and World Nomads may have improved on areas that were the source of complaint.
By analysing the policy and inclusions, Forbes Advisor has rated World Nomads Explorer Travel Insurance 3 stars.
How can I make a claim with World Nomads Travel Insurance?
To make a claim with World Nomads Travel Insurance, you can either log in to your online account via the website and submit a claim, or, alternatively, you can email claimsAUS@worldnomads.com or call 1300 787 375.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
