World Nomads Travel Insurance Review 2024

When searching for travel insurance, you want to find a policy that covers the types of activities you plan on doing during your trip.

Here are the key types of travel insurance coverage offered in World Nomad plans:

• Trip cancellation insurance: If you cancel a trip for a reason listed in your policy, trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you 100% for prepaid, non-refundable costs.
• Travel medical insurance: If you get ill or are injured on your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for emergency medical expenses, up to the limits in your plan. These expenses can include doctor and hospital bills, medicine and lab work.
• Emergency medical evacuation: If you are injured or ill during your trip and need to be transported, emergency medical evacuation insurance pays for a medevac to get you to the closest medical facility that can treat your condition. Your travel insurance company’s emergency assistance team can also arrange for the transportation.
• Travel delay insurance: If your trip is delayed due to a reason covered in your plan, travel delay insurance reimburses for extra costs, such as a hotel room for an overnight delay, up to the amount specified in your policy.
• Travel interruption insurance: Trip interruption insurance can pay for a last-minute flight home in an emergency and money that you lose by cutting a trip short, such as non-refundable activities and hotel stays.
• Baggage and personal effects: Baggage travel insurance can compensate you up to your policy limits if your luggage is lost or stolen. It will reimburse the depreciated value of your suitcases and what you packed. If your bags are delayed, it can reimburse you for the cost of necessities you buy to tide you over. It also extends to your personal belongings, if lost, damaged or stolen. Some exclusions apply, so check your policy to see what’s covered.

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 delay, trip interruption, emergency evacuation, emergency medical insurance and baggage and personal effects coverage. It also provides emergency medical assistance and evacuation if you’re injured while participating in high-risk activities such as parasailing, mountain biking or bungee jumping.

Explorer

This travel insurance policy includes all the coverage found in the Standard plan, but it comes with higher coverage limits. For example, emergency evacuation coverage increases from $300,000 to $500,000. Also, you get a few extra benefits such as rental car damage coverage and coverage for more extreme activities such as scuba diving, cliff jumping and free soloing.

Both plans cover Covid like any other illness. This includes the coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical and medical evacuation.

Here’s a comparison of the Standard plan and the Explorer plan and how much coverage you’ll get.

Coverage type	Standard plan coverage limits	Explorer plan coverage limits
Trip cancellation	100% of prepaid expenses	100% of prepaid expenses
Trip interruption	100% of prepaid expenses	$100% of prepaid expenses
Trip delay	$500 (after a six-hour delay)	$3,000 (after a six-hour delay)
Emergency medical insurance	$100,000	$100,000
Emergency evacuation	$300,000	$500,000
Non-medical emergency transportation	$25,000	$25,000
Accidental death and dismemberment	$5,000	$10,000
Repatriation of remains	$300,000	$500,000
Baggage delay	$750 (after a 12-hour delay; $150 limit per day)	$750 (after a 12-hour delay; $150 limit per day)
Baggage/personal effects	$1,000 ($500 per article limit; $500 combined article limit)	$3,000 ($1,500 per article limit; $500 combined article limit)
Rental car damage	N/A	$35,000

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The amount you’ll pay for World Nomads travel insurance will vary depending on your destination, age of travelers, cost of trip and other factors.

To give you an idea of how much you could pay for a policy, here are a few examples of quotes for an Explorer plan for various traveler profiles.

Travelers and trip	Cost per trip for the Explorer plan
Two travelers age 30, $3,000 trip cost, traveling to Mexico for 8 days	$218
Two travelers age 40, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$333
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to Italy for 17 days	$582
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to France for 17 days	$582
Family with two parents age 40 and two children, $15,000 trip cost, traveling to U.K. for 17 days	$582
Two travelers age 65, $6,000 trip cost, traveling to the Italy for 17 days	$333
Average cost	$438

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World Nomads doesn’t offer travel insurance for folks age 70 or older. The company partners with TripAssure to offer travel insurance to “Silver Nomads.”

World Nomads travel plans include global 24/7 travel assistance. This hotline offers assistance such as:

• Arranging and paying for emergency medical transportation.
• Giving local updates on natural disasters or other unexpected situations.
• Helping with flight changes.
• Locating lost or stolen items.
• Locating medical professionals, such as dentists or physicians.
• Providing contact information for the local embassy.

Most travel insurance companies tend to exclude coverage for dangerous activities like skydiving and kickboxing. But World Nomads covers more than 150 types of adventurous activities, depending on your policy, including:

• Air guitar.
• ATVs.
• Backpacking.
• Ballooning.
• Bungee jumping.
• Caving and spelunking.
• Cliff diving.
• Dog sledding.
• Free diving (up to 60 meters).
• Hang gliding.
• Kite boarding.
• Mixed martial arts.
• Mountaineering ( up to 22,965 feet).
• Paddle boarding.
• Rappelling (up to 22,965 feet).
• Rock climbing.
• Rugby.
• Running of the bulls.
• Safari tours.
• Salsa dancing.
• Scuba diving (up to 165 feet with a commercial instructor or guide).
• Shark cage diving.
• Skateboarding.
• Skiing or snowboarding by helicopter or snowcat.
• Swimming with whales.
• Trampolining.
• Tree climbing (up to 10 meters).
• Ultimate Frisbee.
• War games (military simulations).
• Zip line.

Even with the plethora of activities that World Nomads covers, there are still some exclusions that apply to coverage. It’s a good idea to talk with your travel insurance agent before you participate in certain activities so you’re aware of what isn’t covered. Here are some examples of exclusions:

• Pre-existing conditions.
• Non-emergency medical treatment or surgery.
• Routine physical exams.
• Traveling for the purpose of medical treatment.
• Participation as an athlete in professional sports.
• Routine pregnancy or childbirth costs.
• Intentionally harming yourself.
• Piloting or learning to pilot an aircraft.
• Suicide or attempted suicide.
• Cancellations due to civil war, acts of foreign enemies, or civil unrest.

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World Nomads Insurance has a pretty good customer experience overall. Here are some things to know:

• Website. World Nomads has a good website that’s easy to navigate, but you need to request a quote to see plan options, coverage types and coverage limits. After getting a quote, you can purchase your policy online. The website also has helpful resources with travel advice, survival tips, guidebooks and destination ideas.
• Mobile app. World Nomads doesn’t have a mobile app, but the website is optimized for mobile use.
• Claim process. World Nomads makes it easy to file claims online or over the phone. The company doesn’t specify how long it takes for claims to be paid out.
• Customer service. You can reach World Nomads via phone at (844) 207-1930. Representatives are available 24/7, even if you have a general inquiry or question about travel insurance. You can also email the company at serviceUSA@worldnomads.com or submit an online form to contact the customer support team.

You can file a claim online 24/7 by logging into your account on the World Nomads website. You need to provide supporting documentation after you answer a few questions about your claim. After the claim is submitted, you will receive an email confirmation.

If you’re having trouble filling a claim online, you can reach out to a claim administrator via phone at (844) 207-1930 or by email at wnclaims@tripmate.com.

Before you purchase a travel insurance policy, it’s a good idea to compare providers. The cost of your plan and the coverage limits vary between companies and plans.

World Nomads has lower coverage limits for emergency medical transportation than some of its competitors. It also has a lower reimbursement percentage for trip interruption than other companies. However, World Nomads’ Explorer policy provides more coverage for trip delays and baggage and belongings than other insurers, which can be beneficial if you’re traveling far.

World Nomads vs. Travel Insured International

World Nomads’ Explorer plan is about $50 more than Travel Insured International’s Worldwide Trip Protector plan, on average. It has higher limits for travel delay and baggage delay, but longer waiting periods before coverage kicks in. The Worldwide Trip Protector policy has higher medical evacuation limits than the Explorer plan, and a higher percentage reimbursement for trip interruption.

Benefit	World Nomad Explorer Plan	Travel Insured International Worldwide Trip Protector
Trip cancellation	100% of prepaid expenses	100% of prepaid expenses
Trip delay	$3,000, after a 6-hour delay	$1,500, after 3-hour delay
Travel medical/evacuation	$100,000/$500,000	$100,000/$1 million
Trip interruption	100% of prepaid expenses	150% of prepaid expenses
Baggage and belongings	$3,000	$1,000
Baggage delay	$750 after 12-hour delay	$500 after 3-hour delay
“Cancel for any reason” reimbursement	N/A	75%
Average cost (based on six sample trips)	$438	$387

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World Nomad vs. TravelSafe

The Explorer plan from World Nomads has higher limits for trip delay, baggage delay and baggage and belongings than the TravelSave Classic plan from TravelSafe Insurance. But it has lower medical evacuation limits. The two plans cost about the same—the TravelSafe Classic policy is $18 more than the Explorer plan, on average.

Benefit	World Nomad Explorer Plan	TravelSafe TravelSafe Classic
Trip cancellation	100% of prepaid expenses	100% of prepaid expenses
Trip delay	$3,000 (after a six-hour delay)	$2,000 (after a six-hour delay)
Travel medical/evacuation	$100,000/$500,000	$100,000/$1 million
Trip interruption	100% of prepaid expenses	150% of prepaid expenses
Baggage and belongings	$3,000	$2,500
Baggage delay	$750 after 12-hour delay	$250 after 12-hour delay
“Cancel for any reason” reimbursement	N/A	N/A
Average cost (based on six sample trips)	$438	$456

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World Nomads vs. Travelex

The Travel Select plan from Travelex is nearly $44 cheaper than World Nomads’ Explorer plan, on average. It has a higher percentage reimbursement for trip interruption, but lower limits for trip and baggage delay, baggage and travel medical expense coverage.

Benefit	World Nomad Explorer Plan	Travelex Travel Select
Trip cancellation	100% of prepaid expenses	100% of prepaid expenses
Trip delay	$3,000 (after a six-hour delay)	$2,000 (after five-hour delay; up to $200 per day)
Travel medical/evacuation	$100,000/$500,000	$50,000/$500,000
Trip interruption	100% of prepaid expenses	150% of prepaid expenses
Baggage and belongings	$3,000	$1,000
Baggage delay	$750 after 12-hour delay	$200 after 12-hour delay
“Cancel for any reason” reimbursement	N/A	75%
Average cost (based on six sample trips)	$438	$394

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World Nomads has been selling travel insurance since 2002 and its plans are underwritten by Nationwide. Their plans provide comprehensive travel insurance coverage with the explorer and thrill-seeker in mind. The company positions itself as a travel insurance company created by world travelers who understand the needs of people seeking adventures abroad.

For our World Nomad travel insurance review, we analyzed the average cost for each travel insurance policy for trips to popular destinations for various traveler profiles:

• Couple, age 30, for a Mexico trip costing $3,000.
• Couple, age 40, for an Italy trip costing $6,000.
• Family of four for an Italy trip costing $15,000.
• Family of four for a France trip costing $15,000.
• Family of four for a U.K. trip costing $15,000.
• Couple, age 65, for an Italy trip costing $6,000.